The caper story is a subgenre of

crime fiction Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...

. The typical caper story involves one or more crimes (especially thefts, swindles, or occasionally kidnappings) perpetrated by the main characters in full view of the reader. The actions of police or detectives attempting to prevent or solve the crimes may also be chronicled, but are not the main focus of the story. The caper story is distinguished from the straight crime story by elements of humor, adventure, or unusual cleverness or audacity. The main characters often have comical idiosyncrasies and the law enforcement individuals are characterized by ineptitude or inadequacies. The criminals comically plan a crime with details unnecessary for the nature of the crime and humour is created when their personalities clash and their quirks are exposed. For instance, the Dortmunder stories of Donald E. Westlake are highly comic tales involving unusual thefts by a gang of offbeat characters — in different stories Dortmunder's gang steals the same gem several times, steals an entire branch bank, and kidnaps someone from an asylum by driving a stolen train onto the property. By contrast, the same author's

Parker Parker may refer to: Persons * Parker (given name) * Parker (surname) Places Place names in the United States *Parker, Arizona *Parker, Colorado * Parker, Florida * Parker, Idaho * Parker, Kansas * Parker, Missouri * Parker, North Carolina *Park ...

stories (published under the name Richard Stark) are grimly straightforward accounts of mundane crime — the criminal equivalent of the

police procedural The police show, or police crime drama, is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasizes the investigative procedure of a police officer or department as the protagonist(s), as contrasted with other genres that focus on eith ...

. Others, such as

Lawrence Block Lawrence Block (born June 24, 1938) is an American crime writer best known for two long-running New York-set series about the recovering alcoholic P.I. Matthew Scudder and the gentleman burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr. Block was named a Grand Mas ...

Bernie Rhodenbarr Bernie Rhodenbarr is the protagonist of the ''Burglar'' series of comic mystery novels by Lawrence Block. He first appeared in ''Burglars Can't Be Choosers'', published in 1977; as of 2013, he has appeared in eleven novels by Block, as well as four ...

novels, feature a role reversal, an honest criminal and crooked cop, and the use of burglar Rhodenbarr's criminal talents to solve murders. A caper may appear as a subplot in a larger work. For example,

Tom Sawyer Thomas Sawyer () is the titular character of the Mark Twain novel ''The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'' (1876). He appears in three other novels by Twain: ''Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' (1884), ''Tom Sawyer Abroad'' (1894), and ''Tom Sawyer, Dete ...

's plot to steal Jim out of slavery in the last part of '' Huckleberry Finn'' is a classic caper.

Etymology

The verb ''to caper'' means to leap in a frolicsome way, and probably derives from ''capriole'', which derives from the Latin for

goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the a ...

(''

Capra Capra may refer to: * ''Capra'' (genus), comprising the goats * Capra (goat dance), a Romanian custom * Capra (titular see), a titular see in the Catholic Church * Capra (car), a pick-up brand from the Iranian Bahman Group People * Buzz Capra (bo ...

''). The noun ''caper''Caper; definition 3
from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary means a frolicsome leap, a capricious escapade or an illegal or questionable act.

Examples

Literature

* "

The Ransom of Red Chief "The Ransom of Red Chief" is a short story by O. Henry first published in the July 6, 1907, issue of ''The Saturday Evening Post''. It follows two men who kidnap and demand a ransom for a wealthy Alabamian's son. Eventually, the men are driven c ...

" (1910) by

O. Henry William Sydney Porter (September 11, 1862 – June 5, 1910), better known by his pen name O. Henry, was an American writer known primarily for his short stories, though he also wrote poetry and non-fiction. His works include "The Gift of the M ...

: two kidnappers find that the little boy they are holding for ransom is more dangerous than the law * early stories of "

The Saint The Saint may refer to: Fiction * Simon Templar, also known as "The Saint", the protagonist of a book series by Leslie Charteris and subsequent adaptations: ** ''The Saint'' (film series) (1938–43), starring Louis Hayward, George Sanders an ...

" (beginning in 1928) by Leslie Charteris * ''The Asphalt Jungle'' (1949) by W. R. Burnett, adapted for film in 1950, 1958, 1963 and 1972 * novels by John Boland such as ''

The League of Gentlemen ''The League of Gentlemen'' is a surreal British comedy horror sitcom that premiered on BBC Two in 1999. The programme is set in Royston Vasey, a fictional town in northern England, originally based on Alston, Cumbria, and follows the lives o ...

'' (1958) and '' The Golden Fleece'' (1961) * '' The Light of Day'' (1962) by

Eric Ambler Eric Clifford Ambler OBE (28 June 1909 – 22 October 1998) was an English author of thrillers, in particular spy novels, who introduced a new realism to the genre. Also working as a screenwriter, Ambler used the pseudonym Eliot Reed for book ...

(filmed as '' Topkapi'') * the '' Modesty Blaise'' stories (beginning in 1963) of

Peter O'Donnell Peter O'Donnell (11 April 1920 – 3 May 2010) was an English writer of mysteries and of comic strips, best known as the creator of ''Modesty Blaise'', an action heroine/undercover trouble-shooter. He was also an award-winning gothic hi ...

* the

John Dortmunder John Archibald Dortmunder is a fictional character created by Donald E. Westlake. He is the protagonist of 14 novels and 11 short stories published between 1970 and 2009. He first appeared in the novel ''The Hot Rock'', published in 1970. Westla ...

series (beginning in 1970) and other novels by Donald E. Westlake * ''Sledgehammer'' (1971) by

Walter Wager Walter Herman Wager (September 4, 1924 – July 11, 2004) was an American crime and espionage-thriller novelist and former editor-in-chief of ''Playbill'' magazine. The movie '' Telefon'', starring Charles Bronson, was inspired by his novel of t ...

