The House of Silk [by] Anthony Horowitz
New York; Little, Brown [2011]
978-0-316-19699-4; $27.99
It’s always a little awe-inspiring to take on a “new” Sherlock Holmes mystery. Will it live up to the ones by the Master, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, or will they fall flat, having totally missed on all counts? Well, this one comes with a mark of approval “Sherlock Holmes – Conan Doyle Estate Ltd.” It darn well better be good! And it is!
It purports to be the last tale, written when Watson is visiting Holmes, while his wife is away nursing a sick child. Because of the far-reaching consequences of this story, he has had it locked away for 100 years, and it has only now come to light.
As with all Sherlockian tales, a visitor comes to 221B Baker Street. In this case it is a fine arts dealer who is being menaced by a man in a flat cap – a member of an American gang – the sole survivor, actually, of the Flat Cap Society. These people have caused the loss of a quartet of Constables being transported from the gallery in London to their American destination. There is a shootout and of of the Irish twins leading the gang is killed. The other survives and is the person the dealer has seen , and who, later, breaks into his house, stealing money and jewelry. Holmes and Watson visit the man’s estate, meeting his new American wife, his invalid sister, and a collection of servants. One of the pieces of jewelry is quite unique, and Holmes unleashes his group of street kids, the Baker Street Irregulars, to see if they can find it.
What they actually do find is the man they are looking for. The acknowledged head of the Irregulars comes to find Holmes, leaving one of the other boys, a boy named Ross, to watch in the alley. When they arrive, with the art dealer in tow, the watcher becomes very frightened, but they do not notice, since they are trying to find the culprit. And they do. He is dead, and the room is ransacked. When they go back to find Ross, he has disappeared.
In an attempt to find him, they go to the Chorley School for Boys, a rather strict school run by a clergyman and his wife for the Society for the Improvement of London’s Children. They find the place uncomfortable, without being able to exactly put their fingers upon it, but they do learn that Ross has a sister, Sally, who works at a pub called The Bag of Nails. They discover that there are two such places in London, and they want the one in Lambeth. They find her there, and she asks them if they are from the House of Silk. They say no, and that they are Ross’ friends, but she strikes out at Watson, injuring him, and runs away.
Several times the detecting pair cross paths with Insp. Lestrade. He asks them to come along to one of London's bridges, where the body or Ross has been discovered. He has been methodically bludgeoned to death -- tortured. Around his wrist is a brand-new piece of white silk ribbon.
Holmes and Watson look for answers to why this beating happened and they come upon a pawnbroker who had done business with Ross. They buy a watch with a family crest on it, which they find is the crest of the Ravenshaw Family. They take the watch to the current Lord, who looks down his nose at them, and throws them out when they ask about the House of Silk, presumably the source of the piece of ribbon. They continue to look for this House, raising people's hackles on the way. Even Holmes' brother Mycroft, who has lots of irons in many fires, does not know about the House, and does not like it when he is warned off by someone in a very high place.
Someone suggests that they might find the House by way of an opium den. Holmes goes in and is overcome by a number of thugs. He is then set up as a murderer. He has a gun in his hand and Ross' sister Sally has a bullet in her breast. Holmes is taken to prison. Watson turns to Lestrade for help, for the man in charge of the case, Insp. Harriman, seems to be incapable of hearing reason.
Things move very fast, then. Holmes gets out of prison by the clever means he has used before, and they ultimately find the House of Silk, which is a huge place of scandal and unlawfulness, with wide-reaching ramifications for many gentlemen in government, business, the church, and elsewhere. As they strip off the layers of secrecy, they discover that many people are not what they seem -- even places they've visited are not what they seem, and that there are many little felonies along the way. Not everyone gets their comeuppance, but enough do to make things just for those of us who are reading, but one is reminded that corruption has happened at every time in history, and the latter years of Victoria's reign were no exception.
The piece rings true from beginning to end. The Estate picked a great work to support. Highly recommended.
__________
Library book.
Holmes and Watson look for answers to why this beating happened and they come upon a pawnbroker who had done business with Ross. They buy a watch with a family crest on it, which they find is the crest of the Ravenshaw Family. They take the watch to the current Lord, who looks down his nose at them, and throws them out when they ask about the House of Silk, presumably the source of the piece of ribbon. They continue to look for this House, raising people's hackles on the way. Even Holmes' brother Mycroft, who has lots of irons in many fires, does not know about the House, and does not like it when he is warned off by someone in a very high place.
Someone suggests that they might find the House by way of an opium den. Holmes goes in and is overcome by a number of thugs. He is then set up as a murderer. He has a gun in his hand and Ross' sister Sally has a bullet in her breast. Holmes is taken to prison. Watson turns to Lestrade for help, for the man in charge of the case, Insp. Harriman, seems to be incapable of hearing reason.
Things move very fast, then. Holmes gets out of prison by the clever means he has used before, and they ultimately find the House of Silk, which is a huge place of scandal and unlawfulness, with wide-reaching ramifications for many gentlemen in government, business, the church, and elsewhere. As they strip off the layers of secrecy, they discover that many people are not what they seem -- even places they've visited are not what they seem, and that there are many little felonies along the way. Not everyone gets their comeuppance, but enough do to make things just for those of us who are reading, but one is reminded that corruption has happened at every time in history, and the latter years of Victoria's reign were no exception.
The piece rings true from beginning to end. The Estate picked a great work to support. Highly recommended.
__________
Library book.
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