Books like Ring for Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse

In the only Jeeves tale where Bertie Wooster is absent, the ever‑discreet butler is seconded to the wartime aristocracy as the butler‑factor for William Belfrey, the ninth Earl of Rowcester. Despite his lofty title, the Earl is financially ruined and the pair have taken up a secretive book‑making side‑business under the cover of moustached disguises and loud, check‑printed suits. Their operation flies until the dreaded Captain Brabazon‑Biggar, a formidable big‑game hunter and former beau of wealthy American widow Roslinda Spottsworth, bets heavily on two outsiders. The resulting heavy losses leave Jeeves and the Earl three thousand pounds deep in debt and pursued by their creditors. In a twist, the Captain’s past connections to Roslinda—and the Earl’s desperate attempt to sell his crumbling estate—intertwine to create a comedic yet precarious situation.

First publish date: March 1996