Horowitz just keeps on delivering intricate mysteries capped by a totally unexpected plot twist at the end. The oddly paired Horowitz and Hawthorne provide the basis for a brilliantly delivered story full of characters both despicable, insipid, and sad all overshadowed by the age-old cause for murder - revenge.

Horowitz pokes fun at everything: the literary circuit, the publishing industry, the psychic circuit, English boarding schools, and small town history. Sound like a lot? Horowitz mashes it all together into what the reader thinks is an obvious, singular storyline, then bops you over the head with a surprise at the end leaving you think "how did I miss that?"

I read a lot of mystery novels and have come to accept that there are levels of writing: cozies for those who like short reads with no explicit description; slasher detective fiction that borders on horror given the level of graphic description of torture, death, and human depravity; and what is being called "literary" mysteries like this one, where the writing is done for grown-ups who appreciate witty dialog and intricate puzzles. This is one reader who wishes there were more Anthony Horowitz's writing today!

Well recommended.

4.5 stars, rounded up. With this third Hawthorne and Horowitz mystery, I still find myself forgetting that this is fiction. Anthony Horowitz has done such a great job writing himself into the story as a character, and it continues to be such a fun way of telling a unique story. Hawthorne remains maddening but fascinating character, and the way that he solves this one, and the characters involved, make for a really wonderful and compelling mystery.

Another very entertaining addition to the Hawthorne and Horowitz series. I really enjoy how the author weaves real life and fiction together in this series.. For this installment there was an interesting setting, eccentric characters and a puzzling mystery.

Horowitz and Hawthorne are back in another clever murder mystery. This time it's set at a literary festival.

A cozy and enjoyable mystery with lots of red herrings. This author is new to me although I discovered his books and series are well known. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and the setting. A great literary device using a literary setting as the site if murders. I’ll definitely investigate more of his work.

I love this series, and I hope the author plans to continue it! I absolutely love that Anthony Horowitz has written himself into this fictional series, and I really enjoy guessing which parts might be true.

This installment sets the crime solving duo on an island for a book event, and I love the island creating a kind of closed room element to the mystery!

This book has an especially interesting cast of suspects. The author does a great job of keeping the reader guessing. I often relate to Horowitz's character in the book, because my conclusions are also usually incorrect.

I love handing these books to mystery readers that haven't discovered them yet because it is such a fun approach.

I can't wait to read more of these marvelous mysteries.

** “I think there’s something wonderful and reassuring about the idea that in the rush of modern life people will still come together and sit for an hour in a theatre, a gymnasium or a giant tent simply out of a love of books and reading. There’s a sort of innocence about it.” **

Author Anthony Horowitz and ex-detective Daniel Hawthorne team up again in Horowitz’s “A Line to Kill,” a masterful whodunnit where the author inserts himself as a main character.

When Horowitz and Hawthorne are invited to a literary festival on the island of Alderney, they begrudgingly agree to attend — you see, none of their books have even been published yet. Joined by a blind author who sees into the spirit world, a TV chef, a local historical writer, a children’s author and a performance poet, the two men quickly learn there’s more than meets the eye. And when a series of unfortunate circumstances hit the island, the two must work together to help solve the case.

Horowitz does a great job of creating delightfully zany characters with a plot filled with twists and turns, leaving the reader guessing until the very end. His story also has a refreshingly novel component with allowing himself to be a main character.

Fans of authors like Agatha Christie and other classic whodunnits will love this book. Disclaimer: it does contain some language.

“A Line to Kill,” which is the third in the series but can be read on its own, is due out Oct. 19.

Five stars out of five.

Harper provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.

A Line to Kill is the third entry in this series featuring Anthony Horowitz the writer and the main subject of his mysteries, Daniel Hawthorne, a former police detective who is now solving mysteries on a private basis. Here they are thrust in the midst of the mysterious murders of a husband and wife, each of whom was murdered in separate places and at separate times. Horowitz's plotting is clever and his writing is well above average. He is able to take a rather ordinary plot and elevate it above the ordinary. His devices, though, are beginning to wear a little thin around the edges. I hope he'll be back in 5-star form for what surely will be another book that reveals a little more about Hawthorne's background story. Devoted readers will be eager for this book. Readers new to the series should also be intrigued. Although they need not have read the others, they might be inclined to do so once they have finished reading A Line to Kill.

