Sherlock Holmes is to be brought back to life in the first new novel about the great Baker Street detective to be officially approved.
Anthony Horowitz, author of stories about teenage spy Alex Rider, has been chosen by Arthur Conan Doyle?s estate to write the full-length novel, which will be published by Orion in September.
?I fell in love with the Sherlock Holmes stories when I was 16 and I?ve read them many times since,? said Horowitz. ?I simply couldn?t resist this opportunity to write a brand new adventure for this iconic figure and my aim is to produce a first rate mystery for a modern audience while remaining absolutely true to the spirit of the original.?
No details of the new tale or even its title have been revealed. Scottish author Conan Doyle wrote four novels and 56 short stories featuring the pipe-smoking Victorian detective. Conan Doyle famously attempted to kill Holmes off, but was eventually forced by public pressure to resurrect him.
Holmes and his assistant Dr Watson have appeared in a vast legion of films and plays, but this is the first time the estate has given official approval for a story since the last novel was published in 1915.
The book, like the first of Doyle?s tales, is set in the 1890s but Horowitz said that writing in the 21st century he could ?stray into areas Doyle couldn’t have touched at his time?. Horowitz said: ?What I think is different in my book is the nature of the crime, the world in which he gets involved.?
Similarly spy James Bond has also been resurrected and a new book will be penned by Jeffrey Deaver. Writers including Kingsley Amis, Sebastian Faulks and Charlie Higson have all written new James Bond books since the death of creator Ian Fleming.
Plugging his offering, Jeffrey Deaver said: ?In the world of espionage, giving an agent carte blanche on a mission comes with an enormous amount of trust and constantly tests both personal and professional judgment.?