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wouter_dhondt's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
humatariq's review against another edition
5.0
Rating revision:
I'm updating my rating from 4 stars to 5 because I realize that I have only given 5 stars to one books this year and this is one book I really enjoyed reading this year.
SPOILERS Ahead. Consider yourself warned!!
[a:Anthony Horowitz|32590|Anthony Horowitz|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1301176549p2/32590.jpg] takes his readers on a memorable ride to the world of Doyle's London. We meet everyone...almost. There's Lestrade, the Baker Street Irregulars, Mycroft, Mrs. Hudson, Watson's wife Mary, even someone who Watson suspects must be Moriarty...but unlike the screen adaptations of Holmes, Horowitz resists the temptation to put in Irene Adler or any other woman for that matter in Holmes life. And rightly so, for she was always "the woman" to Holmes, and part of the charm of her character is we only meet her once in a Holmes short story.
What I didn't like about the book?
Maybe it was me, but this book was more Watson-centric than Holmes-centric. A great part of the book showed Watson trying to solve the crime while
However, that does not mean that I did not enjoy Watson's detective work. Doyle has also sent Watson to be Holmes eyes and ears on a crime scene before. Watson thought process is very interesting. I think Horowitz did truly capture the writing style of Dr. Watson:
"The few questions I had asked had been futile and I was suddenly
dispirited, for it had occurred to me that had Holmes been present, he would have probably have solved the entire mystery by now."
"I had received an answer to the question that Holmes had put to me. Now all I needed to know was why I had asked it."
My verdict
Did I like reading a new Holmes adventure? Yes!
Do I want Horowitz to write more books about Holmes? Hell Yeah!
The Synopsis
So I start reading the new Holmes sceptically...and as I read the Prologue, I realize that I have missed Watson's narrations.
It's the early part of 20th century and Holmes is dead. Watson misses his friend and decides to write about another of their adventure. However, since the case is of a sensitive nature, he plans to ask his publishers to publish it after at least 100 years...this is how Horowitz connect this book published in the 21st century...is this a meta reference?
Also, Watson remembers how he met Holmes...reminded me of BBC's Sherlock...
The tale starts with the familiar scene when Watson is surprised by how much Holmes has deduced merely minutes after he sits down for tea. Its 1890, two years after Watson's marriage with Mary. Watson is at Baker Street for some time while his wife is away. Just as Holmes finish explaining his method to Watson, a man enters...the game's afoot..
Agent Lestrade has made an appearance as has the Baker Street Irregulars (the gang of street urchins who always reminded me of Dicken's Oliver Twist and friends). One of the Irregulars kid has died and Holmes is resolved to find the culprit. And we meet Mycroft Holmes. He warns his brother to stay away from the case, but Holmes does the exact opposite...
Holmes have allegedly killed Ross's sister, the one who stabbed Watson. Watson sees him lying on the ground next to her as he hurries from his waiting post to the sound of bullets. The police has arrested Holmes for Sally's murder. Watson thinks it's a frame-up. Lestrade tells Watson that he is trying to help Holmes. Watson decided to meet Mycroft at his club. Is this a frame-up or one of Holmes own tricks?
Watson was abducted & taken to a secret location where he met an anonymous man who gives him the key to Holmes prison cell. He asks Watson to break Holmes out or he'll be killed before his next hearing. The man also tells him that he's a mathematician & a criminal; he also sent Holmes the clue to the House of Silk. He's not a part of House of Silk and want Holmes to take it down; but doesn't want to snitch about it.
Watson conceals the key between the spine of the leather-bound novel he read on Holmes recommendation. He has left him a coded message inside the book. But when he reaches the Holloway Prison, he finds out that Holmes was taken ill and is in the infirmary. He and Inspector Harriman discover that Holmes is not in the infirmary anymore.
The doctor in-charge of the infirmary is an old client of Holmes and Watson thinks he may have helped Holmes escape. Harriman suspects that he may have escaped by hiding in the coffin of the prisoner Wood who died last night. But when they open the coffin Holmes is not there. The prison is searched too, but there is no sign of Holmes!!
The reverend from Ross' old school gives an advertisement for Dr. Silken's House of Wonders to Watson. His wife discovered it in Ross' old notebook. Watson thinks the address on the flier will take him to The House of Silk!
But it is a honey trap that Watson walks into; but Holmes is too clever to walk into a trap second time. He informs Lestrade, who has the place surrounded and comes out to arrest the bad guys just as they are trying to harm our duo.
Holmes then takes everyone to the real House of Silk and we discover the dreadful secret which Watson thought should only be revealed to the public after some 100 years!
