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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
“When people keep secrets, those secrets have a nasty way of festering. They can turn into poison. They can kill.”
I'll be honest, this book wasn't nearly as memorable for me as the first book. That seems to be a trend for me. The Sentence is Death continues to follow Hawthorne and Horowitz as they set out on a second murder investigation. A wealthy man was found murdered, bashed on the head with a bottle of wine, stabbed with the glass shards, with a cryptic message (182) written on the wall. The victim was a pretty high-profile divorce lawyer and was well-known in the area. So, that leaves a lot of room for several suspects wanting him dead.
Richard Pryce had just wrapped up a divorce between a popular feminist author and her husband. Akiro Anno, the author, had a brief marriage with the well-to-do property owner Adrian Lockwood. Apparently, Akira had gone to see Pryce at a restaurant and dumped a glass of wine on him, which gives her motive. But of course, she's too perfect of a suspect. And by crossing her off the suspect list we unravel more of the life behind Pryce.
Hawthorne and Horowitz speak with the wife of Gregory Taylor, the man who was just found dead after being struck by a truck. Taylor was a close friend of Pryce, and the two would often go on cave excavations together, along with their mutual friend Charles Richardson. The two drifted apart after Richardson died in a cave flood; the three had gone out on an excavation during a storm. Richardson got lost on the way back to the surface and the other two couldn't find him to bring him back to safety. The tragic accident frayed the friendship, forced Pryce and Taylor into different life paths.
While investigating, Horowitz is approached by Cara Grunshaw, the lead detective inspector with Scotland Yard. She threatens Horowitz into giving her information on the case to solve it before Hawthorne. Horowitz tries to give her as much information as possible without giving everything away. Plus, he doesn't quite understand where Hawthorne is going with the case.
The duo interviews the widow of Richardson, to see if she has any insight on who would have it out for Pryce. Taylor's wife only had good things to say about the gang. They had been friends for a very long time but their last adventure together tore them apart. They blamed themselves for Richardson's death, leaving his kids and wife without him. And that's where it all clicks into place for Hawthorne;Richardson's son is the one who killed Pryce because he felt that he was the reason Richardson, his dad, was gone.
Additionally, the very very end of the book has a note from Taylor to his wife. He confessed that he killed himself by jumping in front of a train because Pryce denied helping him with his medical bills, and brought up how they left Richardson there to die. Taylor wanted to go back and find him and Pryce told him to leave him to die.
The mystery in this case didn't captivate me as much as the cave excavations. The red herring with Akira was distracting and the "182" message was very obscure for readers. I believe it stood for I hate you, in text slang. Hawthorne figured that part out despite having virtually no experience in technology or chat rooms. But it was still fun to read because I love Horowitz in the story and I want to learn more about Hawthorne and his mysterious past. I'm patiently waiting to meet Derek Abbott to see what went down between him and Hawthorne.
I'll be honest, this book wasn't nearly as memorable for me as the first book. That seems to be a trend for me. The Sentence is Death continues to follow Hawthorne and Horowitz as they set out on a second murder investigation. A wealthy man was found murdered, bashed on the head with a bottle of wine, stabbed with the glass shards, with a cryptic message (182) written on the wall. The victim was a pretty high-profile divorce lawyer and was well-known in the area. So, that leaves a lot of room for several suspects wanting him dead.
Richard Pryce had just wrapped up a divorce between a popular feminist author and her husband. Akiro Anno, the author, had a brief marriage with the well-to-do property owner Adrian Lockwood. Apparently, Akira had gone to see Pryce at a restaurant and dumped a glass of wine on him, which gives her motive. But of course, she's too perfect of a suspect. And by crossing her off the suspect list we unravel more of the life behind Pryce.
Hawthorne and Horowitz speak with the wife of Gregory Taylor, the man who was just found dead after being struck by a truck. Taylor was a close friend of Pryce, and the two would often go on cave excavations together, along with their mutual friend Charles Richardson. The two drifted apart after Richardson died in a cave flood; the three had gone out on an excavation during a storm. Richardson got lost on the way back to the surface and the other two couldn't find him to bring him back to safety. The tragic accident frayed the friendship, forced Pryce and Taylor into different life paths.
While investigating, Horowitz is approached by Cara Grunshaw, the lead detective inspector with Scotland Yard. She threatens Horowitz into giving her information on the case to solve it before Hawthorne. Horowitz tries to give her as much information as possible without giving everything away. Plus, he doesn't quite understand where Hawthorne is going with the case.
The duo interviews the widow of Richardson, to see if she has any insight on who would have it out for Pryce. Taylor's wife only had good things to say about the gang. They had been friends for a very long time but their last adventure together tore them apart. They blamed themselves for Richardson's death, leaving his kids and wife without him. And that's where it all clicks into place for Hawthorne;
Additionally, the very very end of the book has a note from Taylor to his wife. He confessed that he killed himself by jumping in front of a train because Pryce denied helping him with his medical bills, and brought up how they left Richardson there to die. Taylor wanted to go back and find him and Pryce told him to leave him to die.
The mystery in this case didn't captivate me as much as the cave excavations. The red herring with Akira was distracting and the "182" message was very obscure for readers. I believe it stood for I hate you, in text slang. Hawthorne figured that part out despite having virtually no experience in technology or chat rooms. But it was still fun to read because I love Horowitz in the story and I want to learn more about Hawthorne and his mysterious past. I'm patiently waiting to meet Derek Abbott to see what went down between him and Hawthorne.
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
mysterious
slow-paced
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Another entertaining read by Anthony Horowitz! I’ve been consuming this ‘Hawthorne and Horowitz’ series in Audible.com. The narrator fully embodies the characters and brings the story alive. Looking forward to the next one!
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The border between fiction and nonfiction is thin with this book. Even the acknowledgements feel like a part of the story. Such an original and interesting way to write a book. 😊
What I especially enjoy about this series is that the story is full of red herrings and even if I catch all the clues I can't be sure which of the many submotives is actually the reason for the murder. It could be any one of them and I just don't know...🤔😵💫
What I especially enjoy about this series is that the story is full of red herrings and even if I catch all the clues I can't be sure which of the many submotives is actually the reason for the murder. It could be any one of them and I just don't know...🤔😵💫