Jack Boyle's Boston Blackie is one of the better known crooks in mystery and crime fiction. Making a gritty start in his earliest tales, he was transformed into a "gentleman thief" who lived by his own code, taking what he wanted, but always willing to help out a pal. These stories paint emotional backdrops for the criminal class, making no excuses for crimes committed, but pointing out flaws and corruption in the justice system and in society as a whole. Boyle brings his characters to life, and some are quite memorable. Blackie himself is one of the more likable antiheroes in the genre, which is probably why his character was later turned into a detective for the movies and a radio program. This volume includes the early 1914 stories, the book Boston Blackie (1919), additional stories from Cosmopolitan Magazine, and the Los Angeles Times serial, Daggers of Jade.