A Line To Kill
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- Create Date：2021-08-01 18:21:02
- Update Date：2025-09-08
- Status：finish
- Author：Anthony Horowitz
- ISBN：B08THPZZ97
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Lady Fancifull
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Bumbling Watson Horowitz and Sherlockian Hawthorne do literary festivalI was excited to be offered the latest outing of this amusing pairing of author and frustrating maverick ex policeman as a digital Arc， and had to immediately plunge within。Horowitz is a admirably clever and prolific author， one who scintillates and dazzles， sometimes showing off his cleverness – but always most enjoyably。 For those who have not encountered this particular literary thriller set， you can read this as a standal Bumbling Watson Horowitz and Sherlockian Hawthorne do literary festivalI was excited to be offered the latest outing of this amusing pairing of author and frustrating maverick ex policeman as a digital Arc， and had to immediately plunge within。Horowitz is a admirably clever and prolific author， one who scintillates and dazzles， sometimes showing off his cleverness – but always most enjoyably。 For those who have not encountered this particular literary thriller set， you can read this as a standalone， but it will be most enjoyable if you read the previous two outings of Horowitz and Hawthorne first， to get the pleasure of this developing relationship – The Word Is Murder， followed by The Sentence Is Death。For those who have done just that， this time， Hawthorne has been taken up by the literary festival set， and is very much the star of the show， much to Horowitz’s annoyance。 The pair decamp to Alderney， for a brand new literary festival。 The tiny island， and most particularly the location of the festival itself， and the hotel where the various speakers are staying， provide the delicious version of the country house murder mystery。Murder will ensue， of course， and Hawthorne joins forces with the local police to solve it。 Horowitz tries to solve things himself， and of course is slow-witted and somewhat unintelligent， though always keen to do better at detecting than HawthorneTremendous fun。 If I couldn’t rave QUITE as much as I normally do， it was because I was disappointed to have sussed the perp quite early， and also sussed the outing of another potential perp， in their particular piece of wrong-doing。 Maybe I’ve just got better at unravelling Horowitz’s particular methods， or the tricks of the genre itself， but part of the extreme pleasure of Horowitz’s writing for me is that I CAN’T fathom the who-dunnit and am constantly chasing the red herrings。 I love being bamboozled by clever Horowitz， and being left， at the end bemoaning my stupidity。 I did not enjoy my ‘cleverness’， in solving the mysteries within。 。。。more
Hope Meltser
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Everything I wanted out of another Hawthorne mystery。 A cozy mystery a la Midsomer or any other British mystery， but in my favorite style of breaking the fourth wall and acknowledging itself。 I am very pleased and look forward to more！
Kristina
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Thank you NetGalley for this entertaining ARC in return for an honest review。 This is the third book in the Hawthorne and Horowitz series where the author has inserted himself into a mystery story alongside the intelligent， cool， and conceited detective Hawthorne。 I eagerly look forward to each new Horowitz mystery， and this one did not disappoint。 A sort of locked room mystery that takes place on an island during a book festival with suspects galore， I did not guess the ending or the murderer。 Thank you NetGalley for this entertaining ARC in return for an honest review。 This is the third book in the Hawthorne and Horowitz series where the author has inserted himself into a mystery story alongside the intelligent， cool， and conceited detective Hawthorne。 I eagerly look forward to each new Horowitz mystery， and this one did not disappoint。 A sort of locked room mystery that takes place on an island during a book festival with suspects galore， I did not guess the ending or the murderer。 Hawthorne continues to be a interesting character， he’s great at reading people and I love the way Horowitz is forever trying to figure Hawthorne out。 It’s an amazing series！ Great for people who like books that are about books & publishing。 I hope there will be more！ 。。。more
Katy Wheatley
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This is the third volume of Anthony Horowitz crime series featuring Horowitz as himself， writing reluctantly about his misadventures with ex-policeman Hawthorne。 In this book， Horowitz' publishers send him and Hawthorne to Alderney to a literary festival when a murder occurs to keep them on the island。 As with the other books in this series this is very enjoyable if you like the idea of the meta approach to crime writing。 Horowitz lampoons himself wonderfully and is the resentful village idiot n This is the third volume of Anthony Horowitz crime series featuring Horowitz as himself， writing reluctantly about his misadventures with ex-policeman Hawthorne。 In this book， Horowitz' publishers send him and Hawthorne to Alderney to a literary festival when a murder occurs to keep them on the island。 As with the other books in this series this is very enjoyable if you like the idea of the meta approach to crime writing。 Horowitz lampoons himself wonderfully and is the resentful village idiot next to the savant that is Hawthorne。 There are little nuggets along the way if you've read the other two books which mean that you learn more and your interest is piqued and a nice trail for the next book at the end of this one。 It's kind of old fashioned in the best way and has more than a nod to his literary forebears like Christie and even his own writing in things like Midsummer Murders。 It doesn't take itself too seriously and there are some nicely amusing sections but it also doesn't pull back from some of the grimmer aspects。 I enjoyed it immensely。 。。。more
Neville Townsend
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I received this book from the publishers via Netgalley for a review。 Loved the characters and how Anthony Horowitz put himself in the book and the love/hate relationship between the two protagonist。 Well paced keeps you guessing till the end。
Olga
