Reviews - Mr. Justice Raffles: Further Adventures Of A. J. Raffles

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15 reviews for:

Mr. Justice Raffles: Further Adventures Of A. J. Raffles

BOOO. If you saw how much I loved the short stories, you know how much I wanted to like this one, but nope. Not good, can see why he didn't write any more. It's a shame, because I don't think it's so much that he lost it (IMO Hornung's short story collections got better as they went along) but that the stories themselves are better in smaller doses when you're dealing with more amoral/antihero type characters. Basically nobody in the book is sympathetic, the plot is a bit ridiculous, and he created some random woman as a lead character and tried to hype her up as Raffles's true equal or whatever but didn't give her enough space to make her anything less than ridiculous. (The book DOES acknowledge that Raffles has no interest in this apparent equal and is happy with Bunny, so that works lol.) Also the main villain (though again nobody in this book is really sympathetic!) is a venal moneylender whose portrayal combines pretty much every British Jewish-moneylender trope I've ever read, including some that are pretty vintage and uncommon (like a sidekick who lisps, which was a common speech affectation given to caricatured Jews in the Victorian era). Makes me appreciate Conan Doyle for the overall lack of it there. Three stars is the most I'll give here, and I will give them because Hornung is still a fun writer and there were parts I enjoyed.

gohoubi's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

benjaminparris's review against another edition

2.5

adventurous dark lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

amyspector's review against another edition

5.0

Sad to say this looks to be the last of original A.J. Raffles stories. It’s also the only title that contains a single story and not a collection of short, sequentially linked adventures.

While with all previous books in series you occasionally find a quiet racism (these were published between 1899-1909), this story is quite a bit louder about it.

In truth, I think it’s my favorite story, with dear Bunny (our Watson to Raffles’ Holmes) vowing to finally portraying Raffles with all his flaws. Just be warned, the racial bits do pull you out of the story. And I can see it affecting someone's enjoyment.

likecymbeline's review against another edition

2.0

This is the only Raffles novel, and it felt quite drawn out even if it doesn't make for a terribly long book altogether. The plot seemed convoluted and the antisemitism is sure, uh, rife. It's definitely a glimpse at Victorian culture and preoccupations, and Raffles remains a curious character for his utter refusal to be a hero no matter how often Bunny (and the presumed reading public) wish to make him into one. I liked that we returned to the time when Raffles was at full liberty and pursuing his cricket and thievery in equal parts, but I could've done with much more of his high-class burglary and less of hostage situations.