A Line to Kill
- Downloads：6104
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-03-17 00:53:26
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Anthony Horowitz
- ISBN：1529156963
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
By the global bestselling author， Anthony Horowitz， the third novel in his acclaimed Hawthorne and Horowitz series。 The Russian mafia， a strange religious order and not one but two murders - stand by for a hugely enjoyable， twisty turny read。
***
It began with an appearance on BBC’s Question Time。
I’ll admit I was nervous。 In fact， I was terrified。 You have no what it’s like to occupy the “fifth chair”， sweating in the lights two places from David Dimbleby， sparring against practised politicians， just waiting for the audience to tear you apart。
But in fact everything was going quite well until a member of the audience asked me a question that on the face of it seemed completely inane and which left me floundering on live TV。 From that moment on， I simply fell apart。
The question， of course， had been asked by Daniel Hawthorne。 But when I searched for him after the filming was over， Hawthorne had disappeared。 A crew member told me that he’d seen the private detective being strong-armed into a car which had driven off at speed。
And when I got back to London， it seemed that he had disappeared。 His flat was empty。 Nobody had seen him。 He didn’t answer his phone。
By now I had become quite worried about him， which was why I decided to track down his ex-wife， Jayne， in Gants Hill。
It was a mistake。
First of all I found myself teaming up with a completely headstrong and unpredictable woman who was still in love with Hawthorne even if she couldn’t live with him。 Her twelve-year-old son was troubled， borderline psychotic。
And suddenly I found myself drawn into their world， searching for Hawthorne in the shadow of a massive property deal， the Russian mafia， a strange religious order and not one but two murders。
Was Hawthorne already dead？ Would I live long enough to find out？
***
It began with an appearance on BBC’s Question Time。
I’ll admit I was nervous。 In fact， I was terrified。 You have no what it’s like to occupy the “fifth chair”， sweating in the lights two places from David Dimbleby， sparring against practised politicians， just waiting for the audience to tear you apart。
But in fact everything was going quite well until a member of the audience asked me a question that on the face of it seemed completely inane and which left me floundering on live TV。 From that moment on， I simply fell apart。
The question， of course， had been asked by Daniel Hawthorne。 But when I searched for him after the filming was over， Hawthorne had disappeared。 A crew member told me that he’d seen the private detective being strong-armed into a car which had driven off at speed。
And when I got back to London， it seemed that he had disappeared。 His flat was empty。 Nobody had seen him。 He didn’t answer his phone。
By now I had become quite worried about him， which was why I decided to track down his ex-wife， Jayne， in Gants Hill。
It was a mistake。
First of all I found myself teaming up with a completely headstrong and unpredictable woman who was still in love with Hawthorne even if she couldn’t live with him。 Her twelve-year-old son was troubled， borderline psychotic。
And suddenly I found myself drawn into their world， searching for Hawthorne in the shadow of a massive property deal， the Russian mafia， a strange religious order and not one but two murders。
Was Hawthorne already dead？ Would I live long enough to find out？
Reviews
Randee
，
Brilliant！ Hawthorne is right up there with Nero Wolfe in my humble opinion。
Donna Kass
，
This reminded me of an Agatha Christie novel- twist at the end and all。 The story moved along well， and the relationship between Hawthorne and Horowitz is still puzzling。 Will I read another？ Not sure。
Kelsey
，
Another solid book in the series
Lauren
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 It was well written and I liked the story， but I called the murderer really early。 Spoiler: 。。。。The cover gave this away for me。
Monica
，
Good series， this storyline seemed a bit rushed。。。。。 not sure why
Jen Hunt
，
Always enjoy the chemistry between detective and author。 This was a fun story， and I loved seeing it unravel。 Definitely starting to learn more about our mysterious detective。
Becky
，