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Full disclosure - Anthony Horowitz is one of my favourite writers and I buy his books without looking at the blurb， so you could say that I am a little biased。 A Line to Kill is another instalment in the brilliant Hawthorne and Horowitz series。 The author’s trademark humour， excellent writing， atmospheric setting and memorable characters are all there， in this suspenseful whodunnit。 I also love the clever titles of each book and can’t help wondering what Mr Horowitz has next in store。Many thanks Full disclosure - Anthony Horowitz is one of my favourite writers and I buy his books without looking at the blurb， so you could say that I am a little biased。 A Line to Kill is another instalment in the brilliant Hawthorne and Horowitz series。 The author’s trademark humour， excellent writing， atmospheric setting and memorable characters are all there， in this suspenseful whodunnit。 I also love the clever titles of each book and can’t help wondering what Mr Horowitz has next in store。Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the advanced copy。 。。。more
Jonathan
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Thanks to Random House for a review copy。This novel is the third in the Daniel Hawthorne series （after ‘The Word is Murder’ and ‘The Sentence is Death’）。 Anthony Horowitz is the first person narrator of these stories acting as a sidekick-type character to former police detective Daniel Hawthorne。 This is a very clever and effective way of anchoring the novels firmly into the real world and makes them very believable。Although ‘A Line to Kill’ stands perfectly well on its own I would recommend rea Thanks to Random House for a review copy。This novel is the third in the Daniel Hawthorne series （after ‘The Word is Murder’ and ‘The Sentence is Death’）。 Anthony Horowitz is the first person narrator of these stories acting as a sidekick-type character to former police detective Daniel Hawthorne。 This is a very clever and effective way of anchoring the novels firmly into the real world and makes them very believable。Although ‘A Line to Kill’ stands perfectly well on its own I would recommend reading the series in order as the characters of Hawthorne and Horowitz are developed through the books as is their somewhat spiky but nevertheless endearing relationship with each other。 There are also references （though no outright spoilers） to events in the previous novels which would obviously only make sense to those who had read them。As usual in these stories all the clues are there， Anthony Horowitz plays a totally fair game with the reader though， certainly as far as I am concerned， he wins every time。 I was proud of myself for seeing through some of his subterfuges this time but when it came to picking out the killer， not to mention the motive， I was， as ever totally off target。Whilst these books are excellent entertainment there is food for thought in them too。 It is often said that those ‘lucky’ enough to have gone to independent schools enjoy advantages in life not available to others。 To some extent that is certainly true， especially now that there is a good deal more emphasis on welfare and safeguarding， but the bullying， both physical and psychological， described by one character who was at boarding schools in the 1980s is certainly neither exaggerated nor fictitious。I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was delighted by the very clear intention to continue the series which was signalled by the events at the very end。 I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good detective story （with the added bonus of being set on the beautiful island of Alderney）。 I can’t wait to see what this ill matched but hugely lovable pair get up to next。 。。。more
Michael Cattigan
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Many thanks to Anthony Horowitz and Penguin Books for the chance to read this ARC， courtesy of NetGalley， in exchange for an honest review。I’ve really enjoyed Horowitz’ crime capers in the past as he has played with the form: the Susan Ryeland series （Magpie Murders and Moonflower Murders） which interpose Atticus Pund’s fiction-within-a-fiction detective story within Ryeland’s own investigations; and the Hawthorne and Horowitz Mysteries （The Word is Murder and The Sentence is Death） where our au Many thanks to Anthony Horowitz and Penguin Books for the chance to read this ARC， courtesy of NetGalley， in exchange for an honest review。I’ve really enjoyed Horowitz’ crime capers in the past as he has played with the form: the Susan Ryeland series （Magpie Murders and Moonflower Murders） which interpose Atticus Pund’s fiction-within-a-fiction detective story within Ryeland’s own investigations; and the Hawthorne and Horowitz Mysteries （The Word is Murder and The Sentence is Death） where our author guest stars as himself tagging along with the erstwhile Detective Daniel Hawthorne。 Let’s be honest， these are not series which are going to win literary prizes， but they are well crafted and fun who-dunnits which also offer a sneak into the literary and publishing world。And A Line to Kill – the third installment of the Hawthorne and Horowitz series – is just that: all the joy and entertainment of a Sunday night cosy detective show。On this occasion， the premise is that Horowitz and Hawthorne have been invited to attend a literary fesitval on Alderney – the baby brother island to Guernsey and Jersey， measuring barely 5km long and 2。5 km wide， home to a shade over 2000 souls， according to Wikipedia。It is undeniably beautiful and picturesque – and for the purposes of this novel unspoiled by almost any crime having never had a murder case。The novel brings together a small cast of writers with their own secrets and histories， including a blind psychic， an unhealthy chef， a children’s author， a local war historian and a French performance poet。 A somewhat eclectic mix and Horowitz places this motley crew in an isolated location which is itself riven with political tension as a plan to run an electrical power line through the island to connect France and England。 The sponsor of the festival – spinthewheel。com， an online casino – is owned by Charles le Mesurier one of whose employees is one Derek Abbott， the alleged paedophile who Hawthorne allegedly threw down a flight of stairs， an action which led to his leaving the police。One of the pleasures of this book is the prickly relationship between （the ficitonalised） Horowitz and Hawthorne: they both seem to needle each other and erect impenetrable barriers against the other， yet both seem reliant on the other too。 