The House of Silk: A Sherlock Holmes Novel

Terrific pastiche!

Holmes and Watson solve an ugly crime - or two or three - outwitting truly depraved criminals and bringing to light a corruption so secret and powerful that even Mycroft warns Sherlock from it -- and cannot come to their aid. It's a sound, consistent story, and each character rings true. Watson's references to his other adventures with Holmes are both relevant and revealing -- we're brought into the reflections of an older Watson, whose profound respect and love of Holmes remain unchanged, as does his rueful expressions of his own limitations and his not infrequent irritation with his great friend. They are the best kind of friends -- brothers by choice. I'm a huge fan of mysteries, of London, of Holmes and Holmes pastiche. This is a great example of each. I had a pretty strong sense early on in the story where and what the conspiracy involved -- but a terrific twist at the end caught me totally by surprise. I hope Horowitz chooses to do more. Fans of Victorian/Edwardian England, Holmes and Watson, and solid old-fashioned mysteries would enjoy this.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Loved it!

Brilliantly done and very well written. As a die-hard Sherlock fan, I can be picky about books like these, but I found this one to be a perfect mix of Sherlock+great plot+fast pace.
Definitely recommend and hope he will do more.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Anonymous

Well done, old chap! Sir Arthur would be pleased.

Very true to originals

Horowitz has done a masterful job of capturing these late, great characters. He couples that with his already masterul abillity at pacing and is able to produce a truly wonderful book. Though the end mught not be up to some people's expectations, I did think it was satisfactory and it gave me quite a grin and a chuckle. If you liked the old ones you will like this one too.

horrible book! stay away from it! true sherlock fans would like

horrible book! stay away from it! true sherlock fans would like it ok until the end which was very diappointing...so dont even bother wasting your money on this

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Elementary

Maybe it’s a coming trend. First the Gershwin estate authorizes a Broadway version of “Porgy & Bess,” in an attempt to milk its assets. Then the Arthur Conan Doyle estate authorizes for the first time a Sherlock Holmes novel. Another similar event and we might just be enjoying a fad.

Be that as it may, this novel is based on one of the many unpublished adventures of the famous detective, with Watson, now retired, recalling one last case a year after Holmes’ death. It begins when a London art dealer visits Baker Street and tells Holmes and Watson about his confrontation in the United States with a Boston gang which has murdered a customer of his and which he believes followed him back to England. From this flows an intriguing tale far afield from the original surmise.

The writing flows like an original Sherlock Holmes tale, and the logic and analysis reflect the virtuosity and great mind of the singular detective. Too often attempts to recreate classics fail or end up being something else. Such is not the case with this novel, and it is recommended.

Wonderful read. Do not wait to read this book!

I loved this novel, it read like the real Conan Doyle.. Just wonderful. The story developed slowly, but to better savor it... This is Conan Doyle with universal human conditions akin to Charles Dickens. The novel is very well constructed.. it is a beauty...

If You Love Mysteries, You Won't Be Disappointed

This book would appeal to anyone who loves a good mystery, not just Sherlock Holmes fans. The author has done a masterful job in that I often felt like I was reading Arthur Conan Doyle. He portrays the atmosphere of Victorian London and the characters of Holmes and Watson extremely well. The suspense builds to a satisfying ending, and I was able to solve only a part of the mystery.

It will be loved by readers from young adults to adults alike.

Reviewed by Author Anna del C. Dye. for Readers Favorite

This is a delightful tale worthy of the original master. It is a story about Sherlock Holmes in the case of "The House of Silk". It is well-told, entertaining, and full of Arthur Conan Doyle’s flavor. The tale is done from John Watson’s point of view. He does a great job of retelling it to us. I listened to the audio book. The voice of Derek Jacobi was perfect for the character of Watson. His voice is clear, timely, and full of feeling which makes the tale come alive.

Watson chooses to spend some time with Sherlock Holmes at his apartment while his wife Mary visits friends in another town. Soon the respectable owner of an art gallery comes to visit with a tale of bandits and gunfire. Because of this battle, the art gallery owner thinks he is sought out for revenge by a man who is soon found dead. The case could have finished there, but many other turns and macabre details come to the expert eyes of Holmes. In a matter of just days, he finds himself in America and with a tale of his own. Holmes’ brother begs him to stop nosing about the House of Silks, but this only fires his desires to find out who they are. Of course, the death of a young orphan hanging over his head won’t let him stop until it is almost too late. Believing that Holmes has gunned down the sister of the dead orphan, the whole police force turns against him and off spins a case that already has too many twisted threads.

