Stainless Steel Rat

The "nom de crime" (?) of James Bolivar DiGriz, better known as Slippery Jimmy DiGriz. He used to be a very successful intergalactic criminal of varying sorts, until he was caught by The Special Corps, and convinced to work for them (set a thief to catch a thief, etc). He has various skills including disguise, weapons, electronics, and a very quick brain (definitely not a moron, as one above writeup used to say)

He's the main character from a series of books by Harry Harrison, starting with the not-terribly-imaginatively named The Stainless Steel Rat, and continued with The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge, and The Stainless Steel Rat goes to Hell. There may be others, but I haven't seen them.

There have always been rats in the wainscoating of society. Those who survive not by following the system but by going their own way. As society has advanced then the rats have had to as well. In a high-tech society only the best rats can survive. Harry Harrison chronicles the adventures of James Bolivar diGriz, one of these Stainless Steel Rats. The series currently consists of:

• The Stainless Steel Rat
• Revenge of the Stainless Steel Rat
• The Stainless Steel Rat Saves the World
• The Stainless Steel Rat Wants You
• The Stainless Steel Rat for President
• A Stainless Steel Rat is Born
• The Stainless Steel Rat is Drafted
• The Stainless Steel Rat Sings the Blues
• The Stainless Steel Rat Goes to Hell
• The Stainless Steel Rat Joins the Circus

The first five follow his recruitment into The Special Corps and missions for them. Harrison then goes back and the next three books tell of the Rat's origins.

During his adventures the Rat saves the world from domination by a time travelling tyrant, prevents an invasion of intelligent dinosaurs, and wins what is probably the dirtiest election anywhere ever.

There was also a board game "Return of the Stainless Steel Rat" from SPI published in issue 10 of their science fiction/fantasy gaming magazine Ares. This issue also included a short Rat story of the same name by Harrison.