Does a name come to your mind when you hear the word ‘detective’? I know, you can’t overlook your head screaming out the name Sherlock Holmes. Through his four novels and fifty-six short stories, Arthur Conan Doyle has influenced the readers all around the globe so much that many used to believe (still do) there really was a detective in 221B, Baker Street.

We can’t help but get astounded by the impressive observation and exhilarated deductive skills of the investigator. Not to mention, his talent in arriving at conclusions out of thin air proves the meticulous craft of the original creator. The House of Silk is another Holmes novel published in 2011, but not apparently written by Doyle, but by Anthony Horowitz instead.

The House of Silk Review (Review)

As usual, Dr. John Watson narrates the story. In the beginning, he explains why the story hasn’t seen the light of the day earlier, because he thought the world wasn’t ready to hear such a shocking chronicle. So, he wrote everything and gave the document to his solicitors for posthumous publication. That’s how the story of The House of Silk touched the ink. When the novel begins, Watson is no longer living with Holmes. Owing to the marriage with Mary Morstan, he already moved out.

However, the retired military doctor is coming to 221B, Baker Street, to stay with his close friend for a few days as his wife set out to visit her old employer in the country. That’s when it happens. Edmund Carstairs, an art gallery partner, visits them with a complaint that he is being followed. He believes it’s from an Irish gang, whom he had to fight indirectly with a year ago, related to the robbery of a few paintings in the US.

When he was grieving, he married a widow named Catherine Marryat. On a visit to Mr. Carstairs’s house, Holmes and Watson understand that his sister hasn’t grown to like Catherine, quite the contrary to the housekeepers. Making both the readers and Watson baffled, Holmes wonders whether or not Mrs. Carstairs is able to swim. In order to find the deadly follower of Edmund Carstairs, Holmes seeks the help of Baker Street Irregulars (you should have known their leader Wiggins from other stories). Yet, it doesn’t go on in the way he intends. On the other hand, it ends up in the death of a street urchin, after which he hears about The House of Silk. There start the worst days of Holmes!

In the pursuit to know more about The House of Silk, he is entrapped with murder and is even imprisoned. At some point, we think the legendary Sherlock Holmes is failing. But no! He comes out of all the mess and solves the crime. Not only that, but he also clears up every single doubt the readers or Watson have in mind. Anthony Horowitz did a magnificent job of imitating the renowned Conan Doyle style. The way Holmes makes quick observations, well, you can see the same here as well.

Furthermore, he could entangle the regular characters like Mrs. Hudson, Inspector Lestrade, and Mycroft with the plot in a natural manner. You remember Moriarty, the on-par foe of Holmes, don’t you? How can one forget him! He also appears as a mysterious character in The House of Silk. If you are a true Sherlock Holmes fan who already read all his stories, you will find some connections to the old cases (for example, the Flat Cap Gang). Horowitz has weaved the thread in an intricate manner to entice every investigative thriller lover.

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In the end, you will feel the satisfaction quite similar to the one you get after finishing an original Sherlock Holmes tale. Of course, you may find some differences in the narration if you look through a literary microscope. But for a regular reader, The House of Silk has done its job. By the time the detective untangles the hitches, you begin to wonder ‘why I haven’t thought of that’! The details are present on the table for everyone (for the reader and Watson). Still, Holmes is the one who connects the dots and reaches a conclusion as always.

Are you on the lookout for a perfect investigative thriller? The House of Silk is going to be a feast! You can get the book here! 📖

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