thelitsyirregulars

The House of Silk: A Sherlock Holmes Novel | Anthony Horowitz

#thelitsyirregulars #tli @Cuilin

Thoughts, Pastiched-Sherlockians?

DrSabrinaMoldenReads, kspenmoll, CogsOfEncouragement, AnneCecilie, Librarybelle, mcipher, Read4life, CatLass007, Mollyanna, eeclayton, Bookwomble, dabbe, MaGoose, kelli7990, TheAromaofBooks, Sparklemn

Librarybelle Life isn‘t easy at the moment, and I did not get to read this but read it years ago for a mystery discussion group I led. I don‘t remember every detail about the book, but I did like it and felt that it paid good homage to Conan Doyle and Holmes (the group agreed too). It takes talent to bring a new story such as this close to an original. I adore Horowitz and his books, so of course I vote for reading Moriarty! 17h

kelli7990 I enjoyed this book. I would read more books by him. 10h

eeclayton I'm not sure I'd pick it up on my own, but if #TheLitsyIrregulars decide to read it together, then I'll certainly join in the fun! 9h

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kspenmoll I second @Librarybelle opinion. I love this author & will read anything he likes. I did find this book had a more chilling effect on me than Holmes stories penned by Watson. 4h

kspenmoll Thanks for hosting & coming up with questions that made me dig deep & THINK on a Sunday! 4h

DrSabrinaMoldenReads I am happy to have found this author. For literally years, I have been searching for a mystery author on the same level as I remember Agatha Christie to be. I was never able to figure out her mysteries but as an adult have been able to figure most mysteries out before finishing. That has taken away the fun. I can‘t wait to read Moriarty. I would love other author recommendations. 3h

CogsOfEncouragement I have read books with SH as a side character, as well as books with SH as a great great great uncle or something and I really enjoyed them.

If I had read House of Silk on my own, I would not have finished it and I wouldn't be interested to read book 2.

I do enjoy hearing what others think about books, even the ones that didn't appeal to me. Thank you for continuing to host these discussions. I think they are important. 39m

28 likes7 comments

dabbe

The House of Silk: A Sherlock Holmes Novel | Anthony Horowitz

#thelitsyirregulars #tli @Cuilin

Thoughts, Pastiched-Sherlockians?

DrSabrinaMoldenReads, kspenmoll, CogsOfEncouragement, AnneCecilie, Librarybelle, mcipher, Read4life, CatLass007, Mollyanna, eeclayton, Bookwomble, dabbe, MaGoose, kelli7990, TheAromaofBooks, Sparklemn

eeclayton The foreword really piqued my interest, I was eager to find out why this manuscript needed to be hidden for such a long time. Now that I've finished, I'm not sure if it's because of the scandal and well-known people's involvement in it, or because of the episode with Moriarty.
As for the latter, do we really believe that Watson never said a word about this to Holmes, not even after Moriarty's death? 🤔 9h

kspenmoll Maybe Watson needed time & reflection to get the story just right. It could have bern because he did not want to expose & publicize the depth of the corruption in government for fear that it would cause a crisis & instability. Other European countries were becoming nationalists at the time, & England was as well. Any spark might become what happened inevitably WWI. 4h

DrSabrinaMoldenReads Maybe there was some element of truth about the scandal 😳 From my work and the present stuff in the news, such groups actually exist. Even in small town communities. But I had no idea that‘s where it was going in the novel. (edited) 3h

24 likes3 comments

dabbe

The House of Silk: A Sherlock Holmes Novel | Anthony Horowitz

#thelitsyirregulars #tli @Cuilin

Thoughts, Pastiched-Sherlockians?

DrSabrinaMoldenReads, kspenmoll, CogsOfEncouragement, AnneCecilie, Librarybelle, mcipher, Read4life, CatLass007, Mollyanna, eeclayton, Bookwomble, dabbe, MaGoose, kelli7990, TheAromaofBooks, Sparklemn

kspenmoll Legal justice was explored through Holmes arrest, imprisonment, the corruption in the system. When all the people involved in the corruption were exposed, some served jail time. The “ minister” who thought he was untouchable was murdered if I remember correctly. So sometimes justice was served within the system, mos times outside its boundaries - morally justice was served that way. When Holmes “punished” & razed the building down, that seemed⬇️ 4h

kspenmoll Out of anger & anguish rather than mortality. 4h

eeclayton @kspenmoll That's a great point, Holmes's arrest and imprisonment illustrating how the system has broken down. 2h

19 likes3 comments

dabbe

The House of Silk: A Sherlock Holmes Novel | Anthony Horowitz

#thelitsyirregulars #tli @Cuilin

Thoughts, Pastiched-Sherlockians?

