The House of Silk

The House of Silk: A Sherlock Holmes Novel
by Anthony Horowitz
Muholland, 2011. 294 pgs. Mystery.

When Holmes and Watson begin investigating the case of an art dealer threatened by a vengeful twin, they use the Baker Street Irregulars to shadow the man they think responsible. One of the boys, young Ross, seems to know more than he is telling. When the boy is tortured and murdered, his body left with a thin ribbon of silk tied around the wrist, Holmes feels responsible and makes the solving of the case a personal crusade. But why did Ross run away from a seemingly well-run school and orphanage? And why does Mycroft warn his brother that he can only help him to a certain point and then he is on his own? After Holmes finds himself in jail and then almost miraculously back out again, does he confront one of the most perverse criminal enterprises in his storied career. While only the original Holmes is the real and eternal deal, Horowitz, with the blessing of the Conan Doyle estate, has written a better than creditable Baker Street adventure where the reader will scarcely be able to pick up one end of the book without picking up the other.

LW