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9 August 2012

Review: THE HOUSE OF SILK, Anthony Horowitz - audio book

Synopsis (Audible)

THE GAME'S AFOOT... It is November 1890 and London is gripped by a merciless winter. Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson are enjoying tea by the fire when an agitated gentleman arrives unannounced at 221b Baker Street.

He begs Holmes for help, telling the unnerving story of a scar-faced man with piercing eyes who has stalked him in recent weeks. Intrigued by the man's tale, Holmes and Watson find themselves swiftly drawn into a series of puzzling and sinister events, stretching from the gas-lit streets of London to the teeming criminal underworld of Boston. As the pair delve deeper into the case, they stumble across a whispered phrase 'the House of Silk': a mysterious entity and foe more deadly than any Holmes has encountered, and a conspiracy that threatens to tear apart the very fabric of society itself.

With devilish plotting and excellent characterisation, bestselling author Anthony Horowitz delivers a first-rate Sherlock Holmes mystery for a modern readership whilst remaining utterly true to the spirit of the original Conan Doyle books. Sherlock Holmes is back with all the nuance, pace and powers of deduction that make him the world's greatest and most celebrated detective.

My Take

I'm not one generally for "coat-tails" books - that is, books where the central character was not created by the author, but I couldn't resist something read by Derek Jacobi. And of course Anthony Horowitz is pretty well known as a television dramatist, in particular for his work on Midsomer Murders and Murder in Mind, and episodes for Poirot and Murder Most Horrid.

I think Sherlock Holmes followers will enjoy THE HOUSE OF SILK. Sherlock Holmes is long dead and Watson recalls how he very nearly died during this case. Poor old Dr. Watson is writing at the end of his life recalling a story from twenty five years before, set in London in the late 1890s.  Anthony Horowitz was given access to the estate of Conan Doyle and also carefully studied many of the original stories. It certainly has an authentic feel to it, although I am far from being a Sherlock Holmes expert.

Jacobi does, as we would expect, an excellent job of the narration.

My rating: 4.5

Anthony Horowitz' website.
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1 comment:

  1. Irene10 August 2012 at 11:09

    I'm not a Holmes expert, but I do love the works. I shall have to check this one out. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete

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