I'm updating my rating from 4 stars to 5 because I realize that I have only given 5 stars to one books this year and this is one book I really enjoyed reading this year.
SPOILERS Ahead. Consider yourself warned!!
[a:Anthony Horowitz|32590|Anthony Horowitz|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1301176549p2/32590.jpg] takes his readers on a memorable ride to the world of Doyle's London. We meet everyone...almost. There's Lestrade, the Baker Street Irregulars, Mycroft, Mrs. Hudson, Watson's wife Mary, even someone who Watson suspects must be Moriarty...but unlike the screen adaptations of Holmes, Horowitz resists the temptation to put in Irene Adler or any other woman for that matter in Holmes life. And rightly so, for she was always "the woman" to Holmes, and part of the charm of her character is we only meet her once in a Holmes short story.
What I didn't like about the book?
Maybe it was me, but this book was more Watson-centric than Holmes-centric. A great part of the book showed Watson trying to solve the crime while
Spoiler
Holmes was locked up. Needless to say, Holmes can solve the crime even when he is in the jail and we later read Holmes describe an exciting prison break to Watson.However, that does not mean that I did not enjoy Watson's detective work. Doyle has also sent Watson to be Holmes eyes and ears on a crime scene before. Watson thought process is very interesting. I think Horowitz did truly capture the writing style of Dr. Watson:
"The few questions I had asked had been futile and I was suddenly
dispirited, for it had occurred to me that had Holmes been present, he would have probably have solved the entire mystery by now."
"I had received an answer to the question that Holmes had put to me. Now all I needed to know was why I had asked it."
My verdict
Did I like reading a new Holmes adventure? Yes!
Do I want Horowitz to write more books about Holmes? Hell Yeah!
The Synopsis
So I start reading the new Holmes sceptically...and as I read the Prologue, I realize that I have missed Watson's narrations.
It's the early part of 20th century and Holmes is dead. Watson misses his friend and decides to write about another of their adventure. However, since the case is of a sensitive nature, he plans to ask his publishers to publish it after at least 100 years...this is how Horowitz connect this book published in the 21st century...is this a meta reference?
Also, Watson remembers how he met Holmes...reminded me of BBC's Sherlock...
The tale starts with the familiar scene when Watson is surprised by how much Holmes has deduced merely minutes after he sits down for tea. Its 1890, two years after Watson's marriage with Mary. Watson is at Baker Street for some time while his wife is away. Just as Holmes finish explaining his method to Watson, a man enters...the game's afoot..
Agent Lestrade has made an appearance as has the Baker Street Irregulars (the gang of street urchins who always reminded me of Dicken's Oliver Twist and friends). One of the Irregulars kid has died and Holmes is resolved to find the culprit. And we meet Mycroft Holmes. He warns his brother to stay away from the case, but Holmes does the exact opposite...
Holmes have allegedly killed Ross's sister, the one who stabbed Watson. Watson sees him lying on the ground next to her as he hurries from his waiting post to the sound of bullets. The police has arrested Holmes for Sally's murder. Watson thinks it's a frame-up. Lestrade tells Watson that he is trying to help Holmes. Watson decided to meet Mycroft at his club. Is this a frame-up or one of Holmes own tricks?
Watson was abducted & taken to a secret location where he met an anonymous man who gives him the key to Holmes prison cell. He asks Watson to break Holmes out or he'll be killed before his next hearing. The man also tells him that he's a mathematician & a criminal; he also sent Holmes the clue to the House of Silk. He's not a part of House of Silk and want Holmes to take it down; but doesn't want to snitch about it.
Watson conceals the key between the spine of the leather-bound novel he read on Holmes recommendation. He has left him a coded message inside the book. But when he reaches the Holloway Prison, he finds out that Holmes was taken ill and is in the infirmary. He and Inspector Harriman discover that Holmes is not in the infirmary anymore.
The doctor in-charge of the infirmary is an old client of Holmes and Watson thinks he may have helped Holmes escape. Harriman suspects that he may have escaped by hiding in the coffin of the prisoner Wood who died last night. But when they open the coffin Holmes is not there. The prison is searched too, but there is no sign of Holmes!!
The reverend from Ross' old school gives an advertisement for Dr. Silken's House of Wonders to Watson. His wife discovered it in Ross' old notebook. Watson thinks the address on the flier will take him to The House of Silk!
But it is a honey trap that Watson walks into; but Holmes is too clever to walk into a trap second time. He informs Lestrade, who has the place surrounded and comes out to arrest the bad guys just as they are trying to harm our duo.
