The game's afoot ...

   

     Keen as I am to read Anthony Horowitz's new Sherlock Holmes novel The House of Silk, Mr. C. got to it before me, and rightly so, as he has been an avid and attentive reader of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's work since he was a boy and has a detailed knowledge of the canon. Would the book win his approval? Over now to the man himself to tell us what he made of it:

 

    The immortal Sherlock Holmes was first brought back from the dead by his creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who miraculously retrieved the great detective from his plunge into the Reichenbach Falls in response to an outpouring of popular grief. Since then hundreds if not thousands have tried the same trick. He has been portrayed by some wonderful actors (Basil Rathbone, Jeremy Brett, and, most recently, Benedict Cumberbatch). Like Harry Potter, Holmes became a global superstar on a scale which attracted both criminal plagiarism and respectful tributes from his admirers.

    The literary quality of these offerings has been decidedly mixed, and many Holmesians will have approached Anthony Horowitz's new book with some wariness. I did. I am delighted to have been proved wrong. I found the book hugely enjoyable, written by someone who marries real talent of his own with a remarkable 'ear' for the world of London fogs and Baker Street Irregulars, of sinister opium dens and rough pubs, and vice hiding between virtue. I won't say anything about the plot, but Horowitz's denouement pulls off the feat of being shocking and contemporary while reflecting the moral nuances of the best of the original stories. I read it straight through in two sittings (it would have been one but for the tiresome need to sleep, work etc.) and warmly recommend it.

Comments

[adele geras]

Mr C concurs with Sophie Hannah in yesterday's Sunday Express. She adored it and is passing the book on to me. Can't wait to read it.

[Ruth M.]

Dare I ask what Mr. C's verdict is on the Laurie King novels, starting with the Beekeeper's Apprentice?

[Mr Cornflower]

I haven't read them yet, Ruth, but thanks very much for the tip.

[Barbara]

I hated them!
Your review is praise indeed, so I'm more hopeful about the Horowitz book.

[Cornflower]

Great!