To Catch a Thief (novel)
To Catch a Thief is a 1952 thriller novel by David Dodge. John Robie is a retired American jewel thief, formerly known as Le Chat ("The Cat"), who now spends his time tending to the rose garden in his villa on the Côte d'Azur. Following a series of recent jewel robberies on the Riviera that resemble his style, the police believe that the Cat is up to his old tricks again. A young woman vacationing in France suspects Robie at first, then offers to help him catch the real burglar.
In 1955, the novel was adapted to film by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly. On 8 January 2011 it was dramatized as a Saturday Play and broadcast on BBC Radio 4.
Publishing History
Editions
- New York: Random House, 1952. 248 pp. [1st ed.]
- New York: Dell Publishing Company, 1953 (Dell 658). 224 pp.
- London: Michael Joseph, 1953. [1st UK ed.]
- Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin Books, 1955 (Penguin 1053). 215, [1] pp.
- London: White Lion Publishers Limited, 1972. 215, [1] pp. ISBN 0-85617-803-9
- London; Melbourne: J.M. Dent & Sons, 1988 (Mastercrime). 200 pp. ISBN 0-460-12557-5
- Eugene, Or.: Bruin Books, 2010 (Bruin Crimeworks). ix, 281 pp. ISBN 978-0-9826339-3-9
Condensed/Abridged Versions
- Book publication was preceded by a version of the novel that appeared in the December 1951 issue of Cosmopolitan (Vol. 131, no. 6)
- In Reader's Digest Condensed Books, Winter 1952 Selections. Pleasantville, N.Y.: Reader's Digest Association, 1952, p. 397-503
- In Reader's Digest Condensed Books. London: Reader's Digest Association, [1956?], p. 409-503
- In Anthology of Mystery and Suspense. Pleasantville, N.Y.: Reader's Digest Association, 1959 (Reader's Digest Book Club), p. 224-315
- In The Golden Age of Film: Four Novels That Captivated Hollywood. Ultimo, N.S.W.: Reader's Digest Australia, 2009.
External links