Lil

Sherlock Holmes is dead.  Days after Holmes and his arch-enemy Moriarty fall to their doom at the Reichenbach Falls, Pinkerton agent Frederick Chase arrives in Europe from New York. The death of Moriarty has created a poisonous vacuum which has been swiftly filled by a fiendish new criminal mastermind who has risen to take his place. Ably assisted by Inspector Athelney Jones of Scotland Yard, a devoted student of Holmes's methods of investigation and deduction, Frederick Chase must forge a path through the darkest corners of the capital to shine light on this shadowy figure, a man much feared but seldom seen, a man determined to engulf London in a tide of murder and menace. I absolutely loved Horowitz's first Sherlock Holmes novel The House of Silk , and so was very excited when I finally got my hands on this. I was initially disappointed to discover how little Holmes appeared in the book - and what kind of Holmes novel is narrated by someone other than Watson!? But Frederick C...

Anthony Horowitz has been a favourite author of mine from the Alex Rider days of my childhood, so when I found out that he had written a Sherlock Holmes novel I knew that I had to read it.  I therefore came to the novel with high expectations, but I was not disappointed! Horowitz captures the essence of Conan Doyle and remains true to the Sherlock Holmes canon, yet still manages to put his own personal twist on it. The dual stranded plot is very cleverly thought out, and whilst you soon get an idea of where the story is going, it would take a mind as great as Holmes' to figure it out before the big reveal.  The Guide to Writing Sherlock Holmes essay included at the end of the novel is a nice touch and makes for very interesting reading. A must-read for any fans of the great detective. 5/5 stars: I couldn't put this book down! I just hope that Horowitz can be persuaded to write more Sherlock Holmes books in the future!