Another great, creative story by Horowitz. I love how he adds himself into the book and lets us get a glimpse of the story unfolding right in front of him. Perfect fall read!

This series never disappoints!

I have enjoyed Anthony Horowitz almost all my reading life, but this series is my first time reading his adult books. So there is a lot of pressure on this book as I really wanted to enjoy it! Luckily for me, this series continues to be a favorite.

In A Line to Kill we are once again following the author himself in a Watson and Sherlock inspired narrative. This time Anthony takes the unlikeable Privet detective Daniel Hawthorn up to a literary festival on an Island after the success of their books together. This festival turns into a Midsomer Murders episode when someone is killed. Now the two are back in the thick of things as they try to solve the murder, which contains all the best parts of a classic British mystery with a modern setting.

With a fresh look in a classic style, I have to suggest this book to anyone who can't resist a good British murder mystery.

Late to the dance on reviewing the Hawthorne and Horowitz Mystery Book 3--but nonetheless, a great read. In any Horowitz book, as well as in other memorable mysteries, always pay attention to who arrives late or leaves early. People watching is the key.

Anthony Horowitz is back as both the author and the character following Hawthorne as he solves a murder. The tow of the go to the island of Alderney for a literary festival only for someone to be murdered. ARC from NetGalley.

A delightful mystery that's a joy to read. Many miscues to try to mislead the reader. Unusually as it is written from the authors view point

Horowitz continues his clever and compulsive readable fourth-wall-breaking mystery series in this third installment! It wasn’t my favorite of the bunch, but I will never tire of Hawthorne-Horowitz banter. Such a fun read!

Horowitz's "A LIne to Kill" is a fine addition to the Hawthorne and Horowitz series, diving deeper into the mysterious and gruff Hawthorne.

Anthony Horowitz is my favorite mystery writer and this series is wonderful. I love the fact that Anthony writes himself in these novels.

This is the third book in the Hawthorne and Horowitz Mystery series and I have enjoyed every one. This one takes place at at a literary festival in Alderney, which is an island off the south coast of England, The man hosting the festival is found murdered and suddenly Hawthorne and Horowitz are in the middle of another investigation. I really enjoy the way Horowitz puts himself into this mystery series and makes Hawthorne the star even while resenting his presence. It's cleverly done and fun to read. Thank you #Netgalley for my copy.

This series has been very popular at our library and A Line to Kill is a good addition to the series. The audiobook reader is excellent .I would recommend this book to patrons looking for a good mystery series. It also offers some interesting insight into the publishing world for readers who are interested in that. I would recommend starting with book one in the series, as the characters are part of an ongoing storyline that's separate from the mystery presented in each book.

In his third novel, A Line to Kill, featuring the Horowitz and Hawthorne duo, Anthony Horowitz serves up a locked-island mystery for the author and former police officer to solve. This is a first-person narrative, innovatively told, purportedly, by the book's actual author, Anthony Horowitz, about himself, Anthony Horowtiz, and his dealings with Daniel Hawthorne. Author as protagonist. This device was used in the previous two novels, and it is the first one , “The Word is Murder,” which Hawthorne and Horowitz are now touring to promote its publication – again the real and fictional collapsed.

The Horowitz-Hawthorne dynamic may seem a bit worn around the edges for those who have read the previous two books. Hawthorne is the savvy, save-the-day retired detective who will ferret out the murderer of the man who funded the literary festival on the island of Aderney. Horowitz follows him around and amusingly bumbles through the evidence and the interrogations. They are still an at-odds couple.

As soon as the crime is discovered, all transport to and from the island is stopped, so it becomes a locked down-island mystery. Fortunately, there is a bevy of characters to pursue in the investigation, including a TV chef, a war historian, a children's book author, and a French poet. Eerily, another invitee to the literary festival is a blind psychic who talks to the dead. Apparently, there is a whole line of people who wanted to kill Charles le Mesurier.

Clues and red herrings, revelations and twisty turns abound. All these are a great pleasure for the reader of the cozy mystery.

