Book Review: The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz

The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz

Release Date: 1st November 2011
Publisher: Orion Books
Format: Paperback 
Pages: 294
Rating: 5.0/5.0

Summary from Amazon:

"London, 1890. 221B Baker St. A fine art dealer named Edmund Carstairs visits Sherlock Holmes and Dr John Watson to beg for their help. He is being menaced by a strange man in a flat cap - a wanted criminal who seems to have followed him all the way from America. In the days that follow, his home is robbed, his family is threatened. And then the first murder takes place.

Almost unwillingly, Holmes and Watson find themselves being drawn ever deeper into an international conspiracy connected to the teeming criminal underworld of Boston, the gaslit streets of London, opium dens and much, much more. And as they dig, they begin to hear the whispered phrase-the House of Silk-a mysterious entity that connects the highest levels of government to the deepest depths of criminality. Holmes begins to fear that he has uncovered a conspiracy that threatens to tear apart the very fabric of society."

Review:
I had my doubts about this book. I had heard that it was really great, but I wasn't sure that Anthony Horowitz could really capture the essence of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's writing, as the book blurb proclaimed. But I had no need to worry - I absolutely loved this. It was great because it managed to capture the essence of Sherlock Holmes, convert it into a really great story by connecting seemingly unconnectable story lines together with twists and turns left, right and centre. As always, you are left in the dark until the final last chapters, when Holmes starts to bring everything together.

I gave this book a rating of 5/5, which is a full star higher that what I gave 'The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes' by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle {my review here}. The reason why is because Conan Doyle wrote short stories, whereas Horowitz has written a full length novel, giving him the ability to create a really deep and thorough storyline that would otherwise be unachievable in a short story. On top of that, I found it a little difficult to work my way through Conan Doyle's short stories, whereas I had no such problem with this book. I won't go so far as to say that this book surpasses what Conan Doyle wrote (nobody could write a better, and more authentic Holmes storyline), but Horowitz has managed to write a really great, authentic book.

Overall, this is a must read. If you're a Sherlock Holmes enthusiast like me, you will love this book. If you're a mystery and crime enthusiast, then you will love this book. If you just want a good read, then you will love this book.

 

WWW Wednesday (6)

WWW Wednesdays is a weekly Meme hosted by Mizb @ Should Be Reading. To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions:

1. What are you currently reading?
2. What did you recently finish reading?
3. What do you think you'll read next?

*Note: all links go to Amazon, except for when you click on the pictures :)

My Answers:

1. I'm currently reading, The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz. It's just as good as I imagined it to be.
   
   
2. Last week I finished reading Juliet by Anne Fortier {my review here}
   
   
3. I'm going to take a little break for a while, and kick of the 2012 Off The Shelve Challenge by reading The Hunger Gamesby Suzanne Collins on my new eReader in the new year! 

Teaser Tuesday (6)

Teaser Tuesday is a Meme hosted by Mizb @ Should Be Reading. Anyone can join in, as long as they do the following:

• Grab your current read. 
• Open your book to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page. 
• Warning:  Avoid spoilers in your teaser as not everyone has had the pleasure to read your current read
• Share the Title & Author so anyone can add your current read to their list if they wish to do so. 
• Note: links go to Amazon
  
  

The House of Silk: A Sherlock Holmes Novel by Anthony Horowitz
Release Date: 1st November 2011
Publisher: Orion Books
Pages: 294

It's the last Teaser Tuesday of the year - enjoy this really interesting and tantalizing teaser below! 

 "There were two figures. One was a young girl whom I recognised at once. It was Sally Dixon, the older sister of Ross, who had been working at the Bag of Nails. She had been shot twice, in the chest and in the head. She was lying on the cobblestones in a pool of liquid which showed black in the darkness but which I knew to be her blood. I also knew the man who lay unconscious in front of her, one hand stretched out, still holding the gun that had shot her. It was Sherlock Holmes" pg 140

In My Mailbox (2)

In My Mailbox is a weekly Meme hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren 
*Note: all links go to Amazon

I wasn't actually expecting to buy any books this week, but when I walked into Dymocks and saw that two books I have been dying to get may hands on were on sale, then I really couldn't say no, could I?

 
The House of Silk (A Sherlock Holmes Novel)by Anthony Horowitz

The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory

Book Review: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Release Date: a long time ago...
Publisher: Penguin Books
Format: Paperback
Pages: 302
Rating: 4.0/5.0

Book Blurb:

"The always unflappable Sherlock Holmes solves the world's most baffling puzzles with the able assistance of Doctor Watson. Mysteries of disguise, madness, red-headed members' clubs and missing thumbs must be untangled - and the only woman to ever beat the sleuth must be faced."

Review:
I've always loved Sherlock Holmes. I don't really know why, because this is the first Sherlock Holmes book I've actually read. I think ever since I got into mystery and crime, Sherlock Holmes just became the epicenter of that for me. But I can now say that I am a true fan of Sherlock Holmes after reading the original short stories.

There's a reason why Sherlock Holmes keeps getting recreated (what with movies, TV shows and books) - it's just sooo good. Whilst some of the stories are a bit absurd (a secret society for people with red hair?), its Holmes himself that will draw you into the stories. You read for a couple of pages some person relay all the details surrounding their mystery, and then you are shown piece by piece how Holmes figured it all out, and you say to yourself, "With the next short story, I'll be more attentive and I'll figure everything out." And then you try to do that, and you may work out parts of the story, but you have no chance of figuring out everything. And that's why the stories are addictive - you keep going back because not only are the stories interesting, but you want to see how Holmes solves the next mystery.

Whilst the stories are great, it took me longer than I expected to get through the book, and each story itself took me a while to read. I think the problem is that the book was dense, and I found it hard to finish one short story and then jump straight into the next. Either way, the short stories were worth the read, even if it takes some time to get through them all.

WWW Wednesdays (2)

WWW Wednesdays is a weekly Meme hosted by Mizb @ Should Be Reading. To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions:

1. What are you currently reading?
2. What did you recently finish reading?
3. What do you think you'll read next?

*Note: all links go to Amazon

My Answers:

1. I'm currently reading, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I'm pretty much obsessed with anything to do with Sherlock Holmes, but this is the first book by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle that I've actually read. I was also reading The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery, but I've put that on the back burner for at least 5 years (I think it might be a bit too old for me :/ )
2. Last SundayI finished reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak {my review here}
3. It's either going to be Juliet by Anne Fortier or Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (I'm desperate to read both)

Teaser Tuesday (2)

Teaser Tuesday is a Meme hosted by Mizb @ Should Be Reading. Anyone can join in, as long as they do the following:

• Grab your current read. 
• Open your book to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page. 
• Warning:  Avoid spoilers in your teaser as not everyone has had the pleasure to read your current read
• Share the Title & Author so anyone can add your current read to their list if they wish to do so. 
• Note: links go to Amazon

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmesby Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Release Date: 1st March 1999
Publisher: Penguin
Pages: 302

"I see it, I deduce it. How do I know that you have been getting yourself very wet lately, and that you have a most clumsy and careless servant girl?"

"My dear Holmes, this is too much. You would certainly have been burned had you lived a few centuries ago."
pg 5