The House of Silk (Horowitz’s Holmes, #1) by Anthony Horowitz (Goodreads Author)
Amy Caudill‘s review
If imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, then it’s easy to see why Anthony Horowitz was granted something no other author has before-official endorsement from the estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Horowitz was officially “allowed” to publish stories depicting the legendary detective. Since I have recently re-read some of the original author’s short stories, I can attest that he easily captures the style of the original, including alluding in his stories to others from canon as well as current events of the day, just as Doyle sprinkled throughout his famous stories.
This tale contains two mysteries for the price of one. Only in the final pages are readers permitted to learn what Holmes had long suspected, that the mysterious events around Carstairs and with the obscure House of Silk are connected.
We open with Holmes as he is requested to assist a local nobleman who thinks he is being stalked by a foreign gangster who he inadvertently wronged. Unfortunately before that case is resolved, Holmes is detained and framed for murder in pursuit of another criminal.
When a well-respected police inspector, a local nobleman, and a doctor with a reputation for charity bear witness against him, without him being permitted to speak in his defense, it appears Holmes may be doomed. With even Mycroft’s hands tied, it appears Watson may be his last hope of avoiding a noose, especially when the latter has a clandestine meeting with none other than Professor Moriarty months before the events of Reichenbach Falls.
Watson comes to the rescue, only to find out he is too late, because somehow Holmes has already affected an impossible escape from an impregnable prison. From this point on, Watson does his best to pursue unexplored avenues until he finally is reunited with the missing detective in time for them to make a shattering discovery as they call in police reinforcements to dismantle an establishment so evil that even the master criminal wants no part of it.
I enjoyed this “new” Sherlock Holmes novel just as much as I’ve always loved the original works. The name and legend of Sherlock Holmes have inspired an entire sub-genre of like-styled stories and books, as well as modern adaptations into television series and movies. Horowitz has proven, backed by Doyle’s estate, to be a worthy successor to the detective’s legacy and I look forward to reading some of his other works.