A LINE TO KILL by Anthony Horowitz is the third book (see also The Word is Murder and The Sentence is Death) in the Daniel Hawthorne series which features Anthony Horowitz himself as a character. This time, the duo are off to a literary festival in the Channel Islands and there's carping and a bit too much professional jealousy amongst the attendees (a blind psychic, a TV chef, a children's author, an historian, and a poet). Since Hawthorne and Horowitz have the investigative background, they are tapped to help determine who killed a wealthy, if controversial, local landowner and festival sponsor. Horowitz supplies numerous twists in this entertaining satire of the publishing world. One mystery is solved, but plenty of questions remain, especially about the enigmatic Daniel Hawthorne. In addition to being recognized as a LibraryReads selection, A LINE TO KILL received starred reviews from Booklist and Publishers Weekly.

Not a closed room mystery but an island mystery is almost the same since it limits the number of suspects. In the third Hawthorne mystery, Horowitz and Hawthorne attend a literary festival on one of the Channel Islands. They arrive to find the island upset that a French company is planning to bring cheaper electricity to the U.K and have chosen this island as the place for the installation. When the sponsor of the festival and then his wife are found murdered, suspicions arise that the anti-electricity people are behind the murders, but of course, there’s far more people who have reason to hate this rich, spiteful man. It’s a classic mystery but the contempory setting and issues along with the entertaining Horowitz and his detective Hawthorne make it a fun book to read

Anthony Horowitz puts himself into the story as the chosen author to write up the whodunnit and how as he follows detective Hawthorne into the dark world of murder investigation. This volume sends them to a small island for an author event, where a mysterious murder rather conveniently occurs right under their noses. Fans of closed-room mysteries will enjoy meeting the wide group of suspects who have both personal and political motives for the crime.

This author is doing a wonderful job with this series. The characters are so interesting--including the character supposedly based on himself! I love the way he pokes fun at himself in these books. The mystery in this particular book was not quite as intriguing as those of the first two books, at least for me. However, it was enjoyable and I will enjoy recommending this to mystery fans.

In "A Line to Kill" Anthony Horowitz once again joins forces with a private detective, Daniel Hawthorne, formerly a DI in London's Scotland Yard. The premise is that Horowitz, who narrates with wry humor, has contracted to write books about Hawthorne, a sleuth with uncanny powers of deduction. Much to Anthony's consternation, he is stuck playing the role of Watson to Hawthorne's Sherlock Holmes. Although Horowitz has quite a few bestsellers to his credit, he resents Hawthorne for outshining him whenever they appear in public. The two men attend a literary festival in Alderney, one of the Channel Islands, and the attendees hang on Hawthorne's every word, leaving Anthony's to wonder why he bothered to show up at all. Hawthorne's reputation is well-deserved, thanks to his ability to read a crime scene, pick up on the significance of minor clues, and see through accomplished liars who try to outwit him. Much to Anthony's annoyance, Daniel is a cipher who refuses to reveal complete details about his own murky past.

When a prominent citizen is brutally slain, Deputy Chief Officer Jonathan Torode and his team from the Guernsey Crime Services are sent to investigate, since Alderney is too tiny to have its own police force. Alas, Torode is lazy and incompetent, and he hires Hawthorne to be his paid consultant. Everyone at the literary festival is a potential suspect, including the sponsor, guests, and members of the staff. Horowitz's characters are distinctive, quirky, and amusingly portrayed, and the moody, isolated, and scenic Alderney serves as an evocative backdrop to the proceedings.

Horowitz has fun satirizing a self-proclaimed blind psychic; a television chef and cookbook author who gleefully promotes unhealthful foods; and a lecherous and wealthy businessman and his promiscuous wife. Also on hand are a nasty ex-convict, a war historian, a children's book author, and a group of activists who oppose the proposed construction of a power line that could mar their island's beauty and, even more disturbing, damage the graves of those killed by Nazi occupiers during World War II. The prose is lucid, stylish, and engaging, and there are a host of red herrings that keep us guessing until the big reveal. Hawthorne's casual manner when he announces the solution gives Anthony, who was clueless, a major inferiority complex. This fast-paced mystery is an amusing, literate, and a thoroughly entertaining work of metafiction.

“A Line to Kill,” by Anthony Horowitz, Harper Collins, 384 pages, Oct. 19, 2021.

This is the series in which the author, Anthony Horowitz, is a character. He is friends with former detective inspector Daniel Hawthorne, who is now a police consultant.

Graham Lucas, Horowitz’s editor, calls Horowitz and asks him to bring Hawthorne with him to a publicity meeting. They are invited to a literary festival on Alderney, an island off the south coast of England.

Arriving on Alderney, Hawthorne and Horowitz soon meet the festival’s other guests: a bestselling children’s author, a French poet, a TV chef turned cookbook author, a blind psychic, and a war historian.

There’s also a group of locals protesting the plan to put a power line connecting the U.K. and France through Alderney. Colin Matheson, who is married to the festival organizer, is head of the board that will make the decision about the power line. Charles le Mesurier, who is financially backing the festival, supports the power line.

Le Mesurier hosts a party for the authors and others. The morning after the party, a murder is discovered. The island is locked down, so it is a locked room mystery. Since it will take time for police to arrive, Hawthorne begins an investigation. They find that a lot of people there have secrets.

This is very clever. There are plenty of twists before the murderer is revealed. I didn’t suspect this person at all and neither did Horowitz. This is a fun series.

In accordance with FTC guidelines, the advance reader's edition of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Yes, this is more of an adult novel, but if you are a fan of Horowitz's middel grade Alex Rider books, you owe it to yourself to read his Hawthorne and Horowitz series! Not only is the writing clever and engaging, but the plots are well developed and the mysteries intricately assembled. I find it absolutely fascinating that while Horowitz normally makes his characters rather silent and mysterious (think not only Alex Rider and Hawthorne, but even DCS Foyle and Susan Ryeland), his depiction of himself is rather open and self-deprecating. He makes himself look boring and mundane. The fact that A Line to Kill takes place at a book festival on a British island, and involves shady power line shenanigans as well as a nemesis from Hawthorne's past makes this quite an interesting read.

Let's put it this way: I don't buy books, except for my school library. My personal library is very small. But I have these books AND give them to my mystery loving friends as gifts. Definitely check this series out if you love well-written British mysteries, especially if you are familiar with Horowitz's titles for young adult readers.

A Line to Kill (Hawthorne & Horowitz mystery #3)
by Anthony Horowitz
Pub Date: October 19, 2021
Harper

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's the last time an author wrote themselves into a fictional murder mystery and that's what's so neat about this particular series. Horowitz portrays himself as the hapless, mildly bumbling Watson to Hawthorne's shrewd Sherlock, and it's a compelling, fascinating read every time.
Thanks to Harper and NetGalley for the ARC. I really enjoy reading this series. I recommend this book.
5 stars

Horowitz just keeps on delivering intricate mysteries capped by a totally unexpected plot twist at the end. The oddly paired Horowitz and Hawthorne provide the basis for a brilliantly delivered story full of characters both despicable, insipid, and sad all overshadowed by the age-old cause for murder - revenge.

Horowitz pokes fun at everything: the literary circuit, the publishing industry, the psychic circuit, English boarding schools, and small town history. Sound like a lot? Horowitz mashes it all together into what the reader thinks is an obvious, singular storyline, then bops you over the head with a surprise at the end leaving you think "how did I miss that?"

I read a lot of mystery novels and have come to accept that there are levels of writing: cozies for those who like short reads with no explicit description; slasher detective fiction that borders on horror given the level of graphic description of torture, death, and human depravity; and what is being called "literary" mysteries like this one, where the writing is done for grown-ups who appreciate witty dialog and intricate puzzles. This is one reader who wishes there were more Anthony Horowitz's writing today!

Well recommended.