DrSabrinaMoldenReads, kspenmoll, CogsOfEncouragement, AnneCecilie, Librarybelle, mcipher, Read4life, CatLass007, Mollyanna, eeclayton, Bookwomble, dabbe, MaGoose, kelli7990, TheAromaofBooks, Sparklemn

eeclayton While I knew that the Flat Cap Gang storyline would have to have something to do with the House of Silk mystery, I honestly forgot about it for most of the book. It was much less intricate, and for me personally, the solution to it, when it came, had shock value but felt a little WTF. The HoS part, on the other hand, held my interest all the way through. 10h

kspenmoll I was mostly caught up in the House of Silk as more intricate & intriguing. It did not cross my mind that the author would connect the two. I was surprised that one of the twin leasers of the gang was female. Never crossed my mind- that was a clever way of connecting the storylines. (edited) 4h

DrSabrinaMoldenReads Where‘s the best place to start with Sherlock Holmes? I have not read his mysteries? What‘s next for us and when in this group? 3h

CogsOfEncouragement I had the feeling of coincidence - which SH didn't believe in - that Carstairs was one so vile as well. 53m

15 likes4 comments

dabbe

The House of Silk: A Sherlock Holmes Novel | Anthony Horowitz

#thelitsyirregulars #tli @Cuilin

Thoughts, Pastiched-Sherlockians?

DrSabrinaMoldenReads, kspenmoll, CogsOfEncouragement, AnneCecilie, Librarybelle, mcipher, Read4life, CatLass007, Mollyanna, eeclayton, Bookwomble, dabbe, MaGoose, kelli7990, TheAromaofBooks, Sparklemn

kspenmoll I think he achieved a really good balance until his drive to punish those at the end- I did like the prison escape; just like what Houdini Holmes might do. 4h

eeclayton @kspenmoll I enjoyed the prison break too, the twist on the coffin idea was clever, although this was the one twist in the book that I was able to figure out much earlier than Watson 😁 2h

16 likes2 comments

dabbe

The House of Silk: A Sherlock Holmes Novel | Anthony Horowitz

#thelitsyirregulars #tli @Cuilin

Thoughts, Pastiched-Sherlockians?

DrSabrinaMoldenReads, kspenmoll, CogsOfEncouragement, AnneCecilie, Librarybelle, mcipher, Read4life, CatLass007, Mollyanna, eeclayton, Bookwomble, dabbe, MaGoose, kelli7990, TheAromaofBooks, Sparklemn

eeclayton He fails to see the link between the two storylines early on -- but let's be patient with him: he's never had to do this before 😁 10h

kspenmoll He fails to see the house for boys for what it truly is earlier on, despite noting many wheel tracks in front of the certain building. Or the Carstairs for the evil people they are. 4h

DrSabrinaMoldenReads I was thinking he did not reveal how much he knew. 3h

DrSabrinaMoldenReads The prison escape was like what occurred in another famous novel which I loved. Don‘t want to do a spoiler. It was a French author. 3h

18 likes4 comments

dabbe

The House of Silk: A Sherlock Holmes Novel | Anthony Horowitz

#thelitsyirregulars #tli @Cuilin

Thoughts, Pastiched-Sherlockians?

DrSabrinaMoldenReads, kspenmoll, CogsOfEncouragement, AnneCecilie, Librarybelle, mcipher, Read4life, CatLass007, Mollyanna, eeclayton, Bookwomble, dabbe, MaGoose, kelli7990, TheAromaofBooks, Sparklemn

eeclayton My impression is that in the ACD originals, Holmes isn't as much interested in the moral layers of the crimes as the clues and the logic to the mysteries. Here, however, he very much acts to punish the culprits. The final bit about him setting fire to the school felt a bit over the top for me. 10h

kspenmoll I don‘t think of Holmes as his actions being dictated by emotions but just observation & logic. His investment in punishment of the perpetrators seems unlike him. 4h

CogsOfEncouragement I liked W's subtly in the canon. Readers had to pay attention to each sentence, especially in the short stories to realize that SH did care, and did take action after a case, etc. Those stories had to fit into a periodica after all.
This novel - to me - overly criticises SH and W rather than extending the canon in a way to make the reader forget it was written in 2011. 1h

15 likes3 comments

dabbe

The House of Silk: A Sherlock Holmes Novel | Anthony Horowitz

#thelitsyirregulars #tli @Cuilin

Thoughts, Pastiched-Sherlockians?

