Title: The House of Silk
Author: Anthony Horowitz  
Publication Date: October 2 2012
Publisher: Mulholland
Format: Paperback pocketbook
Price: ₱315 (Philippines) - $10.17 (Amazon)


Plot Synopsis:


This is certainly one of the most known and well recommended Sherlock Holmes pastiche (An artistic work in a style that imitates that of another work, artist, or period.) book that I know of, the others are the Sherlockian and the Papers of Sherlock Holmes Vol 1 and 2 (I have both of them at hand, yissss). When I came across this book in an airport bookstore in South Korea, I instantly grabbed it!

Following the adventure of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson in 1890 London, Watson tells of two fantastic and singular cases that are so closely intertwined that he cannot tell the one without the other. Starting rather normally with your everyday crime of having a train car being blown apart with dynamite and valuable paintings being destroyed, a stalker with a flat cap staring into the house, and then it goes down hill with a major conspiracy and a dastardly bastardly organization. After this story I don't know why don't they just give it all up? Sooooo much shit and then more, and then more, and so much drama.

The House of Silk was certainly one of the most baffling and intriguing Sherlock Holmes stories I have read beyond the Conan Doyle Canon, quite fascinating. The Watsonian Voice was very much real here, you might sometimes forget that this wasn't written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself! Their adventure and personalities here spoke Victorian England and Jeremy Brett and David Burke from the Granada series Sherlock Holmes. The action was fast paced, gun fights, dog cart chases, being suddenly stabbed, and almost dying! And the deductions and mysteries are more impossible then ever with them in the prime of their careers and a mysterious organization called the House of Silk, even the name doesn't give you much.

Although some parts might be a bit too adventurous or too BBC, like too many dramatic encounters and gun shooting, but it all blends nicely to the writing style, it makes you sit on the edge of your seat and read this until the morning (Trust me, this has happened before XD)! It's just over 300 pages which is a lot for a case or even two, but it's done so well and seamlessly that it works!

Let me tell you here, the Johnlock in this book is sky high! You'd be like "Are you sure John's not gay?" Watson's writing this down years and years after the event, wanting to write it down before he forgets and because he deems that the public is now ready and needs to know it more than ever. Not really a spoiler or that important to the plot so, yeah. Just so you know, Johnlock peeps. (Unfortunately, no Irene Adler scenes here)

There werrrrrre some interesting af plot twists that made me go "WHAT! Wait what?!" and I've seen mind-blowing plot-twists so that's really something, makes Holmes's skills at deductions even more wizard-like and incredible.

And get this: WATSON'S NOT JUST SAYING "How the deuce did you deduce that, Holmes? *wide eyed stare* " HE GOES AND HELPS HOLMES AND IS VERY ESSENTIAL FOR THE PLOT!

This is a definite must have for any Sherlockian and Holmesian in their Consulting Detective library! Sit back, relax, and put on your deerstalker and get your pipe: The game is afoot!

“There are, I think, occasions when you know that you have arrived at the end of a long journey, when, even though your destination is still concealed from sight, you are somehow aware that when you turn the corner that lies just ahead of you, there it will be.”