Anthony Horowitz

The Word is Murder

Hardcover: 400 pages

Publisher: Century (24 Aug. 2017)

ISBN-10: 1780896840

ISBN-13: 978-1780896847

RATING: ****

REVIEWER: Janie Philips

Unexpected death, an unsolved mystery and a trail of bloody clues lie at the heart of Anthony Horowitz’s page-turning new thriller The Word is Murder.

 Just six hours after Diana Cowper walked into a funeral parlour to arrange her own funeral she is strangled with a crimson curtain cord in her own home. Did she know she was going to be killed? Did she recognise her killer? Are the two events related because nobody arranges their own funeral and then gets killed the same day – do they? Enter Daniel Hawthorne, a detective with a genius for solving crimes and an ability to hold secrets very close. With him is his writing partner Anthony Horowitz. Together they will set out to solve this most puzzling of mysteries.

It is clear from the very start that this book is perhaps not what you might consider your conventional murder mystery. After all, there are not too many books out there where the author places himself in the narrative of the story but in The Word is Murder he does just that. It is surprising how quickly you accept Horowitz as not just the creator but also a character and he does not appear to take over in any way.

He focuses mainly on Detective Daniel Hawthorne, the ex copper with as many secrets that you could shake a stick at and with Horowitz writing in the first person he gives Hawthorne a rich quality – indeed all of the many characters that make an appearance do so with Horowitz’s humorous twist and turns. Each as different as the next and all under scrupulous investigation by Hawthorne and Horowitz.

Horowitz’s ability to draw his audience into the story allows for a very enjoyable and easy read. As soon as you have turned the first page there is an urgency to keep reading as each character makes their appearance and another clue is found you will find yourself second-guessing as to has done it.

If you enjoyed The Word is Murder then you won’t have to wait long as this is the first in a series of crime novels staring Detective Daniel Hawthorne.

Anthony Horrowitz – The Word is Murder is Available Now

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