A Line To Kill
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- Create Date：2021-07-19 00:51:20
- Update Date：2025-09-08
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- Author：Anthony Horowitz
- ISBN：1529124301
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Summary
The New York Times bestselling author of the brilliantly inventive The Word Is Murder and The Sentence Is Death returns with his third literary whodunit featuring intrepid detectives Hawthorne and Horowitz。
When Ex-Detective Inspector Daniel Hawthorne and his sidekick， author Anthony Horowitz， are invited to an exclusive literary festival on Alderney， an idyllic island off the south coast of England， they don’t expect to find themselves in the middle of murder investigation—or to be trapped with a cold-blooded killer in a remote place with a murky， haunted past。
Arriving on Alderney， Hawthorne and Horowitz soon meet the festival’s other guests—an eccentric gathering that includes a bestselling children’s author， a French poet， a TV chef turned cookbook author， a blind psychic， and a war historian—along with a group of ornery locals embroiled in an escalating feud over a disruptive power line。
When a local grandee is found dead under mysterious circumstances， Hawthorne and Horowitz become embroiled in the case。 The island is locked down， no one is allowed on or off， and it soon becomes horribly clear that a murderer lurks in their midst。 But who？
Both a brilliant satire on the world of books and writers and an immensely enjoyable locked-room mystery， A Line to Kill is a triumph—a riddle of a story full of brilliant misdirection， beautifully set-out clues， and diabolically clever denouements。
When Ex-Detective Inspector Daniel Hawthorne and his sidekick， author Anthony Horowitz， are invited to an exclusive literary festival on Alderney， an idyllic island off the south coast of England， they don’t expect to find themselves in the middle of murder investigation—or to be trapped with a cold-blooded killer in a remote place with a murky， haunted past。
Arriving on Alderney， Hawthorne and Horowitz soon meet the festival’s other guests—an eccentric gathering that includes a bestselling children’s author， a French poet， a TV chef turned cookbook author， a blind psychic， and a war historian—along with a group of ornery locals embroiled in an escalating feud over a disruptive power line。
When a local grandee is found dead under mysterious circumstances， Hawthorne and Horowitz become embroiled in the case。 The island is locked down， no one is allowed on or off， and it soon becomes horribly clear that a murderer lurks in their midst。 But who？
Both a brilliant satire on the world of books and writers and an immensely enjoyable locked-room mystery， A Line to Kill is a triumph—a riddle of a story full of brilliant misdirection， beautifully set-out clues， and diabolically clever denouements。
Reviews
Sharyn
，
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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Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my arc！ A Line to Kill is a murder mystery set on the island of Alderney where a murder has never happened before。 Firstly the author is actually your main character！ Anthony Horowitz and his police companion Hawthorne are the characters you follow trying to solve the crime 。 This is such a unique spin that it actually threw me off for a while， especially when he talks about himself or his past books etc。 In the end I loved it as I felt it actually gave Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my arc！ A Line to Kill is a murder mystery set on the island of Alderney where a murder has never happened before。 Firstly the author is actually your main character！ Anthony Horowitz and his police companion Hawthorne are the characters you follow trying to solve the crime 。 This is such a unique spin that it actually threw me off for a while， especially when he talks about himself or his past books etc。 In the end I loved it as I felt it actually gave this fiction story a realistic tone 。 I loved the setting of Alderney and I have now spent more time researching the place and it’s history。 This book is like Agatha Christie mixed with Sherlock Holmes and then adding some Midsommer murders。 Enjoyable mystery！ 。。。more
Katy Crowe
