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kathydavie's review against another edition
5.0
First in the Sherlock Holmes mystery series and revolving around Dr. Watson's memories. This particular memory takes place in November 1890.
In 2012, The House of Silk was nominated for the Macavity Award for Best Mystery Novel.
My Take
Excellent! Absolutely excellent! Horowitz's Holmes is just as logical in his analyses and deductions as ever, and I was fascinated with his reasoning, as Horowitz was definitely channeling Sir Arthur Conan Doyle! If you love the Sherlock Holmes stories, do not walk, run to your nearest bookstore *grin*
It's Holmes' memorial service that sparks Watson's reminiscences, and as events roll forth in first-person point-of-view, it becomes obvious why this case could not be published within Holmes' lifetime due to the shocking and monstrous actions of a cruel few. It's all about the evils of substance and child abuse with a side on the corruption of those in power. Yep, not much has changed in the past century.
As events continue to come to a head, it's incredibly obvious that Dickens was right. The English justice system of the time was desperately in need of reform! And, sigh, the journalists back in the day are just as bad as those of today in not reporting all the news.
Do read the preface. Horowitz makes excellent use of it as the reason we've never heard of these cases before. Brilliant idea. And he's setting us up for those future possibilities. Writers, take notes.
The Afterword is well worth reading as well, as it ties things up, unneatly. But it's that last paragraph, its very last line that makes me want to cry.
The Story
A fine art dealer is being dogged by a strange man in a flat cap. Edmund Carstairs is certain the man is an American criminal who has followed him to England, robbed his house, and threatened his family. Carstairs is desperate for Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson to help him.
And then it's murder.
A murder that leads deeper into a case that becomes more and more complex, spanning the Atlantic Ocean, uncovering lies, betrayals, murder, corruption, and poison.
The Characters
Dr. John Watson had been Holmes' companion for years until he married Mary Morston. Arthur is the cousin who recommended Watson as the Assistant Surgeon to the Fifth Northumberland Fusiliers.
Sherlock Holmes is a private detective with an uncannily deductive mind. Mycroft is his older, smarter (indolent) brother who works sub rosa in government and belongs to the Diogenes Club. Mrs. Hudson is Holmes' landlady.
The Baker Street Irregulars are…
…a gang of street arabs employed by Holmes. Wiggins is their leader. Ross is one of the new boys. Sally Dixon is Ross' sister, and she works at The Bag of Nails, a pub in London run by Ephraim Hardcastle.
Scotland Yard
Inspector George Lestrade steps up. Police Constable Stanley Perkins arrested Holmes at Inspector Harriman's orders. Inspector Morton.
Edmund Carstairs and his wife, Catherine, live in Ridgeway Hall in Wimbledon. Eliza is Edmund's angry sister. Kirby and Margaret Kirby are manservant and housekeeper/cook; Patrick is their nephew who works as the kitchen boy; and, Elsie is the scullery maid. Edmund is one of the partners, along with Tobias Finch, in Carstairs and Finch, art dealers. Cornelius Stillman was a client in Boston who bought some artwork. James Devoy is their agent in America. Bill McParland was a Pinkerton agent.
Chorley Grange is…
…a charity school for boys run by the Reverend Charles Fitzsimmons and his wife, Joanna. The school was founded by Sir Crispin Ogilvy and is currently owned by the Society for the Improvement of London's Children. Mr. Vosper is the porter. Ross had been a student here along with Harry and Daniel. Robert Weeks is a graduate of Balliol College and one of the teachers.
Holloway Prison
Hawkins is the chief warder. Dr. Percy Trevelyan is the medical officer. Rivers is a slow-witted medical orderly. Jonathan Wood is a prisoner who died. Collins is another prisoner in the prison hospital. Jacks is a forger.
Mr. Henderson is a tidewaiter and an opium addict. Jason Bratby is his associate. Creer's Place is an opium den run by Isaiah Creer. Dr. Thomas Ackland, governor of the Westminster Hospital, and Lord Horace Blackwater are witnesses. Mr. Edwards is the prosecutor. Watson is assuming that the mysterious mathematician is Professor James Moriarty and Mr. Underwood is his flunkey. Alec Ravenshawe is his new lordship. Dr. Asmodeus Silkin runs Silkin's House of Wonders, a circus in Whitechapel.
The Flat Cap Gang were…
…a group of thieves in America led by Irish twins: Rourke and Keelan O'Donaghue. Fellow gang members included the Ghost, Frank "Mad Dog" Kelly, and Patrick "Razors" Maclean.
Mrs. Cecil Forrester employed Mary as a governess for her son, Richard. Jack Murray is the orderly who saved Watson. Hastings is the dresser who caused Watson to meet Sherlock through Stamford. Mr. Harrison has taken a room at Mrs. Oldmore's Private Hotel where the Boots appears to be the night clerk. Mr. Jabez Wilson was part of a previous case involving the red-headed league. Russell Johnson is also a pawnbroker.
