The House of Silk is Anthony Horowitz’s first book in the Sherlock series. He is reinventing the intriguing life of the famous ‘consulting detective’ of 221B, Baker Street, our very own Sherlock Holmes.
Horowitz admits that he was heavily influenced by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s writing and it comes through in this latest Sherlock mystery. Like Doyle, Horowitz too narrates the story from Dr.Watson’s perspective. For all intents and purposes this feels like the latest adventure Sherlock and Watson goes through. And what an adventure it proves to be…
The story starts when Watson comes to stay with Holmes since his wife is away for a few days. They get a client , one Mr. Edmund Carstairs, who is a fine arts dealer. He fears that his life is in danger, going on to narrate a complex tale involving the Flat Cap Gang of New York. He apparently, was cause for the death of one of their leaders and now his twin has avowed vengeance on Mr. Carstairs.
Mr. Carstairs fears for his life and begs Sherlock and Watson to come visit his home to solve the case. While on the hunt for the criminal, Sherlock unwittingly puts a street kid named Ross in harm’s way. Ross was scared to death by something but before Sherlock could find out what, Ross is brutally murdered with only a white silk ribbon left tied to his wrist as a warning. Meanwhile the stalker Carstairs was afraid of turns up dead too, indicating that that case at least, is closed.
Watson is stymied by the events unfolding, especially when Sherlock insists that there’s a connection between the two deaths. Now things begin to get interesting, with plot twists upon plot twists, Sherlock getting arrested, Watson’s brave attempt at rescue and more. The big reveal at the end was absolutely unexpected and honestly, it was just how Doyle would have written it.
I have always been an ardent fan of thriller -mysteries, and Sherlock is a personal favourite. From reading Doyle’s works to watching Benedict Cumberbatch on screen, I too have been invested in the exciting life of the world’s best consulting detective. This story just adds to the intrigue and I love the topic the author chose to address. Horowitz very cleverly manages to tie two absolutely different cases together and it is so interesting to read!
Street kids and orphans are a group that often goes unnoticed. From the streets of London in the Victorian era where the events of Sherlock’s life takes place to the current time, we still have not learned to care for children. While we take care of our own kids spectacularly, there are kids who’ve never known the happiness of a warm meal or a soft bed. They become victim to unspeakable cruelties in the streets, most often than not. The consequence is that the same kids grow up to be bad people, only looking to hurt others. This cycle only breaks with people being willing enough to take care of such kids. Shoutout to the author for addressing such an important issue of child harassment.
For anyone who has gone through the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, and is looking for a new chapter in the series, this is it. Highly recommended!