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I got this book on netgalley， and， as others have said， I spent the first 1/4 of this book thoroughly confused about what was going on as the author is a main character in the book， which - without any context - just was really weird。 I also didn’t realise that this was the 2nd or 3rd book in a series， which didn’t help。 Once I got into it and figured out what was going on I actually quite enjoyed it。 Like others， I had guessed some of what was going on before the end but not the ins and outs fu I got this book on netgalley， and， as others have said， I spent the first 1/4 of this book thoroughly confused about what was going on as the author is a main character in the book， which - without any context - just was really weird。 I also didn’t realise that this was the 2nd or 3rd book in a series， which didn’t help。 Once I got into it and figured out what was going on I actually quite enjoyed it。 Like others， I had guessed some of what was going on before the end but not the ins and outs fully。 So， a bit of a mixed bag all in all。 It was a bit of a shame because I really like Anthony Horrowitz’s work and I love crime fiction so I should have enjoyed this more than I did！ 。。。more
David Gooch
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Book 3 in the Hawthorne/Horowitz series。 In this one they are going to a book festival on the island of Alderney， where there has never been a murder。 You know there is going to be one now though as Hawthorne is there and what better way for him to use his skills than to help track down the culprit。 Horowitz is teamed up with Hawthorne as they are out promoting the forthcoming book and they are not expecting a murder but inevitably it happens。 Hawthorne knows the killer must be on the island wit Book 3 in the Hawthorne/Horowitz series。 In this one they are going to a book festival on the island of Alderney， where there has never been a murder。 You know there is going to be one now though as Hawthorne is there and what better way for him to use his skills than to help track down the culprit。 Horowitz is teamed up with Hawthorne as they are out promoting the forthcoming book and they are not expecting a murder but inevitably it happens。 Hawthorne knows the killer must be on the island with them and so the suspect pool is limited and he sets to work interviewing people and trying to find the killer with Horowitz in his wake recording it， just in case there could be a book in it。 There are an eclectic group of people in the book from a blind medium and a celebrity chef to the islanders and the lady organising the festival。As ever a humorous and clever murder mystery with a good few twists as they attempt to find the killer。 You follow along as the two of them go about looking at the clues and people。 Numerous people looked to be in the frame for it but they can't all have done it and will Hawthorne get to the bottom of it？It is another good read in the series and well worth reading。 There are twists a plenty and a good one at the end when the killer is unveiled。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Lesley
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This is my favourite genre of books so I fully expected to love it but I didn’t。Although I obviously read the blurb about this book before I requested it from NetGalley， I had requested it sometime ago and didn’t re-read it before starting， so I was confused at the start of the book as I thought it was some sort of preface to how he came to write the book - I even googled Marc Bellamy to see if he is a famous chef that I just hadn’t come across。 I then realised that the author features himself i This is my favourite genre of books so I fully expected to love it but I didn’t。Although I obviously read the blurb about this book before I requested it from NetGalley， I had requested it sometime ago and didn’t re-read it before starting， so I was confused at the start of the book as I thought it was some sort of preface to how he came to write the book - I even googled Marc Bellamy to see if he is a famous chef that I just hadn’t come across。 I then realised that the author features himself in his books as an author writing about a private detective Daniel Hawthorne and accompanying him on his cases in order to collect material for the book。 I also didn’t realise that this was the second book in this series - or I probably wouldn’t have chosen it without reading the first one。 The book is set mostly on the island of Alderney who are holding a book festival and Anthony Horowitz has been invited with Daniel Hawthorne to give a talk。The dynamic between these two main characters is weird， I couldn’t decide if they even liked one another or not。 Hawthorne is a strange man， not a particularly likeable character， in my opinion and the character of Anthony Horowitz although a totally different character， not much more likeable。 The characters in the book are all a little stereotypically over-done - eccentric and mostly hiding secrets。 However， I have read other reviews and they have raved about this book and feel it deserves a television series。 So I may be in the minority here！ The actual story of the first ever murder on Alderney happening while the book festival was taking place and the police from Guernsey actually encouraging and give carte blanche access to the murder scene and the investigation based on his reputation as a an ex police detective seemed somewhat far-fetched to me。 However， that aside， that part of the story I enjoyed。 I just felt like it was like reading instead of watching a Miss Marple， Murder She Wrote， Poirot type TV programme where the one superb detective sees through what seem to be clues to the rest of us but are plain as day red herrings to Hawthorne， while he brilliantly spots the not so obvious truth！。 Did I guess the ending？ Partly although I didn’t guess the why’s and wherefores。 Would I read the first book in the series or the next one？ Probably not。 。。。more