The Cover and Title
The cover's background has vague vertical stripes of very subtle black and deep gray with the title in a scripted and embossed gold spread across the top two-thirds of the cover and the author's name in an outlined serif font in gold at the bottom. The series information is between the two in white.
The title is where that initial case leads, to The House of Silk.
In 2012, The House of Silk was nominated for the Macavity Award for Best Mystery Novel.
My Take
Excellent! Absolutely excellent! Horowitz's Holmes is just as logical in his analyses and deductions as ever, and I was fascinated with his reasoning, as Horowitz was definitely channeling Sir Arthur Conan Doyle! If you love the Sherlock Holmes stories, do not walk, run to your nearest bookstore *grin*
It's Holmes' memorial service that sparks Watson's reminiscences, and as events roll forth in first-person point-of-view, it becomes obvious why this case could not be published within Holmes' lifetime due to the shocking and monstrous actions of a cruel few. It's all about the evils of substance and child abuse with a side on the corruption of those in power. Yep, not much has changed in the past century.
As events continue to come to a head, it's incredibly obvious that Dickens was right. The English justice system of the time was desperately in need of reform! And, sigh, the journalists back in the day are just as bad as those of today in not reporting all the news.
Do read the preface. Horowitz makes excellent use of it as the reason we've never heard of these cases before. Brilliant idea. And he's setting us up for those future possibilities. Writers, take notes.
The Afterword is well worth reading as well, as it ties things up, unneatly. But it's that last paragraph, its very last line that makes me want to cry.
The Story
A fine art dealer is being dogged by a strange man in a flat cap. Edmund Carstairs is certain the man is an American criminal who has followed him to England, robbed his house, and threatened his family. Carstairs is desperate for Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson to help him.
And then it's murder.
A murder that leads deeper into a case that becomes more and more complex, spanning the Atlantic Ocean, uncovering lies, betrayals, murder, corruption, and poison.
The Characters
Dr. John Watson had been Holmes' companion for years until he married Mary Morston. Arthur is the cousin who recommended Watson as the Assistant Surgeon to the Fifth Northumberland Fusiliers.
Sherlock Holmes is a private detective with an uncannily deductive mind. Mycroft is his older, smarter (indolent) brother who works sub rosa in government and belongs to the Diogenes Club. Mrs. Hudson is Holmes' landlady.
The Baker Street Irregulars are…
…a gang of street arabs employed by Holmes. Wiggins is their leader. Ross is one of the new boys. Sally Dixon is Ross' sister, and she works at The Bag of Nails, a pub in London run by Ephraim Hardcastle.
Scotland Yard
Inspector George Lestrade steps up. Police Constable Stanley Perkins arrested Holmes at Inspector Harriman's orders. Inspector Morton.
Edmund Carstairs and his wife, Catherine, live in Ridgeway Hall in Wimbledon. Eliza is Edmund's angry sister. Kirby and Margaret Kirby are manservant and housekeeper/cook; Patrick is their nephew who works as the kitchen boy; and, Elsie is the scullery maid. Edmund is one of the partners, along with Tobias Finch, in Carstairs and Finch, art dealers. Cornelius Stillman was a client in Boston who bought some artwork. James Devoy is their agent in America. Bill McParland was a Pinkerton agent.
Chorley Grange is…
…a charity school for boys run by the Reverend Charles Fitzsimmons and his wife, Joanna. The school was founded by Sir Crispin Ogilvy and is currently owned by the Society for the Improvement of London's Children. Mr. Vosper is the porter. Ross had been a student here along with Harry and Daniel. Robert Weeks is a graduate of Balliol College and one of the teachers.
Holloway Prison
Hawkins is the chief warder. Dr. Percy Trevelyan is the medical officer. Rivers is a slow-witted medical orderly. Jonathan Wood is a prisoner who died. Collins is another prisoner in the prison hospital. Jacks is a forger.
Mr. Henderson is a tidewaiter and an opium addict. Jason Bratby is his associate. Creer's Place is an opium den run by Isaiah Creer. Dr. Thomas Ackland, governor of the Westminster Hospital, and Lord Horace Blackwater are witnesses. Mr. Edwards is the prosecutor. Watson is assuming that the mysterious mathematician is Professor James Moriarty and Mr. Underwood is his flunkey. Alec Ravenshawe is his new lordship. Dr. Asmodeus Silkin runs Silkin's House of Wonders, a circus in Whitechapel.
The Flat Cap Gang were…
…a group of thieves in America led by Irish twins: Rourke and Keelan O'Donaghue. Fellow gang members included the Ghost, Frank "Mad Dog" Kelly, and Patrick "Razors" Maclean.
Mrs. Cecil Forrester employed Mary as a governess for her son, Richard. Jack Murray is the orderly who saved Watson. Hastings is the dresser who caused Watson to meet Sherlock through Stamford. Mr. Harrison has taken a room at Mrs. Oldmore's Private Hotel where the Boots appears to be the night clerk. Mr. Jabez Wilson was part of a previous case involving the red-headed league. Russell Johnson is also a pawnbroker.
