Getting back into a Hawthorne & Horowitz mystery is like meeting up with an old friend you haven't seen for ages but it's as if you saw them yesterday so if you haven't read any of the previous in the series, don't worry, you will fall into the story and the characters quickly.

Once again, Mr Horowitz provides a treat of a murder/mystery staring himself as one of the main characters alongside the enigmatic and mysterious Daniel Hawthorne. Are they friends or do they just tolerate each other? I'm still trying to work that one out but Hawthorne is the one Anthony turns to when he is accused of the murder of a theatre critic who panned his play Mindgame.

With an eclectic and wonderful cast of characters, Hawthorne sets about trying to find the murderer amongst a host of viable suspects (Anthony included) in his own inimitable way whilst the evidence stacks up against Anthony and an arrest by the police appears to be inevitable and imminent.

Written at a great pace, this is full of humour, mystery and is thoroughly enjoyable and I loved it. What I particularly like about this series is the lack of violence which makes a nice change to what I usually read and I am looking forward to (hopefully) the next in the series and that more details are revealed about Hawthorne!

Thanks to Random House UK, Cornerstone and NetGalley for enabling me to read The Twist of a Knife and share my thoughts.

I’ve really enjoyed all of Anthony Horowitz’s books but I just couldn’t get into this one.
After writing a play about murder and it successfully being taken to the stage, Anthony finds himself accused of murder. In order to try and prove it wasn’t him he spends half the book interviewing the cast members about their lives and I didn’t find it was very exciting. I just didn’t care for the characters enough to want to find out more about them. I’m afraid I gave up halfway through as there wasn’t enough action for me and I didn’t feel it was as cleverly executed as his previous books in which he is a character.

I LOVE Horowitz's books - all the different series and novels, and I really love the Hawthorne books. They are modern and yet also reminiscent of the golden age crime novels. Page turning, funny, and exciting, I think this is the best one yet.

I’ve been a big fan of this quirky series, although by book three the mystery surrounding Hawthorne had worn a bit thin for me.

So, unsurprisingly, book four, again, didn’t blow me away. In fact, I found this to be my least favourite one so far, but this time because I found Anthony, himself, a bit whiny and annoying. Granted, he gets framed for murder, so perhaps I would be too, but I just didn’t enjoy this read as much as its predecessors.

Maybe it’s me, or maybe it’s starting to wear thin? Who knows… Still, this was a quick and easy and mostly entertaining mystery — and I was glad to see that we might finally gain some insight into the mystery that is Hawthorne come book five…

Anthony Horowitz is staging a play at the Vaudeville theatre it is panned by a critic and the next day the critic is murdered and the prime suspect is Anthony with all the evidence proving his guilt.
Anthony calls upon his private investigator sidekick Hawthorne to help clear his name , and what follows is a fantastic read!
Horowitz writes the relationship between himself and Hawthorne perfectly with the right amount of both humour and drama.
The characters are similar to those you would find in an Agatha Christie novel , in fact the book overall reminds me of a Christie story in the present day .
The dynamic between Horowitz and Hawthorne is perfect and the whole book is written to the authors usual standard making it an overall and distinct read.
Highly recommended!
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK.

"It should have been obvious all along, but I'm afraid the truth of my situation only occurred to me at that moment. Somebody had taken my dagger. They had done it quite purposefully, using a towel or a plastic bag to make sure that they didn't add their fingerprints to my own. In other words, long before Harriet Throsby was killed, they had decided to frame me. Somebody hated me. And it could only be one of seven people."

As screenwriter and author Anthony Horowitz (a character in his own series of novels) opens 'Mindgames', his play in Vaudeville, a London theatre, the violent death of a sharp-tongued theatre critic, Harriet Throsby, leaves him a suspect. With seven people in the frame and following his shock arrest for murder, Horowitz needs help. He turns to former police officer, now private detective, secretive, sullen and brilliant private detective, Daniel Hawthorne. He and Hawthorne have worked together, with Horowitz writing crime fiction based on Hawthorne's cases. Is Horowitz guilty? Everyone else seems to think so. Is he being set-up, or is something else at play? Will Hawthorne uncover the truth before Horowitz the useless police detectives catch up with them?

Book four in the Hawthorne & Horowitz crime fiction series, with its intriguing characters, twisty plots, tongue-in-cheek humour and, of course, the author as a protagonist. It sees the author delve into the London theatre world of actors, agents and critics, ever-reliant on Hawthorne, but this time with himself as prime suspect, hoping Hawthorne can clear his name. He may also be able to find out more about the mysterious and private Hawthorne. There is the (now classic for this series) discomfort of the unclear divide between fact and fiction for Horowitz (he really did write a play called 'Mindgames'), with it reading like an autobiography in places; there is the witty way Horowitz is able to poke fun at himself and; there's an affectionate Agatha Christie feel to the locked room form, chapter titles and final denouement. Entertaining, intriguing and oh-so-clever, book four in this unique whodunit series enjoyably provides further evidence of this author's skill.

