I thoroughly enjoyed this addition to the Hawthorne and Horowitz Series, the meta nature of them always feels more creative than they are at the fundamental level.

Another excellent entry in the Hawthorne series. In this tale Anthony has high hopes for his comedy/thriller play. Unfortunately, a particularly nasty critic writes a lacerating review. Even more unfortunately it’s a fatal review, she is murdered and Anthony is the prime suspect. Can Hawthorne save him?

Former detective Daniel Hawthorne and author Anthony Horowitz have severed their rocky work relationship. Anthony has moved on to writing a play that has just opened in London but sadly did not get rave reviews. To twist the knife stabbing his writing career further the theater critic who delivered the killing review was herself murdered with Anthony as the lead suspect. If only he had a friend in the police department who could help him find the real murderer? So now Hawthorne comes back to lend a hand in Horowitz clearing his name and much chaos ensues. This is one odd couple relationship that works well on paper. Daniel Hawthorne is secretive and keeps things close to his chest whereas Anthony Horowitz is not afraid to poke fun at himself and at the insecurities of mystery authors everywhere. Fun with an easy writing style but with a solid mystery that moves at a fast pace, this series is a favorite of librarians and lighter mystery readers everywhere. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

I love the Horowitz/Hawthorne series, so I hate to say this is the weakest book so far. Where the previous three books were very much Sherlock Holmes inspired and focused on the process, this time Horowitz had moved on to another classic mystery great; Agatha Christie. The story seemed shorter and much more focused on the end game and 'great reveal' at the end. Early on my money was on 'the brother' as the culprit - I was wrong, but I found that I didn't much care.
That being said, I will await and read the next book in the series.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read and review this ARC.

4.5 stars which I will round up due to sheer entertainment value (and I didn't guess).

The Twist of a Knife is 4th in the series of Hawthorne and Horowitz and it certainly does not disappoint.

Tony finds himself accused of murder and after a scathing review of his new play Mindgames.

He turns to Horowitz for help who finally agrees to help.

Not many suspects but Hawthorne and Tony delve into the background of all .

Some nasty characters (including the victim) make a good story. I love a closed room mystery.

The pages turn quickly and the lights stay on as you race to the end of the book which was unputdownable .

Cant wait for the pairs next adventure.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for a page turning read.

The morning after the opening of author Anthony Horowitz's new play, theater critic Harriet Throsby is murdered---and someone has set Horowitz up as the killer. He didn't kill the unlikeable writer, but when his fingerprints are found on the murder weapon, he asks ex-detective Daniel Hawthorne to help him find the real criminal.

This is my least favorite of the Hawthorne and Horowitz books. It took me a long time (more than half of the book) to really get into the storyline. I liked the theater setting but the cast members weren't especially compelling. The story picked up pace about 3/4 of the way through, and I enjoyed the ending, although the reveal didn't quite make up for the lackluster start. In previous books I found Hawthorne and his odd relationship with Horowitz more entertaining; this time around the bromance was just meh and Hawthorne a little too smug for my liking. Recommended for fans of the series.

If you enjoyed the previous Hawthorne stories by Horowitz, this one will be no different. I had to stop reading a few times or I'd finish it too quickly. Still, a page turner when you finish it in a just a few days. Each time I finish one of these books I'm always upset there's not more to read upon completion. The characters are appealing, the conversations interesting, and Hawthorne... always at least two steps ahead of everyone else. Can't wait for the next one of course!

Hawthorne and Horowitz are back! After a brutal review of his play, Anthony is the main suspect in the murder of the scathing critic.

From the publisher: In New York Times bestselling author Anthony Horowitz’s ingenious fourth literary whodunit, Horowitz becomes the prime suspect in a murder investigation—and only one man can prove his innocence: his newly estranged partner in solving crime, Detective Hawthorne.

The Twist of a Knife is the fourth Hawthorne and Horowitz mystery, and this series just keeps getting better. In this entry, the author is the primary suspect after a nasty critic of his newest play is murdered. It’s weird to wrap my head around Horowitz being a character in his own books, and I’m always wondering what’s “true” and what’s made up about his life and his personality. It reminds me in good ways of last year’s movie The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, which starred Nicolas Cage as himself.

Anthony Horowitz the character is a bit clueless and a bit of a goof. Hawthorne is an incredibly talented detective who is full of secrets and extremely unlikable at times. They work well as a team – in the way that Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson work well as a team. In this book, the fictional Horowitz gives us a great impression of the innocent man being falsely accused (although he is a bit of an idiot – where is his lawyer?).

