The Word Is Murder: The bestselling mystery from the author of Magpie Murders – you've never read a crime novel quite like this

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When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions. ― Anthony Horowitz, The Word Is Murder The Ciphers of our Amusement

The Word Is Murder by Anthony Horowitz | Waterstones

And it’s a seamless blend between the actual facts of his career and the events in this novel. Horowitz has skillfully created a near-seamless blend of the his own creation and recognizable television shows and novels. For example, while he writes this book, he is supposed to be working on a follow-up to THE HOUSE OF SILK. One bright spring morning in London, Diana Cowper – the wealthy mother of a famous actor – enters a funeral parlor. She is there to plan her own service. The Twist of a Knife is consistently, delightfully entertaining, with Horowitz's own theatrical experience providing just the right amount of bittersweet bite' Airmail

Publication Order of Power Of Five/The Gatekeepers Graphic Novel Books

At first glance Alex Rider is a normal schoolboy who seems to be having a fairly straightforward uneventful upbringing. That is until one day as a teenager he finally realizes his true calling and that everything has been leading up to the moment where he’s to become a super-spy. After his uncle and adoptive parent, Ian Rider, mysteriously dies he’s led to discover more about what happened and the true nature of what he’s to become. Forced to attend a training program, he reluctantly goes to a special camp for spies where he learns more about what he’s to become. That’s when he realizes there’s more to things than initially meets the eye, as he discovers a plot set-up by the people he’s now entrusted with. Not knowing where to turn he has to decipher the clues left to him by his uncle and prevent a catastrophe from taking place. Will Alex be able to save the day and those around him, whilst saving himself in the process staying out of harm’s way? Can he become what he was always destined to be and fully realize his true potential as a secret-agent for the government? What will become of Alex Rider in his first mission as he goes head-to-head with none other than the ‘Stormbreaker’? Raven’s Gate

The Word Is Murder: A Novel (A Hawthorne and Horowitz Mystery The Word Is Murder: A Novel (A Hawthorne and Horowitz Mystery

Forget about solving all these crimes; the signal triumph here is (spoiler) the heroine’s survival.Taking a more horror slanted angle, this book was initially released in 2005 on the 1st of June in the United States by Anthony Horowitz. Combining both fantasy and horror, it was to set-up ‘The Power of Five’ series creating an overall arc and tone for the books. Having a graphic-novel adaptation as well in 2010, its popularity has continued to endure since it was first published. A perfect detective novel in a unique style complete with an excellent twist!" ( Life Has a Funny Way of Sneaking Up On You) Drawn in against his will, Horowitz soon finds himself a the center of a story he cannot control. Hawthorne is brusque, temperamental and annoying but even so his latest case with its many twists and turns proves irresistible. The writer and the detective form an unusual partnership. At the same time, it soon becomes clear that Hawthorne is hiding some dark secrets of his own. A total joy. Anthony is a master entertainer, the genius twists and turns of his writing and plot keep me on the edge of my seat.' Rory Kinnear

The Word Is Murder (A Hawthorne and Horowitz Mystery) The Word Is Murder (A Hawthorne and Horowitz Mystery)

He doesn’t just plop himself down in the middle of it, but rather establishes himself and even a certain past he already had with Hawthorne. This goes a real long way in helping us forget who Horowitz is in reality and to simply accept him as the Watson of this duo. Although still a work of fiction, “The Word Is Murder” is written in first person, and the narrator is Horowitz himself. He stays true to the facts about himself, detailing his work as a creator on the show “Foyle’s War” and his successful “Alex Rider” children’s book series. Horowitz takes the first person to the next level, explaining throughout the narration how he decided what details from this “real life” investigation to include and exclude in the novel while discussing how certain aspects of writing this story gave him difficulty like starting the writing process before even knowing if the detective, Hawthorne, would ever be able to solve the case. This adds another mystery to the novel: How much of what is written is real and how much is fake? The facts of Horowitz’s life are true, but the famous actor Damian Cowper, whose mother is murdered in the first chapter of the novel, is fictional. Yet again, Horowitz has stuffed one mystery inside another.

THE WORD IS MURDER is an Anthony Horowitz novel, starring himself as a Watson-figure to fictional detective Daniel Hawthorne, in a murder investigation that blends reality and fiction in a masterful way, while telling a solidly plotted mystery.

The Word Is Murder’: A Mystery that Blends Fiction and ‘The Word Is Murder’: A Mystery that Blends Fiction and

New York Times bestselling author of Magpie Murders and Moriarty, Anthony Horowitz has yet again brilliantly reinvented the classic crime novel, this time writing a fictional version of himself as the Watson to a modern-day Holmes. A suspenseful, professional-grade north country procedural whose heroine, a deft mix of compassion and attitude, would be welcome to return and tie up the gaping loose end Box leaves. The unrelenting cold makes this the perfect beach read. Such an interactive narrator is helpful at times in the mystery, as Horowitz gives vague clues that hint at the novel’s twist. For instance, Horowitz writes, “As for Chapter One, forget the bell and the Mont Blanc pen…[b]ut be assured that the rest of it, including a clue which would indicate, quite clearly, the identity of the killer, is spot on.” It is this narration that allows “The Word Is Murder” to be more than the average detective novel. What’s more, the detective in question does not fall into the usual character trope, although he possesses the uncanny ability to derive information from the simplest clues much like most detectives in such novels. Hawthorne is ex-police (due to a mysterious, years old incident that got him fired) and he is wholly unlikeable and a raging homophobe. Beyond these basic facts, Horowitz seems to know little else about Hawthorne, making the detective of the story a bit of a mystery himself. His new play 'Mindgame' is about to open at London's Vaudeville theatre, and on opening night, Sunday Times critic Harriet Throsby gives the play a savage review. On its face, this blend of details about Horowitz’s life, work, and personality, with the creation of the fictional detective and murder is at risk of being unbearably self-centred. It’s a pleasant surprise that it is not. Horowitz does mention points of his career and projects that he has worked on as a means of entry to some parts of the story (and occasionally anecdotally), but it comes in the form of interesting tidbits, rather than bragging. There’s even a scene including a few famous directors that is quite hilarious.With its unorthodox protagonist, clever plotting, brilliantly imperfect characters, and escalating sense of urgency and intrigue, THE WORD IS MURDER is an instant crime classic that will keep you reading as fast as you can… one of the best and most compulsively readable mysteries of the year. Hugely satisfying on every level." ( Written by Sime)