The Sentence is Death is a great mystery.

Lawyer Richard Pryce is found dead killed with a bottle of wine. The police can figure out why so they bring in private investigator Daniel Hawthorne to assist. Lots of twists and turns and plenty secrets to keep you reading until the very end. Quite enjoyable. .

**I received an advanced readers copy of the book through NetGalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

Once again, Horowitz crafts a wonderfully delightful story with a unique twist - including himself as a character into the story. Horowitz is a go to author for me, because he loves to throw surprises into the storyline and creates some very unforgettable characters.

In this followup to The Word is Murder, Horowitz teams up again with investigator Daniel Hawthorne, an acerbic, politically incorrect former detective whose personal life just may surprise readers (and Horowitz). Despite Hawthorne's foibles, I find him to be an amazingly engaging character, akin to Sherlock Holmes in the art of detection. Called to a murder scene, Hawthorne and Horowitz discover clues to lead to what appears to be an unrelated tragedy from years ago. Yet, as they dive further into the mystery and the pieces begin to come together, appearances could possibly be deceiving.

Highly recommended!

This is Anthony Horowitz’s follow-up to “The Word is Murder,” which I have not yet read; however, I never felt like there was anything I was missing as I read this one. I enjoyed this one so much that I’m anxious to go back and read the first. I also quite liked Horowitz’s “Magpie Murders.” In this one the author inserts himself by name into the story, which was great fun. He is writing a series of books about an English detective, and is joining him as he investigates a murder. Because the writer, himself, is a character in the book, there are references to real books and people, which are fun to pick up on. I listened to this on audio because I’m a sucker for a British accent, and with Rory Kinnear narrating it was delightful.

Horowitz is an undeniably brilliant writer who somehow manages to blend a modern story with very Sherlockian and/or Agatha Christie overtones. The many parallels between the facts of his real life and the fictional story make this series very unique in the telling . He blends the two so well that sometimes I was left wondering if the actual story was real. It was a wonderful mystery, incredibly well done.

Even though I hadn't read the first book in this series, this book was easy enough to dive into. It was an interesting premise and a fun mystery. I'll definitely be reading more Horowitz in the future.

Another great read from Mr Horowitz. The Sentence is Death is the follow up to the Word is Murder and is just as funny and intriguing. These novels are based on Horowitz's life, but with an additional cast of fictional characters, the main one being former detective Hawthorne. Hawthorne assists the police with murder cases, and Horowitz is acting as his biographer. Here, the murder in question is that of a divorce lawyer, seemingly inspired by a "A Study in Scarlet". I greatly enjoyed the unraveling of the crime, very well plotted. The best bits though, are the asides to Horowitz's daily life and his efforts to understand Hawthorne. Recommend and looking forward to the next one.

Of course, hard to match the originality and fun of the first one. The mystery was a little convoluted. But I still loved the Hawthorne/Tony dynamic duo. Good fun!

I normally enjoy this author's work. He's a wonderful writer and and his stories are so well plotted. However, I was not a fan of this book. I've enjoyed many books about people whose decision-making was questionable. However, I simply could not follow the logic of the main character. It's one thing if I don't agree with a character's actions, but usually the writer can help me understand why he or she acted they way they did. At many points in this book, I simply didn't comprehend the narrator's motivation. It may cultural (I'm not English), but try as I might, I couldn't enjoy this book.

Always hearing such amazing and positive things about Anthony Horowitz got me curious about his work and I was very excited when Netgalley offered me an advanced copy. I love and breathe mystery and thrillers and was ready to embrace a new author in my life within the genre. However, I dislike his style of writing too much to even be able to finish the book. I just could not get over the way he structured the book and the way he writes. I wanted to love this so badly, but it didn’t work out.

I really enjoy this series, which is unlike other mysteries. Horowitz writes himself into the story in a really cool narrative way where he shares parts of his real life, but as part of the fictional story he's writing about. I enjoy the plot, the murder they have to solve, and the character development in this second installment is great. Hoping there will be more!

