E. W. Hornung was an English author and poet best known for writing the A. J. Raffles series of stories about a gentleman thief in late 19th-century London. Some of Hornung's novels, including The Thousandth Woman, are notable for "portraying women in a rather modern, favorable light", according a critic. In The Thousandth Woman, the title character staunchly stands by the man she loves after he is accused of murder. This novel, published shortly before the outbreak of World War I, is one of Hornung’s final works of fiction. ( Lee Smalley)