“The Word is Murder” - Anthony Horowitz

 (Hawthorne book 1)

✏️ In TWIM Horowitz brings us another clever plotting device: he puts his fictionalized self into the novel as Anthony the writer/sidekick to Hawthorne. Together, they’re a Poirot and a reluctant Hastings.

✏️ Detective fiction writer Anthony H. grudgingly joins ex-detective Hawthorne to investigate the murder a wealthy socialite. They uncover a past crime that seems to give multiple people a motive for wanting the seemingly harmless older woman dead. Red herrings abound. 

✏️ Meanwhile, Anthony is doing his best to unpack the enigma of Hawthorne for his own literary ends, with next to no help from the man himself. All Anthony knows is Hawthorne is a brilliant detective with an abhorrent personality. 

✏️ Not only does the reader get to work along with Anthony to sort through all the facts and observe Hawthorne in action, we also get a touch of insight into Anthony’s writing method. It felt like maybe the real Anthony H. was giving us a peek into his writing method.