Hawthorne has remained an enigmatic and mysterious figure in the novels， with only the barest snippets of his life having been revealed: his wife and children have been mentioned， his career insofar as it was relevant， his hobby making model planes， his homophobia… but he is a pretty closed book。So the chance to see into his world， to have a little more of him revealed is intriguing？ Was the intrigue satisfied， though？ Perhaps a little， but more interest was generated in Hawthorne as a character – who actually is he？ – in the final pages than was perhaps resolved in the earlier chapters。Oh， and watching Hawthorne upstage Horowitz at the literary festival was a delight！What I EnjoyedThe setting on the island of Alderney – although it could， perhaps， have been a little more intense， a little more claustrophobic…。The characterisation of Hawthorne – he is a genuinely intriguing character about whom little has been revealed。 He is very obviously （and consciously， I think） modelled on Sherlock Holmes。The clearer focus: the previous two novels – if I remember rightly – have both twisted towards the thriller genre by the conclusion as Horowitz blunders into the path of dangerous people and is nearly killed。 This novel kept itself within detective conventions more。The snippets of life in the publishing world， even if the meeting at the “surprisingly shabby and unattractive” offices of Penguin Random House didn’t have the glamour of the meeting with Spielberg in an earlier novel！ I did love Horowitz’ own puzzlement – which mirrored my own – at the possibility of coming up with a series of titles combining grammar and death！ What might be next？ The Verb Is Finite？ The Modifier Is Dangling？What Could Have Been DifferentThe resolution， about which I will reveal nothing， but to say that it was a little obvious and predictable from about half way through， even though I missed most of the clues that Horowitz put in。 There were aspects that did take me by surprise， but the overall motives and situation was a little… familiar。Overall:Characters:Plot / Pace:Worldbuilding:Structure:Language:⭐⭐⭐⭐Rating: 4 out of 5。⭐⭐⭐⭐Rating: 4 out of 5。⭐⭐⭐⭐Rating: 3。5 out of 5。⭐⭐⭐⭐Rating: 3。5 out of 5。⭐⭐⭐⭐Rating: 3。5 out of 5。⭐⭐⭐⭐Rating: 3。5 out of 5。Page Count: 384Publisher: Century （Penguin）Date: 19th August 2021Available: Amazon， Century （Penguin） 。。。more
Claudia -
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I just love the “Hawthorne Investigates” series。Anthony Horowitz has really hit the sweet spot of a classic whodunnit。 Two chalk and cheese investigators - one mysterious and aloof， one a bit naïve and bumbling - a killer location and plenty of clues and red herrings to keep the reader guessing till the last chapter。It’s a playful and gripping contemporary version of Holmes and Watson and a pure joy to read。
Mrs Lena
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This is the latest in Anthony Horowitz's Hawthorne and Horowitz series。 It makes a very pleasant summer read as it does not take itself too seriously。 It is possible to read this as a standalone but I would recommend reading the whole series as they are very entertaining。 Anthony follows Hawthorne， an ex-detective as he takes on a case set on the island of Alderney。 The novel is enhanced by descriptions of local places and features giving it a strong sense of setting。 A good holiday read。 This is the latest in Anthony Horowitz's Hawthorne and Horowitz series。 It makes a very pleasant summer read as it does not take itself too seriously。 It is possible to read this as a standalone but I would recommend reading the whole series as they are very entertaining。 Anthony follows Hawthorne， an ex-detective as he takes on a case set on the island of Alderney。 The novel is enhanced by descriptions of local places and features giving it a strong sense of setting。 A good holiday read。 。。。more
Claire
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This is the third book in the Hawthorne series， where Anthony Horowitz writes about himself。 I really enjoyed the last two but compared to them， I found this one a bit lacking。 It was a strange start to the novel， going all the way back to the word is murder publication and nothing really exciting happens in the first few chapters。 There’s little bits of intrigue， but I carried on and as soon as they got to Alderney， things got more interesting。 I have to say that I’d guessed quite a few things This is the third book in the Hawthorne series， where Anthony Horowitz writes about himself。 I really enjoyed the last two but compared to them， I found this one a bit lacking。 It was a strange start to the novel， going all the way back to the word is murder publication and nothing really exciting happens in the first few chapters。 There’s little bits of intrigue， but I carried on and as soon as they got to Alderney， things got more interesting。 I have to say that I’d guessed quite a few things before they were revealed but there were still a few I hadn’t guessed so it still left me hooked。 I’ve not been to Alderney but the descriptions of the island left me wanting to visit。 An easy read with a cosy crime， which is what Horowitz does best。 。。。more
Martin Paul
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This book， the third in the Hawthorne and Horowitz series takes place on the small island of Alderney， where a new literary festival is taking place。 Private Investigator Daniel Hawthorne has been invited to talk about his new book and he is accompanied by his friend， the writer， Anthony Horowitz。 Yes - the author of the book is a character in his own book。Very soon they discover that not all is as it should be。 Alderney is in turmoil over a planned power line that will cut through it， desecrati This book， the third in the Hawthorne and Horowitz series takes place on the small island of Alderney， where a new literary festival is taking place。 Private Investigator Daniel Hawthorne has been invited to talk about his new book and he is accompanied by his friend， the writer， Anthony Horowitz。 Yes - the author of the book is a character in his own book。Very soon they discover that not all is as it should be。 Alderney is in turmoil over a planned power line that will cut through it， desecrating a war cemetery and turning neighbour against neighbour。 When the festival's wealthy sponsor is found brutally killed， Alderney goes into lockdown and Hawthorne is called to investigate。 