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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
Anthony Horowitz is a very clever mystery writer. This series is very clever and fun.
The (ex) Inspector Daniel Hawthorne series, Horowitz also writes himself into the narrative as the author who writes 'true crime' accounts about Hawthorne’s cases. It has to be said that Hawthorne doesn't treat his 'biographer' well; he is generally disdainful of anything “Tony” has to say or offer in the cases. Indeed, he often chides the author for saying the wrong thing, affecting the interviews being conducted. The interplay between Hawthorne and Horowitz is humorous and part of the fun of the series.
This book is the third outing for the duo. In this story, Hawthorne and Horowitz are invited to a literary festival being held on the island of Alderney off the south coast of England. There are no other prominent authors attending - because the 'famous' authors turned them down. Other guests at the festival include a children’s book author Anne Cleary, local war historian George Elkin, A French performance poet Maïssa Lamar, blind psychic Elizabeth Lovell, and TV Chef Marc Bellamy.
There is a murder on the opening night of the festival at the house of the main sponsor, Charles le Mesurier. He is found dead, stabbed to death. As the island has no functioning resident police force (2 away and one in bed with his back) Hawthorne starts to take the lead on investigating the murder until the police from the nearby Guernsey arrive.
A second murder soon follows...
The cast of characters is amusing and quirky, and there are multiple individuals who could be the murderer, along with plenty of red herrings and clues.
I really enjoy these stories. This is the third, and the previous two are just as good. It's also great that Horowitz can lampoon himself and the industry in which he works so beautifully, but with such obvious affection for his life of an author. It is quite easy to pick up this and read it without having read the previous two instalments but there are a few threads, recurrent characters, that make more sense having read the first two novels.
There are shades of the 'locked room' and Agatha Christie overtones with the series and also the Watson/Holmes feel to Horowitz and Hawthorne.
These are about murder, but are a joy to read because of the style of humour in the interplay between the author and his protagonist.
The (ex) Inspector Daniel Hawthorne series, Horowitz also writes himself into the narrative as the author who writes 'true crime' accounts about Hawthorne’s cases. It has to be said that Hawthorne doesn't treat his 'biographer' well; he is generally disdainful of anything “Tony” has to say or offer in the cases. Indeed, he often chides the author for saying the wrong thing, affecting the interviews being conducted. The interplay between Hawthorne and Horowitz is humorous and part of the fun of the series.
This book is the third outing for the duo. In this story, Hawthorne and Horowitz are invited to a literary festival being held on the island of Alderney off the south coast of England. There are no other prominent authors attending - because the 'famous' authors turned them down. Other guests at the festival include a children’s book author Anne Cleary, local war historian George Elkin, A French performance poet Maïssa Lamar, blind psychic Elizabeth Lovell, and TV Chef Marc Bellamy.
There is a murder on the opening night of the festival at the house of the main sponsor, Charles le Mesurier. He is found dead, stabbed to death. As the island has no functioning resident police force (2 away and one in bed with his back) Hawthorne starts to take the lead on investigating the murder until the police from the nearby Guernsey arrive.
A second murder soon follows...
The cast of characters is amusing and quirky, and there are multiple individuals who could be the murderer, along with plenty of red herrings and clues.
I really enjoy these stories. This is the third, and the previous two are just as good. It's also great that Horowitz can lampoon himself and the industry in which he works so beautifully, but with such obvious affection for his life of an author. It is quite easy to pick up this and read it without having read the previous two instalments but there are a few threads, recurrent characters, that make more sense having read the first two novels.
There are shades of the 'locked room' and Agatha Christie overtones with the series and also the Watson/Holmes feel to Horowitz and Hawthorne.
These are about murder, but are a joy to read because of the style of humour in the interplay between the author and his protagonist.
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book was a fun read from Anthony Horowitz! I was slightly surprised by the ending. I really like Horowitz's style of writing and the way he describes scenes. It's amazing writing and it really brings the reader into the scene. I liked this book more than the second in this series. After the second I was really hesitant about this one, but I'm glad that I read it! One thing I disliked about this book was Hawthorne! He is the main character and based off the way he's written I'm sure he's not supposed to be a favorite character, but he is so infuriating! I cannot understand how Anthony (the character) can stand being around him! Hawthorne has none of the charm that Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot has so following him around is so annoying!!! We find out more about Hawthorne in this book, but it's not enough to make him feel human or real. Maybe it's just me, Hawthorne is annoying. Will I read the next book in this series if there is one? Yeah probably.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
funny
mysterious
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I flew right through this one. Entertained the heck out of me. Loved how insular it felt with the island setting. Enjoyed the characters, and the whodunnit.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
medium-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
A smidge better than the previous 2. This is also the first one I’ve listened to, which definitely elevated my enjoyment. The characters were cooler (which could be been cause listening). The past two have been fine, it I’d say that this one was good. If you’ve made it this far, you know what you’re in for so might as well keep reading about our two best buddies.