DrSabrinaMoldenReads, kspenmoll, CogsOfEncouragement, AnneCecilie, Librarybelle, mcipher, Read4life, CatLass007, Mollyanna, eeclayton, Bookwomble, dabbe, MaGoose, kelli7990, TheAromaofBooks, Sparklemn

eeclayton I think it's important because if the narrative voice feels off, the readers won't be able to immerse themselves in the story, because they won't believe it's Watson telling it.
I feel Horowitz did a good job. The only times when I was taken out of the story were when he tried to inject some modern day morality in Watson's descriptions, especially about the Baker Street Irregulars. 10h

eeclayton I also felt that the amount of easter eggs / fan service was a bit too much for my taste. They were fun to spot in the first few chapters, but later on I was more like “not again!“ 10h

kspenmoll @eeclayton Yes, Watson‘s modern day morality judgements re: the Baker Street irregulars were odd as I don‘t think of him as that judgmental esp in his role as a doctor. I liked the references to his wife & commitment to her. 4h

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CogsOfEncouragement I think there were a number of misses when trying to convince us W is talking to us once again. (The real problem is I adore W and I can‘t abide anyone trying to say a bad word of him. Yes, I have issues that I don‘t plan to work on.) The beginning of ch 12 was one example. In the canon I feel W is a genuinely good person. This confession of being otherwise put me off. To me, it seemed an unnecessary judgement on the canon rather than an ⬇ 1h

CogsOfEncouragement an extension of it. In ch 16 W tells us he didn't know much about Mrs H and he hadn't cared enough about her. I disagree, we know why she is so loyal to SH because W tells us. In ch 17 W explains Mary died because he was too busy with SH and didn‘t care for her well enough. That is an odd take on a beloved character. Gilbert Blythe took care of Anne and W would have most definitely taken care of Mary and I dare say SH would want/demand ⬇ 1h

CogsOfEncouragement ...the same. While reading the canon, I took W to tell us without telling us that M died in childbirth and he suffered a double loss. Something that sadly happened often at the time and could give the readers what they wanted - W once again living with SH with no obligations keeping him from helping on the cases. W‘s medical practice is also done away with to make this happen.
1h

14 likes6 comments

dabbe

The House of Silk: A Sherlock Holmes Novel | Anthony Horowitz

#thelitsyirregulars #tli @Cuilin

Thoughts, Pastiched-Sherlockians?

DrSabrinaMoldenReads, kspenmoll, CogsOfEncouragement, AnneCecilie, Librarybelle, mcipher, Read4life, CatLass007, Mollyanna, eeclayton, Bookwomble, dabbe, MaGoose, kelli7990, TheAromaofBooks, Sparklemn

Librarybelle I think he gets the style right, or as close to the style as one can. I‘m rather skeptical when it comes to contemporary authors writing continuation stories of well-known characters (I‘ve tried Sophie Hannah‘s take on Poirot a couple of times and did not like it). But, I think Horowitz did well. 17h

eeclayton What a scary and flattering situation this must have been for him! It's amazing that he had the plot in such a short time, but we all know that it's not only the plot that makes or breaks a SH story. I think he did well. He got Watson's voice mostly right, and he wrote an enjoyable book. 10h

kspenmoll I agree with both @Librarybelle @eeclayton in that he really got the style right, & each man‘s voice. The plot kept me guessing & involved well written, eclectic& descriptive characters. 4h

CogsOfEncouragement I didn't love this one. I tried to believe this was really Watson, but explanations that were unnecessary for those of us familiar with the canon broke the spell often. The beginning of Chap 6 is one example. Watson had no need to explain what London was like to his readers, they knew. This “apology“ offended me as a reader and I was offended on behalf of Watson because I care WAAAY too much about fictional characters. 2h

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