Readers of the previous books in the series will not be surprised at the direction of travel in this book。 We have a lovely mix of suspects - the other authors including a blind medium， a French performance poet and a celebrity chef - seem to be harbouring any number of unpleasant secrets。There is a flavour of Holmes and Watson in these books， as Hawthorn and Horowitz pursue their suspects。 But the comparison ends there。 The plot is more complex （as you’d expect from the writer of TV detective series） and the books unfold like an episode of his best。 Horowitz isn’t afraid to take the mickey out of himself， in his role as narrator and there’s a level of comedy running through these books。 The writing is， as you'd expect， excellent。I’m a huge fan of Horowitz’ Sherlock Holmes and James Bond books （especially looking forward to the forthcoming one） but I have to admit this series isn’t my favourite。 It will no doubt go down well with fans though， so definitely recommend for them。 。。。more
Catherine Pinkett
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Thank you to Get Galley and the publishers for my early copy in exchange for my independent，honest review This is the latest in the series featuring Horowitz himself as a central character alongside private investigator Daniel Hawthorne。 I haven't read any others in this series，however this did not hinder my enjoyment or understanding of the relationship between the two of them。 It is set in the Channel Islands， a favourite holiday destination of ours。 In fact it is set in Alderney，one of the qu Thank you to Get Galley and the publishers for my early copy in exchange for my independent，honest review This is the latest in the series featuring Horowitz himself as a central character alongside private investigator Daniel Hawthorne。 I haven't read any others in this series，however this did not hinder my enjoyment or understanding of the relationship between the two of them。 It is set in the Channel Islands， a favourite holiday destination of ours。 In fact it is set in Alderney，one of the quieter Islands， where the author captures the quaint old fashioned charm of this area and it's cliques of inhabitants。 All does not run smoothly as you come to expect from Horowitz。 Shortly after arriving for a literary festival there， someone is found brutally murdered。 It isn't long before Horowitz and Hawthorne are pulled into the investigation。 This author writes so effortlessly， the words just flow along and you are soon there。 However，I didn't find the plot particularly thrilling or suspenseful in this and it gave more of a cosy crime feel than some of his other books。 This makes a great holiday read and it is still very enjoyable。 I didn't love it enough to rate it 5* but rarely for me do cosy feel books achieve this rating。 。。。more
Jen
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This is another of those moments where I just want to kick myself。 How in the hell have I managed to let this series pass me by？ I mean， I've been aware of it， but I've just not read it。 Although it might seem odd to be happy to have started at book three， there is a kind of illogical logic to it in the fact that this book is set in the months just prior to the release of book one in the series， The Word Is Murder。 Because this is a book which is set in the author's real time world， but in a ver This is another of those moments where I just want to kick myself。 How in the hell have I managed to let this series pass me by？ I mean， I've been aware of it， but I've just not read it。 Although it might seem odd to be happy to have started at book three， there is a kind of illogical logic to it in the fact that this book is set in the months just prior to the release of book one in the series， The Word Is Murder。 Because this is a book which is set in the author's real time world， but in a very unique and humorously perfect way。 For those not in the know， Anthony Horowitz， the very skilled author of both this book and many others， is engaged to write the （sort of） biography of Detective Daniel Hawthorne。 He shadows him as he investigates some deadly cases and documents all that happens in successive novels。 A Line To Kill sees our intrepid duo head to Alderney to attend a literary festival under the premise of promoting the 'not yet out' book， TWIM。 Hawthorne is unusually keen to attend， and knowing this， and sensing through the narrative the expected reticence over the whole affair that fails to materialise， you know that everything is highly likely to go south - and not just as far as Alderney。I loved the premise of this book， a magical blend of classic murder mystery with a Christie-esque tone， but blended with the author's own world， even if it was a little exaggerated and fictionalised。 It is full of humour， mystery， tension and unexpected revelations， and I never once felt at a disadvantage not having read the first two books。 Yes， there are hints of stories past， but not so much that I am not looking forward to going back and devouring the audiobooks。 If anything it whet my appetite even more。 I have loved the author's conversational and observational style， and was drawn immediately to Horowitz and Hawthorne as a crime solving duo。 It kind of put me in mind of Hastings trailing Poirot， if you could imagine Poirot as a more laid back former police Detective with a tendency to call his sidekick 'mate'。 Hawthorne is a brilliant character to follow - kind of aloof， never that giving in terms of his thinking and yet perfectly reasonable in presentation of facts， making you wonder how anyone missed the obvious in the first place。The setting of Alderney is perfect - it makes this a kind of locked room mystery but with slightly exaggerated boundaries。 The suspect can only have been someone on the Island but with a victim as ghastly as le Mesurier， the list of potential suspects and motives could still be deceptively long。 And there is some ancient history between Hawthorne and someone on the island which gives the reader more insight into the Detectives past too， and certainly adds to the uncertainty and the suspicion in play。 I loved the mix of people attending the festival - just the kind of eclectic mix I could picture at a very small regional festival， and all portrayed in such vivid ways that they， and the story， stuck with me long after the final page was turned。This was such a clever and well scripted story that I was absolutely hooked from start to finish。 