Raffles: The Gentleman Thief [Kindle Edition]

Raffles: The Gentleman Thief is an excellent short story. It is detailed and interesting enough to quench a thirst for nostalgic and historical comfort whilst being compact enough to devour in the space of a lunchtime or train journey. For fans of Hornung's original stories, Foreman adds a fresh sense of adventure to Raffles, a respected and admired gentleman in London society with a penchant for larceny and pleasure. An addictive set of characters, a charming setting and Foreman's excellent dialogue bode very well for the next instalment.

Unbelievably smart, gripping and wickedly funny. There is a great cameo from Sherlock Holmes, but the book belongs to Raffles. Have just bought the original stories by E. W. Hornung and if there half as good as Richard Foreman's re-boot then they'll be twice as good as most things.
Raffles: The Gentleman Thief is short, but there isn't a paragraph wasted and there is still time for a clever twist at the end. The narrator, Bunny, is sweet and likeable and provides a nice counterweight to Raffles.
Should you enjoy Sherlock Holmes - or Oscar Wilde or Flashman - then this series must be a must

Upon arrival at the first page, we are transported not just into the familiarity of London's society, but into a world of literary allusions and personalities. Foreman cleverly draws upon the landscapes of Dickens and reputations of writers like Wilde to excellent and frequently comical effect adding a richer visual and literary backdrop to his narrative.

However, the novella's webs of allusion do not merely tickle the fancy of a literary audience. Although it can be said that Foreman certainly mimics the Conan Doyle style, its wealth of references are not limited to his predecessors. The author recognises that many of his readers may be approaching the text following a relatively recent introduction to Sherlock Holmes in the popular BBC TV series and the recent film releases starring Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr. The novella, therefore, is careful not to isolate the modern world and frequently engages in a spot of political satire. He situates his text in its historical and political setting, whilst playing upon both periods to an amusing end. When Raffles and Bunny are discussing the potential damage for the politician if the letter were to be released to the public, Raffles humorously states `I doubt that I'll have much sympathy for him, whoever he is. So many of them behave like bastards...lies trip of their tongues'. The reader cannot help but find itself nodding in agreement and tittering at its allusion to the parliamentary expenses scandal.

With Holmes and Watson, Foreman again draws upon the old and the new to create his characters. Raffles' description of Holmes as `protector or persecutor' compliments the well established perception of Holmes as a bipolar character and personality. However, with the relationship of Holmes and Watson, he lightly touches on the more modern perception of a homosexual and marital- like fondness and comfort between the pair, describing them as like `an old married couple'.

In brief, the text is a clever mix of both the old and the new; the literary and the political. In spite of its short length, Foreman's Raffles and Bunny are vibrant and amusing characters and Holmes' characteristically long and complex speeches do not disappoint. `Raffles: The Gentleman Thief' has something for everyone.