A LINE TO KILL by Anthony HorowitzI’m still not sure how I feel about the conceit of the author writing himself as the main character of the book。 I wasn’t pleased with it the first time Horowitz used it and I haven’t changed my mind。 That said， the mystery is a good one。 Stuck on a tiny island for a literary event the main characters are not really appropriate for， they wonder why they were invited。 When feuds break out among the town folk over a power line， the invitees get into squabble mode A LINE TO KILL by Anthony HorowitzI’m still not sure how I feel about the conceit of the author writing himself as the main character of the book。 I wasn’t pleased with it the first time Horowitz used it and I haven’t changed my mind。 That said， the mystery is a good one。 Stuck on a tiny island for a literary event the main characters are not really appropriate for， they wonder why they were invited。 When feuds break out among the town folk over a power line， the invitees get into squabble mode and start bickering among themselves。 With no escape from the island， murder shows up。 Clues abound， but the solution is difficult to discern。 DANGER is everywhere！4 of 5 stars 。。。more
Christine Bishop
，
Top of its Mystery GenreSlow in the beginning but accelerates at top speed to become impossible to put down。 Horowitz inserts himself as the under rated writer whose companion gets the glory but his self-effacing pose is very charming。 Great characters， witty， and plots twists that bounce around like a super ball。
Kathy
，
The murderer was someone I had suspected but discarded。 The clues were there， but I didn't put them together。 I'm not a fan of the author being a character in the book。 The murderer was someone I had suspected but discarded。 The clues were there， but I didn't put them together。 I'm not a fan of the author being a character in the book。 。。。more
Eleanor
，
Another good “Hawthorn Investigates。” Hope Horowitz write more！
Karl Nehring
，
Howowitz has done it again -- a great mystery read！
Silvio111
，
Now in his third appearance， Hawthorne is growing on me， although he is as enigmatic as ever。 However， some of his vulnerabilities begin to emerge， but only when he is ready to reveal them， and he is still irritatingly manipulative of the author， his sidekick， alternating a stonewalling technique with occasional gaslighting when it suits him。Still， a good plot and it kept me guessing。And now I see there is a fourth book。 Sigh。
Amanda Nolan
，
HawthorneAnother enjoyable Hawthorne mysterySet on Alderney at a literary festival。A murder…。。 an investigation…writers and greed…I enjoyed it！
Maddie
，
another enjoyable installment in the Hawthorne and Horowitz series。 Doesn’t get a 5 b/c it took so long （about 1/4 of the book） to get into the juicy stuff！
Natalia
，
Masterfully done mystery， every detail thought out。 However in the third book of the series I'd like to see at least some character development。 In this novel the narrator （"Anthony'） and his partner play the same roles - a secretive detective and a nagging yet agreeable writer。 I think they could go with some progress in their co-operation or a sort of flashback as it's about time to show another side of the main character。 Masterfully done mystery， every detail thought out。 However in the third book of the series I'd like to see at least some character development。 In this novel the narrator （"Anthony'） and his partner play the same roles - a secretive detective and a nagging yet agreeable writer。 I think they could go with some progress in their co-operation or a sort of flashback as it's about time to show another side of the main character。 。。。more
OftenFoundReading
，
Book 15 of 2022 Format: Audio Genre: MysteryRating this novel is a little tricky。 I really love Anthony Horowitz’s writing and he’s my most read author。 However， this was definitely my least favourite of the series so far。 I think it was the tempo; it was just a little too slow for me so it was easy to lose momentum with the audiobook。 I seem to remember the others being shorter and faster-paced。 I am also a reader who needs to feel a connection to the characters and - outside of Hawthorn and Ho Book 15 of 2022 Format: Audio Genre: MysteryRating this novel is a little tricky。 I really love Anthony Horowitz’s writing and he’s my most read author。 However， this was definitely my least favourite of the series so far。 I think it was the tempo; it was just a little too slow for me so it was easy to lose momentum with the audiobook。 I seem to remember the others being shorter and faster-paced。 I am also a reader who needs to feel a connection to the characters and - outside of Hawthorn and Horowitz themselves - didn’t feel anything for any of them particularly。 That being said， this is still a three star read so there are aspects I enjoyed。 Firstly， I still love the concept itself and the novelty it brings to a saturated genre。 I also loved the island setting and all the opportunities that open up to a mystery。 Having it set on Alderney， which is almost never in the news， added something a little extra。 The potential cliffhanger at the end about Hawthorn was the main clincher though， moving this into the three star range on the final page。 。。。more
Lyubov
，
