Wonderful News! More Hawthorne and Horowitz to come. Anthony himself not so happy.

With what delight I began this outing. Anthony Horowitz, sadly, is not that happy with the resounding success and enthusiasm the reading public have shown, for further engagement with the elusive Hawthorne, private investigator with a somewhat mysterious path.

As readers of previous outings will know, Anthony has had a 3 book contract to write about Hawthorne’s cases. The problem for Mr Horowitz, a not particularly astute Watson to Hawthorne’s Holmes, is that though Anthony Horowitz may be – nay, IS a wonderful and inventive writer of many voices – he manages somehow to be an extraordinarily inept and accident prone sidekick companion to Hawthorne, the ex detective investigating grisly crimes.

And this outing is no exception. Mr Horowitz, whilst doing all he can to wriggle out of further professional connections with Hawthorne, finds himself intimately involved with yet another murder, and this time, it is on his own patch.

Horowitz, as we know, is an accomplished scriptwriter (Foyle’s War) as well as an author of many wonderful books. He is deep in the middle of rehearsals for a play he wrote, many years ago, with an interesting cast, and opening night is approaching. Buoyed up by the excitement of the rehearsal process, previews, and the usual frenetic West End anxiety about how the critics will react, he has a less than amicable exchange with Hawthorne, to say he will not be embarking on any further accounts of Hawthorne’s investigations.

And then………something terrible happens and poor Anthony finds himself more intimately involved in a criminal investigation than anyone would ever want.

Hush, I must say no more. WE know Anthony can’t possibly be involved in this type of crime, no matter what the stacking up evidence may say.

As a writer, Mr Horowitz is stunning with his red herrings – the one thing we do know is that almost every theory HE has about solving a crime, will be the wrong one, but he almost surpasses himself in surprises with this one. I was worse than he is at solving this, the herring I was after a complete misdirection!

Fabulous. More please, and soon! We love Hawthorne (Anthony is Ok too)

I received this as a digital ARC from the publisher via Netgalley, Ecstatically

The play duly opens and at the first night party one of the critics, Harriet Thorsby comes along with her daughter in tow. Anthony Horowitz makes the mistake of asking her what she thought of the play. She doesn’t answer and later leaves the party. As the party draws to a close one of actors reads out a review which is scathing of the play and, in particular, Anthony Horowitz. The next morning the police, in the form of an old adversary Cara Grunshaw, arrive and the main suspect in the murder case appears to Horowitz himself.
The rest of the novel focuses on the way in which Hawthorne sets about solving the case before the police. It is an entertaining book and one which keeps the reader engaged to the end. I will definitely recommend this to others!

When I requested this book from NetGalley (and thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this advance copy in return for an honest review) I seemingly missed the fact that this was the fourth book in the Hawthorne and Horowitz Mystery series - I was delighted to discover, however, that this book was an excellent standalone read and that it really didn't matter that I hadn't read the previous books.

I am a big fan of murder mystery - having enjoyed Horowitz's previous books The House of Silk and Magpie Murders and being a big Agatha Christie fan. And I thought this was a great example of a murder mystery. When Horowitz is accused of the murder of Harriet Throsby - a theatre critic and generally unpleasant lady by all accounts - he has only a short period of time in which to discover who in fact the murderer is, and to clear his name. He turns to Hawthorne (a disgraced former police officer and now a private detective) to help him clear his name. Within a matter of days Hawthorne has gathered all of the information together to prove who is the actual murderer - bringing together all of the potential suspects in the theatre, in a style very reminiscent of Hercule Poirot, to reveal who dunnit.

Like the previous book's I've read by Horowitz I thought this book was well-crafted, everything fitted together neatly coming to a neat conclusion. I have to say though that there were little bits that niggled ... I found it annoying to be constantly reminded that Horowitz was up against the clock and at risk of re-arrest any minute - I didn't feel I needed to be told that over and over. But the main thing that I just wasn't sure about was the intermingling of fact and fiction - the writing in of Horowitz himself as if he had really been accused of murder. I have to admit that I did carry out an internet search after finishing the book to see if Horowitz had written a play called Mindgame - and apparently he did and it also showed at the Vaudeville Theatre. However, in reality it didn't end following the brutal murder of a a theatre critic but in fact ran for several years. I understand that the previous three books in this series follow the same format - with an intermingling of Horowitz's real life with the fictional story - so if that isn't something that hasn't previously bothered you and you're interested in reading the fourth in this series then I'd recommend it as a good story. For me though, the jury is still out as to the merits of that approach. Overall this lies somewhere between a four and five star for me - because I didn't like the mix of fact and fiction rather than because I didn't like the story itself.