I think I must have read it with a smile on my face pretty much to the last page。 Anthony Horowitz is so adept at setting the scene， be it within the bounds of the literary festival， capturing the excesses and the extremes of the islands and the residents， or even just in setting the tone and mood， that I could picture it all clearly in my mind。 Although clues were left throughout， as in the style of all of the best cosy crime stories， I still had no real vision of who the 'bad guy' was this time around， possibly because there were several villains to hand， the victim included。 Yes this is cosy crime， which I'll admit is not my normal go to， but sometimes you just want a little light humour in your to be read pile and this book gave me that and so much more。 Great setting， unique premise， brilliant storytelling and characters， both real and imagined， who I was just very happy to spend time with， it gets the seal of approval from me。 Any book that makes me want to go and download the first two books before I'm even a third of the way through has to be a winner。 Not sure what the Alderney tourist board might think of it though 。。 。。。more
Lars Stuyts
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Anthony Horowitz continues to be an author l comfortably return to again and again。 For me his books can easily be termed as modern Christie’s。 The classic， who done it， with characters driving what makes them intriguing。
Sharyn
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This is the first book in this series that I have actually read as I listened to the previous two as audiobooks。 The audiobooks earned three stars but this book was much more enjoyable for me and it gets five stars。 A great plot with Anthony again appearing as first person narrator and running himself down as well as a few instances of mentioning his successes。 Hawthorne is his usual taciturn but brilliant self - the pair of them really are an excellent modern day Watson and Holmes。 Alderney was This is the first book in this series that I have actually read as I listened to the previous two as audiobooks。 The audiobooks earned three stars but this book was much more enjoyable for me and it gets five stars。 A great plot with Anthony again appearing as first person narrator and running himself down as well as a few instances of mentioning his successes。 Hawthorne is his usual taciturn but brilliant self - the pair of them really are an excellent modern day Watson and Holmes。 Alderney was a good setting with plenty going on， both past and present。 An excellent read for which I thank NetGalley， the publishers and the author who provided me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
The Word Whisperer
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Authors have been asked time and again to carry on Arthur Conan Doyle’s works of Sherlock Holmes。 Horowitz himself as written two Sherlock Holmes books， The House of Silk & Moriarty， with an official endorsement by the Doyle estate， but I can not think of any authors creations to rival the due of Holmes & Watson。 But that has all changed with the Hawthorne & Horowitz Mystery series。 To promote their new book Hawthorne & Horowitz are invite to a new literary festival on the island of Alderney。 Th Authors have been asked time and again to carry on Arthur Conan Doyle’s works of Sherlock Holmes。 Horowitz himself as written two Sherlock Holmes books， The House of Silk & Moriarty， with an official endorsement by the Doyle estate， but I can not think of any authors creations to rival the due of Holmes & Watson。 But that has all changed with the Hawthorne & Horowitz Mystery series。 To promote their new book Hawthorne & Horowitz are invite to a new literary festival on the island of Alderney。 The only murders to have taken place on this small island were during the Nazi occupation of the island during World War II。 The islanders have lived peaceful and tranquil lives since， this all changes when a planned powerline that will cut through the island。 With tempers flaring on both sides of the argument to the proposal， it’s not long before the tranquillity of the island is shattered。 During the literary festival， its wealthy sponsor is soon found dead。 Enter Hawthorne and Horowitz to solve the crime while trapped on the island with the killer。 There are plenty of suspects， all with a motive of wanting the sponsor dead。Sherlock Holmes as always been my favourite detective， never far away is the ever-dependable Dr。 Watson。 The attention to every detail， making the mundane the key to solving every mystery with Watson always one step behind with the rest of us。 I never thought that any other literary work would ever rival the most famous of duos。 But that has all changed with the Hawthorne and Horowitz mysteries。 At long last there is a modern rival， that captures the essence of the Holmes stories but are still their own。 I love the perspective of Horowitz himself playing the part of the bumbling partner to the aloof but brilliant Hawthorne。 A Line to Kill starts with Horowitz giving us an insight to the gears and cogs of one of the largest publishing houses， Penguin Random House and the nerves that still come with getting your book published。 The story continues with the consultant detective Hawthorne highlighting how the mundane， almost miss able signs， can give an insight into the lives of the publishing team。The story continues， on the isle of Alderney， with the inaugural literary festival。 On the way to the festival， Hawthorne & Horowitz， find themselves with the other festival authors。 Each one with a link， to the eventual murder victim。 I really cannot say much more as I don’t want to give to much away。 All I can recommend is to pay attention to the details， each character is a suspect， each with their own secrets。 You are not short of twists and turns。 And with the body count starting to increase， ghosts of Hawthorne’s past come back to haunt him in the present。 The pages fly by as you get drawn into the story， Horowitz’s narrative to the story adding another dimension。 It feels like you are getting a preview of the authors next book but it’s being played out in real time。 I， personally love the POV aspect of the book and the insight into an author’s mind it brings。 The story keeps you guessing straight up to the last page。 I need to go back and read the first two books in the series and cannot wait for the next one， I am completely hooked on this new crime fighting duo。VERDICT: 5*****/5 A rival to Holmes & Watson， A Line to Kill， will having you guessing whodunit from the beginning。 With plot twists and many suspects， you will not find out until the very end。 Engrossing and captivating all the way through， a must of for any Sherlock and crime thriller fans。 。。。more
