A Line To Kill
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- Create Date：2021-08-29 07:51:57
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Anthony Horowitz
- ISBN：152912431X
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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
Jeannette
，
I didn't think that this book was as interesting as the previous two。 While the premise of the author writing himself into the book was a different， I didn't like the way Hawthorne ignored， belittled and generally had the "I am in charge" attitude with the author。 In most cases the author just shrugged and took it on the chin。 I wanted him to at least confront Hawthorne in some instances。 I was a bit surprised as to who the actual culprit was but I was confused a to why there was no recourse as I didn't think that this book was as interesting as the previous two。 While the premise of the author writing himself into the book was a different， I didn't like the way Hawthorne ignored， belittled and generally had the "I am in charge" attitude with the author。 In most cases the author just shrugged and took it on the chin。 I wanted him to at least confront Hawthorne in some instances。 I was a bit surprised as to who the actual culprit was but I was confused a to why there was no recourse as to what happed to the original suspect and who was responsible。 。。。more
Anne
，
Hawthorne is back。 These are my favorite of the Anthony Horowitz books and this one may be my favorite of all。 In this one Hawthorne joins Horowitz at the Alderney Literary Festival because he is the subject of Anthony’s newest book。 Horowitz has been concerned that Hawthorne will not be a good interview subject but much to his surprise， once on stage at the festival the animated Hawthorne reveals aspects of his past that Anthony has never learned despite knowing him for years。 And of course sin Hawthorne is back。 These are my favorite of the Anthony Horowitz books and this one may be my favorite of all。 In this one Hawthorne joins Horowitz at the Alderney Literary Festival because he is the subject of Anthony’s newest book。 Horowitz has been concerned that Hawthorne will not be a good interview subject but much to his surprise， once on stage at the festival the animated Hawthorne reveals aspects of his past that Anthony has never learned despite knowing him for years。 And of course since they are on an island it’s no surprise when there is a murder。 It will fall to Hawthorne to unravel the clues into a true picture of the guilty party。 There are twists and turns nearly to the end。I love the meta aspect of these books where the author is a character in his own books and the book he is about to publish about Hawthorne is named *The Word is Murder*。 These Sherlockian murder mysteries just make me a happy reader。 Thank you to @harpercollinsus for this #advancereaderscopy。 。。。more
Eddie
，
Anthony Horowitz always provides outstanding tales and this series is one that I have looked forward to each instalment as the relationship with Hawthorne develops。This book is a very well written and presented tale， I enjoyed the unique storyline and especially as it is so different from the other books。 The book held my attention throughout as I attempted to solve the murder but was completely flummoxed。It was really special to have Tony admit at the end that he also suspected the same charact Anthony Horowitz always provides outstanding tales and this series is one that I have looked forward to each instalment as the relationship with Hawthorne develops。This book is a very well written and presented tale， I enjoyed the unique storyline and especially as it is so different from the other books。 The book held my attention throughout as I attempted to solve the murder but was completely flummoxed。It was really special to have Tony admit at the end that he also suspected the same character as me！Very， very highly recommended！ 。。。more
Shine Zaw-Aung
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A dependable sort of mystery from Horowitz， but less compelling than previous two Hawthorne mysteries， despite a cool setting on Alderney。 Finished in two days， but a weak outing。
Gregory
，
Huge Horowitz fan here。 This latest is a blast。
David Peat
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Another great who-dunnit The third in the series and this book was more about the deepening relationship between the two main protagonists。 The who-dunnit had classical features of a murder amongst a small group in an isolated place。 Several suspects and ideas kept the pace and reader’s interest。 Horowitz is fantastic and there is a superb cliffhanger …
Ellen
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Loved it！ Great fun！ ❤️
Jess
，
Another satisfying instalment in the Hawthorne/Horowitz murder mystery series。 This is exactly the type of mystery book I like， very little in the way of violence， but a great deal of red herrings and interesting character dynamics。 Not to mention a resolution that I didn’t see coming！ I really enjoy Anthony Horowitz’ writing， he has a very easy and entertaining style which I can whizz through （no flowery prose to muddle through！）