I enjoyed this book so much, and I knew I would. I loved the Word is Murder, and I was happy to revisit the characters. Hawthorne is still an enigma, but just as funny as in the previous book. I loved the interplay between "Tony" and Hawthorne. what a great tea,m! The ingenuity of the plot competes with the charm of the characters. I would whole-hardheartedly recommend this book to my patrons, along with his two earlier adult mysteries.

I received an ARC of this novel through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very enjoyable read. It's fast-paced and clever. I particularly liked the meta-narrative elements and the way that Horowitz makes a version of himself a character in this novel. I'll admit that I didn't really care who had done it, or how, by the end, but I thought it was a very engaging read. I was a little troubled by the hostility toward one of the female characters because he seemed to be demonizing her for her feminism, so that's one of the reasons that I gave it four stars instead of five.

3.5 stars

This is the author's second book in the series featuring himself as a character, a Watson to a former police detective's Holmes. Hawthorne, the detective, is quirky and secretive and often unpleasant. The conceit of having the real-life author appear as himself felt pretty manipulative this time out.

The mystery itself is interesting. A prominent divorce lawyer is found murdered. As always, there is not a shortage of suspects. Many of his clients' former spouses hated and threatened him. He had family entanglements and a jarring episode from his past that offered up more possibilities.

Hawthorne and Horowitz continue investigating, with the understanding that Horowitz will write a book about the case when it's solved. Their relationship is adversarial and odd. There are lots of clever passages in the book, and it's quite readable, but the mechanics of having the mix of real and fictional characters feels very staged.

Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Sentence is Death by Anthony Horowitz was an unexpected treat. Horowitz has been on my TBR pile forever, but this is my first foray into his portfolio but it won't be the last. Much of what I read is by young, new authors, or authors who don't seem to take their craft seriously. It was beyond amazing to read a well-written, relatively formal book. I enjoyed it tremendously.

Horowitz is himself in this book, with his life portrayed pretty accurately. It is the second in the Daniel Hawthorne detective series. Hawthorne is a former police office who now consults/contracts with them on occasion and Horowitz is a writer with a three-book deal as Hawthorne's biographer. As such, he follows Hawthorne around as he solves crimes and documents the process. They are not friends. They know little about the lives of one another and both are happy that way. There has been a murder: a top-flight divorce lawyer is dead and as the investigation unfolds, it turns out there a plenty of people with possible motives. It is a process and it is Horowitz' goal to solve the crime before Hawthorne does and it is Hawthorne's to solve it before anyone else does.

As the investigation proceeds, Horowitz sees hints of Hawthorne's life, some spoilers for another time. They do eventually solve the crime, Horowitz comes close, but it is Hawthorne who closes it. What a fabulous read. I totally recommend it. You will love it if you love a mystery.

I received a free ARC of The Sentence is Death. All opinions expressed herein are my own. #netgalley #thesentenceisdeath

This author I feel like, has a very Agatha Christie vibe. I enjoy his books and this one didn't disappoint.
Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for a honest review.

horowitz has another winner with this book. It's a humorous page turner with a great plot. Intermixing problems with the filming of "Foyles War" will tickle fans of that series as well.

Richard Pryce is killed with an expensive wine bottle. The killer writes 182 in green paint on the wall. Those are not the most extraordinary points in The Sentence is Death.

Anthony Horowitz, the fictional writer, written by the real Anthony Horowitz, the author of this book, is working with freelance Detective Daniel Hawthorne again. Horowitz does have a contractual obligation for two more books of 80,000 words each. His attitude is to get the book done so he can go back to working on (the real British television show) Foyle’s War.

Back to the murder. Pryce is a celebrity divorce lawyer working on a 10 million pound settlement. His client’s soon-to-be ex-wife, Akira Anno, threatens to kill Pryce with a wine bottle loudly in a restaurant. Awkward for her when he is found dead by the same method less than 24 hours later.

The Sentence is Murder is another riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma from bestselling author Anthony Horowitz. All I can say is don’t piss the real Mr. Horowitz off. He can obviously plot a murder that no one will solve.