The Cover and Title
The cover's background has vague vertical stripes of very subtle black and deep gray with the title in a scripted and embossed gold spread across the top two-thirds of the cover and the author's name in an outlined serif font in gold at the bottom. The series information is between the two in white.
The title is where that initial case leads, to The House of Silk.
annashiv's review against another edition
4.0
Pretty good. Easy to read. It did seem to critique the original works and it's not the best sherlock Holmes 'fanfiction' I've read. There was one particular event that when looked at closer had no bearing on the story at all. I'm referring to a man who gives Watson a key. But later it's explained that it wouldn't have done any good anyway. It just completely nullified that sequence of events. Otherwise, I enjoyed it. Though it may be closer to 3.5 stars than 4.
retired_to_alternate_universe's review against another edition
5.0
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I've always been a fan of Sherlock Holmes stories and was very impressed with how well the prose of this novel mirrored that of Arthur Conan Doyle's original works.
rynflynn12's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
simplycelestial's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
terrym10's review against another edition
4.0
I have read all of Sherlock Holme's stories, and I'm a fan of Anthony Horowitz, so I thought I'd enjoy reading this book. It turns out I just wasn't in the mood, so I tried listening to it instead. Boy, was that the right decision! It's narrated by Derek Jacobi, who I fell in love with while watching (twice!) Last Tango in Halifax on PBS. He does such a remarkable job drawing you into the story that I almost gave it 5 stars just because of him!
The story itself is worthy of Conan Doyle. Horowitz does an amazing job bringing Doyle's touch to the page. The subject matter is what sets the story apart in time, as The House of Silk is a high-reaching juvenile male sex club (trafficking ring). I don't think Doyle would have written about the matter back in the day. To me, that was the only way I could tell that it wasn't written by him.
I thoroughly enjoyed listening to it and I plan on looking up other books narrated by him right now!
The story itself is worthy of Conan Doyle. Horowitz does an amazing job bringing Doyle's touch to the page. The subject matter is what sets the story apart in time, as The House of Silk is a high-reaching juvenile male sex club (trafficking ring). I don't think Doyle would have written about the matter back in the day. To me, that was the only way I could tell that it wasn't written by him.
I thoroughly enjoyed listening to it and I plan on looking up other books narrated by him right now!
laurareane's review against another edition
4.0
Audiobook. I really like Horowitz writing style.
Very engaging book. Multiple twists- although I saw one coming, I was still entertained until the end.
Very engaging book. Multiple twists- although I saw one coming, I was still entertained until the end.
mask's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
cultneophyte7's review against another edition
4.0
Sherlock Holmes has always been my favorite criminal investigator, right up there with Tintin. Before I got into this book, I hadn't read any of the Holmes works not written by the great Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This was my first, and I actually ended up enjoying it.
When I first got into this, I had a few reservations. The first couple of chapters didn't help at all either. The fear that it wouldn't live up to the expectations was always there. But the book recovered pretty quickly. The portrayal of Holmes might have been a tiny bit different from the one we've come to known, but that is to be expected from a different author. That being said, the writing style was strikingly similar and I loved it for that.
While the book might have been a bit predictable at certain points, the rest of the book made up for it.
But I was actually wrong. I had missed one tiny detail, and someone cleared it up later that the case had actually taken place before, not after the Reichenbach incident, only penned later. Still doesn't explain why Moriarty provided the help though. Maybe he just wanted someone to do his dirty work for him?
The book as a whole was an immensely satisfying read, not just in terms of the story and writing, but also in terms of the way it ended. Couldn't have asked for a better ending. The only thing that bothers me is one I can't mention, so as to avoid spoiling it. My first Holmes book in years certainly didn't disappoint. Just the thing to grab if you want more Holmes action. Recommended for the Sherlock fans out there.
When I first got into this, I had a few reservations. The first couple of chapters didn't help at all either. The fear that it wouldn't live up to the expectations was always there. But the book recovered pretty quickly. The portrayal of Holmes might have been a tiny bit different from the one we've come to known, but that is to be expected from a different author. That being said, the writing style was strikingly similar and I loved it for that.
While the book might have been a bit predictable at certain points, the rest of the book made up for it.
Spoiler
Like, it was fairly obvious that Rivers was actually Holmes in disguise. And then, of course the man with the key was Moriarty. Firstly, I had a hard time believing this because the Reichenbach falls incident had already been mentioned. SO he survived, eh? How? And Why did he wait so long? And why help Holmes at all?But I was actually wrong. I had missed one tiny detail, and someone cleared it up later that the case had actually taken place before, not after the Reichenbach incident, only penned later. Still doesn't explain why Moriarty provided the help though. Maybe he just wanted someone to do his dirty work for him?
The book as a whole was an immensely satisfying read, not just in terms of the story and writing, but also in terms of the way it ended. Couldn't have asked for a better ending. The only thing that bothers me is one I can't mention, so as to avoid spoiling it. My first Holmes book in years certainly didn't disappoint. Just the thing to grab if you want more Holmes action. Recommended for the Sherlock fans out there.