Member Reviews

What can I say? Other than another great addition to the Hawthorn/Horowitz series. I love the relationship between the two protagonists, and the way Horowitz tantalises us with small tidbits relating to Hawthorn's past and his personal life. Devoured in two sittings!

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Full disclosure, I love the Hawthorne and Horowitz series. If you've yet to read these books then I envy you.

The Twist of a Knife (Hawthorne and Horowitz Mystery #4) (2022) is the fourth instalment. In addition to another inventive and engrossing whodunnit, we also find out more about the enigmatic Hawthorne.

Once again Anthony Horowitz plays Dr Watson to Hawthorne's Holmes but, this time round, there's a lot more at stake. If Hawthorne cannot get to the bottom of a fiendishly complex and unusual case then Anthony Horowitz might be off to prison for a long time.

Amusing, engrossing, and clever. This is another essential book in this wonderful series.

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I really can’t remember enjoying a murder mystery as much as this. Very cleverly written with more twists and turns than you can keep track of. Mr Horowitz has done a wonderful job keeping the reader on their toes. This is my first experience of his writing and he is now going to become an author I will follow. The way he developed the characters, all of them, demonstrate his ability to pull you into the world he tells his story within. His ability to describe the locations and the impact they have on the story is very impressive, I just love his writing style. This is a really entertaining book and I offer my recommendation to you, I know you will enjoy it throughly.

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Totally brilliant! I couldn't put this book down. Anthony Horowitz is a great writer so I was assuming a good story with well-drawn characters and good dialogue, but this was also a very funny and clever book, and I love the way the author pokes gentle fun at himself throughout. I will definitely read more in this series.

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Another fabulous book by Horowitz, this Hawthorne series gets better and better. At the start Horowitz declines to write another book about Hawthorne and imagines that it's unlikely the pair will meet again but when Horowitz is arrested for murder he knows all his hope lies in Hawthorne finding the real murderer before the police duo of Grunshaw and Mills put him behind bars.

It's a true Agatha Christie style story with just the right number of characters and clues to be gripping without being confusing and at the end there's the classic 'big reveal'. A brilliant read with humour, tension and excellent characterisation.

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Well written, entertaining 'novel', or is it? Much of Horowitz's life, and work, is included; but surely some of the events are fictional? It is entertaining, very English and definitely worth a read. I haven't read the previous 'novels' in the series, but will be in future.

With thanks to Penguin and NetGalley for an ARC.

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Simply Marvellous…
The fourth entry in this superlative series featuring the author himself alongside the enigmatic Hawthorne. With his new play opening in the West End, a terrifying review from a renowned critic is the last thing that Horowitz needs but would he kill to get his revenge? The police seem to think so. Horowitz knows of only one man who could possibly extricate him from a life in prison. A true whodunnit in traditional vein but with a wonderful and unique twist, a perfect plot and characters that jump from the page. The denouement is simply marvellous. Perhaps the best in this fabulous series to date. Immensely entertaining and thoroughly satisfying.

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The Hawthorne Investigates series returns with another "true crime" story. After the events of Alderney, Anthony tells Hawthorne that no more books will be written. However, when he is arrested for the murder of a very vocal critic of his latest play Mindgame, the one person who could save him could be the person he's just cut off.

I am a huge fan of Anthony Horowitz's work, and this is another brilliant entry in the series. Fantastic book and easy 5* choice.

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Such a wonderful series by Anthony Horowitz featuring the ex policeman Hawthorne. If you've never read anything in this series it does sound a little unusual - the books feature cases solved by Hawthorne and assisted by the author - like all great detective pairings such as Poirot and Hastings or Holmes and Watson, our author is sometimes a little left behind by Hawthornes deductions.
This book follows the same structure as the previous installments - think Christie or Conan-doyle type plotting with a big reveal at the end (Hawthorne himself describes it the same way) and I feel like these books are such a wonderful modern take on the golden age of crime fiction.
Hawthorne is still a mysterious character - not much of his background is revealed, however we do learn a little more in this book which conversely adds to his mystery rather than clarifies it.
Can't wait for another installment - fabulous entertainment

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