Kevin McMahon
，
Now one of my favourite authors and another great whodunnit featuring Hawthorne and the author。 This one set on Alderney during a book festival and doesn't disappoint。 Now one of my favourite authors and another great whodunnit featuring Hawthorne and the author。 This one set on Alderney during a book festival and doesn't disappoint。 。。。more
Gowri N。
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A lifelong Agatha Christie enthusiast， I consider Anthony Horowitz a truly worthy successor。 It is a pet peeve of mine that he wasn't commissioned to write the new Poirot books and instead， the world is inflicted with the utter crap that Sophie Hannah churns out。 So I am excited every time a new Horowitz is announced。What I love about this series is the meta bit: the author is a character in the book。 He is himself for all intents and purposes and yet—is he really？ Is this exactly how his life i A lifelong Agatha Christie enthusiast， I consider Anthony Horowitz a truly worthy successor。 It is a pet peeve of mine that he wasn't commissioned to write the new Poirot books and instead， the world is inflicted with the utter crap that Sophie Hannah churns out。 So I am excited every time a new Horowitz is announced。What I love about this series is the meta bit: the author is a character in the book。 He is himself for all intents and purposes and yet—is he really？ Is this exactly how his life is？ The truth is we'll never know！ This delightful mix of truth and fiction is a fun game the reader gets to play all through the Hawthorne & Horowitz series。 Which is why I am a tad disappointed by how this dynamic played out in this book。 Unlike in books 1 and 2， in this one， Horowitz has written himself as a Watson more pathetic than the original Watson。 He has portrayed himself as a grumpy bungler， a laggard， a whiner—none of which is how I remember him from the previous two books。 And that did dampen some of my enthusiasm for this one。On the plus side， the setting is interesting and the plot is， as always， solid。 The clueing is fair play as well， which readers who like to guess whodunit will definitely enjoy。 So pick up this one and give it a try！ 。。。more
Ryo U
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“So that was it: an unhealthy chef， a blind psychic， a war historian， a children’s author， a French poet， Hawthorne and me。 Not quite the magnificent seven， I couldn’t help thinking。”Started: Aug 19， 2021Finished: Aug 26， 2021Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Eyejaybee
，
With each new book of his that I read， I am increasingly impressed with Anthony Horowitz’s flexibility。 In recent years he has probably been best known for writing the popular and enduring television series， Foyle’s War along with several episodes of Midsomer Murders。 He is also the author of the very successful series of children’s novels around the character Alex Rider。 But over the last few years he has also branched out into fiction for adults （I know that is a rather awkward construction， b With each new book of his that I read， I am increasingly impressed with Anthony Horowitz’s flexibility。 In recent years he has probably been best known for writing the popular and enduring television series， Foyle’s War along with several episodes of Midsomer Murders。 He is also the author of the very successful series of children’s novels around the character Alex Rider。 But over the last few years he has also branched out into fiction for adults （I know that is a rather awkward construction， but I feared that the phrase ‘adult fiction’ might give people altogether the wrong impression of his writing， and， indeed， my reading habits）， in which he continues to demonstrate a constantly innovative approach。 The first of his novels that I encountered was The House of Silk， which he was commissioned to write by the Estate of Arthur Conan Doyle， and which recounted a ‘lost’ Sherlock Holmes adventure which， for reasons which become evident as the story progresses， Dr Watson had undertaken to defer from publication until all the protagonists were dead。 Horowitz captured the feel of Conan Doyle’s original stories admirably， and the book represented a valuable addition to the Sherlock Holmes canon。Following that success， he was commissioned by the Estate of Ian Fleming to write a new James Bond book， which came to fruition as Trigger Mortis。 Once again， he captured the feel and style of the original books – far more capably than Sebastian Faulks managed in The Devil May Care， and to my mind almost on a par with William Boyd’s excellent Solo。 Indeed， I suspect that writers as accomplished as Boyd and Horowitz probably found it painful to have to rein in their own laudable style to try to recapture what I have also seen as the relentless mediocrity of Ian Fleming’s prose。