Su Charlesworth
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Line to Kill is the third book in this Anthony Horowitz series。 This series stands out because Horowitz as himself is both the narrator and a participant in the narrative as he is shadowing Hawthorne who is a former detective now working as a consultant to the police。 It was Hawthorne’s idea that Horowitz write about him and the implication is that Horowitz is doing so reluctantly。 Over the course of events， Horowitz becomes assistant detective and has to tip toe round Hawthorne’s ego but undern Line to Kill is the third book in this Anthony Horowitz series。 This series stands out because Horowitz as himself is both the narrator and a participant in the narrative as he is shadowing Hawthorne who is a former detective now working as a consultant to the police。 It was Hawthorne’s idea that Horowitz write about him and the implication is that Horowitz is doing so reluctantly。 Over the course of events， Horowitz becomes assistant detective and has to tip toe round Hawthorne’s ego but underneath there is a reluctant admission of mutual respectThis story is set on the island of Alderney which is hosting its first literary festival。 It's just before the publication of the first novel ‘The Word is Murder’ and it's an opportunity to introduce Hawthorne to the literary world。 There is a dispute about a proposed pipeline that has divided the island even before the authors arrive and the fun starts。 The mystery is very much in Agatha Christie vein - murders in a small， closed community， with visitors and a bumbling police chief and his sidekick。 No one is who they seem to be。 Everyone has secrets that are revealed as Hawthorne investigates。The ending seems to be inevitable and a bit of an anticlimax， as Horowitz remarks， and then it swerves in another direction that provides a new moral dimension to the murder and a satisfying ending to the book。 The book is well written and was a relaxing， engaging read。 The multiple layers of author as narrator and character enhances the storytelling - as the murder hunt uncovers layers to characters and events， readers also get to see the layer of an author commenting on the story he will have to write。 I enjoyed it immensely。 The ending hinted at the storyline for a 4th book。 I hope that will happen。 ‘The Word is Murder’， ‘The Sentence is Death’， ‘A Line to Kill’ and ‘A Paragraph of ……’ ！？I am very grateful to NetGalley and Random House UK Cornerstone for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Elainedav
，
This is the third book in the series and just as entertaining as the previous two。 This series has a really unusual concept。 Anthony Horowitz is writing about himself as an author and he is following， studying and writing about ex Scotland Yard Detective Daniel Hawthorne。In this novel， the pair meet at the publishers and are invited to take part in a new literary festival on the island of Alderney。 Horowitz is surprised that Hawthorne agrees to go and is irritated that he seems to have been more This is the third book in the series and just as entertaining as the previous two。 This series has a really unusual concept。 Anthony Horowitz is writing about himself as an author and he is following， studying and writing about ex Scotland Yard Detective Daniel Hawthorne。In this novel， the pair meet at the publishers and are invited to take part in a new literary festival on the island of Alderney。 Horowitz is surprised that Hawthorne agrees to go and is irritated that he seems to have been more open， about himself， with the publishers， than he has ever been with Horowitz himself。 Reflections on the relationship between the two characters is one of the things I like most in this series of books。 It feels very real as if Horowitz is describing a real person。 And then all his doubts and worries seem equally valid。The pair go off to Alderney and appear at the festival and then there is a murder。 Hawthorne is asked to help out with the investigation and of course this is the basis of book three。 There are lots of references to the previous books in this one。 I felt the book overall was a bit of a slower pace than the previous two - this in part may be down to the change of setting and a slower pace in Alderney is， perhaps appropriate。 It was a very enjoyable read and I highly recommend starting with book one and reading all three， it is such a unique series。Thank you to NetGalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
