THE GENTLEMAN THIEF
STEALS A BLANKET
By Mark Nutter
Humorous Fiction / Contemporary Fiction / Caper
Pages: 296 pages
Publisher: BookBaby
Release date: June 2025
Content Rating: PG-13
Some language and a non-explicit post-coital scene
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Book Description:
Frustrated novelist Danny is resigned to writing material for trade shows, promoting garage doors and non-stick cookware. His ex-wife threatens legal action for non-payment of alimony. Danny never dreamed the answer to his troubles could be larceny.
But then wealthy, charming Packard Hale III reenters his life. He was Danny's college roommate, and like Lupin and Raffles, he now fancies himself a gentleman thief. Packard hires Danny to write about his capers.
Danny follows Packard as they break into a mansion and steal, among other things, a priceless Chinese vase and a curiously valuable souvenir blanket from Branson, Missouri. However, it's not Packard who is pursued by the police, but Danny.
Simultaneously, he struggles to please his client, a lawn-and-garden CEO with an erotic attraction to lawnmowers. Danny also endures abuse from Soren, a boozy has-been Vegas magician. He tolerates the mistreatment because of Crystal, the magician's assistant. He's falling for her.
When he learns Soren screwed Crystal out of rights to magic tricks she's created -- and in spite of the cops on his tail -- Danny plots revenge. He and Packard attempt the daring theft of a state-of-the-art lawnmower—during a live performance in front of 400 people.
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Interview with Author Mark Nutter
Your book is set in Chicago; have you ever been there? I’ve lived in Chicago off and on since I came here to college in the 1970s. Some of the locations mentioned in the book are real – Astor Street, the Drake Hotel. Some locations are fabrications – Clancy’s Steakhouse and the Zekman Theater.
How did you research the book? I gorged on gentleman thieves (A.J. Raffles, Arsène Lupin) and their stories, and I binged on caper films – Topkapi, Ocean’s 11, and The Hot Rock. I’ve also done my share of industrial shows. I even played Carnegie Hall in a show for Wilson Jones Office Products.
In The Gentleman Thief Steals a Blanket, who was the hardest character to write? Crystal, the knockout magician’s assistant. I wanted her to be heroic and sexy. All the time I’m wondering, can a man write this character convincingly? Happily, my wife gave Crystal her seal of approval.
The easiest character? Danny. A bit out of shape. Terrified of adventure but craving it at the same time. I heard his voice loud and clear.
What genre do you typically write in? It’s not a genre, but everything I’ve ever done is funny. This includes sketches, songs, short stories, and feature films. Why? There’s nothing better than making people laugh.
What advice would you give to budding writers? Forget that nonsense about opening a vein and bleeding on the page. Writing is fun. Enjoy the process and share the joy with others.
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About the Author:MARK NUTTER grew up in a motel near Joliet, Illinois, which is not as glamorous as it sounds. He's the author of the humorous heist novel The Gentleman Thief Steals a Blanket. He wrote three collections of comedic short stories: Giant Banana Over Texas, Dancer on the Ceiling, and Sunset Cruise on the River Styx. He won the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award and the LA Weekly Theater Award for the music & lyrics for Reanimator the Musical. Mark also wrote for television (SNL, 3rd Rock from the Sun) and feature film (Almost Heroes).
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Enter the Giveaway!
One winner receives an author-signed copy ofThe Gentleman Thief Steals a Blanket.
(USA and Canada only; ends 10/6/25)
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