The Biter Bit

“The Biter Bit” is a humorous short story by British writer Wilkie Collins. Originally published as “Who is the Thief?” in the April 1858 issue of The Atlantic Monthly, it was retitled and published with nine other short stories in the 1859 book, The Queen of Hearts. The tale is told in epistolary form, recounting a comedy of errors involving a young wannabe police detective — with an exaggerated sense of his own investigatory skills — and a minor theft of banknotes. Can you spot the guilty party before the rookie figures it out? – Summary by Louise J. Belle