James Doyle
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There has never been a murder on Alderney。 Our author and narrator is due to attend a book festival with his subject， Private Investigator Daniel Hawthorne， in Alderney。 You can see where this is going。I will refer to the author as Horowitz， and the narrator as Anthony。 As usual， Anthony bumbles behind Hawthorne， seeing everything the PI sees， without understanding the meaning behind what's going on。 Anthony is us。 We are experiencing the situation with our narrator （to the extent that I， like A There has never been a murder on Alderney。 Our author and narrator is due to attend a book festival with his subject， Private Investigator Daniel Hawthorne， in Alderney。 You can see where this is going。I will refer to the author as Horowitz， and the narrator as Anthony。 As usual， Anthony bumbles behind Hawthorne， seeing everything the PI sees， without understanding the meaning behind what's going on。 Anthony is us。 We are experiencing the situation with our narrator （to the extent that I， like Anthony， had suspicions regarding a certain character）。As with the previous novels in this series， A Line to Kill is very fun， highly intriguing， and leaves me wanting more。I've read a lot of Horowitz。 From Horowitz Horror， to the Alex Rider series， Magpie Murders and the Hawthorne crime novels。 I knew I would absolutely love A Line to Kill， and I did。 Horowitz is one of the most readable authors on the planet。 I could keep reading about Anthony and Hawthorne's investigations for years to come。Many thanks to Anthony Horowitz， NetGalley， and Random House UK for this copy。 。。。more
Claire Hennighan
，
There has never been a murder on Alderney… Well， there has now！ In the third of his Hawthorne series， Anthony Horowitz once again places himself as a character in this novel。 This time， the pair are attending a literary conference on the island of Alderney， along with an eclectic selection of other writers - a celebrity chef， a French performance poet， a medium and a children’s author。 Although this is a murder mystery， I’d place this book very much in the genre of ‘cozy Murder’ - no gore， swear There has never been a murder on Alderney… Well， there has now！ In the third of his Hawthorne series， Anthony Horowitz once again places himself as a character in this novel。 This time， the pair are attending a literary conference on the island of Alderney， along with an eclectic selection of other writers - a celebrity chef， a French performance poet， a medium and a children’s author。 Although this is a murder mystery， I’d place this book very much in the genre of ‘cozy Murder’ - no gore， swearing or vivid descriptions of violence。 However， what ‘A Line to Kill’ lacks in grit， it makes up for in Horowitz’s cast of fully-formed characters， a plot full of twists and turns， and his tongue-in-cheek humour。 Although this book is the third in a series， it is easily read as a stand-alone novel， and this is the page-turner that will get readers talking this summer。His novels about Detective Hawthorne are pretty unique in featuring the author as a character。 Personally， I really enjoyed reading descriptions of Horowitz’s meetings with his publicity team and agent， which offered a rare insight within the bounds of fiction。 Thoroughly recommended， and I look forward to the next instalment！ 。。。more
Libby Brennan
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When I first started this book， I was utterly confused by the perspective。 I soon realised that it was in the authors’ perspective？ This really threw me off。 I also had no clue that this was the third book in the series until about half way through so my opinion might be slightly swayed。 The cozy crime aspect drew me in but the clues and hints didn’t throw me off and I did manage to guess most of what was going on。 I liked the island of Alderney and I think the setting was very well built and it When I first started this book， I was utterly confused by the perspective。 I soon realised that it was in the authors’ perspective？ This really threw me off。 I also had no clue that this was the third book in the series until about half way through so my opinion might be slightly swayed。 The cozy crime aspect drew me in but the clues and hints didn’t throw me off and I did manage to guess most of what was going on。 I liked the island of Alderney and I think the setting was very well built and it was easy to picture。 Overall， I would have probably enjoyed this book more if I’d read the previous books in the series but I still think the ending was unsatisfying。 Thank you to Random House Cornerstone and NetGalley for letting me read this ARC in exchange for this review。 。。。more