Holmes then takes everyone to the real House of Silk and we discover the dreadful secret which Watson thought should only be revealed to the public after some 100 years!
awesomebrandi's review against another edition
3.0
I have mixed feelings about this book. Overall, I feel like it could be summed up as a cheap knock off of Conan Doyle's Sherlock. There's an attempt to capture Sherlock's speech and his wit, but it falls pretty far short of the musicality and memorable lines of the original stories. The final third of the book snares you in a bit, but I won't lie, the big reveal will turn your stomach a bit (at least it did for me). It's a pretty harsh topic. There was an unexpected connection in the end as well, so I applaud the author on taking it to an unexpected place, but, it got pretty heavy. I'm not sure I would read another Sherlock story by this author. I think I'm just too fond of Conan Doyle's writing style and I don't think he's easily matched.
danoreading's review against another edition
4.0
A solid mystery and a solid continuation of the Holmes canon. Holmes and Watson were lacking a bit of their spark, but I think this is as good as you'll get without bringing Arthur Conan Doyle back from the dead.
lavins's review against another edition
3.0
The book is interesting, the plot has some good twists. The ending is good, nicely explained. I feel that the book could have been a bit shorter.
aruned's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
breadandmushrooms's review against another edition
adventurous
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? It's complicated
3.0
maeva_xena's review against another edition
I unfortunately didn’t connect with the story even though I love this Victorian period, the writing especially was not for me😕
karenholmes's review against another edition
4.0
It's been a while since I read a Sherlock story (at least a year, maybe more) but Horowitz has done it so right that I could feel Doyle writing it almost everywhere. There are more modern parts, I know. And there are reflections the original Watson doesn't think. Like what he thinks of Mrs. Hudson or humanizing Lestrade.
But all in all, a great and enjoyable read. The mystery is not a big one, but it is very fitting to a Holmes story.
Nice and smooth read. A bit longer than the originals. There are some parts that didn't need to be. But all in all no regret and a nice read.
But all in all, a great and enjoyable read. The mystery is not a big one, but it is very fitting to a Holmes story.
Nice and smooth read. A bit longer than the originals. There are some parts that didn't need to be. But all in all no regret and a nice read.
fiddler76's review against another edition
4.0
I started this one wondering why there was so much more hype to this latest Sherlock novel, when there had been quite a few others (including by Arthur's son). In the initial few chapters, i couldnt help but compare this book with [b:The Final Solution|16696|The Final Solution|Michael Chabon|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166740674s/16696.jpg|818664] which i had read recently and liked a lot. In that book, Michael Chabon writes in his own style, not trying to mimic anything from the original Sherlock Holmes stories, other than of course the characteristics retained by a much older Sherlock.
Again, at first even the plot seemed to be something straight out of some of the original stories, and I felt that this was going to turn out as just another attempt at duplicating what worked for Sir AC Doyle at the end of the 19th century. Will it really work in the 21st? As a new novel, for an audience used to a much changed styles and themes?
But gradually, i did get absorbed into the book. I could see that Anthony Horowitz was being true to the stlye of Sir Arthur, but there were some things which were new and by the time the mystery is revealed, it feels very right for both the time when the story is set and also the time when it is being read. Its a fast-paced story, absorbingly convoluted, and definitely more complex than any of the original stories and novels. The conclusion is extremely satisfying in the way it brings all the threads together, and packs in a good wallop of surprise! There is an afterword by the author (which should be read as just that - an afterword), and it really goes to explain some of his decisions regarding styles and themes he has used, and it convinced me that he made the right decisions. Unfortunately, it also says that this is the only Sherlock Holmes novel he has been commissioned to write by the AC Doyle estate.
Very good book, this should be a must-read for any Sherlock fan!
Again, at first even the plot seemed to be something straight out of some of the original stories, and I felt that this was going to turn out as just another attempt at duplicating what worked for Sir AC Doyle at the end of the 19th century. Will it really work in the 21st? As a new novel, for an audience used to a much changed styles and themes?
But gradually, i did get absorbed into the book. I could see that Anthony Horowitz was being true to the stlye of Sir Arthur, but there were some things which were new and by the time the mystery is revealed, it feels very right for both the time when the story is set and also the time when it is being read. Its a fast-paced story, absorbingly convoluted, and definitely more complex than any of the original stories and novels. The conclusion is extremely satisfying in the way it brings all the threads together, and packs in a good wallop of surprise! There is an afterword by the author (which should be read as just that - an afterword), and it really goes to explain some of his decisions regarding styles and themes he has used, and it convinced me that he made the right decisions. Unfortunately, it also says that this is the only Sherlock Holmes novel he has been commissioned to write by the AC Doyle estate.
Very good book, this should be a must-read for any Sherlock fan!