Boothby (1867-1905) was a prolific Australian novelist and writer, noted for his sensational fiction published in a variety of magazines in the late 20th century. He is best known as the creator of the character Dr Nikola, an occultist criminal mastermind, who featured in a series of books. This work, which first appeared in Pearson's Magazine in 1897 before publication in book form in 1900, introduces Simon Carne, a gentleman thief in the Raffles mould with an alter ego as the eccentric detective Klimo.