A shout for Poat’s EV. The preamble looked complicated but the processes were all very clear and satisfying. And the “sting” in the title when all was revealed produced a big grin. Now back to the part-done Listener with renewed energy thanks to a fun IQ (and an equally fun EV, qv).
Definitely Jack, the preamble makes it look much more complicated than it actually is. It also made a change to have straightforward clues with no omitted letters or misprints.
All in all a most enjoyable puzzle - thanks Poat:-)
All done, but the wordplay for the initial 22 - 'Flashy type who steals (which I am assuming is the definition) kitty, as Uncle Sam might say' (5) - eludes me as I cannot see a relevant Americanism in Chambers.