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Thursday, August 14, 2014

House of Silk Review by Ananya S.

Review of The House of Silk

It is winter 1890, and Sherlock Holmes and his good friend, Dr. Watson, are relaxing by the fire. Suddenly, they are interrupted by a mysterious man who appears – a client. The man, Mr. Edmund Carstairs, proceeds to tell Holmes and Watson about The Flat Cap Gang, a criminal group in Boston. The gang had murdered a man and destroyed several precious paintings. Carstairs, wanting justice, had hired police to track the gang down; all of the members were subsequently caught, except for one…and that one member wants revenge… Intrigued by Carstairs’ story, Holmes and Watson are drawn into the darkest corners of 19th-century London. Slowly, the case itself only becomes more confusing as the stakes are raised higher; eventually, Holmes comes to hear of the “House of Silk.” Despite many warnings, he and Watson investigate the mysterious and dangerous name; however, the consequences of their curiosity could prove to be fatal…
The House of Silk, by Anthony Horowitz, is a satisfying albeit dark novel. The mystery is very well developed, with clues subtly slipped into the text. Horowitz includes many unexpected plot twists, but none of them seem far-fetched, and all fit with the storyline. Additionally, Horowitz has a good grasp of the Holmes-Watson dynamic; this, along with his tone, makes The House of Silk feel like an authentic Sherlock Holmes story. Overall, The House of Silk is a dark yet enjoyable read.

~Ananya Swaminathan 

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