The House of Silk: A Sherlock Holmes Novel

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There are two mysteries, one leading into the other: one is nicely erudite and typical, the other quite gothic and brilliantly unnerving - you almost believe it probably did happen (without giving too much away). Dubious at first as books in the "spirit of " are usually a second class rehash I have been pleasantly surprised. Hudson’s tea, scones, pound cake, honey and cream sounds wonderful, we all need a Mrs Hudson I reckon! The following morning Holmes receives a telegram from Carstairs, which informs him that his home was burgled during the night and that he has informed the police - information Holmes was anticipating. Adrian Harrington Rare Books deal in a wide selection of literature, modern first editions, leather bound library sets, children's and illustrated books and fine and rare antiquarian and old books in all fields.

Horowitz also acknowledged that the original stories were about the ‘well-to-do’ and that this story was a break with that tradition.Perfectly paced, entirely unpredictable, edge-of-seat exciting and a total joy from start to finish.

The House of Silk was originally the central feature of an opium smuggling ring, the supplier to lesser dens, but by the end of the novel it had become a brothel of boy prostitutes for well-to-do men. A tone-perfect, action-packed story of corruption, greed and dissolution, all the while capturing the sights, smells and social problems of 1890's London. Watson’s deep affection for his friend, and Holmes witty, dry, repartee, and amazing powers of observation and deduction, are all there to delight, and enthrall the reader.

He is afraid for his life, he tells Holmes, because a man wearing a flat cap has started standing outside his home, following him on evenings out; this man is, he believes, the sole surviving member of the Boston gang who has come to London to exact revenge on Carstairs for his involvement in the demise of his gang. When Dr John Watson’s wife takes a break to spend some time with a previous employer – and now good friend – outside London, he decides to move in with his old friend Sherlock Holmes for the duration. I would agree that sometimes a 21st century perspective slips in but this doesn't seriously detract from a rattling paced narrative and ingenious plotting. The story is told from Dr Watson's point of view and it is this character who is the thread throughout the story. Dorothy L Sayers understood the rules of the Holmesian game when she remarked that "it must be played as solemnly as a county cricket match at Lord's: the slightest touch of extravagance or burlesque ruins the atmosphere".

Sometimes Watson is infuriatingly dim and Holmes so brilliant, no wonder he has to keep going off to prison/hiding etc otherwise the mystery would be solved in ten pages - then again, Watson is incredibly courageous and I love his pondorous, reassuringly correct and deliberate style. It introduces a detective by the name of Daniel Hawthorne - a rather dark and dangerous man whom I actually met on the set of Injustice. I truly did wonder if anyone could quite match Conan Doyle when writing a new Sherlock Holmes - so many have tried and failed, however this was fantastic.Horowitz's novel is worthy of the name, presenting an insightful reworking of Conan Doyle's privileged acts onto a broader stage. An No explanation is given as to why she’s in the right place at the right time; Horowitz doesn’t say she was forcibly held there or anything, she’s just there and happens to be the person who is shot.

One of the joys of Twitter, incidentally, is that it allows readers to contact me directly and these 140-character exchanges are as valuable to me as what the professional critics have to say. But as I grew older (and my original audience entered their twenties) I felt a need to move into adult writing.

The crimes they uncover will, even in the 21st century, have a shocking ripped-from-the-headlines impact.