He followed this with another venture into the world of Sherlock Holmes territory with his excellent Moriarty， which recounted the exploits of that arch criminal and featured a major twist that I certainly didn’t see coming， and then addressed the traditional whodunit with a homage to Agatha Christie in The Magpie Murders， one of the finest examples of meta-fiction that I have read recently。In his next novel， The Word is Murder， Horowitz returned to meta-fiction but with a different twist， casting himself as one of the leading characters， which allowed him to offer an insight into the modus operandi of a busy professional writer。 In that book Horowitz was more or less appropriated by Daniel Hawthorne， a former Detective inspector from the Metropolitan Police。 Hawthorne had previously acted as an adviser on some of the programmes with which Horowitz had been involved， and also occasionally acts as a consultant for the Met on some of their more unusual murder investigations。 Hawthorne approaches Horowitz， asking the writer to catalogue some of his investigations with a view to their eventual publication in book form。 The relationship between Hawthorne and Horowitz was fractious but eventually productive， and they do eventually identify the perpetrator of the first murder that they investigate。This novel is the third to feature that uncomfortable pairing， and sees them flying to Alderney to attend a new literary festival， with a view to promoting The Word is Murder， which was then on the point of publication。 They are accompanied by a selection of other writers who will be promoting their latest works at the festival。 These include a television celebrity chef， the writer of some successful children’s adventure stories， a French performance poet who writes in a rare regional dialect， and a blind writer who has acquired apparent spiritual powers as her physical vision faded。 Right from their first meeting， at Southampton Airport， tensions are clearly apparent within the group， and these intensify once they land in Alderney and meet some of the other participants in the Festival， along with prominent members of the local community。 That community is currently riven over plans to develop a power line from France， which will be extended to the British mainland。 Many islanders see this as a source of commercial benefit to Alderney， while others see it as a disfigurement of the island’s charm。Against this backdrop the various writers attend a session at the house of the island’s most wealthy resident， an especially unpleasant man who seems to have encountered several of the writers in the past。 Almost predictably， he is found dead at the end of the evening， in circumstances that leave no ready explanation。 As Alderney lacks its own resident police force， officers are dispatched from elsewhere in the Channel Islands， and they immediately call up Daniel Hawthorne’s past experience， commissioning him to lead the investigation。Horowitz manages all of this with his customary dexterity， self-deprecatingly making his own character the butt of much derision。 As always， the plot is watertight。 The clues are all there， although I contrived to miss most of them！ The tension between Horowitz and Hawthorne （wo is a decidedly difficult and generally unempathetic character） is very deftly developed， and the addition of some clever humour all makes for a very entertaining and rewarding book。And while one shouldn’t judge a book by its cover， the endpapers are very appealing too， 。。。more
Tonya with an "O"
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While I still love the dynamics between Anthony and Hawthorne and intend to keep reading about their （mis？） adventures， the story execution here fell short。Anthony Horowitz has spoken about his love and admiration for Agatha Christie in previous works， and also makes reference to her genius in this book。 I'm assuming the "murder on a tiny island" is meant as an homage to the locked room mystery that Christie did so well。 For the most part， Horowitz is very talented at doing the same。 He knows ho While I still love the dynamics between Anthony and Hawthorne and intend to keep reading about their （mis？） adventures， the story execution here fell short。Anthony Horowitz has spoken about his love and admiration for Agatha Christie in previous works， and also makes reference to her genius in this book。 I'm assuming the "murder on a tiny island" is meant as an homage to the locked room mystery that Christie did so well。 For the most part， Horowitz is very talented at doing the same。 He knows how to keep you engaged; guessing and second guessing the killer。 You know all the suspects， you've heard all the clues， but still you're shocked at the 'AHA！ MOMENT'。And that did still happen at the end， but there are a few things that were never mentioned， and could not have been known， that are laid out during the big reveal。 That bugs me。 It means that even if I clocked every clue correctly， I still may never have figured it out。 Also， there were threads left dangling after the wrap up， and I prefer an unambiguous end。 A Line to Kill is entertaining， witty， and suspenseful。 I just wish it was more self-aware and less self-congratulatory。 。。。more
Justin