Mavis
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A very enjoyable read。 Anthony Horowitz as himself with Daniel Hawthorne， ex detective and PI， about whom he is supposed to be writing a biography。 They are off to a small literary festival on Alderney。 I love the way Anthony writes about himself tongue in cheek， trying to out think the detective with whom he has a difficult relationship。 And yet he is unable to see how he works out the answers; and there are plenty of answer to find as Hawthorne is asked to be a Consultant to the ineffective lo A very enjoyable read。 Anthony Horowitz as himself with Daniel Hawthorne， ex detective and PI， about whom he is supposed to be writing a biography。 They are off to a small literary festival on Alderney。 I love the way Anthony writes about himself tongue in cheek， trying to out think the detective with whom he has a difficult relationship。 And yet he is unable to see how he works out the answers; and there are plenty of answer to find as Hawthorne is asked to be a Consultant to the ineffective local police after the first murder。 The book is peopled with wonderful characters， the second rate literary guests， the insular Islanders and the Island itself。 It is all done with humour and a deft touch。 It is also peppered with anecdotes within the main story and the writing is excellent as always。 Hawthorne is as enigmatic as ever。 Loved it！ Good title too…。Thanks to Random House Cornerstone and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review。 。。。more
Susan
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When Ex-Detective Inspector Daniel Hawthorne and his sidekick， author Anthony Horowitz， are invited to an exclusive literary festival on Alderney， an idyllic island off the south coast of England， they don’t expect to find themselves in the middle of murder investigation—or to be trapped with a cold-blooded killer in a remote place with a murky， haunted past。Arriving on Alderney， Hawthorne and Horowitz soon meet the festival’s other guests—an eccentric gathering that includes a bestselling child When Ex-Detective Inspector Daniel Hawthorne and his sidekick， author Anthony Horowitz， are invited to an exclusive literary festival on Alderney， an idyllic island off the south coast of England， they don’t expect to find themselves in the middle of murder investigation—or to be trapped with a cold-blooded killer in a remote place with a murky， haunted past。Arriving on Alderney， Hawthorne and Horowitz soon meet the festival’s other guests—an eccentric gathering that includes a bestselling children’s author， a French poet， a TV chef turned cookbook author， a blind psychic， and a war historian—along with a group of ornery locals embroiled in an escalating feud over a disruptive power line。When a local grandee is found dead under mysterious circumstances， Hawthorne and Horowitz become embroiled in the case。 The island is locked down， no one is allowed on or off， and it soon becomes horribly clear that a murderer lurks in their midst。 But who？ What an absolutely brilliant book！ I was so absorbed in the story and characters that I found myself wondering if Horowitz as actually as self deprecating as he appears only to pull myself up short and remind myself that he's actually writing the book！ A fabulous whodunnit with loads of clues and leads （all of which I got completely wrong）。 I fell for every red herring， found myself following the author's misdirection and had absolutely no idea who the murderer would turn out to be - and the book was all the better for it！This is my first Hawthorne and Horowitz mystery which I received from Netgalley in return for an honest review。 However I'm now about to read the first two in the series。 What a treat is in store for me！ 。。。more
Scarlet Wilson
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I’m looking at the peaceful island of Alderney in a whole new light！ Following on from the first two books this story quickly gathers place at a literary festival with murders placed throughout。 To y and Hawthorne are the quirky couple as before， with Hawthorne knowing everything， giving nothing away and just letting Tony scrabble along behind him。 Anthony Horowitz writes his own character as frustrated， annoyed， a little bit envious， but always slightly in awe of his counterpoint。 As a teaser， I’m looking at the peaceful island of Alderney in a whole new light！ Following on from the first two books this story quickly gathers place at a literary festival with murders placed throughout。 To y and Hawthorne are the quirky couple as before， with Hawthorne knowing everything， giving nothing away and just letting Tony scrabble along behind him。 Anthony Horowitz writes his own character as frustrated， annoyed， a little bit envious， but always slightly in awe of his counterpoint。 As a teaser， the stepping stones to the next book are there。 Completely enjoyable read。 。。。more
