The Twist of a Knife, Anthony Horowitz
Jun. 13th, 2022 08:37 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
callmemadamThis is the fourth Hawthorne and Horowitz mystery. For those new to the series, the premise is that Horowitz, writing as himself, joins Hawthorne (ex-Met detective) in solving a mystery, then writes a book about it, sharing the profits. At the beginning of The Twist of a Knife, Horowitz tells a chagrined Hawthorne that he is absolutely not writing any more of these books. Of course he will, partly because his agent insists on it. Like many classic crime mysteries, this one has a theatrical background (all those suspects!). Horowitz has written a play, Mindgame, which has had a successful provincial tour and is now to open in London. After the first night, the feared critic Harriet Throsby crashes the post-play party, insults everyone and is also threatened. One of the cast reads out her stinker of a review, which is (oddly) on her phone. The next morning, Throsby is found at home stabbed to death.
So many people had reason to wish her dead (though a bad review seems insufficient reason). Even her husband and daughter, it seems, are glad to be rid of her. The twist is that Horowitz is the chief suspect. The murder was committed with his knife (a first night present) and other DNA evidence connects him to the scene. When he’s arrested, Horowitz uses his one phone call to get Hawthorne, who doesn’t seem very sympathetic. So, two mysteries: who murdered Throsby and why did they want to frame Horowitz for it? This is where the book slowed down too much for me. Interviewing the cast and hearing their life stories, travelling the country in search of clues from the past; it’s all rather flat. I guessed who’d probably done it but not who that person now was. Hawthorne does a Poirot-style reveal, with all the suspects assembled on stage, which is a nice touch and intentional on his part. Horowitz seems to get closer to Hawthorne in this book but the more we know about him, the more mysterious he seems. This is what keeps the series going, IMO.
The three previous books : The Word is Murder, The Sentence is Death, A Line to Kill. I read this one thanks to Penguin Random House via NetGalley and it’s out on 18th August.
So many people had reason to wish her dead (though a bad review seems insufficient reason). Even her husband and daughter, it seems, are glad to be rid of her. The twist is that Horowitz is the chief suspect. The murder was committed with his knife (a first night present) and other DNA evidence connects him to the scene. When he’s arrested, Horowitz uses his one phone call to get Hawthorne, who doesn’t seem very sympathetic. So, two mysteries: who murdered Throsby and why did they want to frame Horowitz for it? This is where the book slowed down too much for me. Interviewing the cast and hearing their life stories, travelling the country in search of clues from the past; it’s all rather flat. I guessed who’d probably done it but not who that person now was. Hawthorne does a Poirot-style reveal, with all the suspects assembled on stage, which is a nice touch and intentional on his part. Horowitz seems to get closer to Hawthorne in this book but the more we know about him, the more mysterious he seems. This is what keeps the series going, IMO.
The three previous books : The Word is Murder, The Sentence is Death, A Line to Kill. I read this one thanks to Penguin Random House via NetGalley and it’s out on 18th August.
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Date: 2022-06-15 09:19 am (UTC)Wasn't the cricket spectacular?
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Date: 2022-06-15 10:10 am (UTC)The cricket! I was a nervous wreck; it was like Headingley 2019 all over again. My sister and I were on the phone, each with the blog handy and we kept shrieking 'Another six!' and so on. Who would have put money on that result? I'm not a fan of Jonny Bairstow but I think the red mist came over him yesterday. Absolutely amazing.