Raffles: The Amateur Cracksman
E.W. Hornung
1898
2/5 stars
This was such a disappointing read for me. Described as the anti-Holmes, Raffles is a "gentleman thief", and the influence of Maurice Leblanc's great character Arsène Lupin. Based on this, I had high expectations rooting for the bad guy through a series of fun escapades. Unlike the Lupin books, though, these short stories, narrated by Raffles' friend Bunny, are dry, practically plot-less, and rarely amusing. Raffles is amoral and narcissistic, and his friendship with Bunny is no friendship at all, but rather the situation of a strong person taking advantage of a weaker. As he is unlikable, there is no redeeming features to his character and no reason for the reader to applaud his deeds -- particularly in the final story.
I thoroughly enjoy Victorian novels on the whole, so this gets two stars instead of one, due to the setting, with the mores and customs so clear. This doesn't make Raffles worth reading, though, and I recommend giving Hornung's stories a miss.
