Hornung's prose is widely admired for its lucid, simple style. Oliver Edwards, writing in The Times, considered that "not the least attractive part of the Raffles books is the simple, plain, unaffected language in which each one of them is written". The obituarist in the same newspaper agrees, and thinks Hornung had "a power of good and clear description and a talent for mystery and surprise"

This selection chosen by the critic August Nemocontains the following stories:

- The Idles of March

- A Costume Piece

- Gentlemen and Players

- Le Premier Pas

- Wilful Murder

- Nine Points of the Law

- The Return Match