This classic murder mystery is a fun, quick read with plenty going on and interesting characters. It is well written, and a welcome addition to the author's "Hawthorne" series. I'm already looking forward to the next one.

Number 4 in the Hawthorne and Horowitz series, this is another highly enjoyable romp of a who-dunnit, with the now expected, but so original, twist of the author being a main protagonist right at the heart of the action. Self deprecating, witty and entertaining it proved to be the perfect holiday read. Very much enjoyed.

Another hit forHorowitz. This is the fourth title in the "Hawthorne" series and as with tis predecessors, it is extremely cleverly worked, well written and thoroughly entertaining. if we are to believe the final chapter, there are more to come! I certainly hope so. I will surely be reading them. It is very much in the "whodunnit" genre but as always with Horowitz, very ingeniously plotted. The twist with this series is that Horowitz features as the main (usually slightly bewildered) character in his own novels, always at least one step behind Hawthorne. In this one, he is the prime suspect in a sensational murder. Thanks to Random House for a pre-publication review copy. I am happy to add my recommendation.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC of this book.

This is the fourth installment in Horowitz’s detective series where he places himself as one of the lead characters and writes as though he is the author following around and reporting on detective Daniel Hawthorne as he solves crimes. I really enjoy this series, it’s such a clever concept and works well to draw you into the narrative.

I think this is an excellent addition to the series. There’s less focus on Horowitz trying to figure out Hawthorne’s backstory and more on the action surrounding Horowitz, who in this book is the main murder suspect, after a theatre critic who gives him a bad review is murdered. I find that more fun as I’m not as invested as Horowitz is in knowing Hawthorne’s story.

The conclusion is purposely mimicking a Poirot book with limited suspects gathered together while the detective explains who did it and goes through all the clues you should have spotted in the course of reading the book.

It’s a delightfully fun and easy read which touches upon a couple of more serious issues such as cultural appropriation and the use of young offender’s institutions in the UK. I highly recommend this series and eagerly await the next offering.

I feel like Anthony Horowitz is one of my reliable writers- I know I'm going to get something well-written and enjoyable with a good plot and bit of mystery. And I got absolutely what I was expecting- it just didn't do more than that. I find this series a bit too meta- maybe it just blurs the lines between the real and fictional too much for me- and yet I have happily devoured every book so far. Enjoyable if not outstanding, a solid 3.5 out of 5. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy.

The fractious relationship between the author and ex detective Hawthorne takes on a new twist when Anthony the author is suddenly cast as Anthony the murderer following the London opening of “Mindgame” penned by Anthony himself. A malicious, obnoxious critic pans the play and ends up dead and with all sorts of not so subtle clues all pointing his way Anthony finds himself in the frame and heavy footed plod breathing down his neck. Only one person can help - Hawthorne. Aside from from the chase to prove his innocence we finally get some insight as to Hawthornes story along with a realisation of how understanding Anthony’s wife must be! A good continuation to the series and my thanks for the ARC.

Thanks to Random House UK, Cornerstone and NetGalley for the opportunity to read Anthony Horowitz' latest Hawthorne mystery.

Another great murder mystery from Mr Horowitz.

A twist to this particular series this time as Anthony himself is framed for the murder of a theatre critic, and there's only one man who can help - Hawthorne!

I love the world and character building that the author so skilfully executes. Each person in the plot is distinct and 'real', with realistic motivations and back stories.

The plot is, as usual, complicated and twisty enough without being over-written. Some lesser writers fill their books with threads that go nowhere and red-herrings for their own sake that serve no purpose, but not here.

We get to know a little more about Hawthorne, with the promise of more information to come in future books. I personally hope we don't find out too much about this great character. He's interesting enough, and I think if Anthony the character gets to know too much about him, it'll spoil the dynamic they have.