Wow! What an amazing book!!
Would love to read more from the author.
Thankyou netgalley for the Arc!

This is the first book I have read by the author and it has a very autobiographical feel. It is a complex and interesting story about the murder of a newspaper critic. The central characters are very diverse and real.
I enjoyed the book and will look out for more books by the author.

Anthony Horowitz is writing at the top of his form, although I suspect he’s always done that. This series is uncomfortable in that it mixes fact and fiction, including aspects of the author’s own life. So the reader is always kept on the back foot, and that is exactly where Horowitz wants them.

This one deliberately mirrors the technique of an Agatha Christie novel, with added humour and wry deprecation. A theatre setting, death of a critic, a detective who gives away as little as possible of his private life, a narrator who noses out whatever he can…

It’s great.

The Twist of a Knife is the fourth book in the Hawthorne and Horowitz series which features the author himself, Anthony Horowitz, as one of the protagonists. When a critic is fatally stabbed on the opening night of Horowitz’s new play after publishing a scathing review, all clues point to the author as the perpetrator. Can Hawthorne solve the case?

I found this novel a little tricky to get into. Although this is a self-contained tale, I don’t think the opening chapter is overly kind to those, like me, who are yet to have read the proceeding three books in the series. Once I’d pushed past that stage, however, I absolutely loved this book.

This is a locked room mystery with a deliberately traditional approach and structure. The story moves from suspect to suspect before culminating in time-honoured style with a denouement in front of the assembled cast. The characters are likeable, the writing style witty and entertaining. Great stuff.

Hugely enjoyable. Recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and Century Publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this latest installment in the Hawthorne and Horowitz series.

In The Twist of a Knife, we return to Horowitz at an exciting point – a play he’s written is being staged in the West End. When a critic is stabbed after the opening night, and all clues point to Horowitz, can Hawthorne help him get out of it?

This novel is hugely entertaining. We see more of the two characters’ relationship as things are skewed slightly – now it’s Hawthorne under suspicion and relying on Hawthorne to help clear his name – if Hawthorne decides to help him, of course. The interactions between them are very comical at times and I found reading this novel addictive, hard to put down – and, most of all, really fun!

The setting of the book is wonderful – I loved reading about the theatre and West End, and the fact that a lot of the novel is set in and around the Vaudeville theatre, and has lots of real-life elements (the author really did write a play called Mindgame, for example) just adds to the atmosphere.

The locked-room style of the mystery is one I always enjoy and kept me guessing, with Hawthorne at his very best as he uncovers what really happened that night. There’s a great cast of characters, each of which are equally interesting and enjoyable to read about.

I think this is my favourite of the series yet! Highly recommended!

A slightly oddball concept but an enjoyable book. Horowitz is a character in the story together with his ex-policeman 'friend'. Horowitz is arrested for the murder of a theatre critic who slated him play. Unlike most book written in the first person, Horowitz comments directly to the reader eg. you know that won't happen because you are reading this book. It always to settle in to his humour and style of writing but then I can't put the book down til it is finished.
This is an honest review of a complementary ARC.

I could not put this book down and finished it in a day. It is the first Hawthorne book of the author's that I have read, but I wasn't at sea not having read the first three, though I shall certainly be going back for them now! Not for nothing is Horowitz named as a master of his craft, the book was gripping, pacy, blurring the lines between reality and fiction, with intriguing characters, any one of whom could have been the culprit. However, the evidence is stacked (& building!) apparently incontrovertibly against Horowitz himself, and although Kevin downstairs buys them some time, the race is on to find out who is trying to frame him! All the while Hawthorne goes about collecting all the evidence and giving nothing away, in classic Poirot-esque style, even to the (acknowledged!) point of gathering everyone together at the end for the denouement, á la Agatha Christie! It was great, I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Thank you Net Galley and Random House UK for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have read or listened to previous books in the series and enjoyed this book as much as the others. The pace is reasonably fast which suits the style of the book. However I was a little confused at the beginning about what the story was about i.e. lots of references to previously written plays but too much as its referenced later on where it is more relevant.

The further development of Hawthorne and the writer were welcome and improved the storyline.

However, there were multiple paragraphs about cultural appropriation which felt quite forced and could have been shorter.

The interchangeable references to Clerkenwell and Farringdon may be confusing for those not familiar with London.

I like the overall plot and the ending was not predictable so definitely worth a read.

Thoroughly enjoyable whodunnit with lots of red herrings and a big reveal at the end. Horowitz is the sidekick to the private investigator Hawthorne and he knows no more than we do. I have enjoyed previous books in this series but felt this is the strongest yet.