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I was lucky enough to snag an ARC of this from another bookstagrammer and much like his others， Horowitz has written yet another great mystery！ Eccentric characters， an intricate plot， and a plausible murder。 With a cliffhanger ending about Hawthorne， I’m hoping this means there are many more Horowitz and Hawthorne mysteries to come！
Kerry
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4。5 stars。 This is the third book in the ‘Hawthorne Investigates’ series， where the author himself imagines that he is working as a true crime biographer for a Sherlock-esque freelance detective who solves unusual murders。 The premise still feels a bit weird but I’m really enjoying these books and will definitely continue to read them。 I’m hoping that Anthony Horowitz will release another Sherlock book next！
Vivienne
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My thanks to Random House U。K。/Cornerstone for an eARC， via NetGalley， of ‘A Line to Kill’ by Anthony Horowitz in exchange for an honest review。 I complemented my reading with its unabridged audiobook edition， read by Rory Kinnear。 This is the third in this quirky series of mysteries featuring former police detective turned private investigator， Daniel Hawthorne。 What makes these books unusual is that Horowitz is a character in the novels。 He serves as the narrator and something of a Watson to H My thanks to Random House U。K。/Cornerstone for an eARC， via NetGalley， of ‘A Line to Kill’ by Anthony Horowitz in exchange for an honest review。 I complemented my reading with its unabridged audiobook edition， read by Rory Kinnear。 This is the third in this quirky series of mysteries featuring former police detective turned private investigator， Daniel Hawthorne。 What makes these books unusual is that Horowitz is a character in the novels。 He serves as the narrator and something of a Watson to Hawthorne’s Holmes。The premise for the series is that Hawthorne had proposed the idea of a series of crime novels based on his cases and Horowitz agreed to shadow him and write up the investigations。 In ‘A Line to Kill’ their first book， ‘The Word is Murder’， is about to be published and they receive an invitation to attend a new literary festival being held on Alderney in the Channel Islands。 It is a tiny island， just three miles long and a mile and a half wide。 Its residents are quite proud that there has never been a murder on Alderney。 Until now…。I won’t say more in order to avoid spoilers。 ‘A Line to Kill’ is a very clever whodunnit with plenty of witty dialogue。 Horowitz has a stunning amount of writing experience including adapting murder mysteries for television such as the highly popular ‘Midsomer Murders’ and ‘Poirot’。 His plotting and pacing is impeccable。 I have never been disappointed by any of his novels。Alongside his fictional self and Daniel Hawthorne， Horowitz has assembled a great cast of supporting characters including the visiting authors and the local residents。 I was pleased to have its audiobook edition as it included a bonus interview in which Horowitz spoke about his inspirations for the Hawthorne & Horowitz Mysteries and his future plans for the series。 Hurrah。 I certainly intend to continue reading them as long as he writes them。 Overall， an entertaining and highly engaging new instalment in this excellent series of murder mysteries。 。。。more
Вени
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3。5*
Saravanan Mani
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An excellent third book that continues to be a masterclass in crime writing。 Utterly delightful to read， the setting and the plot is a cool puzzle that you can solve before the end if you pay close attention。 The characters and the structure is quite typical of the genre but it is kept fresh with subtle shifts。 I think it is Umberto Eco who said that repetition with innovation is what keeps the viewer engaged。 I was literally glued to the story The audiobook version is worth listening for Rory K An excellent third book that continues to be a masterclass in crime writing。 Utterly delightful to read， the setting and the plot is a cool puzzle that you can solve before the end if you pay close attention。 The characters and the structure is quite typical of the genre but it is kept fresh with subtle shifts。 I think it is Umberto Eco who said that repetition with innovation is what keeps the viewer engaged。 I was literally glued to the story The audiobook version is worth listening for Rory Kinnear's performance but it is further made awesome with an interview with the author。 I wish I could attend one of his live talks。 Here's looking forward to the next 11 books！ 。。。more
Forthbridge
