The House of Silk - Anthony Horowitz

Reading this on the train heading into town as the snow was descending definitely added to the atmosphere Horowitz creates of Holmes’ wintry, foreboding London. He really has done a fine job of keeping enough familiarity that the reader feels automatically transported into a classic Conan Doyle mystery, whilst giving Holmes a fresh and original case.

Watson narrates us through the entangled web of intrigue that takes us around London and across the pond to America.  He also has an interesting, albeit brief, confrontation with Moriarty, which adds a wonderful dimension to the story. The way in which Moriarty contrives the meeting and the information he imparts is a secret that remains between Watson and the reader, never shared with Holmes even after the case is closed.

The character I had in mind whilst reading this is very much the traditional Jeremy Brett version of Holmes, rather than the big screen Robert Downey Jr. This is the one that I grew up with and in reading Horowitcz’s end note, was the one that he feels most close to. 

The story evolves from one of robbery and blackmail into the far more sinister areas of child  abuse and mistreatment. As Holmes gets closer to the truth we see him framed and imprisoned leading to a spectacular escape and final showdown with those responsible. 

This is one I am recommending to everyone I know who loves a good mystery, or the legendary Sherlock Holmes himself. 

Two Brothers - Ben Elton

I haven't read all of Ben Elton's books, but having enjoyed all those so far this has to be the best to date. He has such a great writing style that gets you hooked right into the story and tuned into the bigger message he is trying to convey. In the past that has covered a variety of topics including drug culture and reality TV.  This time he turns his attention to the experience of the Jews in the run up to, and during, the Second World War.

The Stengel family and friends come to life straight off the page as Elton evokes their everyday life and struggle under the Nazi reign. The two brothers in the title are the Stengel twins, who together with their maid's daughter and their father’s music pupil form The Saturday Club. The story follows their friendship throughout this period of history as they are all forced into lives they never chose.

The boy's father Wolfgang particularly stood out for me as a character. His exciting bohemian life as a talented musician, playing the clubs at the beginning of the novel, is slowly crushed as he experiences the growing persecution. His demise is a powerful story in itself, difficult to read and incredibly moving.

The book explores humanity and what an ordinary person (Jew or Nazi) will do to survive; how all these people manage in times of extreme - deprived of food and basic human rights, subjected to brutality and violence. The lengths that some characters go to in order to survive is remarkable and leaves you asking if you can really question their tactics given their remarkable situation.

The author's note at the end reflects on the personal inspiration he had to write this novel, given his incredible family history. The care and attention to detail he delivers in this novel is evident throughout and, according to a recent interview, is the story he has wanted to write all his career. It really is a remarkable, touching piece of work that stays with you after you have finished it.

Shark Trouble?

  Peter Benchley created one of the best monsters ever when he penned the novel Jaws and Steven Spielberg adapted that story and brought the monster alive with a blockbuster film that spun off 3 sequels of varying success. The shark might have been rubber and the effects may now look extremely dated, but the sheer terror that the film evoked of the predatory beast feeding on the locals and holiday makers of Amity Island stayed with the audience long after they had left the screen. 

But the story was fiction and Benchley spent the rest of his days trying to educate people on that point. Unfortunately his story was taken as fact and the shark has been misunderstood, feared and hunted ever since. His book 'Shark Trouble' is a fascinating read about Benchley's experiences with sharks. It's a real education into their important role in our waters. The book is full of facts and stories of his encounters with sharks over the years, including the making of Jaws. Possibly the most powerful part of the book is the short story he includes to illustrate why sharks are essential to the balance of marine life and all those who live and prosper from coastal life. It's called 'The Day All The Sharks Died' and it's no more than 10 pages long, but is a really simple explanation of the important role that sharks play.

And if like me you start to really admire these animals and want to get even closer then you can get in a cage alongside them at the London Aquarium. At present the aquarium has 15 sharks ranging from the bottom dwelling Guitar Shark (which is a bit of a cross between a shark and a ray) to Black Tipped Sharks, Nurse Sharks and the ferocious looking Sand Tiger Sharks. These unfortunate beasts aren't able to close their mouths due to their large amount of teeth so they definitely look the most frightening. The sharks are well fed so they aren't interested in feasting upon you. But they are curious and will come right up alongside the cage and hold eye contact.

These animals are seriously endangered. They sit at the top of the food chain so have no natural predator, which means that we have become their only threat. And that threat takes a variety of forms; we hunt and kill them either for sport or for their fins, creating keepsakes from their teeth that get made into jewellery; we trap them in nets that are supposed to keep sharks away from the beaches, so they struggle and die. 

Maybe they aren't as attractive as the Giant Panda or Bengal Tiger, who are also both endangered species, but they do equally deserve our protection. It is imperative that we keep the natural, healthy balance that our oceans thrive on. Nothing exists on its own, everything around us works together to keep a healthy planet.

The London Aquarium are donating £5 out of every ticket they sell to The Shark Trust, which is a great charity I have been supporting for the last few years. It aims to advance the worldwide conservation of sharks through science, education, influence and action (www.sharktrust.org).

So please consider taking the plunge yourself, or gifting the snorkelling experience to others and get to know these creatures better. They are incredible creatures and need all the help they can get to survive.