A review by neuroqueer
The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz

mysterious tense 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? Yes

2.5

Quick takeaways:

Protagonist(s): Unlikeable

Antagonist(s): Unassuming to moustache twirling

Plot: Decent whodonit

Writing: Good

Overall: C-

Thoughts:

The writing is very good and it is a good murder mystery.

And that’s all the praise I can give for the book.

The story is about an author following along a former detective as he tackles a murder mystery in modern day England.

I dislike the detective, Hawthorne so much. He is a ruder version of BBC’s Sherlock. We should have morally gray characters in fiction but there is nothing redeemable or interesting about him. The fact that he is also homophobic makes it worse. I’m fine with reading about homophobic characters as long as there is a lesson learned or a comeuppance. However, Hawthorne doesn’t get that so….no….just no.

I also don’t think the author should have inserted himself as the main character here. He doesn’t come across as likeable. If anything, he comes across as weak and naïve. Anthony lost all my good will very quickly since he rationalizes that working with a homophobe is fine since he can just take that stuff out and maybe even show Hawthorne the error of his ways. A) Life does not work like that and B) as stated before, he comes across as weak and barely convinces Hawthorne of anything.

One thing that truly irked me was at one point, Anthony has a meeting with an old colleague of Hawthorne’s. From that meeting, it’s clear to see that Anthony has jumped into this thinking that his knowledge of detective novels will help him. He is reminded very quickly that this is not how real life works and he is not as smart as he think he is. I liked that touch. It brings the author back to reality. The ending, however, makes me feel like he never took this lesson to heart. It also feels like the typical cliché ending where the hero confronts the dastardly villain. It left me….underwhelmed? Good twist but bad execution.

Don’t plan on reading any more of this.