8 Mar 2012

THE HOUSE OF SILK: THE NEW SHERLOCK HOLMES NOVEL.

THE HOUSE OF SILK: THE NEW SHERLOCK HOLMES NOVEL by ANTHONY HOROWITZ.


It is November 1890 and London is gripped by a merciless winter. Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson are enjoying tea by the fire when an agitated gentleman arrives unannounced at 221B Baker Street. He begs Holmes for help, telling the unnerving story of a scar-faced man with piercing eyes who has stalked him in recent weeks.


Intrigued by the man's tale, Holmes and Watson find themselves swiftly drawn into a series of puzzling and sinister events, stretching from the gas-lit streets of London to the teeming criminal underworld of Boston. As the pair delve deeper into the case, they stumble across a whispered phrase 'the House of Silk: a mysterious entity and foe more deadly than any Holmes has encountered, and a conspiracy that threatens to tear apart the very fabric of society itself.
......... Outer back cover.


FIRST SENTENCE (Chapter 1): "Influenza is unpleasant," Sherlock Holmes remarked, "but you are right in thinking that, with your wife's help, the child will recover soon."


MEMORABLE MOMENT (Page 33): He will have walked across the lawn, stood in a flower bed and left muddy tracks across the carpet. From this we will learn, at the very least, his height, his weight, his profession and any peculiarities he may have in his gait.


KEEP IT OR NOT?: Without a doubt, one for the shelves.


Though I have seen several film and tv adaptations I have never read any of the original Sherlock Holmes stories which were of course written by Arthur Conan Doyle so unlike several other reviewers of this novel I can't compare it with these books.


Bought as part of a birthday present (Thanks Lisa and Frauke) I must confess that, never a big fan of the films, I was rather dubious about reading this but to my great surprise and delight found myself really enjoying it.


A lot more gritty and, in a way, more contemporary than I expected it to be, the ending wasn't at all what I expected, the thing that I most enjoyed about the novel though wasn't so much the 'mystery' aspect but the descriptions of life in London in the late 1800's - the story of the Baker Street Irregulars (a group of street urchins occasionally employed by Holmes to act as his eyes and ears on the street as it were) I thought particularly well done.


Atmospheric, and incredibly well written, I love the descriptive nature ........


..... he was as always pale-skinned with bright, sunken eyes and the general demeanour of a rat who has been obliged to dress up for lunch at the Savoy ......


Anthony Horowitz paints a wonderful picture that I'm sure won't disappoint the estate of the late Conan Doyle who sanctioned the writing of The House Of Silk.


13 comments:

Arti said...

I love reading Sherlock Holmes and never heard of this. Looks like a wonderful read, full of mystery and flair of Holmes!! A fabulous review from you, I will look out for this.
Have a nice day Tracy, wish you and family Happy Holi:)

serendipity_viv said...

I am so glad this one is good. I have seen the books around and wondered what they would be like.

Gina said...

Ooh...now that DOES sound good! I'm actually a fan of the recent movies (w/Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law) and have read one or two of the originals (good stuff) plus two of the YA/Children's renditions of his youth....have yet to be truly disappointed. This one will have to be added to my wish list....thanks for the great review!

dr.antony said...

Hi Tracy
After so long. I was just passing by while at the clinic.Haven't heard about this book.Interesting.

Suko said...

This sounds like one I should keep on my shelves as well. Excellent review, Petty!

Melissa (Books and Things) said...

I like to try new books like this. Sometimes they are winners. So glad this one was enjoyable for you. I'll have to keep it in mind when i'm in the mood for a mystery!

Kelly said...

I've only read one of the originals, but I did enjoy it.

I believe this one is going to have to go on my wish list. Very compelling review!

The Bookworm said...

This sounds fantastic. I have been wanting to read the originals for some time now. This one is going on my wish list. Lovely review.

Golden Eagle said...

I've read a couple books by Anthony Horowitz, one of which I didn't really like and the other I did--this sounds like a great modern take on Sherlock Holmes, though!

Thanks for the review.

Kavita Saharia said...

A big thanks to you for this great review from a die hard fan of Sherlock Holmes.I am going to buy it soon .

Yanting Gueh said...

I enjoyed reading Holmes back in university, and have always liked detective fiction. The quote on a character description you shared sounds really good. On my to-read shelf it goes then. Thanks for sharing this!

Jinky said...

Ooh, I have to put this on my tbr!! I loved the few short stories of SH by Sir Doyle. Thanks for the heads-up. :D

buddy2blogger said...

I liked this pastiche immensely. Great cameos and a vintage climax make this book a good read for any Sherlockian.

Cheers!