Започва да ми става леко досадно малоумното и самоунизително поведение на Хоровиц （литературния герой） спрямо （уж） вездесъщия Хоторн。Иначе кримката е симпатична， но имайте едно на ум， че началото е бавно。
Sabrina
，
Another fun installment in the Hawthorne and Horowitz series。
Emily
，
Good old reliable Anthony Horowitz。 You know that when you pick up one of his books- any of his books- that you'll get a well planned and thoroughly entertaining mystery。 This one did not disappoint。 Very much looking forward to learning more about the tight-lipped Hawthorne and his mysterious past。 Good old reliable Anthony Horowitz。 You know that when you pick up one of his books- any of his books- that you'll get a well planned and thoroughly entertaining mystery。 This one did not disappoint。 Very much looking forward to learning more about the tight-lipped Hawthorne and his mysterious past。 。。。more
Caroline
，
A quick note， this is the third in the series to feature Daniel Hawthorne。 The book can be read as a standalone， but I would recommend starting with the first book， The Word is Murder。 This introduces the characters and the premise and is just a plain， old cracking read。 I have really enjoyed this series and they are really quite unique as it is one of the few books to feature the author as a character himself。 This really puts a new spin on the traditional crime novel and I love it。 We learn ab A quick note， this is the third in the series to feature Daniel Hawthorne。 The book can be read as a standalone， but I would recommend starting with the first book， The Word is Murder。 This introduces the characters and the premise and is just a plain， old cracking read。 I have really enjoyed this series and they are really quite unique as it is one of the few books to feature the author as a character himself。 This really puts a new spin on the traditional crime novel and I love it。 We learn about publicity meetings at Penguin， how marketing is planned， and the pressures that authors can be under to release the book。 For anyone looking to become an author， it is a fascinating glimpse into this world。 The crime is great fun with an eclectic selection of suspects。 A blind psychic and her devoted husband， a jovial celebrity chef and his personal assistant。 A fragile fellow crime author as well as the residents of Alderney all with an axe to grind with the eventual murder victim。 For me it is Hawthorne who is the stand-out character （sorry Anthony！）。 He is almost Holmes-ian in his observations and character sketches。 And there is an unknown quantity about him。 Anthony Horowitz feels he knows next to nothing about Hawthorne， who chooses to keep himself private and so Hawthorne becomes an enigma。 We see glimpses， Hawthorne's reason for becoming a policeman for example being a very telling observation。 At one point I did find myself wondering if Anthony and Hawthorne were one and the same person。 Clearly I have been reading too many psychological thrillers。 What I did find interesting was in the first two novels， Anthony was keen to become Hawthorne's friend even when Hawthorne was cagey and brusque。 In this novel it seemed almost as if Anthony had become fed up with Hawthorne and their relationship had become very abrasive。 Hawthorne was held less in awe now。 I felt a bit sad about this， and also a bit sorry for Anthony。 Overall our reading group very much enjoyed the book。 I know I needed to read something like this after wading through the first half of Anna Karenina！ We did guess who the murderer was， which as you know is unheard of for me。 And we loved the storyline of a literary festival。 We agreed it wasn't our favourite in the series， but was an extremely enjoyable read all the same。 。。。more
Matt Phillips
，
Really enjoyed it。 A good quick read。 Always like Anthony Horowitz murder mystery books。 This one was more straight forward than others like Magpie Murders which are more unusual and therefore slightly more gripping and shocking at the end。I think it’s an ideal book for a quick read or if you want to get back into reading as the story flows very quickly with very little waffle。
Katherine
，
I liked reading the book and The Who dun nit unraveling， but there is an undercurrent of something that seems uneasy that I don't care for。。。 I liked reading the book and The Who dun nit unraveling， but there is an undercurrent of something that seems uneasy that I don't care for。。。 。。。more
Hazee Haleem
，
Riveting and amusing。 Love the twist in the end。 This is my third Anthony Horowitz book and I intend to read more。 I like his writing style and the twists， oh the twists！
Patricia
，
Such a great story， I'm a huge fan of Anthony Horowitz' crime novels and this one was just as good as the first two books in the series。 Such a great story， I'm a huge fan of Anthony Horowitz' crime novels and this one was just as good as the first two books in the series。 。。。more
