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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i always think at some point this books will get repetitive and i won’t want to continue them but horowitz always finds a way to keep me on my toes
3.5/5 airport read murder mystery. I prefer more character development, but I didnt read the previous two books in the series so maybe I am just missing some context to fully evaluate.
This is the third volume of Anthony Horowitz crime series featuring Horowitz as himself, writing reluctantly about his misadventures with ex-policeman Hawthorne. In this book, Horowitz' publishers send him and Hawthorne to Alderney to a literary festival when a murder occurs to keep them on the island. As with the other books in this series this is very enjoyable if you like the idea of the meta approach to crime writing. Horowitz lampoons himself wonderfully and is the resentful village idiot next to the savant that is Hawthorne. There are little nuggets along the way if you've read the other two books which mean that you learn more and your interest is piqued and a nice trail for the next book at the end of this one. It's kind of old fashioned in the best way and has more than a nod to his literary forebears like Christie and even his own writing in things like Midsummer Murders. It doesn't take itself too seriously and there are some nicely amusing sections but it also doesn't pull back from some of the grimmer aspects. I enjoyed it immensely.
I was almost going to give this two stars as the ending was wrapping up but ultimately I'm a sucker for a good murder mystery. Unfortunately, the genre tends to fall into a very predictable rut: set up, murder happens, collect clues, a couple red herrings, a maybe-murderer, and finally the real murderer is revealed following a small, throw-away detail. As much as I want to like this book more, it is simply as average as they come. Horowitz is a great writer but his prose and unique concept of writing himself into his books can't overcome the overplayed tropes of a genre like mystery. Even Agatha Chritsie, bless her soul, falls victim to the same problems. Magpie Murders was significantly more engaging and unique, given the book-in-a-book format but this particular novel didn't capture me enough. Unfortunately, the underlying mystery of the detective's shady past was significantly more interesting but the details can be summed up far too simply. Getting through almost 400 pages of cookie-cutter novel for a couple sentences of intrigue just didn't do it for me.
Still on the hunt for a unique and mind-blowing murder mystery. Open to suggestions :)
Still on the hunt for a unique and mind-blowing murder mystery. Open to suggestions :)
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Horowitz has done it again!! Book three in the Hawthorne series had me second guessing myself the entire time on who committed the murders… even at the end he (the character Anthony) thought it was the taxi driver and I did too!! Well, he and countless others on the island
I just love this series by Anthony Horowitz! This installment is set at a literary festival on the island of Alderney. Horowitz and retired detective Hawthorne must solve a murder and possibly find the subject for their next novel. Fun insights from the inside of the publishing world along with a murder to puzzle make for an entertaining read.