Theediscerning
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Early efforts to publicise the first book in this none-more-archly-meta crime series， "The Word is Murder"， have got Anthony Horowitz and the book's Holmesian anti-hero to a small literary festival on the Channel Island of Alderney。 The few professional participants are a diverse bunch and no mistake， the festival's funder is a smarmy letch with too much money， and there are other surprising blasts from the past of more than one of the characters to crawl out of the woodwork。 The island is also Early efforts to publicise the first book in this none-more-archly-meta crime series， "The Word is Murder"， have got Anthony Horowitz and the book's Holmesian anti-hero to a small literary festival on the Channel Island of Alderney。 The few professional participants are a diverse bunch and no mistake， the festival's funder is a smarmy letch with too much money， and there are other surprising blasts from the past of more than one of the characters to crawl out of the woodwork。 The island is also being badly riven by a proposed new bit of infrastructure。 So it's no surprise this is going to turn into a murder mystery – it's only a little surprising the set-up leading up to it takes as long as it does here。I had a riot with the first in this series， for the way it twisted everything on its head。 Making the author so reluctant to talk about the powers of his investigative new companion， dripping with in-jokes about the publishing industry – all was sterling stuff。 This？ Less so。 It seemed everything funny and witty to be said about the world of books had been covered， so it was more concerned with the minutiae of the two-day shindig。 And when the declaration that nobody is allowed to leave the island comes about， things carry on in a reasonably interesting， but understated manner。At the same time， it seemed that clues to something huger had been in all the books so far （I'd not been privy to the first sequel）， and that a la Bad Wolf era Doctor Who， something was being dripfed us while leaving us unawares。 But at the same time anything we'd been secretly injected with was leading us to something with no after effects。 This is one for the cosy crime shelf， if the readers of that sub-genre can get past the kiddy porn dealer and the F-bombs that turn up immediately and frequently after Anthony says cussing bores him。 It's part of a series that I can easily still engage with， and it's clear that for all the fictionalised Anthony thinks he's writing a trilogy there will be more to come， but this did seem like a weak entrant to the franchise。 I don't think I can blame reading it on the hottest day of the year for the fact that it just felt dry。 More oomph next time， and more in-jokes and quippy references， please。Oh， but it also made me regret not having gone to Alderney。 All in all then， a potentially quite costly purchase。 。。。more
K
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This was the first book I have read by Anthony Horowitz， I think I thought he only did children's / young adult books。I enjoyed this book told from the author's experience of working with the subject of his book。 It is set on Alderney， a place where there has not been a murder， so you can guess what happens。I did not realise this was number 3 in a series， but I don't think that made any different I only discovered that after I'd finished！Excellent book I really love the way you have the contrast This was the first book I have read by Anthony Horowitz， I think I thought he only did children's / young adult books。I enjoyed this book told from the author's experience of working with the subject of his book。 It is set on Alderney， a place where there has not been a murder， so you can guess what happens。I did not realise this was number 3 in a series， but I don't think that made any different I only discovered that after I'd finished！Excellent book I really love the way you have the contrast between the two main characters the author and the ex-detective。 。。。more
Kirsty ❤️
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I've read all three in this series in one go and have loved them all。 Howorwitz writes himself into the story as Watson to a modern day Sherlock in Hawthorne。 I really like the concept of that especially as fictional Howorwitz really doesn't seem to like his uncommunicative partner。 I spend far too much time wondering who the real agents and publishers etc are and how much reality has been woven into the story。 We have a bit of a locked room mystery this as time as on the tint island of Alderney I've read all three in this series in one go and have loved them all。 Howorwitz writes himself into the story as Watson to a modern day Sherlock in Hawthorne。 I really like the concept of that especially as fictional Howorwitz really doesn't seem to like his uncommunicative partner。 I spend far too much time wondering who the real agents and publishers etc are and how much reality has been woven into the story。 We have a bit of a locked room mystery this as time as on the tint island of Alderney there's really nowhere for our suspects to go。 We have the small amount of suspects， a beautiful setting and lots of twists and turns as we go along。 The ending was unexpected。 There was a bit of ambiguity at one point to me as to whether the culprit would get their comeuppance。 It's fun for all the murders。 I keep waiting for the moment when the dynamics change and they bond but it never happens yet somehow I'm okay with that。 It works。 The ending sets us up for book 4 and a mystery of what happened in Reeth。 I can't wait now for the next book to find that out。 A much recommended series 。。。more
Max