I also love the author's naming of streets and buildings in London, and various routes he takes through the capital with Hawthorne. I've no idea why, as he could be making it all up, such is my knowledge of London!

Another easy 5 stars from me

Very enjoyable book however at times I struggled to decide whether it was fact or fiction. Looking forward to next in th3 series

I have not read anthony horowtz book before.thanks to netgallery was able to read his latest book the twist of a knife .love a rollercoaster of a read and this it was no exception,
wow what a great book will be looking out for anthonys book in the future.
it is very intelligent read and devilishy clever and drews you in from start to finish five stars and highly reccommended.

This is the latest in Anthony Horowitz's Hawthorne series. Estranged from freelance detective Hawthorne, Horowitz (yes, he appears in his own book) attends the London premiere of his play Mindgame.. At the afterparty, the author and cast are presented with gifts of daggers. They then receive a preview of a famous critic's review of the play which is damning. Soon Horowitz finds himself arrested for the critic's murder (killed with his ceremonial dagger) and the only hope he has is that Hawthorne will take the case. An enjoyable read, well plotted and has the added entertaining element of trying to disentangle fact and fiction - yes, Horowitz wrote a play called Mindgame that premiered at the same theatre but no there wasn't a critic fatality.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The Twist of a Knife is by Anthony Horowitz - it is the first of his I have read but certainly not the last. It is book 4 in the Hawthorne series in which the author, Horowitz himself plays a slightly inept Watson to Hawthorne's Holmes, though this is a glib way of expressing a relationship that is by turns natural and frustrating. Horowitz writes a play "Mindgame" which is given an excoriating review by Harriet Throsby of the Times who, unfortunately, is murdered the morning after. The rest of the novel has a series of twists and turns as Hawthorne tracks down the murderer. Extremely well written & self-referential in the best way I thoroughly recommend it.

The latest Horowitz and Hawthorne book sees Anthony arrested for the murder of theatre critic Harriet Throsby. She has written a damning review of his play, Mindgame, on its move to the West End. What follows is a wonderful set of red herrings, misdirection and old family secrets that kept me guessing. Wrongly as it turned out. I guessed someone wasn’t who they said they were, but I got the wrong person. The relationship between Horowitz and Hawthorne is key to how the story moves along. Horowitz having no idea what’s happening and Hawthorne making sure it stays that way until the final denouement. Classic entertaining murder mystery.

Well a very novel novel! Not often that you find the subject of a story is the author himself! But more surprisingly, when reading the acknowledgements, discovering this was not a work of fiction but based on fact! I certainly won’t be writing a bad review as I was immediately gripped and couldn’t stop reading until I had finished! Loved the easy style of writing, the humour and the general camaraderie between the characters but also felt the anguish of the author. A theatre critic is found murdered after writing a bad review of the author’s play. As mentioned in the story itself, this is written in true Agatha Christie style; there are seven suspects, including our author. We know it can’t be him but who is it? Tony’s detective friend Hawthorne is on the case and it makes for a great yarn though am truly sorry the author needed therapy afterwards. Though he makes light of it am sure it must have all been a terrifying experience! Also do hope Hawthorne doesn’t sue him after describing the detective’s apartment when he swore he wouldn’t! A good holiday read and although I had a slight suspicion of who the culprit might be, as I came closer to the conclusion I was rather pleased to discover I was halfway to being correct!

Oh I really do love this series. And I'm not just saying that because I know how well being critical of Anthony Horowitz's creativity worked out for Harriet Throsby ... I genuinely do like these books, the ultimate in deliciously twisty and thoroughly entertaining meta-fiction, which, in this particular instance sees our author, and narrator, in a particularly sticky situation. This is a series about and author, Anthony Horowitz, who is commissioned to write up the investigations of former Detective, Daniel Hawthorne. Or at least, he was. A three book deal and all three books are now written. Hawthorne wishes to carry one, Horowitz less so. And so when he finds himself accused of murder and in need of Hawthornes help to prove his innocence ... well you can just imagine how that conversation went.