* ''A Tough One to Lose'' (1972) by Tony Kenrick, who is often compared with Westlake — an entire airplane and hundreds of passengers go missing; how did this happen? * '' The Taking of Pelham One Two Three'' (1973) by John Godey— a subway car is hijacked and held for ransom * '' The Great Train Robbery'' (1975) by

Michael Crichton John Michael Crichton (; October 23, 1942 – November 4, 2008) was an American author and filmmaker. His books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, and over a dozen have been adapted into films. His literary works heavily feature tech ...

* ''Stealing Lillian'' (1975) by Tony Kenrick — A con artist is enlisted to stage a kidnapping to capture some terrorists (film rights were purchased, according to the dust jacket, but the film was never made) * ''The Seven Day Soldiers'' (1976) by Tony Kenrick — three suburbanites rob a bank by mail, then must battle the mafioso whom they robbed (film rights were purchased, to be directed by

Robert Aldrich Robert Burgess Aldrich (August 9, 1918 – December 5, 1983) was an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. His notable credits include '' Vera Cruz'' (1954), ''Kiss Me Deadly'' (1955), ''The Big Knife'' (1955), '' Autumn L ...

and to star

Steve McQueen Terrence Stephen McQueen (March 24, 1930November 7, 1980) was an American actor. His antihero persona, emphasized during the height of the counterculture of the 1960s, made him a top box-office draw for his films of the late 1950s, 1960s, and 1 ...

, according to the dust jacket, but the film was never made) * ''Faraday's Flowers'' (1978) — adapted as ''

Shanghai Surprise ''Shanghai Surprise'' is a 1986 adventure comedy film directed by Jim Goddard and starring then-newlyweds Sean Penn and Madonna. The screenplay was adapted by John Kohn and Robert Bentley from Tony Kenrick's 1978 novel ''Faraday's Flowers''. ...

'' * ''Two Lucky People'' (1981) by Tony Kenrick — A man and woman, both with only weeks to live, decide to spend their last days defeating a criminal ... in a farcical way. * ''Glitterbug'' (1991) by Tony Kenrick — An

amnesia Amnesia is a deficit in memory caused by brain damage or disease,Gazzaniga, M., Ivry, R., & Mangun, G. (2009) Cognitive Neuroscience: The biology of the mind. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. but it can also be caused temporarily by the use ...

c must deal with the many criminals who made him this way (film rights were purchased by TriStar Pictures to be a vehicle for Bruce Willis, but the film was never made) * ''

Swindle A swindle is a kind of fraud or confidence trick. Swindle may also refer to: People * Swindle (surname) Places * Swindle Island, British Columbia, Canada * 8690 Swindle, an asteroid Films * ''Il bidone'' (English titles ''The Swindle'' or ' ...

'' (2008) By

Gordon Korman Gordon Korman (born October 23, 1963) is a Canadian American author. Korman has written 100 children's books, children's and young adult fiction books. Korman's books have sold more than 30 million copies worldwide over a career spanning four dec ...

* ''

The Lies of Locke Lamora ''The Lies of Locke Lamora'' is a 2006 fantasy novel by American writer Scott Lynch, the first book of the ''Gentleman Bastard'' series. Elite con artists calling themselves the "Gentleman Bastards" rob the rich of the city of Camorr, based on la ...

'' (2006) by

Scott Lynch Scott Lynch (born April 2, 1978) is an American fantasy author who wrote the '' Gentleman Bastard Sequence'' series of novels. His first novel, ''The Lies of Locke Lamora'', was purchased by Orion Books in August 2004 and published in June 2006 u ...

* ''

Heist Society ''Heist Society'' is the sixth novel by author Ally Carter, and was published on February 9, 2010. This is her fourth novel for young adults, and her first young adult novel outside of her ''The New York Times'' bestselling Gallagher Girls series. ...

'' (2010) by

Ally Carter Ally Carter is the pen name of Sarah Leigh Fogleman (born January 1, 1974), an American author of young adult fiction and adult-fiction novels. Pen name Carter chose the pen name "Ally Carter" to distinguish the books she would write under t ...

*Most books by

Janet Evanovich Janet Evanovich (née Schneider; April 22, 1943) is an American writer. She began her career writing short contemporary romance novels under the pen name Steffie Hall, but gained fame authoring a series of contemporary mysteries featuring Steph ...

Film

Television

* ''Now You See It, Now You Don't'', a 1968 TV-movie about an art expert who is hired by an insurance company to protect a

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (, ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), usually simply known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker and draughtsman. An innovative and prolific master in three media, he is generally consid ...

on loan from the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

and later hatches a scheme to steal it * ''

Hustle Hustle or The Hustle may refer to: Film * ''Hustle'' (1975 film), an American crime film starring Burt Reynolds * ''Hustle'' (2004 film), an American television film about Pete Rose * ''Hustle'' (2008 film), a film starring Bai Ling * ''The H ...

'', a British series created by Tony Jordan (2004–2012). * ''

Leverage Leverage or leveraged may refer to: *Leverage (mechanics), mechanical advantage achieved by using a lever * ''Leverage'' (album), a 2012 album by Lyriel *Leverage (dance), a type of dance connection *Leverage (finance), using given resources to ...

'', a TNT series created by

Dean Devlin Dean Devlin (born August 27, 1962) is an American screenwriter, producer, director, and actor of film and television. He is best known for his collaborations with director Roland Emmerich, and for his work on the The Librarian (franchise), ''Li ...

(2008–2012). * '' Olsen-banden'', a Danish comedy series.

References