⭐️ 4 ⭐️

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC, in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Close to Death is the fifth book in the Hawthorne and Horowitz series; although not my favourite of the five, it’s still a brilliant read.
 
I love the dynamic, rapport, and humorous dialogue between Hawthorne and Horowitz, which gets better book by book. In true Horowitz style, the story is cleverly plotted, with an abundance of twists, misdirections, and red herrings. It's an enjoyable, old-fashioned whodunnit that kept me entertained from start to finish.
 
I'm looking forward to more adventures with the duo again soon, hopefully.

The newest instalment in the Hawthorne and Horowitz series and boy oh boy it did not disappoint. As a long time reader of Horowitz I get so excited when I get the chance to fall back into this world, and he brings you there so seamlessly every time and completely devours me wiht his stories.
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Big thank you to the publisher for an early read of this one!!

The new instalment of Hawthorne and Horowitz is as much a fun read as its predecessor. Its an absolute treat to read Anthony Horowitz's books and I wait for his latest release. If not new, then I just re-read his previous books, just because of the writing. So, when I got the review copy I was extremely excited and I also got a signed copy of the book.

One of the best thing about the series is Anthony Horowitz is in the book as Watson to Sherlock. This book is unique to previous ones as it is written in third person. Any one who has read other books, will know that all the other books in the series is written in first person.

The book starts with the neighbours who live in a close, a gated community with houses. Each of them are well established, and affluent people of Richmond. Horowitz showcased the bittersweet neighbourhood relationship. In the first few pages the readers will get to know the victim as well as the other neighbours and their feelings. The readers get to know the neighbourhood quite vividly along with its cheerful little bookshop named "The Tea Cosy", which sold golden-age detective novel and the ones that replicate stories from the time.
The chapters are interspersed between Tony (Anthony Horowitz) interpreting the recordings and the recordings.
With every book, the readers get to know more about the enigmatic Daniel Hawthorne, and with every book he gets more mysterious. I hope we get to know more in future books.

My rating for the book is 5 stars.
Thank you, NetGalley and Penguin Random for the copy of the advance review copy.

A cul-de sac murder mystery set in Riverview Close, Richmond, which is a very small gated community.

A wonderful array of characters in these six houses, and Mr Horowitz starts out with a 'baddie' amongst them, namely Giles Kenworthy, When Giles is shot dead with a crossbow bolt in his throat, the police are mystified and ask Hawthorne, aka the author, for assistance. Apparently this is how Mr Horowitz solves the cases as in previous books - which I haven't read. It certainly is an entertaining way to write?

Lots of twists and turns as we get to know all the other residents and tradespeople. This, I enjoyed leading to a surprise ending.

I like most of the author's work but this one was not worthy of five stars as I lost some interest in the middle..

Thanks to Net Galley and Random House UK Cornerstone for the chance to read and review.

There are not enough superlatives for any new book by Mr Horowitz. His latest- Close to Death is a touch of Christie in a modern London setting with dark humour and more than a few nods to crime writing giants. A clever tale where a terrible neighbour (who everyone hates) is murdered and the neighbours are all suspects. Hawthorne and Horowitz delve into the suspects’ pasts and despite the clues and red herrings, Horowitz delivers a mighty fine conclusion. Clever, conniving and all-consuming!

Described as a mind bender, this book definitely is. It is cleverly constructed with Harowitz placing himself as an author within the mystery whodunnit. Based in a seclusive neighbourhood in Surrey, every character is masterfully weaved into the frame, so for me it felt impossible to work out who was the culprit(s).
None of the characters are particularly likeable, they also give off a vibe of something to distrust. They are convincing enough when interviewed by DSI Khan or Hawthorne the private detective.
When the outcome was revealed, I still felt 5 steps behind and had to re-read that part, so complex and convoluted was the ‘truth’. It was thoroughly entertaining. The discourse keeps you interested. The relationship between the investigators and character author holds a high level of fascination as you read hungrily to discern more. The pace aligns with this appetite. In all a highly entertaining and worthy read.

I wasn’t a fan of this book with very unlikeable characters and unlikely setting then add to that the author thinking so much of himself that he is actually in the book means a grudging two stars from me.

An excellent series and cleverly written!
The way Horowitz inserts himself into the stories is ingenious.
This case is different because it’s from years ago and Hawthorn didn’t investigate with Horowitz.
There is pressure for Horowitz to produce a new book and he begins writing about Hawthorn’s old case .
The relationship between the two protagonists is fractured and there are new cases on the horizon .
The calibre of writing is excellent as always and the plot kept me guessing as always .
An entertaining read , looking forward to the next in the series .
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK .

I really like this series - and how Anthony Horowitz continues to find new ways to put the fictionalised version of himself in the way of murders - whilst pretending that it's all real. The first four books in the series have been written in the first person - but the new book is a bit of a departure, with BookHorowitz fulfilling a publishing contract by writing about one of Hawthorne’s prior cases, and giving us sections in the third person from the “book” and then first person sections as BookHorowitz goes through the process of finding out the details about the case - and about some new developments in the backstory.

Once I get going with these (and that usually means I need to actually sit down and get at least 50 pages in), they’re incredibly easy to read, and I really appreciate the meta-ness of it all as Horowitz weaves the fiction into his real biography. And I love how bumbling he makes himself - it’s fun and funny to read. I’m still hoping that he’ll write another in the Magpie Murders series, but I suspect those are even more complicated to dream up than these are, so I’ll happily accept more in this series!

Close to Death is an excellent new addition to the Hawthorne & Horowitz series, where Horowitz sort-of appears as himself and teams up with the odd but brilliant Detective Hawthorne - but this instalment is a little different as we’re reading about a crime that happened many years ago, and which Hawthorne investigated without Horowitz.

There’s pressure on Horowitz to write another book but Hawthorne has no interesting crimes to solve. So he begins trying to find out about historic cases that he can write about - and a murder in the exclusive Riverside Close in Richmond five years ago presents a baffling but intriguing case for Horowitz to recount. Although we know there is some conclusion to the case, we have to piece it together as we go along, like Horowitz, which adds extra tension.

I hugely enjoyed this book - it felt like a fresh take on the series. There’s less of Horowitz in the main plot, as he’s mainly recounting what he’s told about instead of being right there as the original investigation happened, which is a shame, but the story worked so well. There were plenty of humorous moments as I’ve come to expect from this series, including lots of amusingly deprecating comments about Hawthorne’s sidekick at the time, from a plainly envious Horowitz. I also really enjoyed the location - set in affluent Richmond, and an exclusive road within the area at that, we have a snobbishly entertaining and often flawed cast of characters to get to know.

This book does a great job of combining humour, classic crime references and a twisty, brilliant plot. I love the ‘book within a book’ format and found it all utterly brilliant. Long may this series continue.

Another book in the series where Horowitz inserts himself as a character in his books featuring private detective Hawthorne. I’m not completely enthralled by this plot device as it feels like a contrived way of injecting originality into what is otherwise a fairly formulaic murder mystery. In my opinion it makes the reader feel detached from the story and its characters.

With thanks to the author, NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.

As a fan of Anthony Horowitz's books, this one was an extreme letdown. I was only able to make it 60% through before I had to DNF it. I was never a fan of this series; Anthony showing his narcissism as the main character and Hawthorne, who is just boring and unlikable. It's a painful read. I can't imagine that readers are out here demanding more of this series. Additional Sherlock Holmes stories or the Magpie Murder series would be so awesome, except he keeps writing this stuff. Does anyone else cringe at the descriptions of himself? In the first book, I thought, hey, that's original. I kind of liked it. But now? It just screams narcissism. I'm honestly embarrassed for Anthony that he put this out. I will not be recommending this book nor reading any follow-up books in this series. Let it die.

The relationship between Hawthorne and Horowitz is becoming more unpredictable with no new case to keep them together, nerves are getting frayed. But a cold case is the lure that our intrepid writer can’t resist and despite the warnings from Hawthorne, our wannabe detective is out of his league.

Every time I pick up a book in this series, I know I’m going to be entertained and feel just as befuddled as the character of Anthony Horowitz when the big revel happens. Of course, the clues were all there! Yet I miss most of them and don’t mind one bit that I do. I love being drawn into the clever plots and mysterious players that are peppered throughout. The latest story is just sublime and I loved every page.

Pushed by his publisher to produce another 'Hawthorne' mystery, Anthony gets in touch with the man himself. Hawthorne is reluctant to get involved but allows Anthony to see the notes from an intriguing mystery in his past. Riverview Close is a smart private enclave of houses but when one of the residents is murdered then it is clear every one of them has a motive. The police bring in Hawthorne and his then assistant Dudley, but after another resident dies by apparent suicide leaving a note behind, they believe the cased closed.
I really love this series of books, the initial premise is perhaps a little too clever, a fictional Anthony Horowitz inhabits a parallel world helping to solve crimes. What really works is the writing and plotting. Here the plot is both clever and simple, the lead characters frustrating but in Hawthorne's case, very clever and the setting is believable. The homage to the Golden Age through hints and plot links is deferential and rather wonderful.

I do enjoy the Anthony Horowitz Hawthorne books. The style is so different to the usual run of the mill crime mystery genre. You still get the murder mystery and the detection but it is mixed with reality and 'asides' from the author.
The writing is first class as always with accomplished descriptions of both characters and scenes and a plot that teases the reader despite the liberal sprinkling of clues.
This case is different to the rest as it concerns an old case so Anthony is working from documents and recordings to weave the story but it still provides the same entertaining read.

