A Sherlock Holmes novel Anthony Horowitz Mulholland Books Fiction, Historical Fiction/Mystery Themes: Cross-Genre, Twists and Updates ****+
Description
Throughout his long acquaintance with the famed detective Sherlock Holmes, Dr John Watson faithfully chronicled the many cases, conundrums, and characters
that crossed the threshold of 221B Baker Street. Now nearing the end of his twilight years, Watson finally pens the story of Holmes' darkest case, a case
whose details were so scandalous and depraved in nature that he dared not even set them on paper until now; indeed, he even leaves instructions with his heirs
that the story not be released to the public for a further hundred years.
When the distraught art dealer Mr Carstairs seeks help against a vengeful stranger, Sherlock and Watson both expect a fairly straightforward investigation. But
the matter takes an unexpected turn with the death of a young street urchin, one of the detective's squadron of Baker Street Irregulars. Searching for the
killer, black rumors reach their ears of the "House of Silk" - but where, what, or who it refers to, even Sherlock Holmes cannot decipher. Their hunt for
justice leads to a scandal that could destroy the very heart of London itself.
Review
The first officially authorized Sherlock Holmes adventure in over a century, The House of Silk meshes seamlessly with the characters and the world of
history's greatest detective. Horowitz crafts a compellingly complex new mystery that faithfully evokes the spirit of Doyle's original works. The aging Watson
reflects on the case with a certain air of nostalgia for his long-lost days as a detective's biographer and friend, perfectly understandable for a man whose final
days are upon him. A fun (if dark), unpredictable investigation unfolds, with a resolution as satisfying as it is elementary.
A Sherlock Holmes novel Anthony Horowitz Mulholland Books Fiction, Historical Fiction/Mystery Themes: Cross-Genre, Twists and Updates ***+
Description
At Reichenbach Falls, detective Sherlock Holmes and his nemesis, Professor James Moriarty, had a most fateful meeting, one that sent shockwaves through both law
enforcement and criminal networks around the world. For the American Frederick Chase, an inspector with the Pinkerton agency, the timing couldn't be worse. An
American criminal mastermind named Clarence Devereux - every bit as powerful as Moriarty, if a good deal less scrupulous - had been about to meet the late professor
to negotiate a pooling of resources. Devereux is already in London, and has already killed one Pinkerton agent who came too close, and Chase has no intention of
losing the trail now - not with Moriarty's death creating a vacuum in European crime just made for a scoundrel like Devereux to fill. With the help of Scotland Yard
detective Athelney Jones, who has devoted himself obsessively to studying the late Holmes's techniques, he sets out to bring the man to justice.
Review
After Horowitz's impressive Holmes novel The House of Silk, I was eager to read this work. On the whole, it maintains the feel and style of that earlier
book, creating a tangled mystery that might have baffled Sherlock himself in a London straight out of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's works. Some characters from the great
detective's career come into play. Athelney Jones himself was mentioned twice in Doyle's works, always as a bumbler overlooking obvious facts; here, he is shown to
be a man determined never to come in second-best to Holmes again, even after the man's death, even adopting the detective's mannerisms. Chase tends to be the Watson
of the pair, someone for Jones to impress and explain his observations to. The tale takes many twists, often bloody, on its way to the grand finale... and it is this
finale, unfortunately, that dropped Moriarty in the ratings. I don't deal in spoilers, but I found the final reveal rather unsatisfying, not to mention
frustrating. Aside from that, I considered it a decent read, but I preferred The House of Silk