Julie Friar
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Never read a novel before where the author is one of the main characters。 A novel that keeps you guessing who knows what and who killed who。Interesting characters and very enjoyable novel but you must be patient if you want to know who did it。
Angela Thompson
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A Line to KillI did not realise this was a part of a series， and I'd come late to the party at No。3。。However I did enjoy this one but did feel like I'd missed out a little by not reading the previous ones。It is set in Alderney a tiny island in the channel isles。 Anthony Horowitz （ ！ ） is attending a literary festival with his sidekick PI Hawthorne to promote their new book 。 The sponsor of the festival has been found murdered and they set about to help solve the murder。I enjoyed it enough to see A Line to KillI did not realise this was a part of a series， and I'd come late to the party at No。3。。However I did enjoy this one but did feel like I'd missed out a little by not reading the previous ones。It is set in Alderney a tiny island in the channel isles。 Anthony Horowitz （ ！ ） is attending a literary festival with his sidekick PI Hawthorne to promote their new book 。 The sponsor of the festival has been found murdered and they set about to help solve the murder。I enjoyed it enough to seek out the other two and look forward to reading his next one。 。。。more
kayleigh ❁
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⭑⭑ 2 stars "I couldn't see the sea from my bedroom， but I could hear the waves breaking in the distance。 They reminded me that I was on a tiny island - and so was the killer。 We were both trapped。" Hawthorne the private investigator， and Horowitz the author of Hawthorne's previous murder solves， are invited to a literary festival on the small island of Alderney amongst a small group of authors。 During the end of a party， the wealthy sponsor of the literary festival is found murdered， tied ⭑⭑ 2 stars "I couldn't see the sea from my bedroom， but I could hear the waves breaking in the distance。 They reminded me that I was on a tiny island - and so was the killer。 We were both trapped。" Hawthorne the private investigator， and Horowitz the author of Hawthorne's previous murder solves， are invited to a literary festival on the small island of Alderney amongst a small group of authors。 During the end of a party， the wealthy sponsor of the literary festival is found murdered， tied to a chair， with a paperknife jutted into his neck。 This is the first ever murder on Alderney - yet everyone is a suspect。 Are the residents as civilised as they seem？ And will Hawthorne deduce every secret lurking beneath the amenable surfaces of the suspects？Firstly， I'd like to kickstart this by saying I'm an avid Sherlock Holmes fan。 The first classic book I ever purchased was Sherlock Holmes， I read the entire Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original collection of Sherlock stories and watched many-many-many Holmes dedicated programmes/films （Enola Holmes is my favourite spin-off， whilst the classic Cumberbatch is my favourite screen adaptation）。 I really really love the narrative of insanely intelligent individual deduces murder mysteries with less intelligent though likeable sidekick bumbling behind。 A Line To Kill should be right up my street。。。 right？ I hate to say that I was bitterly disappointed by such a decorated storyteller as Horowitz but I'm afraid that is the truth。 However， I do not wish to put others off this book， merely share my experience so others can accurately determine whether or not this book is for them。 My foremost complaint is that I hated the dynamic between Horowitz and Hawthorne。 It made me quite frustrated that the dialogue between the two was extremely closed off， I could not glimpse at the sort of characters either of them were， I could not describe their personalities to you right now， all I could gather was that they did not particularly like each other。 It struck me that Horowitz as a character had a fragile ego， wrote much about his own musings about the killer， and spent much of his time trying to work out why Hawthorne did this， and why Hawthorne did that。 Hawthorne himself was simply confusing， he spoke about authors with disdain， yet had sought out publication of his own adventures？ His deductions were clumsy and unclear。 