This book is set very much in Anthony Horowitz world. A lot of the action surrounds the staging of his play, Mindgame, and its opening night at the Strand Theatre in London, an opening night which, despite completing a successful regional tour, received less than favourable reviews, including a particularly savage one from the books soon-to-be victim, Harriet Throsby. But surely there are far worse things than a bad review, right? Personally I'm often drawn to those plays and films that are critically panned, and they often turn out to become cult classics, so it's certainly not anything you would expect someone to commit murder over. Unless you are Detective Inspector Grunshaw and DC Mills, two people who have their own reasons for holding a grudge against the author and his Detective friend, and who seem to delight in all the evidence pointing squarely in his direction.

This book is a beautiful mix of humour, character and mystery. From the cast and crew of the ill-fated Mindgames, to the Detectives who are hot on Anthony Horowitz's trail, to the author himself and the wonderfully matter of fact Hawthorne, each person we meet adds a new dimension to the story. Some brilliantly exaggerated personalities (where I'm sure inspiration has been drawn from true life, even if the author can't or won't say where) and acute observations framed in some truly witty turns of phrase made this book an absolute delight to read. Each character, from the actors, to the director to the producer, appeared larger than life. A strange concoction of ego, vanity and enthusiasm, all enshrouded, to a degree, in a thin veil of secrecy. The whole concept of Mindgame (the play) was to unsettle the viewer, to subtly change and alter perception, something which was skilfully reflected in the way in which we viewed the various characters over the course of the investigation.

I tore through the book, finishing in just one afternoon and evening. It sounds awful, but it was fun reading about the author's misfortune (sorry Mr H 😬😉) Certain as I was, obviously, of his innocence and knowing that, eventually, Hawthorne would find his way to the truth, I was still completely intrigued as to which of the remaining production members might be responsible, if any of them actually were. Harriet's relationship with her own family also seemed to leave a lot to be desired. The more we learned of them all, the clearer it became that any of them might have had a motive, but all seemingly had irrefutable alibis. And you always come back to the question of whether a bad review is really worth killing for or was there something far darker in play? There were plenty of surprise reveals, things I both had and hadn't been expecting, but which drew us to a very fitting and satisfactory conclusion. Very Hercule Poirot in delivery it was too.

This is the very best in 'cosy-crime' if you have to label it that way. It's no high action, high thrill chases, although there are some moments that get you right on the edge of your seat. But these books are lighthearted and entertaining, and absolutely packed with puzzle and mystery that I find myself just longing to solve. At following on from that very tantalizing and wonderful of endings, I can only hope there will be plenty more to come. Absolutely, without question, recommended. Loved it.

This is the fourth book in the Hawthorne and Horowitz series all of which I have thoroughly enjoyed. Once again, it is written with the writer as his own main character. Having said that, this was not my favourite of the four. The plot is less original than the other three and was very reminiscent of Simon Brett's Charles Paris series. The twist in this plot is that Anthony Horowitz becomes the chief suspect after a venomous critic who has slated his latest play is found murdered with a weapon that can be linked to Horowitz himself. It appears that the real murderer is out to frame Horowitz. There then follows a less than convincing episode in which Anthony Horowitz is arrested but then goes into hiding to solve the crime with the help of private detective Daniel Hawthorne (about whom Horowitz has previously written) whose motive in helping Horowitz is that he want him to write more books about his exploits.. In the course of this Horowitz decides not to mention what has happened to his wife who does not notice that he has been away all night whilst he is in a police cell. Despite all this, I did enjoy the story whose roots owe less to the theatre and more to the suspects own backgrounds which the sleuthing pair set out to investigate. In order to get the most enjoyment form this book, I would recommend reading the first three in order so that the relationship between Hawthorne and Horowitz is clearer and to build on the excellent plotting of the first three books.

This is the first book that I have read by this author although I was a big fan of Foyles War which he created. This book is by far the most unusual crime fiction that I have ever read. It is almost farcical in places which added to the enjoyment. The author is actually the main suspect in the murder of a theatre critic, she is found dead the morning after she wrote a scathing review of his latest play, there were no holds barred she was equally critical of the writing and the actors who performed the play. The first person Anthony contacts is his friend Hawthorne who he hopes can get him out of the mess he is in. A brilliant piece of writing, I loved it.

It was a challenge to get into to begin with however it was worth keeping going as it became a good book with a great twist