Susan Liston
，
Okay， I'm sorry but I just don't get all the praise for this book。 I have liked Anthony Horowitz's books in the past which is why I read this， even though I did not especially like either of the other books in this series。 I am completely bored by that Hawthorne character， he is taciturn and rude and I see nothing remotely interesting about him。 He is given Holmes-like powers of observation that in this book were poorly done， didn't even make sense。 The situation。。。a closed-circle mystery set at Okay， I'm sorry but I just don't get all the praise for this book。 I have liked Anthony Horowitz's books in the past which is why I read this， even though I did not especially like either of the other books in this series。 I am completely bored by that Hawthorne character， he is taciturn and rude and I see nothing remotely interesting about him。 He is given Holmes-like powers of observation that in this book were poorly done， didn't even make sense。 The situation。。。a closed-circle mystery set at a book fair on a Channel Island， should have been atmospheric， but was not at all。 The characters were cliched， the victim you spot instantly。 And I knew from the second she was introduced that the blind woman （view spoiler）[was not really blind！ What a shock！ And of course then it would have been TOO obvious for her to be the killer as well， （and naturally Hawthorne alone noticed her ability to see） so the killer had to be the other least obvious person， the one who flies under the radar。 （hide spoiler）]。 The motive for the crime was idiotic， to say the least， but then of course the killer （view spoiler）[who you are supposed to feel sort of sorry for， will not go to jail because she is， say it with me， conveniently terminally ill！ （hide spoiler）]。Anthony Horowitz CAN write a decent book。 This is not it。 。。。more
Emily Myers
，
I'd like to start by saying I enjoyed this book。 Mystery novels are my absolute favorites， so my reviews may be a bit biased， but hey， we like what we like。 This is the third outing with author Anthony Horowitz and detective Daniel Hawthorne。 The style of the book is engaging - Horowitz is writing the book you're reading。 Such an interesting perspective。 In this novel， he is currently on a book tour for the first book in the series that we were reading as he was writing in Book #1: The Word is M I'd like to start by saying I enjoyed this book。 Mystery novels are my absolute favorites， so my reviews may be a bit biased， but hey， we like what we like。 This is the third outing with author Anthony Horowitz and detective Daniel Hawthorne。 The style of the book is engaging - Horowitz is writing the book you're reading。 Such an interesting perspective。 In this novel， he is currently on a book tour for the first book in the series that we were reading as he was writing in Book #1: The Word is Murder。 The formula still works here。 Without giving too much away， Horowitz even comments that circumstances of the murder we're reading about don't lend will to audience enjoyment。 "How can the audience be satisfied if the murderer is a thoroughly unlikeable person！" （Or something to that effect， I'm paraphrasing）。I gave this book only 4/5 stars， because by the time we were halfway through I already had an idea of who the murderer was。 Also， I was getting annoyed with both Horowitz and Hawthorne。 The latter was as crotchety and secretive as ever， and the former was being very whiney about the situation。 I was getting tired of him complaining about Hawthorne just being who he is - especially since he was making an effort to open up a little bit。 The second half of the book picked up once the clues started to resolve into answers， and we realized what all the characters were up to。 Horowitz （the character） stopped whining and feeling sorry for himself so much。The ending tied up neatly in a bow， even if I saw it coming。 Not exactly how the murderer did it， but I figured out that they would be the culprit based on how。。。。neatly。。。。another suspect was set up to take the fall。 All in all， I enjoyed it and will be reading the next book in the series - if only to find out more about Hawthornes backstory。 。。。more
Rachel
，
Loved the trilogy and read it in order but books can stand on their own
Mcbemused
，
Well told and well paced， as expected。
MaryAnn T。 Prochazka
，
Once again another winner。Couldn't see the end coming。The character of Hawthorne is growing on me。Great description。 Not a dull moment。 Well written。 Once again another winner。Couldn't see the end coming。The character of Hawthorne is growing on me。Great description。 Not a dull moment。 Well written。 。。。more
Wendy
，
Liked this so much I plan on reading the prior 2 in the series
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