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I did not get a free copy of this book but was happy to pay for it。 The USP of this series is that the author himself appears as a hopeless aide to the updated Holmes character。 All very audacious but by book three the novelty has worn off a bit but that does not matter。 The delights of this book are various elements that are pitch perfect。 The set-up is really interesting and he does not rush the crime which only occurs after the Alderney literary festival， featuring a celebrity chef， a childr I did not get a free copy of this book but was happy to pay for it。 The USP of this series is that the author himself appears as a hopeless aide to the updated Holmes character。 All very audacious but by book three the novelty has worn off a bit but that does not matter。 The delights of this book are various elements that are pitch perfect。 The set-up is really interesting and he does not rush the crime which only occurs after the Alderney literary festival， featuring a celebrity chef， a children's author and a blind spiritualist， is well under way。 The description of Alderney ， a tiny English speaking island off France， is very good。 The pacing of the plot is spot on and the cast of minor characters is great fun。 There is a taxi driver who talks far too much， you know what I mean guv？ The policeman is so lazy you want to shake him。 However Horowitz does villains brilliantly and my favorite is an arrogant， heartless swine who makes the late Harry Flashman look like a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize。 I loved it and will come back to it in future years when I need a tonic。 The Audible version has Rory Kinnear in great form doing all the voices and there is a bonus with 30 minutes of interview with the author which is absorbing。 。。。more
Hans
，
For me， A Line To Kill is the best book in the Hawthorne and Horowitz Mystery series so far。 It's a wonderful throwback to the classic Agatha Christie whodunnits and the setting is just perfect。 Hawthorne and Anthony Horowitz are invited to a literary festival on the small， remote island of Alderney to promote Anthony's upcoming true crime novel about private detective Daniel Hawthorne and of course， there's murder， the usual secrets and entanglements of a small community， icompetent police and For me， A Line To Kill is the best book in the Hawthorne and Horowitz Mystery series so far。 It's a wonderful throwback to the classic Agatha Christie whodunnits and the setting is just perfect。 Hawthorne and Anthony Horowitz are invited to a literary festival on the small， remote island of Alderney to promote Anthony's upcoming true crime novel about private detective Daniel Hawthorne and of course， there's murder， the usual secrets and entanglements of a small community， icompetent police and a very exclusive circle of suspects with everyone having a motive for the crime。It's a big plus that Hawthorne， while maybe still not exactly pleasant， is a lot less irritating than before。 It's hard to forget that he can be an utter jerk and that he is a homophobe on top of that， but this doesn't come up here and overall he is a bit more likable than before。 He is still very secretive about personal matters， but we actually learn a bit more about him and his past and it helps that he can't really run away from Anthony's questions this time。On the other hand， Anthony comes across as a bit snobbish， especially early in the book when they first arrive on the island and they meet the other writers。 But it's actually fun to guess how much of himself Horowitz has written into this fictional version of himself and how accurate his self-portrayal is。Anyway， Hawthorne and Horowitz have settled into their Watson and Holmes routine quite well。 Although I'm reluctant to actually compare Hawthorne to Holmes， Horowitz makes a great Watson in that he chronicles the investigation and makes some educated guesses that mostly end up being wrong or just wrong enough。 And once again， it's possible to guess large parts of the solution to the investigation yourself， which is for me a sign of quality and respect for the reader。 。。。more
Blue
，
I am a big fan of this Hawthorne and Horowitz Mystery series。 Immensely enjoyed the first two books and am excited to read this latest installment。 Loved the unique and novel concept of Horowitz becoming a character in his stories。 The prickly relationship between Hawthorne and Horowitz is the best feature of this series。 Hawthorne is still incorrigible， secretive about his private life， forthright in interviewing potential suspects。 He gets Horowitz’s goat by keeping him in the dark about the i I am a big fan of this Hawthorne and Horowitz Mystery series。 Immensely enjoyed the first two books and am excited to read this latest installment。 Loved the unique and novel concept of Horowitz becoming a character in his stories。 The prickly relationship between Hawthorne and Horowitz is the best feature of this series。 Hawthorne is still incorrigible， secretive about his private life， forthright in interviewing potential suspects。 He gets Horowitz’s goat by keeping him in the dark about the investigation。Coming to this mystery， set in tiny island Alderney， where this duo along with an eclectic mix of authors are invited to a literary festival sponsored by local mogul。 As expected， murder happens and everyone on this tiny island becomes suspects including authors’ group。 