This was an enjoyable addition to the Hawthorne and Horowitz series. This novel has all of the elements of a good British mystery, with the unique slant of the author being the main character in the novel and incorporating real life elements into the story. I found myself Googling from time-to-time to see what was actually real and what was not. The story moves along on a satisfying pace and keeps the reader engaged. We learn a bit more about Hawthorne, although personally I am not that intrigued with that character. Well-written, fun mystery in the vein of classic detective novels but with a modern touch. Highly recommended for fans of the series or of British mysteries.

An entertaining whodunnit. It was well written with a clever plot and an amusing read. Having Horowitz as the suspect was a departure from the usual murder mystery.

“The Twist of a Knife,” by Anthony Horowitz, Harper, 384 pages, Nov. 15, 2022.

Author Anthony Horowitz places himself in the role of narrator in this series of novels. The fictional Horowitz followed Detective Daniel Hawthorne on three cases, and these investigations have resulted in three books.

Hawthorne is now a private investigator. As this fourth novel opens, Hawthorne wants Horowitz to write another book, but Horowitz tells him that their deal is over. The truth is that Horowitz has other things on his mind.

His new play, a thriller called Mindgame, is about to open at the Vaudeville Theater in London’s West End after a successful run in smaller cities. Ewan Lloyd is the director. Jordan Williams, who is the leading actor, accidentally injures Sky Palmer, an actress.

Not surprisingly, Hawthorne declines a ticket to the opening night. Then critics pan the play. In particular, Sunday Times critic Harriet Throsby gives it a savage review, focusing particularly on the writing. The next day, Throsby is fatally stabbed with an ornamental dagger which belongs to Horowitz.

Detective Inspector Cara Grunshaw and Detective Constable Derek Mills arrest Horowitz. Grunshaw carries a grudge against him from her failure to solve the case described in the second Hawthorne adventure, “The Sentence is Death.” When he is allowed to make a phone call, he calls Hawthorne. When Horowitz is released, he and Hawthorne have 48 hours to figure out who killed Throsby.

This plot structure works well and Hawthorne’s deductive skills are once again on display. As the threat to Horowitz increases, the reader is left guessing until the end. The identity of the killer came as a complete surprise to me. This is a fun series, but “The Twist of a Knife” can be read as a stand-alone.

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.

"The Twist of a Knife," is the latest work of metafiction featuring the popular author, Anthony Horowitz, and his partner/nemesis Daniel Hawthorne, a former detective turned private eye. Horowitz is eager to break off his association with Hawthorne, with whom he has collaborated on a series of books. Anthony is fed up with Daniel's smugness, bossiness, and evasiveness. Furthermore, Horowitz is annoyed that Daniel always hands him the bill when the two share taxis and eat together in restaurants.

After Anthony's new thriller, "Mindgame," opens in London, Harriet Throsby, a notoriously harsh critic, trashes his play with a scathing review. Shortly thereafter, she is found stabbed to death in her home. Anthony is horrified when the police arrest him for Throsby's murder. Fearing that he may go to prison for a crime he did not commit, Horowitz reluctantly asks Hawthorne's to solve the case. As much as he resents Daniel, Anthony trusts him to identify the murderer.

As usual, Horowitz includes real people, places, and events in his novel. Had the humor been sharper, this could have been a hilarious satire of theater people's pretentiousness and egotism. As it stands, this is a serviceable mystery that has a great deal of exposition and dialogue, but very little action. The descriptive writing is excellent and, although Anthony is prolific and hugely successful, he portrays himself as a hapless fellow who wallows in self-pity. There is little suspense, since there are relatively few suspects, and the insightful and tenacious Hawthorne is very good at tracking down murderers. Ultimately, this is a mildly entertaining novel that moves along quickly but never soars.

I was intrigued to read Horowitz's latest book, The Twist of a Knife, in which he is a character in the story as well as the author! In the novel, things look grim for Horowitz when he is framed for murdering a theater critic, after she pens a vicious critique of his new play. The question is how will he establish his innocence when all evidence points to him as the murderer?

A Twist of the Knife by Anthony Horowitz is a fast paced Agatha Christie style, who done it mystery.

This is the 4th novel in the Horowitz and Hawthorne series. While this is part of a series, it would work well as a stand alone novel.

An engaging novel that does not feel like 400 pages

I look forward to the next in this series.

Not my favorite of the Horowitz and Hawthorne mysteries. The stakes felt low (despite the narrator being arrested for a crime he didn’t commit!) and it felt like it never got past a surface level mystery.

Thank you net galley.
I have to say this is my first novel that I read by Anthony Horowitz.
Spoiler alert! The author Anthony has himself as a character in the novel. Interesting concept.
Anthony has written a play that is/was being performed in London. At the after party a prominent critic is found dead.
There are several suspects who could have done it. But who?
Anthony teams up with private detective Hawthorne to do their own sleuthing.
Towards the end of the novel the suspects are all gathered around white Private Detective Hawthorne gives his views of who could be the culprit.
This novel reminded me of the game 'Clue'.

An author and an ex detective walk into a bar 🥃 … JK! Anthony Horowitz and Daniel Hawthorne are back again in book 4, “The Twist of a Knife” by Anthony Horowitz! This is yet another classic W H O D U N I T that attempts to get solved by this dysfunctional pair 🕵️‍♂️ 🔎

BOOK REVIEW: 🖤🖤🖤🖤/5

Anthony has had it with Hawthorne! The stubborn ex detective is quick to leave out details, dismisses his ideas and drives him up the wall. There is no way Anthony can continue to shadow and write books that feature Investigations by Hawthorne!

Anthony’s play Mindgame has finally hit the stage and he celebrates opening night with the cast! A cut throat critic shows up to the party and later posts a review that is NASTY and calls out all of Anthony’s failures as a writer. The entire group becomes ENRAGED by her cruel words 😡!!

A bad hangover the next morning cannot even compare to what happens next! The body of the mean critic is found stabbed to death and Anthony is the prime suspect!! The police find his fingerprints on the ornamental dagger used to stab the critic! Anthony only gets one phone call when he gets arrested and he knows that the ONLY person who can get him out of this mess is
…. Hawthorne! WILL Hawthorne come to his rescue? And WHO has it out for Anthony?

Thank you kindly to @netgalley @harpercollinsca for my advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review! This book releases November 15, 2022 and is a perfect cozy murder mystery as we get further into fall!

I enjoyed the previous Hawthorne books but this one did not live up to my expectations. I found that I skipped over large chunks of the book. I was rather disappointed. 2.75 out of 5 🌟

This one was lots of fun. Anthony is accussed of murdering a theater critic who gives him a bad review. He has only 24 hours to prove her innocence with Hawthorn’s help. Loads of fun and very clever.

This was such a good read! Kept me up until 4AM trying to find out who the culprit was. Reminds me so much of a movie that's out in theatres – See How They Run – in that they're both light-hearted and fun, but true to the classic whodunnit trope.

So much love to NetGalley and Harper for letting me read an ARC of <i>The Twist if the Knife</i>. The <i>Hawthrone & Horowitz</i> series is one of my absolute favorites and I recommend it all the time because it's utterly unique and highly entertaining.

This time around, Anthony finds himself at the wrong end of the investigation. His play <i>Mindgame</i> has opened in London and has received a scathing review from a well-known critic. The next day she's found dead, with all evidence pointing at Horowitz as the killer. Despite having resolved to never work with Hawthorne again, a night in jail convinces Anthony his best chance to clear his name is the infuriating but gifted detective.

If you love a good mystery and haven't had a chance to delve into this series, put down whatever you're reading and start today so you can be ready when this book comes out.

Thanks to Harper & NetGalley for providing and ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Horowitz and Hawthorne are BACK, baby! This time the setting is opening night at Anthony's play, Mindgame, for its first outing in London. At the afterparty, Harriet Throsby, an especially vicious critic, shows up just to mess with the cast and crew. The next morning, she is murdered, and Anthony is the prime suspect! Anthony knows he needs Hawthorne's help; too bad he's just declined to write a new book in the series featuring the pair.

This story moves a lot faster and is a bit breezier than previous outings. Anthony bounces all over the place with little time on his own (save for his brief stints in the cop shop), which might be why it feels like it's moving quickly. Still, it's a great read, as usual.

A traditional murder mystery, with an enigmatic cast of suspects - i love a mystery where everything is clearly & concisely explained at the end - like Murder She Wrote.

Daniel Hawthorne and Anthony Horowitz are back with book four and a new caper involving the death of Margaret Throsby, a well-disliked Sunday Times critic who pans Horowitz's new play on the day it opens at a London West End theater. Horowitz is the main suspect in the murder and, once released from jail, spends days with Hawthorne investigating the lives of the play's cast and the theater management. The Twist of a Knife can be read as a stand-alone novel, but the characters are so enjoyable, readers will want to go back to book one to join the fun. Note: Horowitz hides out for a day at Hawthorne's residence and uncovers some family history; maybe that information will trickle into the next novel.

Thank you to HarperCollins Canada, Killer Crime Club and Net Galley for the ARC of Anthony Horowitz's book - 'The Twist of a Knife'. The book was slow to start and honestly took me a few days to get to Chapter 4. That being said, once Chapter 4 came, I was off and running. Couldn't put the book down and found myself reading into the wee hours in the morning.
The premise of the story is an author who takes their hand at writing a theatrical play. Opening night comes and the author finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation. Can the author clear his name?
The character building is done well, the storyline started flowing so much I felt I was part of the story, involved. The plot is well written and never strayed or got messy, only took you deeper into the storylines of each character. There are twist and turns that you don't see coming, I thought I had it figured out and it was right at the end and .. yes I was wrong. I would definitely recommend this book, it is exciting, intriguing, you grow to like characters, you grow to dislike characters. Well written and I look forward to reading more from Anthony Horowitz
#harpercollinscanada #netgalley #killercrimeclub #anthonyhorowitz

Fun and full of wit and mystery
I genuinely do like these books, the ultimate in deliciously twisty and thoroughly entertaining meta-fiction, which, in this particular instance sees our author, and narrator, in a particularly sticky situation. This is a series about and author, Anthony Horowitz, who is commissioned to write up the investigations of former Detective, Daniel Hawthorne. Or at least, he was. A three book deal and all three books are now written. Hawthorne wishes to carry one, Horowitz less so. And so when he finds himself accused of murder and in need of Hawthornes help to prove his innocence … well you can just imagine how that conversation went.

This book is set very much in Anthony Horowitz’s world. A lot of the action surrounds the staging of his play, Mindgame, and its opening night at the Strand Theatre in London, an opening night which, despite completing a successful regional tour, received less than favourable reviews, including a particularly savage one from the books soon-to-be victim, Harriet Throsby. But surely there are far worse things than a bad review, right? Personally I’m often drawn to those plays and films that are critically panned, and they often turn out to become cult classics, so it’s certainly not anything you would expect someone to commit murder over. Unless you are Detective Inspector Grunshaw and DC Mills, two people who have their own reasons for holding a grudge against the author and his Detective friend, and who seem to delight in all the evidence pointing squarely in his direction.

This book is a beautiful mix of humour, character and mystery. From the cast and crew of the ill-fated Mindgame, to the Detectives who are hot on Anthony Horowitz’s trail, to the author himself and the wonderfully matter of fact Hawthorne, each person we meet adds a new dimension to the story. Some brilliantly exaggerated personalities (where I’m sure inspiration has been drawn from true life, even if the author can’t or won’t say where) and acute observations framed in some truly witty turns of phrase made this book an absolute delight to read. Each character, from the actors, to the director to the producer, appeared larger than life. A strange concoction of ego, vanity and enthusiasm, all enshrouded, to a degree, in a thin veil of secrecy. The whole concept of Mindgame (the play) was to unsettle the viewer, to subtly change and alter perception, something which was skilfully reflected in the way in which we viewed the various characters over the course of the investigation.

I tore through the book, finishing in just one afternoon and evening. It sounds awful, but it was fun reading about the author’s misfortune (sorry Mr H 😬😉) Certain as I was, obviously, of his innocence and knowing that, eventually, Hawthorne would find his way to the truth, I was still completely intrigued as to which of the remaining production members might be responsible, if any of them actually were. Harriet’s relationship with her own family also seemed to leave a lot to be desired. The more we learned of them all, the clearer it became that any of them might have had a motive, but all seemingly had irrefutable alibis. And you always come back to the question of whether a bad review is really worth killing for or was there something far darker in play? There were plenty of surprise reveals, things I both had and hadn’t been expecting, but which drew us to a very fitting and satisfactory conclusion. Very Hercule Poirot in delivery.

This is the very best in ‘cosy-crime’ if you have to label it that way. absolutely packed with red herrings and mystery that I find myself just longing to solve. At following on from that very tantalizing and wonderful of endings, I can only hope there will be plenty more to come. Absolutely, without question, recommended. Loved it.

The twist of a knife is the 4th book in the Hawthorne & Horowitz series. The series follows the pair while Hawthorne investigates and Horowitz takes notes for the book he will write based off the events of said investigation.

While we are familiar with detective partnerships in literature, this one is not the standard Holmes & Watson relationship. These two are not partners in the investigation. Hawthorne is the detective and Horowitz is to keep quiet. (His words, not mine :p ). They are not even friends. Hawthorne makes this clear in his refusal to share anything personal with Horowitz. (Don’t worry though, this weird relationship does add to the story.) When Anthony Horowitz is taken into custody for the murder of a theatre critic, he doesn’t know if Hawthorne will come to his aid or if he is just wasting his one phone call.

The story is told by Horowitz in a way that made me feel connected and wanting more. I felt like I was sitting in Anthony Horowitz living room, listening to him share the events of his week with friends. Perhaps, do to the references to the real world/real people and not just the world within the book?

This is a cozy mystery, great for fans of Agatha Christie’s Poirot and is a true who-dunnit that keeps you guessing till the very end when Hawthorne presents the facts of the case in a rather dramatic fashion.

Thank you to Net Galley, Harper Collins and of course to the author, Anthony Horowitz for the advanced review copy.

An interesting premise as theatre critic, Harriet Thorsby, is murdered the day after a negative review Anthony Horowitz’s new theatre production.

I admittedly struggled to get into the story at first but found it overall to be a relatively engaging and quick read. It does keep you guessing until the end and the big reveal at the end was entertaining as they tried things together.

Personally, although entertaining I have found other booked written by the author to be more of my liking.