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Anthony Horowitz is back with his annual whodunit。 My attempts at pacing myself were futile， as I knew I couldn’t wait anywhere near October to pick this one up。 Horowitz is a twenty-first-century equivalent to Agatha Christie， and I eagerly await more books in this Hawthorne series。In our third return to the “dynamic” duo， Horowitz follows Hawthorne to a literary festival on a secluded island in Alderney。 There are celebrity chefs， casino owners， poets， and professors。 The island is in conflic Anthony Horowitz is back with his annual whodunit。 My attempts at pacing myself were futile， as I knew I couldn’t wait anywhere near October to pick this one up。 Horowitz is a twenty-first-century equivalent to Agatha Christie， and I eagerly await more books in this Hawthorne series。In our third return to the “dynamic” duo， Horowitz follows Hawthorne to a literary festival on a secluded island in Alderney。 There are celebrity chefs， casino owners， poets， and professors。 The island is in conflict over the installment of a powerline， which creates enemies out of former friends。 What originally was just a trip to promote Horowitz’s most recent publication turns into a murder investigation when a corpse is found in the aftermath of a late-night party。 Could the death be from the fallout of the powerline debate？ Or is this the repercussion of something that had happened decades before？What makes this series so fun to read is because it’s fun to play along。 The mystery itself feels very accessible to the reader， allowing you to make guesses and have your own suspicions throughout the story。 Never feel too confident with your accusations though， as it’s always a shifting climate。Expect locked room mysteries at their finest when picking up this book， I’m glad it strays away from a lot of the police procedural tropes we see a lot。 A couple of people on an island， a dead body， and hundreds of red herrings。 （And that’s not an exaggeration， you can’t ever be fooled by this book’s misdirection！）For avid readers of the series， there is also a fair amount of mystery around Hawthorne’s past。 I’m sure that there could be a storyline forming over the next few books exploring more of his background？ And in terms of Horowitz’s fictional self， I always enjoy reading some updates/stories on Foyle’s War and Alex Rider adaptations。 I think readers know what they’re getting into when they pick up a Horowitz book， and his endings never fail to entertain me。 Keep an eye out for everyone and everything， as I can guarantee you， everyone does have a secret in this novel。Thank you Harper books for an advanced reader’s copy！ 。。。more
Lorna Maltby Maltby
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A LINE TO KILL by Anthony Horowitz was an entertaining， light-hearted read and I was hooked from page one。The story is set on the Isle of Alderney， Channel Islands。 where the Alderney Book Festival is being held。 Anthony （the author） receives an invitation from his publisher to be accompanied by Daniel Hawthorne， an ex Detective Inspector， who is working as an investigator。 A murder is committed during the festival and Anthony & Hawthorne are asked to investigate。 Hawthorn is my favourite charac A LINE TO KILL by Anthony Horowitz was an entertaining， light-hearted read and I was hooked from page one。The story is set on the Isle of Alderney， Channel Islands。 where the Alderney Book Festival is being held。 Anthony （the author） receives an invitation from his publisher to be accompanied by Daniel Hawthorne， an ex Detective Inspector， who is working as an investigator。 A murder is committed during the festival and Anthony & Hawthorne are asked to investigate。 Hawthorn is my favourite character in the the book。 There are memorable characters to like and dislike throughout the story with red herrings around every corner！ I enjoyed the quirkiness and witty dialogue this story offered and the ending is superb！ Never saw it coming。I give a 5 star rating。 I enjoyed every page of the book！I WANT TO THANK NETGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF READING AN ADVANCED COPY OF THIS BOOK FOR AN HONEST REVIEW 。。。more
Nimalee Ravi
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I'm a huge fan of Horowitz's work and this one definitely hit all the spots。 This story is cleverly written with layers of mystery and suspense。 This also provides some fascinating insights into publishing industry。 Love his writing style， subtle jokes and the plot。 Another brilliant work by Horowitz and definitely recommend。 I'm a huge fan of Horowitz's work and this one definitely hit all the spots。 This story is cleverly written with layers of mystery and suspense。 This also provides some fascinating insights into publishing industry。 Love his writing style， subtle jokes and the plot。 Another brilliant work by Horowitz and definitely recommend。 。。。more
Teresa Cornelius
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A Line to Kill by Anthony HorowitzI think that I have read all of Anthony Horowitz’ work and I find the ingenuity of his writing fascinating。 Having read the previous two Daniel Hawthorne novels and I could not say the investigator is endearing but he is interesting。 In this novel he travels with the author to a book festival on the island of Alderney。 （My daughter lives in Guernsey so the location was a big draw。 ） I really enjoy the way in which Hawthorne picks up all the clues whilst the auth A Line to Kill by Anthony HorowitzI think that I have read all of Anthony Horowitz’ work and I find the ingenuity of his writing fascinating。 Having read the previous two Daniel Hawthorne novels and I could not say the investigator is endearing but he is interesting。 In this novel he travels with the author to a book festival on the island of Alderney。 （My daughter lives in Guernsey so the location was a big draw。 ） I really enjoy the way in which Hawthorne picks up all the clues whilst the author depicts himself as bumbling along in the investigator’s wake。This novel is intriguing and also great fun。 It is immensely readable and I sped through the novel in order to establish who had carried out the murder。 I love the way Anthony Horowitz has written himself into the novel and also the fact that the people at the book festival are so much more interested in Hawthorne than in him。 I will be recommending this novel to my various book groups and will wait eagerly for the next outing for Hawthorne and Horowitz。 I would like to thank Anthony Horowitz， the publishers and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review。 。。。more
Clbplym