I am a huge fan of Anthony Horowitz, and I love the Hawthorne series. This is a great addition to the collection! Always clever, witty, and excellently paced, I think Horowitz is one of the best mystery writers of today.

I’d never read anything by this author and was pleasantly surprised to find out how much I enjoyed it. When I finished the book, and read the author’s bio, I discovered he was the television screenwriter who created two of my favorite TV series—Midsomer Murders and Foyle’s War. So I was delighted to have the opportunity to read one of his novels and now understood why I loved this literary whodunit so much.

No surprise, I loved loved loved this book. I greatly enjoyed his other books, and I was so happy to read another ""Hawthorne and Tony" collaboration. They are so great together and I want more of them. The book was so clever, funny and engrossing. The story, taking place on the tiny island, had a locked room mystery feel about it, and was well-plotted. The characters were beautifully crafted and so original. I can't say enough about this book, except that it was one of my favorite books of the year, and right now I can't think of one I liked better. I can't wait fir the next one.

Horowitz does not disappoint with this gem. Clever and well-written, the author once again proves he is one of the most underrated mystery writers out there,

The Sherlockian duo of Hawthorne and Horowitz confronts another challenge in A Line to Kill, the third in Anthony Horowitz’s delightful literary mystery series. As in the previous books, Horowitz finds himself caught up in an investigation despite his primary objective to write about Hawthorne and his exploits. His self-deprecating, unwitting narrative “self” reports the astounding talents of the former detective as he uncovers the truth behind crimes. As Horowitz becomes enlightened, so does the reader. In this installment, the two men are assigned a “command performance” at a literary festival. The island of Alderney seems like an odd place to host such an event, and Anthony is also curious as to why Hawthorne would willing agree to take part. Once on the island, things take a deadly turn, and the pair is confined to Alderney with the rest of the odd festival attendees. The police request Hawthorne’s help in solving a murder that is linked to the festival. There is a lot of surreptitious activities and connections in Horowitz’s homage to Christie’s “locked room” scenario. Everyone, even Hawthorne himself, has ulterior motives that propel the action forward and provide interesting twists. The final reveal is carefully plotted and satisfying. Horowitz has once again created a unique series with an innovative approach, despite how much of the classical tropes are employed. Funny and fast-paced, A Line to Kill seamlessly brings nostalgia and class to the mystery genre that has grown to display more style than substance.

Thanks to the author, Century Publishers and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

This is the third in the series in which Horowitz writes about a case in the first person - as an observer and "biographer" of Detective Daniel Hawthorne. With each novel, we learn more about the elusive and secretive Hawthorne, this time as they together attend a literary festival on the small Channel Island of Alderney, ostensibly to promote the forthcoming first book, "The Word is Murder" Horowitz soon realizes that Hawthorne had ulterior motives in accepting the invitation to Alderney, as did many of the other authors and even the events main sponsor. Soon, the first known murder has taken place on the remote, insular island and Horowitz and Hawthorne are drawn into the investigation by the local police. Well written with interesting plot twists and clues sprinkled throughout, this series continues to impress. Highly recommend.

i love this series. In this book Hawthorne and Horowitz attend a literary festival on a channel island. Of course, someone is killed and Hawthorne and Horowitz investigate. The story is clever and twisty, and includes some dry humor about the literati. I love the character of Hawthorne. In this book we learn a bit more about him which is nice.

Having read the first two installments of this series, I was thrilled to get an early look at the next, “A Line to Kill”. I really love the two protagonists, Hawthorne & Horowitz - their dynamic is so fun! Plus the whole “retro mystery” angle is a great call-back for any classic mystery fan. I am so very pleased that this third installment met my high expectations for it! A “locked-room” type mystery set on an English Channel island? So down for it! There are lots of red herrings and clues to follow as we investigate along with the great detective, Hawthorne, and his bumbling “Watson”, Horowitz…. highly recommend. My sincere thanks to the author, publisher and Net Galley for the complimentary e-ARC, which did not influence my review.

From the publisher: When Ex-Detective Inspector Daniel Hawthorne and his sidekick, author Anthony Horowitz, are invited to an exclusive literary festival on Alderney, an idyllic island off the south coast of England, they don’t expect to find themselves in the middle of murder investigation—or to be trapped with a cold-blooded killer in a remote place with a murky, haunted past. Both a brilliant satire on the world of books and writers and an immensely enjoyable locked-room mystery, A Line to Kill is a triumph—a riddle of a story full of brilliant misdirection, beautifully set-out clues, and diabolically clever denouement.

