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The Word Is Murder

Hawthorne, Book 1

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The Word Is Murder

By: Anthony Horowitz
Narrated by: Rory Kinnear
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Summary

Now available to preorder: Moonflower Murders, the latest fiendish murder mystery from Anthony Horowitz
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SHE PLANNED HER OWN FUNERAL. BUT DID SHE ARRANGE HER OWN MURDER?

A woman is strangled six hours after organising her own funeral.

Did she know she was going to die? Did she recognise her killer?

Daniel Hawthorne, a recalcitrant detective with secrets of his own, is on the case, and he's found himself a sidekick – popular crime novelist Anthony Horowitz, who's struck a deal with Hawthorne to turn his latest case into a true crime bestseller.

But the case is twistier and bloodier than Hawthorne had bargained for, and the unlikely duo of detective and writer find themselves neck deep in danger. When the written word is your only defence, you know you're in trouble when the word is murder...
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Buried secrets, murder and a trail of bloody clues lie at the heart of Anthony Horowitz’s page-turning new detective series. If you enjoyed BBC’s Sherlock, you’ll LOVE The Word is Murder.

Chosen as one of Crime Time's books of the year

'Raises the game-playing to Olympic level' – Guardian Books of the Year

'A real page-turner. I loved it!' – ALED JONES (ITV, Weekend)

'The beguiling whodunit plot is dispatched with characteristic elan as Horowitz blurs the line between fact and fiction' – Financial Times

'Splendidly entertaining, absorbing and difficult to put down. Hawthorne is an intriguing character' – Daily Express

'Sharp-witted readers who think they've solved the puzzle early on can rest assured that they've opened only one of many dazzling Christmas packages Horowitz has left beautifully wrapped under the tree' – Kirkus Reviews

'Deduction and wit are well-balanced, and fans of Peter Lovesey and other modern channelers of the spirit of the golden age of detection will clamor for more' – Publishers Weekly

 Amateur Sleuths Crime Crime Thrillers Detective Fiction Mystery Private Investigators Psychological Suspense Thriller Thriller & Suspense Murder Witty
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Critic Reviews

Ingenious twist on the classic whodunnit
Splendidly entertaining, absorbing and difficult to put down. Hawthorne is an intriguing character
Horowitz is strong on plot … and infectiously zestful
A real page-turner. I loved it! (ALED JONES (ITV, Weekend))
Raises the game-playing to Olympic level.
Actually the word is not murder, it's ingenious ... A masterful meta-mystery.
The beguiling whodunit plot is dispatched with characteristic elan as Horowitz blurs the line between fact and fiction
There is plenty of metafictional fun to be had
Fast-paced and full of unpredictable twists and turns.
Horowitz has put together a cleverly twisting mystery featuring plenty of suspicious characters and more than a few red herrings
All stars
Most relevant
I tried this book because I really enjoyed magpie murders and house of silk but this one is quite different and not as enjoyable.

Not what I expected

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Unusual detective story .. well crafted .. good plot & characters .. although the grumpy detective was tiresome .. goal
Achieved I guess

Clever and some great cameos

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A good yarn! As a big Sherlock fan, this had a familiar feel about the characters and story development but with its own individual style.

Will read the second in the series. Worth a look in for sure.

Enjoyable and gripping

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Such a great story and from a wonderfully unique point of view.
Totally had me
Hooked.

Just bloody brilliantly

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Its hard to find enough superlatives with which to describe this book. Essentially the story is part mystery, part memoir and some comments on Horowitz's life in the publishing and television scene that he inhabits in real life. If I had known about this premise prior to listening to it, I might have been put off. But it works wonderfully.
"The Word is Murder" it is a great crime mystery with many twists and turns. The way the author inserts himself into the story works unexpectedly well.
Although Horowitz admits to being an admirer of Sherlock Holmes and some parts of that genre remain as influences, I don't remember Watson being quite so fumbling and accident prone.
Horowitz gives it his best, but could be forgiven for getting confounded by the leads which are presented to him. He is no match for his collaborator "ex D.I, Hawthorne", a somewhat testy man, but far better sleuth.
The narrator of this audiobook was quite brilliant. There were a different voices involved, and I thought he absolutely nailed all of them. Some of the voices were hilarious. He really has an ear for certain character types and renders them with a tiny bit of caricature at times. Just enough to make me laugh.
It could never be done quite as well on television, although I look forward to the story being presented there as well. Hopefully there will be another murder investigation and book, in spite of Horowitz's reservations re further sleuthing with ex D.I.Hawthorne. Perhaps Hawthorne will use his powers of manipulation to persuade Horowitz to accompany him on another assignment. I am so looking forward to the next book and audible presentation.

Loved this story

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