I have already read the first few Hawthorne mysteries from Anthony Horowitz so was excited to hear there was another. In my opinion, this one far exceeded the others, being by far the most gripping. The beginning has you pretty much instantly hooked and, without giving any spoilers, I'm not sure how he will top this one! I this the whole premise of the Hawthorne mysteries is clever and, by inserting himself as a character, Horowitz has almost created a new genre. I love that rather than making himself the detective, Horowitz is always a step behind Hawthorne therefore in a similar position to the reader. If you enjoy thrillers and mysteries you should give this a go particularly if you're already a Horowitz fan. The writing is clever, the story well thought out and enough suspects to keep you guessing. A real page Turner!

I love this series featuring the author as himself working with a very taciturn and at times unhelpful private detective Hawthorne. This is the fourth book in the series but would work perfectly well if you haven’t read the previous episodes.
Anthony Horowitz has written a play and after its opening night, it is savaged by the Times theatre critic. Very soon after that, the critic is murdered and Horowitz finds himself the prime suspect for her murder. The police seem to have an unbreakable case and so reluctantly, Horowitz turns to Hawthorne for help.
As always with this author, the story is brilliantly plotted. The clues are all there if you read carefully although I didn’t spot all of them. I love the relationship between Horowitz and Hawthorn which is spiky to say the least and some of their dialogue made me laugh out loud. I have to wonder how such a brilliant crime writer can portray himself as such an inept investigator but the idea works amazingly well.
I really enjoyed the theatrical background to this story and the settings are all vividly described and you can really see the run down backstage area of the theatre. The characters are as weird and wonderful as you would expect. The ending where Hawthorne reveals the murderer is very reminiscent of Agatha Christie and the author openly acknowledges this in the book. Hawthorne wants his moment in the spotlight just as much as Poirot ever did.
This was a great read and I am very grateful to Net Galley and Random House Uk for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Brilliant, really enjoyed this book. This is the fourth book in this series but only the second one that I’ve read. I’m going to read the other two as this is a great series featuring Private Detective, Hawthorne and the author Anthony Horowitz.
Sunday Times critic Harriet Throsby is found murdered after writing a scathing review of Anthony Horowitz’s play ‘Mindgame’ and Anthony finds himself the prime suspect of Detective Inspector Cara Grunshaw. Anthony turns to Hawthorne for help in proving his innocence after being arrested.
A clever plot which keeps you guessing until the end and an enjoyable race to discover the truth within a 24 hour deadline. The characters are interesting but I didn’t understand why Anthony didn’t fill his wife in on what was going on but it didn’t distract from the storyline.

Another brilliantly written novel in this really unusual series. All the clues are laid out but are concealed in plain sight. Most annoying ! as I have never guessed the killer in any of the 4. I suppose you could read this as a stand-alone but some of the enjoyment of the series is reading the author discover clues about Hawthorne’s past. It is such an unusual series of books as it mixes Anthony Horowitz’ s real life history with the novel. Excellent novel yet again I can’t recommend it highly enough. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving* me access to an early copy of this book.

I have enjoyed the Hawthorne And Horowitz series and this fourth book, The Twist Of A Knife is a good, entertaining addition. It works fine as a stand-alone, but there’s probably more enjoyment of the characters to be had if you’ve read the series from the start.

This time, Anthony has a play opening in the West End, but after the First Night party there is a murder and a vengeful Inspector Cara Grunshaw builds a seemingly solid case against Anthony. He and Hawthorne have just a couple of days to discover the real culprit, and Hawthorne is his usual enigmatic and apparently unsympathetic self…

The clues are fairly laid, but you do need to be a very keen-eyed detective to spot them (I didn’t, for the most part), and Hawthorne’s uncommunicative style leaves us guessing for a long time as the threat mounts. It’s an enjoyable, Christie-like mystery; well written of course, nicely structured and quite involving. The rather hapless persona that Horowitz has created for himself in these books is an engaging and sometimes amusing narrator. (This early little exchange made me laugh, for example when Hawthorne tries to be encouraging about one of Anthony’s plays:
“The Daily Mail said it was splendidly entertaining”
“I don’t read reviews – and that was the Express.”)

It’s worth saying, perhaps, that there is a curious little episode at one point where Anthony and another character have a discussion/argument about cultural appropriation. It’s an important topic and Horowitz plainly wants to air his view, which is fair enough and with which I have a lot of sympathy – but it doesn’t fit well into this book and slightly jarred on me.

That said, it’s otherwise good, clean fun. We learn just a little more about Hawthorne’s background and at the end there’s a set-up for more books in the series, which I shall be reading as they appear. Recommended.

(My thanks to Century for an ARC via NetGalley.)