Book Review: "The House of Silk"

If you're a Sherlock Holmes fan, it's time to add Anthony Horowitz's new Holmes novel The House of Silk (Mulholland Books, 2011) to your reading list. It's no easy thing to take on the task of creating a new Sherlock Holmes novel, and I was a little worried that Horowitz wouldn't be up to the challenge. I'm pleased to say that I was wrong; he's written a story that does Sherlock Holmes and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle proud.

Framed by Watson as a long-hidden manuscript which couldn't be published during the lifetime of anyone involved, this is as dark a mystery as any of the canonical stories. Filled with references to other Holmes adventures (I had great fun playing spot-the-allusion as I read) and capturing the voice and power of the original stories in a way that few other of the pastiches I read have done, The House of Silk is thoroughly enjoyable.

There are some regrettable typos and other errors scattered throughout, but they're no reason not to read this book. I think you'll be glad you did.