House of Silk - Anthony Horowitz

It seems that Anthony Horowitz is the Flavour of the Month, after taking on not only Sherlock Holmes, but now James Bond too. Two much-loved British characters have been entrusted to him and while I have not read his Bond novel (Trigger Mortis) yet, his two Sherlock novels have met very much with my approval!

When Holmes and John Watson hunt out an Irish gangster for a case, they find themselves in ultimately more danger, stumbling upon another criminal organisation. Treading on the toes of the House of Silk proves to be much more perilous, with the members of this group willing to do anything to keep it a secret. Predictably Holmes rubs them the wrong way and finds himself in a whole world of trouble. Luckily, as always, Watson is there to assist  Holmes, when his own intellect and wit can't help him

While the Sherlock that we meet in House of Silk doesn't have the arrogant air that Conan Doyle gave him, the character we are presented with does carry many of the traits we expect from out favourite sleuth! The story itself is a fast-paced mystery, full of plot twists (as one would expect!), typical Holmes wit, and written with an easy to read narrative, in a suitably Conan Doyle tone.

Overall another great job by Horowitz at revisiting one of the greatest detectives in literary history!

Moriarty - Anthony Horowitz

My first experience of Anthony Horowitz' writing was definitely an enjoyable one. Moriarty is penned as part of the Sherlock Holmes series, and fits so well with Conan Doyle's original style. The essence of Victorian England pours from the pages and it is very easy to put yourself in the scene.

Following the death of Sherlock Holmes and his arch-enemy, Moriarty, this novel follows the escapades of the American criminal mastermind, new in town, intent on filling the gap in the market. Private detective Frederick Chase and Scotland Yard Inspector Athelney Jones set about unearthing this mystery man.

With pages of horror and action, the story flows very easily, leaving you wanting to read 'just one more page'. While I didn't see the exact plot twist coming (of course there is one!), it was obvious toward the end of the novel that I'd missed something and I found myself anxiously awaiting the big reveal!

Overall, I am now a big fan of Horowitz's writing and will look forward to reading more of his work.