There are times when I long for a classic mystery by Agatha Christie or Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The trouble is I used to read those books over and over growing up in Japan, since my access to English books was somewhat limited and pretty much memorized them.  So it was lovely to discover that Horowitz has been authorized by the Sir Conan Doyle Estate to write new Sherlock Holmes novels! Luckily they are just as intriguing and wonderful as the originals!

When Mr Edmund Carstairs approached Sherlock Holmes about a strange man that was menacing him, he did not know that it would lead to the discovery of one of the most heinous crimes Holmes ever investigated. At the time Watson did not publish the account of this case because he feared it would undermine and threaten the stability of government and society.  But now, many years later, Watson decides that in order to complete his task of memorializing and paying tribute to Holmes and his extraordinary abilities, this account must be published.

Holmes and Watson did follow up with Carstairs, who was certain that the man who was menacing him had followed him from America where Carstairs had been facilitating the sale of some art work. While Holmes and Watson try to find this menacing man, Carstairs home is robbed, his family threatened and then shockingly the first murder occurs. With new urgency,  Holmes and Watson follow clues that lead them from the criminal underworld of Boston to the opium dens of London. As the evidence unfolds they become aware of an entity called The House of Silk, that seems to hold the answers to the increasingly violent and brutal deaths that are being strewn along the path of their investigation and they home in on trying to find out what and where it is. But there are powerful people who do not want their secrets revealed, and Holmes and Watson are faced with extraordinary resistance to their investigation.

Horowitz is able to walk that find line between paying homage to Sir Conan Doyle without being cloyingly duplicative. The dialogue, and the characters seem fresh but also reminiscent of all the things we know and love about Sherlock Holmes. the plot was new and different but still very much in line with the time period. Horowitz has written another in this series, Moriarty which I look forward to reading soon!

Brenda’s Rating: **** (4 Out of 5 Stars)

Recommend this book to: Sharon, Marian and Keith

Book Study Worthy? Yes

Read in ebook format.