At one point he decides a text is male as the texter did not use as many abbreviations as the female recipient。 For me personally， it wasn't a satisfying dynamic。 My second complaint is that the prose seems to be dated， yet this is a new book。 There were a few misogynistic implications， especially concerning the open marriage between the murdered victim， and his wife。 I also noted a fat-phobic observation。 Admittedly， I did think it was masterful the way Horowitz wrote himself into fiction。 Not only that， but he wrote in a way that made me feel every single person on that island （residents and non-residents） were keeping a secret。 I especially enjoyed the scene of the seance with Lovell， and it was impossible to count the number of red herrings strewn across the pages。 Perhaps my scrutiny is harsh。 There are plenty of other reviews that are much nicer than mine。 And I hope others enjoy the book more than I did。 If I said it wasn't my cup of tea， then I would be lying， as aforementioned it is exactly my cup of tea， just。。。 not a very tasty one。 Click to follow my blog for more reviews 。。。more
Simon Bewick
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Anthony Horowitz is an incredibly diverse writer - from his YA Alex Ryder， Diamond Brothers and wonderful horror shorts， to his TV writing and adult novels including the Susan Ryeland series， James Bond and Sherlock Holmes updates and this - the third in the Hawthorn and Horowitz Mysteries。 Is it wrong to say an author's best character is himself？ I hope not， because I love what Horowitz does in this series; featuring himself in almost a Watson to Holmes'' role as the biographer of a brilliant b Anthony Horowitz is an incredibly diverse writer - from his YA Alex Ryder， Diamond Brothers and wonderful horror shorts， to his TV writing and adult novels including the Susan Ryeland series， James Bond and Sherlock Holmes updates and this - the third in the Hawthorn and Horowitz Mysteries。 Is it wrong to say an author's best character is himself？ I hope not， because I love what Horowitz does in this series; featuring himself in almost a Watson to Holmes'' role as the biographer of a brilliant but quirky detective - the ex policeman， now PI Daniel Hawthorne。 In this， their third outing， the pair are off to Alderney， a tiny island where， we are told， repeatedly， there has never been a murder， for a literary festival consisting of ''second rate' authors'。 There's so much to enjoy in these books - from the intricate plotting， to the 'spot the reference' （whether you're a crime fan or not）， to the characters: Horowtiz's TV work shines through in some of the。。。stereotypes is the wrong word because it sounds reductive， so lets say 'archetypes' - but you could almost cast the actors playing the secondary roles from their descriptions。 But for me， the best parts of these book are the slightly meta elements。 The fact that the author portrays himself in a less than flattering light （not the brightest， or worldly， or heroic of men - who， even as they investigate the island's first murder is concerned at being described as a 'lesser author' by those around him， or is disappointed at certain proceedings because he can't see how it'll lead to book sales， are all funny， self effacing touches。 Then there's Hawthorne - a combination of Poirot and Holmes （and why not - the author has written them both） who we slowly unravel over the course of the novels even as the author himself tries to figure out the enigmatic， private eccentric。 All of it adds up to a great read。 It's never too meta to be pretentious or impenetrable for those not familiar with the publishing industry， but it does provide some fascinating insights into the process of writing， being an author and getting a book out to the public。 At the end of the day though， none of this would matter if the story itself wasn't interesting and well thought out and Horowitz always does a fine job。 Here， he plays with the reader through his own character in the book with a 'writer/ reader's guesses of the events going on and the possible murderer based on the twisty crime dramas we've all read promising 'you'll never see the twist coming' - and taking delight in poking fun at those and himself even as he gives us his own audacious turns。 The best thing I can say - I always look forward to new books by Horowitz， and am prepared to go with whatever series/ character he chooses to write next， whether its his own invention or the estate of the literary greats。 And this one certainly doesn't disappoint。 Huge fun - and how often can you say THAT about a murder mystery？ 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=A Line To Kill
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=A Line To Kill&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,A Line To Kill&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0