Originally serialised in Tit-Bits in 1890, this novel was in fact the prize-winner from 20,000 entries in one of the richest literary awards ever offered. The convoluted and colourful plot turns on questions of heredity and atavism, dealing with the ancestry of the Waring twin brothers. The novel also introduces Elma Clifford, who comes on her mother’s side from a line of gypsy snake dancers, as she displays a periodic urge to dance wildly with a feather boa in her bedroom. A murderous judge, multiple mistaken identities and scenes of tribal life in South Africa also feature in the extraordinary plot. What’s Bred in the Bone is certainly a testament to the author’s versatility and cold-blooded grasp of the popular market.