I went into this book looking for the most unlikely suspect who had opportunity. However, I failed to identify the murderer before either Hawthorne or fictional Horowitz. There are really three mysteries here. I feel slightly better because I was able to solve the two smaller ones. For anyone who enjoys mysteries especially golden age or older stories, you can’t go wrong picking this book up. It has no spoilers for the first in the series so they can be read in any order. Highly recommended with a rating of 5 stars! I can’t wait for the third in the planned trilogy.

Thanks to Harper Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

THE SENTENCE IS DEATH by Anthony Horowitz is his second book involving former policeman Daniel Hawthorne (The Word is Murder was published in 2018). This new title is equally entertaining as Hawthorne sets out to solve another murder while Horowitz writes himself into the story as narrator of events. This time, it is a high profile divorce attorney, Richard Pryce, who has been found murdered – struck and then gouged with the remnants of a very expensive bottle of wine. There are plenty of contemporary suspects such as Pryce's current partner and ex-wives of his well-off clients, but past events, including unsettling references to a long ago death of a college friend, further complicate the case. Fortunately, Horowitz indicates he has "a three book deal" and fans of this series will devour this clever mystery and be eagerly awaiting the third installment. THE SENTENCE IS DEATH received starred reviews from Booklist and Publishers Weekly.

The rehearsal was stressful. While attempting to shoot a scene of London Street circa 1947 for an episode of Foyle's War, there were weather issues and the police would not allow filming before 10 AM. Adding to film writer Anthony Horowitz's woes, Detective Inspector Daniel Hawthorne drove on set, music blasting. Hawthorne told Anthony that high profile divorce lawyer Richard Pryce had been murdered. "I though you would want to write about it." Having made a three-book-deal to write about Hawthorne's cases, Horowitz had no choice but to work with this ex-copper who "swore all the time...smoked and called me [him] Tony."


Ex-detective Hawthorne was hired by the Metropolitan Police to assist with this difficult case much to the dismay of Detective Cara Grunshaw, a scowling, hostile, and unpleasant woman. She wanted all the accolades despite the input of others. Anthony Horowitz, the author, inserts himself into the investigation acting as a veritable Doc Watson to Hawthorne's Sherlock Holmes.


The crime: Richard Pryce was found bludgeoned to death in his dwelling. He had been hit on the head with an expensive bottle of wine then stabbed repeatedly with the jagged edged neck of the bottle. Why did Pryce, a teetotaler, possess this wine? He had recently completed divorce proceedings favoring Adrian Lockwood, an expensively dressed, pony-tailed, property developer. Lockwood's ex-wife Akira Anno, a writer of literary fiction and poetry, was the prime suspect having verbally threatened Pryce in a restaurant and then poured a glass of wine over his head. Shortly thereafter, he was murdered. The murder weapon: a bottle of wine.


The team of Hawthorne-Horowitz actively investigates the crime. Hawthorne is a strange duck. He expects Horowitz to be "seen and not heard" for why should a film writer "ask questions"? Hawthorne and Horowitz continually frustrate each other.


"The Sentence is Death" by Anthony Horowitz is an excellent golden age type mystery. There are a multitude of suspects, numerous twists and turns and many surprise revelations. Secrets abound. What fun! This tome was unputdownable!


Thank you HarperCollins Publishers and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "The Sentence is Death".

As I read this second book involving PI Daniel Hawthorne and the author himself, the words “clever” and “unique” kept coming to mind. The Sentence is Death is narrated by the author, who has placed himself in the story as a writer who has been hired to write about the aforementioned detective, Daniel Hawthorne.

As with the first book, there is a death to investigate and Hawthorne displays brilliance when confronted with a number of baffling clues. Meanwhile, Horowitz blunders along, hoping to find out more about the mysterious detective, his past life and how he is able to stay ahead of everyone else when it comes to solving the crime.

The Sentence is Death is a clever and polished mystery. The writing is crisp, the characters well-drawn, and the twists will keep the reader engaged right to the last page. Thank you, Mr Horowitz, for giving your readers such a unique book and well-plotted story. I greatly enjoyed it and I’m eagerly awaiting the next episode!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.