A mystery too disturbing to tell preys on Watson's mind and once again he sets pencil to paper to describe one last portrait of Sherlock Holmes at work, and then seals it up for a hundred years. A man appears at 221B Baker Street, en route to the opera, and asks for help. It appears that he is being followed by stranger wearing a flat cap, who may have followed him from America. And the game is again afoot. There is a robbery and a murder but all is not as it seems. One case leads to another, a circuitous route into the underworld of opium dens, dastardly deeds, and a creepy conspiracy. There are chases and prison escapes, robberies, conundrums, and the House of Silk itself.
Horowitz has written a perfect Holmsian adventure. He hits all the right notes - foggy London streets, Hansom cabs, dodgy criminals, corrupt officials, brilliant deductions, Lestrade, Moriarty, and the Baker Street Irregulars. The adventur's a little more modern, a little darker, with a little more social commentary as befits an older Watson writing from a retirement home. The voice seems authentically Watson's, with maybe a hint of pathos, and the mystery superb. This is another success for the multi-talented Mr Horowitz. May it be the first of many.
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2 comments:
Interesting. I didn't know someone was writing Sherlock Holmes novels. I may have to check it out.
This story, although fairly interesting, just didn't really come off as a true Sherlock Holmes novel. Many of the actions depicted were not true to his character as depicted in the Conan Doyle stories. The biggest example of this(spoiler alert)is the fact that Sherlock Holmes never would have been set up as he was in this book. He was a genius and master of disguise. He simply wasn't obtuse enough to walk into such an obvious trap. Instead of capturing the real feel of the characters, the author depends too much on throwing in various references to the Doyle stories trying to make it seem more authentic.
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