How well do you know your neighbours?

The first section of the book concentrates on five of the residents of Riverview Close, a modern development of six houses in Richmond upon Thames, and how they are all upset by the inconsiderate behaviour of the occupants of the sixth house, which is the largest.

It transpires that this first section is Anthony Horowitz’s telling of a murder investigation undertaken by his private detective ‘friend’, Daniel Hawthorne and Hawthorne’s associate, John Dudley. In previous books Anthony has been the Watson to Hawthorne’s Holmes, but as he hasn’t got a current murder investigation Hawthorne is reluctantly providing the notes of an historic case.

The next section moves on to the murder of Giles Kenworthy, the resident causing the trouble, and because the murderer is obviously someone resident or involved in the Close, and they all have both motive and opportunity, the investigating officer, Detective Superintendent Khan, decides to call in Hawthorne. Things change, however, when the most likely suspect commits suicide and leaves an apparent confession. Khan considers the case closed and dismisses Hawthorne, but Hawthorne is not convinced and continues his investigation.

As the investigation progresses we find that nearly everyone in Riverside Close has not told the whole truth, whether about the murder or their past, and so our focus flips around. The clues are there …….. can we, the reader, solve the case before the final chapter?

This is the fifth book in the Daniel Hawthorne series, I read the fourth recently, The Twist of the Knife, which was excellent and this one does not disappoint, despite the format being different.

I read this book from a pre-publication copy kindly supplied by the publisher, but this is an honest review with no concession to their generosity.

I really enjoyed this! I didn't realise it was a series, so I jumped straight in at number 5, but it didn't make a difference!

A wild murder, likeable characters, and a good old murder mystery!!

Definitely one not to be missed.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

A “neighbour from hell” is murdered via crossbow in a posh London suburb. But when all of his neighbours hated him, whodunit? Hawthorne investigates - this time, from the past!

Anthony Horowitz’s fifth Hawthorne and Horowitz novel, Close to Death, is easily the least interesting one in the series yet. The plot, the characters, the plummy setting - none of it is all that compelling and the story draaaags for much of the book. I was close to sleep pretty much the whole time!

The fictional Horowitz needs to churn out a new H&H book because of his contract (which probably isn’t a million miles away from the real Horowitz’s situation either) and the novel reads as forced as its inception. Hawthorne’s run out of recent murders so they delve into the pre-partnership past for this case.

The fact that everything happened years ago takes away an element of urgency to the narrative and I’m surprised the fictional Horowitz didn’t just read up on the investigation online to find out whodunit, considering the murderer had already been identified (the reason he didn’t is probably something contrived about wanting to maintain integrity with Hawthorne).

But, despite the unusual murder weapon, it’s just not that interesting a scenario. The characters are all mundane, ordinary, upper-middle class folk whose bugbears against the murder victim are all bolshy crap: getting planning permission for a swimming pool that’d ruin their view of the garden, having too many cars blocking their driveway and so on. Y’know, really relatable stuff.

The story starts off slowly - even (Horowitz as)Hawthorne has the self-awareness to note this, but doesn’t change it; it serves a purpose though it’s still boring - and never gets going. The narrative plods along pretty much the whole time until the slightly less-tedious finale where we find out whodunit.

Hawthorne and Horowitz was Anthony Horowitz’s most reliable series in terms of quality - they were generally not bad, with the occasional standout, but none were so dull I wished it was over long before the end - until Close to Death, when I began to feel like this series had run its course.

If you’re looking for a recommendation for this series, the third book, A Line to Kill, is the best one - you don’t need to read them in order either; they’re all loosely connected but are perfectly accessible as standalones. New readers though, don’t start with Close to Death and returning readers, keep them expectations low - what a dull, dull, dull crime novel this is!

Having read the last book in the Hawthorne Horowitz series I had a better understanding of the format of the book -so cleverly mixing reality with his fictional mystery. The mixed time frame is cleverly portrayed with Horowitz on this occasion trying to write a book about a 5 year old mystery, relying on tapes and historical information. As ever there are twists and turns galore with so many suspects to choose with varied histories to choose from.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Anthony Horowitz/Random House UK for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC. It's not the first of Horowitz's series of Hawthorne and Horowitz books that I've read. Although I find their format - with the author allegedly thrust into a world of murder and mayhem - a little odd and unbelievable I nonetheless find them quite compelling. This book, for me at least, was very much in the same vein of other books in this series, and what I'd been expecting and hoping for. It was a well-written story, lots of quite unpleasant characters, easy to read but not too challenging (having said that I still didn't guess who the murderer was).