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The House of Silk

By: Anthony Horowitz
Narrated by: Sir Derek Jacobi
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Publisher's Summary

Shortlisted for: Crime & Thriller of the Year – Specsavers National Book Awards 2012

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.

©2011 Anthony Horowitz (P)2011 Orion Publishing Group Ltd

What listeners say about The House of Silk

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    4 out of 5 stars

Devils walk the streets of London

A somber, suspenseful sojourn through the darkest corners of Doyle's London.

Horowitz has struck an excellent balance between a slow-burn mystery and fast-paced Sherlock adventure. His portrayal of Holmes and Watson is faithful to their original characters from the classic novels and the tale melds seamlessly into the already existing Holmes canon.

Scenes never outstay their welcome. The story's adversaries are intimidating, cunning and truly wicked in every sense of the word. And it is all capped off by a spellbinding finale, masterfully weaving together horror, disgust, poetic justice and even despair. One of the best non-Doyle Sherlock stories, alongside Neil Gaiman's A Study in Emerald.

If I had to describe my experience of reading this book in one sentence I would say it was like reuniting will old friends in a flat on Baker Street to silently contemplate by the fireplace how dark the world around us can truly be.

Five stars.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

It's like Conan Doyle has been reborn.

A must read for Sherlock fans...brilliantly contrived, totally fits into the original Holmes series...wonderful narration.

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love love love

It was amazing to have Holmes and Watson back! I love that there is an ending to the amazing adventures.!

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great book..if you are a sherlock fan, even better

a very great and interesting book in general and keeps you guessing whats next...and even better if you are a sherlock fan...i was really pleased

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Sherlock, Horowitz, Jacobi fan

Being a fan of Sir Derek Jacobi, Anthony Horowitz and Sherlock Holmes I couldn't believe my luck. Perfect. Loved it!

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loved it

it was so enjoyable! I love how the author pulled all the threads together so beautifully in the last few chapters!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

My Review of Horowitz's Sherlock Holmes novel The


I'm a huge fan of Doyle's Sherlock, and I thoroughly enjoyed Horowitz's Word is Murder books, so I figured this would be a gimme.
While it was well written, I didn't find myself losing myself in the story as easily as I have either of the above author's original content. Horowitz is an excellent writer, but perhaps the writer in myself was being too analytical of the writing process that must have taken place for him to capture Doyle's characters and voice so precisely.
There is nothing wrong with this book. If Doyle had written it, it would have fit into Holmes canon seamlessly. If Horowitz had written the same plot with his own characters, perhaps he'd have had a bit more scope for his own voice to take a risk or two and make it 5 stars. As it stands, I enjoyed the plot, but found the mystery almost too formulaic, and the occasional winks to the modern audience jarring rather than delightful.
Still a definite 4 star book, and left me even more impressed by Horowitz craft.

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    3 out of 5 stars

Great performance - not so keen on the story line

An homage to Conan Doyle, and the narration is very engaging. By the Author's own admission, he likes to push boundaries, and this story line might well have that effect for some.
For myself, It's one of those "Gee, I hope this isn't going to end up about....Oh. It is", stories.
A really gripping narrative, well performed and very much in the true Sherlockian style for the most part. I just prefer my Holmes with a little more 'innocence'. The original stories only ever needed the slightest insinuation to leave any gruesome details to the reader's imagination.
Be that as it may, this is the 21st Century and it wasn't written by Conan Doyle. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Derek Jacobi, his style and talent certainly added to the adventure and I look forward to hearing his other performances of the original stories.

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Perfect for any Sherlock Holmes fanatic

Horowitz writes Holmes so well that there where many times that I had to remind myself that I was not listening to an original Conan Doyle novel.

A gripping mystery and expertly woven; brought to life by a fantastic narrator. I would highly recommend to any fan of the original stories.

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    4 out of 5 stars

Really enjoyable. Felt like Conan Doyle

Very good story that read the same as the originals. Excellent narration and felt Horowitz’s use of Watson was impressive. However I found the plot to not be quite as compelling and exciting as the originals.

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