The House of Silk @AnthonyHorowitz @mulhollandbooks #sherlockholmes #mystery #fictionfriends #duoreviews @JanBelisle @absltmom

Looking for a good book to share, Jan and I thought to pick up another Anthony Horowitz book. Hoping that once again Mr Horowitz could not only thrill us, but also provide a story that was pure story telling, with no gimmicks. We wanted a book that honored the tradition set by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in his famous Sherlock Holmes stories. The House of Silk met all our expectations and then some.

“It was quite elementary,’ returned the detective with a languid gesture of one hand.”

Jan’s review

As an avid fan of the author’s books, The Magpie Murders, The Word is Murder, and The Sentence is Death, I was anxious to read this one. Horowitz received approval from  Arthur Conan Doyle’s estate to write a new Sherlock Holmes novel, and this book was the result. 

“when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”

I confess that I have not read a Sherlock Homes book, so I have nothing to compare this one to, but in typical Horowitz fashion, it was well-written and I trust the author stayed true to the characters. I found the dynamic between Holmes and Watson delightful. This book is the perfect example of the Golden Age of Mystery where the powers of observation and deduction in solving crimes reigns supreme.

“You look at me as if I were a conjuror,’ Holmes remarked, with a laugh.”

A buddy read with my friend Marialyce, we both found this book well-written, entertaining, and suspenseful. Highly recommended for fans of the genre.

Marialyce’s review

When I think of Sherlock Holmes, I think of London of the late 1800s. For many it was a dark, dismal, and somewhat eerie type of place, a place where the fog rolled in and the crimes rolled out. I think of Basil Rathborne as Sherlock, the old black and white movies that captured so much of the aura of the books that were written by Arthur Conan Doyle. So it was with that image in mind that I picked up The House of Silk and began my trek once again into old time London and the dank underground that inhabited it.

Happily, I was ever so pleased to read this book as I felt that Mr Horowitz kept the tradition of Holmes so alive and made the mystery present in The House of Silk one that kept me guessing. Isn’t that what a great mystery book does?

Accompanied by Dr Watson, of course, we travel the road with the characters and we have Sherlock a few steps, (well truthfully many) ahead of both Dr Watson and we, the readers. This was sheer fun and as the indomitable Sherlock figured it all out, we became immersed in a story that was both cunning and dangerous. “The few questions I had asked had been futile and I was suddenly dispirited, for it had occurred to me that had Holmes been present, he would have probably have solved the entire mystery by now.”

To all those who have loved the original Sherlock Holmes stories, and those who love mysteries that are well done, well written and well executed, this is a story for you. Mr Horowitz kept it real and so in the tradition that we Sherlock readers and watchers have loved.

Thanks are extended to the author who has thrilled both Jan and I on many occasions. If you haven’t read a Horowitz book, best get busy. They have all been wonderful.

and here’s the author: