The return of the most charming gentleman thief. Classic crime at it's best. As witty and urbane as Raffles himself.

An adventure story for readers who like their espionage with country houses and cricket - while there's a bit of the modern here (in the form of some general fussing about with sexual intrigue at a weekend party but, honestly, it's not "sexy" in any way) this is plants its feet firmly in the sort of "Dash it, man! That's not quite English, is it?" style that you have to be in the mood for to enjoy, especially since Raffles and Bunny are aren't blazing any new trails for characterization. The actual spying plot is a serious MacGuffin - there's some business with stolen letters and Germans but that's not why any of us came to the party, honestly, so I didn't bother. As a whole I liked it, but then I like this sort of thing. A tentative recommend.

I have read and enjoyed previous books by this Author but I found this book difficult to get into ...........
The storyline was slow paced and quite predictive .......not for me this time

Princess Fuzzypants here:
I do love historical novels that can transport you back to another time and place. Raffles does this in spades. Raffles is a rapscallion who is also a very bad influence on our protagonist. He is a famous "cracksman". He is doubly famous both on the cricket field and in the homes of the wealthy where their valuables are not safe, in a safe,
When our two heroes are caught red-pawed breaking into a safe, their nemesis, a gruff Scot from Scotland Yard, takes them to meet some very highly placed people who want to use their questionable gifts. Letters that cast aspersions on certain dignitaries have been stolen by German spies. Their release will embarrass Edward VII and cause a political scandal. They must find the letters and steal them back.
There is a merry chase all over London to the country and a weekend House Party. They are thwarted at every turn until Raffles finally clicks on the clues and discovers who is the leader of the gang of spies.
It is highly entertaining, amusing and enticing. It is the first of a new series and I for one will look forward to future adventures.
If you are a fan of Edwardian literature or just a cracking good mystery, check it out. I give it five purrs and two paws up.

Raffles, gentleman thief, captured the imagination in collections of short stories an a few movies. But he disappeared from the pages around the time of the Boer War.

He has returned from the seeming dead and has reconnected with Bunny Masters, his long-time associate.

In this novel they are working alongside the law, albeit reluctantly, to foil a German spy ring intent on getting compromising letters out of England.

The bad guys are ruthless and the story moves nicely with plenty of action.

I've read a few of the original Raffles stories, but I have to confess that I didn't really take to him. But reading this book was really great fun. For one thing Mr. Tremayne has written a story that has the feel of a real Golden Age Crime novel, nothing jars, nothing sounds to modern, a truly wonderful achievement. For another, although I still don't like Raffles as a person, the story was very well thought of and executed.

Peter Tremayne is a great author. We always buy his Sister Fidelma series for our library. He brings new life into Raffles while keeping everything that we loved from Hornung's classic character.