Investigation becomes complicated as everyone has a motive and could benefit from the killing and have skeletons in their closets。Hawthorne hurls blatant accusations and it was amusing to see the outrage of the interviewees。 Couple of characters are disgusting to the core。 Their despicable acts made my skin crawl。 Horowitz’s observations and Hawthorne’s remarks and retorts are icing on the cake。 These cracked me up most of the time。 The inspector Torode in charge of the investigation is a quirky character。 He is always on the lookout for food wherever he goes， just like me。The island setting is fabulous， where everyone knows everything about everyone。 The mystery is a solid one。 I couldn’t guess the killer。Overall， it was a good whodunit with a galore of red herrings， suspects， and secrets。 I eagerly look forward to the next in the series。 。。。more
Robert Maweni
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Disappointing effort from my favourite author “Tony” remains my favourite author however， this particular novel was not amongst one of his best。 Like the title， it seems almost forced， which is disappointing for someone who is really a literary genius。 The first two were amazing， I suppose it was always going to be hard to match that。
Peter Evans
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A book festival on the small island of Alderney with an eclectic group of writers sponsored by a rich benefactor - not the kind of place you would expect to see former detective Daniel Hawthorne and novelist Anthony Horowitz unless there is a murder to solve。 Which there isn’t。Things are not as peaceful as they look with the island’s population split on a proposed power line cutting through the graves of war heroes， and the person who stand to profit if things go ahead is our rich benefactor。 Th A book festival on the small island of Alderney with an eclectic group of writers sponsored by a rich benefactor - not the kind of place you would expect to see former detective Daniel Hawthorne and novelist Anthony Horowitz unless there is a murder to solve。 Which there isn’t。Things are not as peaceful as they look with the island’s population split on a proposed power line cutting through the graves of war heroes， and the person who stand to profit if things go ahead is our rich benefactor。 The man in question throws a big shindig for the writers and people from the island， but things go awry when he is brutally murdered and it seems everyone’s a suspect。 With the death of a second person， Alderney is put on lockdown and no one is allowed to leave until the crime is solved。If only they had people with experience in solving murders。 Step forward Hawthorne and Horowitz。A superb book， with great humour， a wonderful cast of characters and a story that’s highly intoxicating， along with the ever brilliant Daniel Hawthorne。Another masterclass in literally fiction by Anthony Horowitz。 He really is a marvellous storyteller and this book is a perfect example of his talent and a book I highly recommend。 。。。more
Jane Brierley
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This is the second novel I have read featuring the ex detective Hawthorne and his sidekick Tony who also happens to be the author of the book。 I thought the first book in the series tried a bit too hard to be clever， whereas the style in this was much more relaxed and the character of Tony seemed more natural。 The book is based at a literary festival: an event the author clearly know well and which includes quite a bit of dry humour。 It was a satisfying and enjoyable mystery but I hope we will g This is the second novel I have read featuring the ex detective Hawthorne and his sidekick Tony who also happens to be the author of the book。 I thought the first book in the series tried a bit too hard to be clever， whereas the style in this was much more relaxed and the character of Tony seemed more natural。 The book is based at a literary festival: an event the author clearly know well and which includes quite a bit of dry humour。 It was a satisfying and enjoyable mystery but I hope we will get to know a bit more about Hawthorne in future books 。。。more
Lorraine Woodall
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A detective novel with a difference。 I love the style of this book。 You get the murder， the investigation and the interviews but you are watching from the sidelines with the author of the book。 It's a real whodunnit and Hawthorne plays his cards very close to his chest unlike the writer who puzzles over things without always seeing them。 I really enjoy reading about this chalk and cheese couple and whilst I don't have the detective skills of Hawthorne I did manage to pick up more clues than Anth A detective novel with a difference。 I love the style of this book。 You get the murder， the investigation and the interviews but you are watching from the sidelines with the author of the book。 It's a real whodunnit and Hawthorne plays his cards very close to his chest unlike the writer who puzzles over things without always seeing them。 I really enjoy reading about this chalk and cheese couple and whilst I don't have the detective skills of Hawthorne I did manage to pick up more clues than Anthony。A joy to read。 。。。more
