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emshawkes's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A clever mystery that kept me guessing.
This is the first book I’ve read by Anthony Horowitz so I came at it without any previous baggage of what to expect. I've seen several reviews saying they either liked or disliked the main characters which affected their enjoyment of the book. I had no background knowledge, and I think it worked well as a standalone book, I didn’t feel like I was missing any backstory.
In this novel, Horowitz needs to write the next instalment of his Hawthorne and Horowitz crime series. However, there haven’t been any new cases to write about so they come upon the idea of using a Hawthorne past case: Giles Kenworthy is the neighbour from hell and has been making the lives of the occupants of Riverside Close a misery. 6 weeks after an intervention meeting with the residents of the close, which Giles and his wife do not attend, he is found dead with a crossbow bolt through his neck. But which of the neighbours fired the shot?
The series meshes reality with fiction, and does it really well. I had to Google to see if the book was based on a true story and which parts were true to life: Anthony Horowitz is a writer who has a series of teenage spy books - Alex Rider - he has written new Sherlock Holmes and James Bond stories and has written TV shows including Midsomer Murderers and Foyle’s War, both of which I’ve seen episodes of and enjoyed. He has a wife called Jill who works as a Film and TV Executive (forgive me if I have used incorrect terminology). All of this is referenced in the novel.
The thing that irked me, and means that I’ve given it a 4/5 star rating I was annoyed that Horowitz insisted on digging into Hawthorne’s past and his previous partner John Dudley and their dealings with the shady Alastair Morton despite repeatedly being warned away. Surely Hawthorne chose this case, so why would he give Horowitz the details if it came to a dissatisfying conclusion.
With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this novel in exchange for an honest reveiw.
This is the first book I’ve read by Anthony Horowitz so I came at it without any previous baggage of what to expect. I've seen several reviews saying they either liked or disliked the main characters which affected their enjoyment of the book. I had no background knowledge, and I think it worked well as a standalone book, I didn’t feel like I was missing any backstory.
In this novel, Horowitz needs to write the next instalment of his Hawthorne and Horowitz crime series. However, there haven’t been any new cases to write about so they come upon the idea of using a Hawthorne past case: Giles Kenworthy is the neighbour from hell and has been making the lives of the occupants of Riverside Close a misery. 6 weeks after an intervention meeting with the residents of the close, which Giles and his wife do not attend, he is found dead with a crossbow bolt through his neck. But which of the neighbours fired the shot?
The series meshes reality with fiction, and does it really well. I had to Google to see if the book was based on a true story and which parts were true to life: Anthony Horowitz is a writer who has a series of teenage spy books - Alex Rider - he has written new Sherlock Holmes and James Bond stories and has written TV shows including Midsomer Murderers and Foyle’s War, both of which I’ve seen episodes of and enjoyed. He has a wife called Jill who works as a Film and TV Executive (forgive me if I have used incorrect terminology). All of this is referenced in the novel.
The thing that irked me, and means that I’ve given it a 4/5 star rating I was annoyed that Horowitz insisted on digging into Hawthorne’s past and his previous partner John Dudley and their dealings with the shady Alastair Morton despite repeatedly being warned away. Surely Hawthorne chose this case, so why would he give Horowitz the details if it came to a dissatisfying conclusion.
With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this novel in exchange for an honest reveiw.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Suicide, and Murder
kimmym's review against another edition
mysterious
4.0
After inhaling the first four books in this series, I was so excited to get an e-ARC of the fourth book. The inventiveness of each book has been so fun, and this entry in the series took a neat turn by having Horowitz retell a murder case that Hawthorne worked on before his partnership with Horowitz.
As usual with these books, the mystery itself was twisty and intriguing (but TW for animal death – I really could have done without that) with quite a cast of characters, but what really pulled me in was the partnership between Hawthorne and John Dudley, the man working the case with him. Who was he? Where was he now? Why wasn’t he working with Hawthorne anymore?
This series has been such a delight to read, and I will gladly continue reading as long as Horowitz keeps writing. It’s also ignited an interest for me in other mysteries that take inspiration from Golden Age mysteries and branching out from my usual dark and twisty murder mystery / thriller reads.
(Received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death
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