The Biter Bit

by Wilkie Collins

"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

Genres: Short Stories, Humor, Crime

Audiobook

Published May 10, 2022

About the author

Wilkie Collins was an English novelist and playwright, best known for The Woman in White (1860), an early sensation novel, and The Moonstone (1868), a pioneering work of detective fiction. Born to landscape painter William Collins and Harriet Geddes, he spent part of his childhood in Italy and France, learning both languages. Initially working as a tea merchant, he later studied law, though he never practiced. His literary career began with Antonina (1850), and a meeting with Charles Dickens in 1851 proved pivotal. The two became close friends and collaborators, with Collins contributing to Dickens' journals and co-writing dramatic works.
Collins' success peaked in the 1860s with novels that combined suspense with social critique, including No Name (1862), Armadale (1864), and The Moonstone, which established key elements of the modern detective story. His personal life was unconventional—he openly opposed marriage and lived with Caroline Graves and her daughter for much of his life, while also maintaining a separate relationship with Martha Rudd, with whom he had three children.
Plagued by gout, Collins became addicted to laudanum, which affected both his health and later works. Despite declining quality in his writing, he remained a respected figure, mentoring younger authors and advocating for writers' rights. He died in 1889 and was buried in Kensal Green Cemetery. His legacy endures through his influential novels, which laid the groundwork for both sensation fiction and detective literature.

Reviews

[Jill H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy Wilkie Collins stories and this is no exception. It is a humorous read but still keeps within Collins' technique of a detective/mystery for which he is noted.

Chief Inspector of Police, Theakstone, advises one of his most competent officers, Sgt. Bulmer, that he has to transfer him to another case from the one on which he is currently working. It appears that the CI has been forced by higher ups to put another man, Mathew Sharpin, on the case. And the CI is not happy as Sharpin is a hateful egotist whose self-image reaches to the stars. He has no experience but considers himself smarter than anyone on the police force and doesn't hesitate to tell them.

The crime involves a cash box, which contains quite a bit of money, which is stolen from a local merchant. This robbery may ruin the merchant financially ..............and then, in steps Sharpin and things go from bad to worse.

I am going to stop there as it is not easy to further explain without a page full of spoilers!
It is a delightful read and something a bit different from the author's other works. I totally enjoyed it.

[Mbuye · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Wilkie Collins detective story, complete with the Wilkie irony, published in 1856. This is one of Wilkie Collins’s most funny short stories, and is beautifully told in the form of letters and reports exchanged between a rookie police officer (whose appointment to the Force, it is hinted darkly, is the result of blackmail or some other underhand dealings), the Inspector and the sergeant already assigned to the case. Since all the details in the case are laid out before us, the reader has a very fair chance of guessing at the right thief. As the cocksure rookie looks in every direction but the right one, Collins also makes the point that there is no substitute for police methods of hard work and experience with the ways of common criminals.

[Dom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was goooood! Original writing style, original format, and I really liked how we got across the inner thoughts of the characters JUST from the way they wrote! The only thing was the plot wasn’t AS strong as I would’ve liked, and it could’ve been a teeny bit shorter (I guessed the end like 5 pages before it) but it was GOOD!

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

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. Bellehttps://librivox.org/the-biter-bit-by... Yep, I guessed it all right by Part 2, though the motive was filled in at the denouement.

[Joyce Redman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short Story with a little humor. It was okay.

[Elizabeth Choi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Funny premise but didn't find it particularly engaging.

[Paul John · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars