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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
Ex-detective Hawthorne and his biography author side-kick Horowitz travel to a literary festival on the small island of Alderney. There is no crime, let alone a murder, on this idyllic island until the festival - although there is a contentious battle over a power line running through this beautiful island. In true form, there are a lot of red-herrings and subtle clues along the way.
I will never stop thinking that this series -- where the author writes himself into a fictional murder mystery series as the Watson to ex D.I. Daniel Hawthorne's Sherlock -- is clever. To make the third book in this series even more meta, Horowitz and Hawthorne find themselves at a literary festival promoting the release of Horowitz's first book, [b:The Word Is Murder|36204075|The Word Is Murder (Hawthorne and Horowitz Mystery, #1)|Anthony Horowitz|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1513811404l/36204075._SY75_.jpg|54695752]. Of course, a murder takes place on the island and an investigation ensues.
The events leading up to the murder happened on an island during the festival, which gives this a locked-room mystery vibe, which I am a huge fan of. This was another enjoyable book in a fun series, although I did felt like it felt a bit rushed in parts. I am looking forward to a fourth installment, as Horowitz left us with a cliffhanger: what exactly happened in Reeth??
The events leading up to the murder happened on an island during the festival, which gives this a locked-room mystery vibe, which I am a huge fan of. This was another enjoyable book in a fun series, although I did felt like it felt a bit rushed in parts. I am looking forward to a fourth installment, as Horowitz left us with a cliffhanger: what exactly happened in Reeth??
Third book in this very self-referential series. I still find the two main characters mildly irritating in their own way, but the writing style and the way the plot unfolds so expertly done, I just couldn't put the book down. Glad I stuck with this after the second book put me off a bit due to the portrayal of a minor disabled character.
The concept of a brilliant detective with a less-than-brilliant sidekick solving mysteries is old as dirt, and there's no sign yet that authors are running out of ways to make it interesting. This third entry in Anthony Horowitz's Hawthorne mystery series is competent enough at executing its plot, but some cracks are beginning to show in the premise.
One of the amusing elements of the series is that Horowitz writes about "himself" as an author who is tagging along with a private detective on murder cases with the goal of writing books about him. In addition to being clever and perfectly observant, Hawthorne is also a mysterious jerk who might have been tossed off the force for chucking a suspect down a flight of stairs. We don't know for sure, because he refuses to share even the most minor personal details with his would-be biographer. Meanwhile, "Anthony" is just this side of bumbling, frequently interfering with investigations and putting himself in danger as he tries to beat his partner to the solution.
In this book, though, the whole thing feels pushed too far. Hawthorne seems to be gaslighting Anthony ("of course I said I'd be there, I don't know what you're talking about") and almost literally everyone Anthony interacts with treats him with contempt. It makes for an uncomfortable read and feels like Horowitz might be working through some self-loathing. We also get a new, utterly miniscule tidbit of information about Hawthorne's past, but it comes late enough in the book that it's an annoying tease. If the series runs another dozen volumes or so we might learn something, but for now he's a Mysterious Detective.
And finally, while I freely admit I'm not someone who usually solves the mystery before then end, I felt like it was fairly telegraphed who the killer was this time, if not what their motive was. This one isn't as well-plotted as the previous two. All in all, not enough to dissuade me from picking up the next one, but it doesn't feel like a good omen.
One of the amusing elements of the series is that Horowitz writes about "himself" as an author who is tagging along with a private detective on murder cases with the goal of writing books about him. In addition to being clever and perfectly observant, Hawthorne is also a mysterious jerk who might have been tossed off the force for chucking a suspect down a flight of stairs. We don't know for sure, because he refuses to share even the most minor personal details with his would-be biographer. Meanwhile, "Anthony" is just this side of bumbling, frequently interfering with investigations and putting himself in danger as he tries to beat his partner to the solution.
In this book, though, the whole thing feels pushed too far. Hawthorne seems to be gaslighting Anthony ("of course I said I'd be there, I don't know what you're talking about") and almost literally everyone Anthony interacts with treats him with contempt. It makes for an uncomfortable read and feels like Horowitz might be working through some self-loathing. We also get a new, utterly miniscule tidbit of information about Hawthorne's past, but it comes late enough in the book that it's an annoying tease. If the series runs another dozen volumes or so we might learn something, but for now he's a Mysterious Detective.
And finally, while I freely admit I'm not someone who usually solves the mystery before then end, I felt like it was fairly telegraphed who the killer was this time, if not what their motive was. This one isn't as well-plotted as the previous two. All in all, not enough to dissuade me from picking up the next one, but it doesn't feel like a good omen.
This was fun! I liked this more than #2 but I think #1 is still the best one. Horowitz is irritating in his continuing bumbling victimhood, so that shtick is wearing thin. Good mystery here and very fun setting. I thought I had guessed the murderer and tbh I think my version would have made a bit more sense...but this was still a fun reveal. Looking forward to reading the last one.
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes