So frustrating. Three Flashman stories - a long one, basically a novella, and two short. Only one, about the Tranby Croft affair, feels like a genuine stand alone story. The other two feel like ideas for full novels that Fraser abandoned. I may be unfair, but it's what it feels like.
To make it worse there's constant references to earlier, better novels, and the stories contain teasers/trailers of adventures we (or at least I) would rather be reading about: Flashman trying to rescue Maximilian from Mexico, Flashman with Gordon at Khartoum (we get a trailer of him with Woseley and the first story ends with him going off to the Sudan with Gordon), Flashman in the Zulu Wars (we get a description of Isandhlwana which is exciting and a glimpse of Rorke's Draft but it's unsatisfying).
For the adventures themselves:
"Road to Charing Cross" - Flashman has to save the life of Emperor Franz Josef, and deals with the son of Rudi Von Stanberg. Some of this is alright - there's some excellent action during the assassination sequence (pointlessly cut short with Flashman being knocked out... why not play it out?) and the final duel with Rudi Jnr is superb with Flashman in genuine peril (but he's saved by a deux ex machina super woman). Flashman being old and getting passed over has some novelty.
"The Subtleties of Baccarat" - the Tranby Croft affair. A tight self contained story which isn't bad. Fraser was always strong at sporting contests.
"Flashman and the Tiger" - exciting battles in Zulu land, although it later crosses the streams by having Flashman meet Tiger Jack Moran of the Sherlock Holmes stories... and later encounter Holmes and Watson. The finale where Holmes continually misses the point about Flashman is funny - but it is weird that characters from separate universes mix. I enjoyed the Oscar Wilde cameo and the use of Flashman's granddaughter Selina - I just wish it had been a proper Zulu novel
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