Carien
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I liked it， just like the previous two。
Sydney Stylites
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Not his best， but intriguing。Also， I'd assumed this was a trilogy？ The ending just。。。I don't know how to feel that there might be a fourth book Not his best， but intriguing。Also， I'd assumed this was a trilogy？ The ending just。。。I don't know how to feel that there might be a fourth book 。。。more
Sally
，
A Line to Kill is the third outing for Detective Hawthorne and his sidekick， the author Horowitz himself。 You can come to this without having read the other two books in the series but I’d be rather sad that you’d missed their brilliance！ Horowitz and Hawthorne are invited into the offices of Penguin Random House - oh how I love this gorgeous blurring of fact and fiction - and invited to attend a literary festival on the island of Alderney。 Arriving at their hotel they meet the other festival at A Line to Kill is the third outing for Detective Hawthorne and his sidekick， the author Horowitz himself。 You can come to this without having read the other two books in the series but I’d be rather sad that you’d missed their brilliance！ Horowitz and Hawthorne are invited into the offices of Penguin Random House - oh how I love this gorgeous blurring of fact and fiction - and invited to attend a literary festival on the island of Alderney。 Arriving at their hotel they meet the other festival attendees- a blind psychic， a children’s writer and a chef among them - the festival biographies （which are absolutely wonderful） set up a delightful cast of possible murderers and victims！ I’m always in awe of detective novels: the setting up of the crime; the careful unravelling in a way that is at once plausible but not obvious seems to me to be a real skill。 Horowitz adds to it the device of author as character; author as biographer and detective sidekick who constantly gets things wrong and misses the point。 The device of clever， intuitive detective being written about by a writer who misses most clues is not only ingenious， but the source of constant amusement as Horowitz satirises himself。 At the festival he and Hawthorne give a talk which is later criticised by another character， ‘He said that the extract you read was too long and he didn’t think it was well written。’ The constant references to the book within the book， ‘If there is a book， I’ll leave the solution until the last chapter’， to a possible suspect not being suitable for the book Horowitz is going to write as they are not deserving of any sympathy， all serve to wrong foot the reader。 The setting of Alderney， a tiny Channel Island which has never seen a murder， which is only ‘three square mile’， but filled with caves enough to disappear a body or two add to a delightful claustrophobia， tension and feeling of being trapped， locked in！This remains one of my favourite series， an absolute delight， consistently ingenious and comic。 Hawthorne and Horowitz are one of my favourite duos。 I love the tension between the illusive and secretive but ingenious Hawthorne and the hapless Horowitz who is becoming a reluctant biographer， but is warned but his publishers that his character is eclipsing him！ With huge thanks to Penguin Random House for a review copy。 。。。more
Sash
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I'd ay it's a bit weaker than previous books， but still deliciously good :） I'd ay it's a bit weaker than previous books， but still deliciously good :） 。。。more
Cid
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This is the third in the Hawthorne investigates books by Anthony Horowitz and it's another very good one！ I really enjoyed the first two and I had this on a pre-order for ages and it arrived Thursday and I spent Thursday and Friday reading it。 They are invited to a book festival on the isle of Alderney and join a fellow eclectic band giving readings and taking part in discussions on their various books。 Unfortunately I sussed out the murderer， well one of them， early on， but it didn't spoil my e This is the third in the Hawthorne investigates books by Anthony Horowitz and it's another very good one！ I really enjoyed the first two and I had this on a pre-order for ages and it arrived Thursday and I spent Thursday and Friday reading it。 They are invited to a book festival on the isle of Alderney and join a fellow eclectic band giving readings and taking part in discussions on their various books。 Unfortunately I sussed out the murderer， well one of them， early on， but it didn't spoil my enjoyment of this mismatched pair of sleuths trying to read the runes and work out who did what！I think you need to read these books in order， although they can be standalone you miss all the previous history between Anthony and Daniel。 It's also an intriguing insight into the world of book publishing！！ 。。。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