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liv_smiithh's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
the first anthony horowitz i’ve ever read and honestly can say that i was compelled by it. being the first murder mystery i have read in a good while i forgot my love of the genre and this was an amazing book to get back into it. horowitz own reflection of wat sons narrative is similar to that of conan doyle’s yet has a fresher take that is darker and yet still just as tense.
the way it all wraps up neatly at the end is amazing as mid way through you are confused as to how this case has taken a second road and where they interconnect. a good moody autumn read
the way it all wraps up neatly at the end is amazing as mid way through you are confused as to how this case has taken a second road and where they interconnect. a good moody autumn read
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Gun violence
itsheyfay's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug use, Pedophilia, Trafficking, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Racism, Sexual assault, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Ableism, Racial slurs, Rape, and Classism
acacia_happy_hour's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Drug use, Suicide, Torture, and Murder
Moderate: Pedophilia
zuai's review against another edition
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Murder
rachreads97's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Drug use, Pedophilia, and Murder
rcarri264's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug use, Gore, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, and Trafficking
fatherofmysteries's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Captures the feel of Holmes, true to the characters, but with the darker, hidden side at the forefront. Not afraid to rip off the bandaid.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Rape, Sexual violence, and Murder
dorhastings's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I read many a Sherlock Holmes story years ago, and I've read three of Anthony Horowitz's "Hawthorne and Horowitz Mysteries", so that was my setup for this particular novel. Given that I have, in general, appreciated both collections, I was in a good mood and fair preparation for this book.
It's sort of stunning to me that I didn't think of Holmes and Watson as I was reading the Hawthorne and Horowitz Mysteries. I know it's not an uncommon pattern (to have a detective or private investigator and a layperson), but I felt the connection quite a lot in Horowitz's own pair (and interesting to think that Horowitz got the family of Arthur Conan Doyle's blessing prior to publishing his first Hawthorne and Horowitz Mystery). Hawthorne and Horowitz, as a dynamic, is actually my least favorite aspect of those books, and I was grateful to not see too much of the "aww that's cute that you can't see these things that are super obvious to me" dynamic (though of course there was some).
The idea behind this book is pretty unique, I think. Watson is near the end of his life, and he's already published a good lot of Sherlock Holmes episodes. He is revisiting an old case (it doesn't appear to be one of Holmes's last cases, but in it, he is already well-established as a famous private detective) that is darker and more gruesome than the others, such that Watson intends to have it published well after his own death (and Sherlock Holmes is already dead). This is indeed a pretty dark book when you get to the ending, with some hints of it earlier on that I don't remember from the original set (but then, that's how it was). So if you're expecting another run-of-the-mill Sherlock Holmes books, just be aware that there will be some dark and sensitive content.
I like that one mystery starts, but another takes up most of the entirety of the book. Horowitz is always particularly good at making sure every plotline gets wrapped up in the end, and the case is no different from this book. If you're paying attention (and I've given up on doing this most of the time), the first mystery doesn't really feel "solved" when we move on to the next case, and it's addressed super concisely in the last chapter.
I did enjoy the read; in fact, I read most of it in a day of travel, and normally I'm not really in the mood to read much when I'm going from plane to layover to next plane. I was jamming through the short epilogue as my last plane was descending (I had to finish!). I'm glad I read the book, and I will likely read at least the other book, Moriarty. There is probably more Watson in Horowitz's books than in the original mysteries by Conan Doyle, likely because the focus was always meant to be on Sherlock Holmes, so I'm glad that Horowitz is including Watson a little more. He's slightly less bumbling than Horowitz is in the Hawthorne and Horowitz Mysteries (I cannot stand Horowitz in the series).
Now, it's been a minute since I've read Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories, but I don't know if the original Sherlock would, for example, be so upset that he inadvertently put a child in danger that he would then burn down the old school of the House of Silk (SILC?), but perhaps that's not the point. This isn't exactly Conan Doyle's Sherlock, and maybe he shouldn't be. I can certainly see that he might be so bothered by something that he could not function without resolving the situation. So I feel a bit weird about that, but I also like that Horowitz is writing his own Sherlock that bears obvious resemblance to the original.
It's sort of stunning to me that I didn't think of Holmes and Watson as I was reading the Hawthorne and Horowitz Mysteries. I know it's not an uncommon pattern (to have a detective or private investigator and a layperson), but I felt the connection quite a lot in Horowitz's own pair (and interesting to think that Horowitz got the family of Arthur Conan Doyle's blessing prior to publishing his first Hawthorne and Horowitz Mystery). Hawthorne and Horowitz, as a dynamic, is actually my least favorite aspect of those books, and I was grateful to not see too much of the "aww that's cute that you can't see these things that are super obvious to me" dynamic (though of course there was some).
The idea behind this book is pretty unique, I think. Watson is near the end of his life, and he's already published a good lot of Sherlock Holmes episodes. He is revisiting an old case (it doesn't appear to be one of Holmes's last cases, but in it, he is already well-established as a famous private detective) that is darker and more gruesome than the others, such that Watson intends to have it published well after his own death (and Sherlock Holmes is already dead). This is indeed a pretty dark book when you get to the ending, with some hints of it earlier on that I don't remember from the original set (but then, that's how it was). So if you're expecting another run-of-the-mill Sherlock Holmes books, just be aware that there will be some dark and sensitive content.
I like that one mystery starts, but another takes up most of the entirety of the book. Horowitz is always particularly good at making sure every plotline gets wrapped up in the end, and the case is no different from this book. If you're paying attention (and I've given up on doing this most of the time), the first mystery doesn't really feel "solved" when we move on to the next case, and it's addressed super concisely in the last chapter.
I did enjoy the read; in fact, I read most of it in a day of travel, and normally I'm not really in the mood to read much when I'm going from plane to layover to next plane. I was jamming through the short epilogue as my last plane was descending (I had to finish!). I'm glad I read the book, and I will likely read at least the other book, Moriarty. There is probably more Watson in Horowitz's books than in the original mysteries by Conan Doyle, likely because the focus was always meant to be on Sherlock Holmes, so I'm glad that Horowitz is including Watson a little more. He's slightly less bumbling than Horowitz is in the Hawthorne and Horowitz Mysteries (I cannot stand Horowitz in the series).
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, and Drug use
rebekka_evie's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
As Doctor Watson lays in his hospital room, in his old age, he reflects on his life. And he wants to write down one last Sherlock Holmes case. The case of the House of Silk.
Which are actually two cases. I found it great how Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson were woven into these two cases at once. Both curious and captivating. Old characters were brought back to life and got to investigate again.
The language used by Anthony Horowitz was appropriat and at the same time easy to read. He approached the project with respect towards the old stories and Doyle. Sherlock Holmes wasn't re-invented, merly brought back for another case or two.
Which are actually two cases. I found it great how Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson were woven into these two cases at once. Both curious and captivating. Old characters were brought back to life and got to investigate again.
The language used by Anthony Horowitz was appropriat and at the same time easy to read. He approached the project with respect towards the old stories and Doyle. Sherlock Holmes wasn't re-invented, merly brought back for another case or two.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Drug use, and Murder
Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, and Pedophilia
ghouligan's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug use, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Murder, and Classism