Anthony Horowitz is the author of a popular teen spy series, adult mysteries, and a number of beloved TV series. In his Hawthorne and Horowitz series, the author inserts himself, as himself, as a character into the stories, which is kind of bizarre but also fun. The fictional Anthony Horwitz comes off as a bit of a clueless dolt. He was approached in the first book by a disgraced detective hoping to get some money by contributing to a nonfiction crime series written by the fictional Anthony Horowitz.

Got that? It’s a bit of a mind twister, but as I already mentioned, a lot of fun. The series is a love letter to classic murder mysteries and detective stories. Hawthorne is clearly the brains of the pair, but also deeply mysterious and often unlikable. Still, he has the charisma, and the author gets ignored when Hawthorne is present. This causes a strain between the duo, even while fictional Horowitz admires Hawthorne’s detecting skills.

The plot of A Line to Kill gives us a chance to meet a bunch of quirky writers at a small literary festival. I had to wonder as a reader if any of them are based on writers Horowitz knows. He also pokes fun at himself and his own reputation as a writer, and he seems to be having a joyful time doing it. The author drops clues right and left, leaving the reader to wonder – is that important? Is that a red herring? And Hawthorne slowly puts it all together as the rest of us scratch our heads.

I love Horowitz’s subtle humor and phrasing, as in this passage when a séance takes place: “So at ten o’clock, I made my way down to the hotel’s screening room, which was certainly not the sort of place Noel Coward would have chosen to set a séance.” (ch. 20 of the advance reader copy) Also this passage, when a body is discovered at the seaside: “Even before we got out of the car, we could tell something was wrong. A small crowd had gathered on the very edge of the grass, all of them looking out to sea, and there was something about their body language, the way they stood, that warned us that although they might be birdwatchers, they were not now watching birds.” (ch. 22)

If you like very English detective bromances where the bros don’t really seem to like each other, and detective stories that overwhelm you with characters and plot devices, you might enjoy this series.

I read an advance reader copy of A Line to Kill from Netgalley. The third book in the series, it is already out in the UK but will be published in the US in October. The Galesburg Public Library owns the first two books and will own the third in regular print, large print, audio, and as ebooks. If you want to get started, book one is The Word Is Murder.

I just love this series by Anthony Horowitz! This installment is set at a literary festival on the island of Alderney. Horowitz and retired detective Hawthorne must solve a murder and possibly find the subject for their next novel, Fun insights from the inside of the publishing world along with a murder to puzzle make for an entertaining read.

Another fun mystery from Horowitz. I have to say, I'm not really sure where he is going with the Hawthorne character - he's not that sympathetic or interesting, and this is the third book so he's had plenty of time. Despite this I definitely find Horowitz's plot and (other) characters interesting enough to read them, so I guess he's doing something right! I guessed the killer this time but had no idea why - all the clues were there once it was spelled out though. It's set up for a sequel with some mystery as to Hawthorne's past, so maybe in the 4th book something will pop up that will make me like him more. A fast and enjoyable read.

Thanks to NetGalley & Harper for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I like Anthony Horowitz's writing (despite the occasional lapses into homophobia in his other mystery series), and this entry, while not as strong as the first two, is quite good. Rory Kinnear does a great job on the audiobooks, but this was one I read in print (sorry, Rory).

For this third outing, Anthony and Hawthorne attend a fledgling authors' conference on the island of Alderney. It's a bit of a ragtag group: the pair join a blind clairvoyant and her husband/handler, a derivative French poet, a celebrity chef and a beloved children's author. It soon becomes clear that Hawthorne has ulterior motives on this trip, as the man whose "accidental" fall down the stairs while handcuffed and in police custody caused him to be let go from the force lives on Alderney.

The obnoxious online casino billionaire who has spearheaded the conference throws a lavish party at his home to celebrate the event, and the next morning he is found stabbed with a letter opener and duct taped into a chair, aside from his right hand, which is left untaped. Why? More bodies follow and it's up to Anthony to attempt to figure it all out, and then be put in his place by Hawthorne (as usual).

I do enjoy this series and am hoping it continues beyond the 3 book contract, split 50/50 lol.