I found this tale an awesome tribute to the true master of Sherlock Holmes. It is a must have and a great asset to any library of classic works like A. C. Doyle’s. You will find that this tale takes you back to old London when the evildoer fears to attract the eye of the world’s best detective. It will be loved by readers from young adults to adults alike.

Well done!

Excellent story in the tradition of the originals. The author does a great job of Incorporating the language and mood of those earlier stories. You just can't beat a good Sherlock Holmes mystery.

Great so far

Half way through and this is a fun read!

A great Sherlock Holmes story!!

If I hadn't been a fan for a long time of Sherlock Holmes, and was unfamiliar with all of Aurthur Conan Doyle's work, I would have thought this was an original story by Doyle. Horowitz did a magnificent job in the flow of the mystery and the style of the writing. He also did an excellent job with telling the story through Watson's pen and recollection. I have read other authors' Sherlock Holmes stories and this was by far the best one. This was a fun book to read and did not disappoint! Hope to see more by him that would again receive the "nod of approval" by the Doyle Estate.

Great Book! Thoroughly enjoyed it.

In the tradition of the originals. Fans will appreciate the story and the style.

Good book

I found this book enjoyable.

A worthwhile Sherlock Holmes patische. I think Doyle would approve.

In all, I really enjoyed this visit to Victorian London and the world of Sherlock Holmes. Horowitz definitely captured the flavor and tempo of the Holmes canon stories, while occasionally falling into the same problems I find with the A.C. Doyle originals.

There are two mysteries in this novel that intersect. The first one is very typical Holmes material and is satisfyingly creepy at first and then neatly concluded at the end of the book. The middle of the novel splits off into a second investigation that is very dark and foreboding, and at times, a little contrived.

Anyone writing a serious Holmes story, as this obviously is an attempt to do, is bound by the history and established timelines of the Doyle works. This makes for plotting problems that sometime get in the way of the story. Also there are things that authors want to do with the familiar characters just for the coolness factor that hopefully, Holmes buffs would appreciate. Unfortunately this may go right over the heads of someone who is less a student of the stories. Both of these problems crop up here.

There is a meeting between two well-known characters in this story that never happened or was even referred to in the Doyle works. Since the history is very clear on this, the author went way out on a limb to make this work and be believable. I think the author was going after this coolness factor, but in my opinion he tried way too hard. The whole episode is dropped right into the middle of the fast moving story with the result that the narrative comes to a screeching halt. I could see no point to the whole thing as it is never referred to again, and doesn't really affect the outcome of either mystery. A person unfamiliar with the written Sherlock Holmes material would be even more confused with this episode as he wouldn't even understand the "coolness" factor which seems to be the only reason it exists.

That being said, I definitely recommend this work to anyone who has read the originals stories, and the casual reader as well. For the most part, it delivers on all the promises a Holmes novel should be expected to make. Holmes is brilliant, Watson is steady and a good right hand, even if he is usually in the dark as to where things are going, and the villians are cunning in their plots and admiring of the Great Detective when they are caught.

What can I say...Love Sherlock Holmes.

Love everything about this book.

its good, not great

This book is a very old fashion setting. It is a book full of mystery. As you read you will uncover secrets that will leave you in shock. This book is very interesting if you are a fan of detective work. I hope you enjoy it.

Good r T Good to be back with Holmes &Watson again

For the fan of Sherlock Holmes and Victorian London this was an enjoyable & quick read,

Disappointing

I had thought that with the support of the Doyle estate, this novel would be original, exciting, and true to Victorian times. It was not. the plot was hardly original, and while perhaps shocking in those times, it has now become overworked and rather overdone. There were anachronisms in language useage and words. the mystery was obvious and the villains were stereotypes. All in all, I would not recommend this to a Sherlockian at all. There was no sense of adventure, and the major characters were superficially drawn. I suppose some of the details of later years had been approved, but I find the idea that Watson had 3 children to be a little stretched. There are far better Holmes stories that are not approved by the estate. One wonders if they only approved this for the money....

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Awesome reading

Love the book...I felt like I was reading a novel written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself. Holmes and Watson "sounded" as they do in Doyle's stories. Only I thought it was a little to dark for Holmes, but he did have a few that were dark too.

I'm ready for another Holmes story by Horowitz.