As Dr. Watson had shared earlier, this was a dark tale that needed to be put away for a long, long time. And Horowitz shines a light on some of the darker elements of Victorian life that Doyle never would have approached. Thus, the crux of the mystery lies in one of those dark corners, which some readers may find hard to read.

The plot is also very much in the tradition. It starts with a smaller story and the tentacles of the mystery spread out to create a far wider tale with grave implications for welfare of the nation.However Horrowitz has pulled it off beautifully. I always thought of him as being a children's author as my son used to read the Alex Rider series, but it would appear that Horrowitz writes for TV, film and adult audiences. He is a what one could term a professional author, able to turn his hand to most forms of writing. Once it was written it was given over to a law firm with instructions not to publish it for 100 years. His thoughts were that all the players would be dead, and perhaps in the future, society could handle hearing the story. How does the House of Silk fit into this conundrum and what are we to make of the strip of silk around the boy's wrist? That is the crux of the matter and once again I am blameworthy. I was warned!"

Horowitz deftly combines a perilous, and foreboding mystery shrouded in a spooky, historically accurate setting that made me feel completely immersed in the case and enveloped in the freezing cold and fog along side Holmes and Watson. Both of which made me shiver! As “The House of Silk” opens, Mrs. Watson has decided to retire with some friends in the country, and Dr. Watson has decided to come stay with Holmes at 221-B Baker Street in his old rooms. Even the print, I mean I know this must sound ridiculous but it actually supports and envelopes; embraces the pace and tone and rhythm of this story. Call me crazy or trust me, it just all works. Well!

He rushed out, leaving me alone with my misgivings. At lunchtime he returned but did not eaty, a sure sign that he was engaged upon some stimulating line of enquiry. I had seen him so often like this before. He put me in mind of a foxhound, running upon breast-high scent, for just as an animal will devote it's entire being to one activity, so could he allow events to absorb him to the extent that even the most basic human needs — food, water, sleep — could be set aside." He had entered a veritable miasma of evil, and harm, in the worst possible way, was to come to us all too soon.”

When the detective arrives - with Watson and Carstairs - they find O'Donaghue murdered in his hotel room. Ross, who seems badly frightened by this development, runs off. Could he have seen the killer? Happily, I was ever so pleased to read this book as I felt that Mr Horowitz kept the tradition of Holmes so alive and made the mystery present in The House of Silk one that kept me guessing. Isn't that what a great mystery book does? When Holmes makes inroads with the House of Silk case, he is framed for murder and sent to prison. Meanwhile, Watson meets with a mystery criminal, later revealed as Professor Moriarty, who provides him with a key to free Holmes from prison, before the detective can be assassinated. Professor Moriarty's motives are uncertain, except that he wishes Holmes to rid the world of the House of Silk, whose activities apparently appall even him. When Watson arrives at the prison, he discovers Holmes has escaped of his own accord, disguised as an aide to the prison doctor, whom he had once helped as a client. Various leads draw them to a travelling funfair, where they are ambushed, before being saved by Lestrade. Art dealer, Edmond Carstairs, comes to Holmes and Watson for help in discovering the identity a man who has been following him. Taking the case, Holmes, pipe in hand, turns to Watson and smiles. 'The game's afoot... ' Emphatically, yes. The characters are, as Conan Doyle himself would have them, as close to cliché as good writing allows. Horowitz's Watson cleverly excuses himself right at the start from any complaints about style or content by reminding us of Holmes's oft-stated judgment of the stories: "He accused me more than once of vulgar romanticism, and thought me no better than any Grub Street scribbler." We must take them on their own terms, then: Mr Carstairs, the troubled dealer in fine art, who is being watched by a mysterious stranger in a flat cap with a "livid scar on his right cheek". Carstairs's wife, the mysterious foreign adventuress. Cornelius Stillman, the bumptious American millionaire. The dastardly Boston Irish gang, led by the ruthless O'Donaghue twins. The madwoman in the attic. The creepy reverend who runs a home for boys. The big set-pieces: the train robbery; the escape from prison; the freak show; the high-speed horse-drawn carriage chase.If you are unable to make it during one of their scheduled guided tours, but really want to visit the only Guild House in Barcelona open to the public then you can also book a private visit for €220 per group. Private Events (Weddings, Presentations etc) We can’t help but get astounded by the impressive observation and exhilarated deductive skills of the investigator. Not to mention, his talent in arriving at conclusions out of thin air proves the meticulous craft of the original creator. The House of Silk is another Holmes novel published in 2011, but not apparently written by Doyle, but by Anthony Horowitz instead. The House of Silk Review (Review)

Show Holmes a drop of water and he would deduce the existence of the Atlantic. Show it to me and I would look for a tap. That was the difference between us.”I was impressed by how well Horowitz has recreated Holmes' world and Watson's narrative voice. The House of Silk was a delightful read, and now I'm even more excited to read Horowitz's other books. Highly recommended for fans of Victorian mysteries. You won’t find La Casa de la Seda (The House of Silk) on most top ten lists of things to do in Barcelona, perhaps because it made the mistake of not being designed by Gaudi. In fact this 18th century Baroque beauty predates Barcelona’s famous Modernisme architectural movement by a century or more and was the home of influential Guild of Silk Makers, one of the wealthiest merchant groups in the city during their peak. Guided Tours