Dead Authors

The drawback of falling in love with a book from a dead author is that you know not to expect a sequel. I mean, if the author didn't write one when they were alive, they certainly aren't going to now. Raffles is such a book. I just finished the last Raffles story every written and held on to every word. The language is unlike anything I've read before, and captures the era in which the book was written. If a modern writer tried to capture that feel, it would only be as a parody or incomplete picture. There are scenes and phrases which could be safely borrowed, but the true essence is probably gone for good.
Grrr.
But hey, it's a heck of a good book and I'm glad to have read it. Raffles has always been a bit of a mystery to me because the setup seems obvious and leads the reader into certain expectations. The guy is a gentleman criminal. No problem. But he is wracked with guilt over his actions, and yet drawn to them by the very nature of who he is. Much of the stories are dialogs about how the acknowledgment of his nature is in many ways a curse to him. He suffers physically from the strain of carrying the burden of guilt for his crimes, as he also tries to reign in his excesses. As a final piece of work, Justice Raffles is a masterpiece and leaves the reader hungry for more. But it wasn't to be. Just like Raffles to leave his admirers puzzled and yet enchanted.