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This was very entertaining。 I haven’t read the first two in the series but that didn’t matter。 Anthony Horowitz has written himself into the story！ He has been hired to write three books about a famous detective called Hawthorne and it is with him that he attends a literary festival on Alderney。 Horowitz is self-deprecating throughout and plays the Hastings / Watson role very well。 It makes the story seem more real even though it is clearly not。 A murder is committed and， naturally， there are ma This was very entertaining。 I haven’t read the first two in the series but that didn’t matter。 Anthony Horowitz has written himself into the story！ He has been hired to write three books about a famous detective called Hawthorne and it is with him that he attends a literary festival on Alderney。 Horowitz is self-deprecating throughout and plays the Hastings / Watson role very well。 It makes the story seem more real even though it is clearly not。 A murder is committed and， naturally， there are many people with a motive， most of whom are lying about something。 This is great fun and I hope the very end means there is more mileage in the relationship between Hawthorne and Horowitz。 Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC。 。。。more
Silver Surfer
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Well， I have to say this is the first book by this author and it took me a while to get into it。 It turned out to be quite a good thriller after that which was rather surprising。 Would I read another？ Possibly but with some trepidation though。Recommended read。
BookBloggerJanine
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A Line to Kill by Anthony Horowitz I give this book 4 stars Alderney the perfect location for a brand-new literary festival。 Private Investigator Daniel Hawthorne has been invited to talk about his new book。 The writer， Anthony Horowitz， travels with him。The visiting authors - including a blind medium， a French performance poet and a celebrity chef - seem to be harbouring any number of unpleasant secrets。When the festival's wealthy sponsor is found brutally killed， Alderney goes into lockdown an A Line to Kill by Anthony Horowitz I give this book 4 stars Alderney the perfect location for a brand-new literary festival。 Private Investigator Daniel Hawthorne has been invited to talk about his new book。 The writer， Anthony Horowitz， travels with him。The visiting authors - including a blind medium， a French performance poet and a celebrity chef - seem to be harbouring any number of unpleasant secrets。When the festival's wealthy sponsor is found brutally killed， Alderney goes into lockdown and Hawthorne knows that he doesn't have to look too far for suspects。There's no escape。 The killer is still on the island。 And there's about to be a second death。。。This is another classic murder mystery from an author who puts himself into the book。 I absolutely love this clever concept and the writing style。What more could you ask for……a bunch of suspects，scattered clues，a few red herrings thrown in and the right amount of twists to make this a highly enjoyable and entertaining must read book！With thanks to Anthony Horowitz，Netgalley and Random House UK Cornerstone for my chance to read and review this book。 。。。more
Clarisa Butler
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This is an enjoyable， classic detective story， and I should have been aware of this from the very beginning as it would have made the reading even more fun。 The text gives all the clues needed to solve the mystery properly; red herrings are abundant， and I am happy to report that I fell on their path （the writer-narrator-compiler of A Line to Kill， an homonymous Anthony Horowitz） also took a wrong turn。。。 which of course adds to the enjoyment。 This is the third in the series of （Daniel） Hawthorn This is an enjoyable， classic detective story， and I should have been aware of this from the very beginning as it would have made the reading even more fun。 The text gives all the clues needed to solve the mystery properly; red herrings are abundant， and I am happy to report that I fell on their path （the writer-narrator-compiler of A Line to Kill， an homonymous Anthony Horowitz） also took a wrong turn。。。 which of course adds to the enjoyment。 This is the third in the series of （Daniel） Hawthorne， a real ex-Scotland Yard detective who gets Horowitz to write his real-life cases。 I thought of his 19c literary （sur）namesake， Nathaniel Hawthorne， as our detective is interested in justice but has a clearly dark past which is discovered bit by bit in each novel instalment。 Somehow his persona is being constructed in each novel。 The narrator-scribe is discovering Hawthorne exactly as we do - he does not know his backstory so he does not give it to us， and we don't have any insight onto his thoughts。。。 this is a first person narrator， not at all omniscient。 Obviously one thinks of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson， but the actual author conceit is quite fun and gives you some entry in the writing and publishing process， which I find interesting。All in all， an entertaining， well put together puzzle centred here in Alderney， one of the Channel Islands， and a bunch of successful unsavoury characters。。。 it is a closed-room mystery à la Christie too with contemporary elements: the literary festival， the internet connections， the environmental concerns。。。 A holiday read which will introduce you to a very real literary little-known gem。。。 Many thanks to Random House Century via NetGalley for an advance copy of this eminently entertaining story 。。。more
Sharon
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This is the third in a series， but， can absolutely be read as a stand alone。It's an interesting plot line， author writes himself into the narrative of a murder mystery and involving a group of writers invited to the small island of Alderney to attend a book festival。It's cleverly written， witty and engaging。 For me though， it lacked something。 It's an easy， Midsomer Murders type narrative and for those looking for a lighthearted murder mystery， this is for you。Thanks to NetGalley and the publish This is the third in a series， but， can absolutely be read as a stand alone。It's an interesting plot line， author writes himself into the narrative of a murder mystery and involving a group of writers invited to the small island of Alderney to attend a book festival。It's cleverly written， witty and engaging。 For me though， it lacked something。 It's an easy， Midsomer Murders type narrative and for those looking for a lighthearted murder mystery， this is for you。Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to preview and I'd say this is an easy breezy 3* Good Read。 。。。more
Jen
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