The House of Silk
A Sherlock Holmes Novel
Anthony Horowitz

Hachette Audio
November 22, 2011 / ISBN: 978-1611136890 Audiobook / Audio CD / Unabridged
Mystery
Amazon

Reviewed by Jo Rogers

I have loved Sherlock Holmes mysteries ever since I read A Study in Scarlet many years ago. Thus, when I saw that The House of Silk is a Sherlock Holmes mystery, I jumped at the chance to review it. I was not disappointed.

The story begins with Dr. John Watson visiting Sherlock Holmes in his Baker Street home. Dr. Watson's wife, Mary, was away, so Watson was staying with Holmes until Mary returned. He was concerned with Holmes' health. It seems that Holmes had spent three days without food and water to convince an adversary that he was near death. Dr. Watson need not have worried.

However, when Holmes receives a visitor who needs his help, Watson is only too glad to step into his old role as Holmes· assistant. The visitor is Edmund Carstairs, a London art dealer who had recently returned from America. He and his business partner had sold four paintings by John Constable to a museum in Boston. At the time, Boston was plagued by gangs, particularly the Flat Cap gang, led by Irish twins. The Flat Caps had robbed a train and destroyed the four paintings. The gang had later been killed, all but one. That one had apparently followed Carstairs home and now seems to be threatening him and his family. Along with this, they heard the whispered name, the House of silk.

The House of Silk is Holmes at his finest. The plot keeps you guessing until the end. The lack of profanity makes the book more enjoyable. The sexual situations aren·t graphic, leaving details to the imagination. It is a tale worthy of Conan Doyle. Listen to The House of Silk and prepare for a can't-put-it-down adventure.