Months ago I hear that this book was in development. Horowitz, an international bestselling author for young adults, was going to write a traditional Sherlock Holmes mystery. My first reaction was to question whether he could control his passion for the extreme enough to write a fitting tribute. And the jury is still out.
The book opens as a ‘lost manuscript’, or rather a final story recorded by Conan Doyle before his death that was considered so controversial that it was placed in storage for 100 years and has only now been released. Holmes is consulted by an American who had been caught up in the theft/destruction of significant artwork. But then his enquiries lead him to a mysterious House of Silk, apparently a classy opium den and organised crime ring. From there the plot thickens.
Horowitz has an excellent grasp of the Conan Doyle writing style. Many times I felt I was actually reading a ‘real’ Sherlock Holmes. And he successfully maintained the focus on Holmes thinking rather than modern gadgetry to move the plot forward. All the favourite characters were there, Watson, Mrs Hudson, the Baker Street Irregulars, and I felt they were true to their historical roots. This is an amazing effort from Horowitz, obviously a real fan of the originals.
However, I really felt that the final ‘reveal’ was just too modern. Too ‘set up’ for modern morality. In 1890, I suspect that little or nothing would have been said about this ‘crime’ if it even was a crime back then. It is hard to go further without spoiling, but I am very disappointed that Horowitz was unable to avoid this rush to the 21st century.