This series is just so much fun. I enjoy the English atmosphere of the setting. I love the insight into the worlds of publishing and theater. The relationship between Hawthorne and Horowitz is a hoot. I was so entertained by The Twist of a Knife that I really didn’t even try to figure out who done it (and I did not, in fact, guess who done it). Hawthorne brings everyone involved together on stage for the Big Reveal and it’s fantastic. The ending of this book provides plenty of fodder for additional books, and I hope there are plenty more.

If you like classic murder mysteries and haven’t yet read any Hawthorne and Horowitz titles, I recommend you give the first one, The Word Is Murder, a try. I read an advance reader copy of The Twist of a Knife. It is scheduled to be published on November 15. The Galesburg Public Library owns (or will own) all of the books in multiple formats.

Kindle Copy for Review from NetGalley, Killer Crime Club and Harper Collins.

I received a free, advance copy of this book and this is my unbiased and voluntary review.

An author who collaborate with an ex detective decides to end their partnership. He goes on to write a play that critics canned as his former writing partner who refuse to attend. During the play a murder takes place as people question the author ability to write.

He becomes prime suspect In this thriller as someone is out to get him. A fast paced page turner.

I would give a 3.5 if possible, only because I am a fan of the series and this one is not quite as strong as its predecessors. The plot is a bit too far-fetched and the elements that pull it all together aren't quite fleshed out enough. And not enough Hawthorne - although I think that what's given here sets the stage for Horowitz to make the next few books more focused on the mystery of Hawthorne himself, which is something I'm definitely looking forward to. Thanks to Netgalley, and to the publisher, for allowing me an advance copy in exchange for review.

This may be my favorite (so far) of the Hawthorne and Horowitz novels - in which Anthony dabbles in writing for the theater and winds up in the sights of police when a noted and eccentric drama critic is murdered. And the ending hints of four more H&H adventures to come!

Another good Horowitz and Hawthorne novel. This is the 4th in the series and I'd have to say that they are all equally enjoyable. There is no decline in quality as the series continues. Hopefully it will stay that way. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The fourth in the Horowitz / Hawthorne series. This one gets a little more (too?) personal as after rejecting Hawthorne's advances to yet another partnership, Anthony himself is arrested or murder (we assume he didn't do it!) and must depend on a sulky, rebuffed Hawthorne to get him out of it!

It must be every writer’s dream to knock off a critic who has unfairly judged his work and thrown a monkey wrench into his career. The eminently talented Anthony Horowitz has taken matters into his own hands in the latest Hawthorne mystery, The Twist of a Knife. And, when I say taken matters into his own hands, I mean that literally--or at least that is what Horowitz’s fictional police nemesis Cara Grunshaw would have us believe when his new play Mindgame is brutally panned by influential and despicable critic Harriet Throsby. Horowitz needs Sherlockian private investigator Hawthorne in the worst way to prove his innocence.Trouble is Hawthorne is in no mood to help Horowitz after the author let him know their association is over and there will be no more Hawthorne books. Once again, Horowitz finds himself paying a reluctant (and desperate) Watson to the prickly Hawthorne.

While all of Horowitz’s books are must reads for me, the Hawthorne series is especially pleasurable, featuring engrossing mysteries played out against the backdrop of an evolving and unlikely friendship.

Verdict: Get The Twist of a Knife as soon as possible then clear your schedule. You’re going to want to give this one your full attention.

Full Disclosure--NetGalley and the publisher provided me with a digital ARC of this book. This is my honest review.

Another very interesting mystery/biography in the life of Anthony Horowitz and Hawthorne, his very unwelcome partner. This time Anthony is accused of killing a critic, who killed his show on the London stage. Always a fun read. Nice to know the partnership will continue.

Lots of interesting characters and stage lore. I enjoy these books and the cast of characters that dwell within.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

This author-insert mystery series remains a pleasant and fun experience. We continue to gather crumbs about Hawthorne’s life beyond solving crimes and Horowitz continues his comic self-deprecating streak. This time Horowitz is the scapegoat for DI Cara Grunshaw and her assorted goons and must rely on Hawthorne to prove his innocence before he is framed for the killing of a particularly nasty critic who gave his ill-fated play a terrible review.

Regarding the mystery, nothing in this series will line up with the brilliance in his other (Susan Ryeland series) one. Just like with the third in this series, I am quite frustrated that it is taking so long to unravel who Hawthorne is. The book is about those two characters, and yet every interaction is fleeting, curt, and short. I can feel myself not caring as much. All that being said, I did finish this mystery in two days because it was a fun, page-turner, and it gave me some good laughs. And of course I wanted to know who the murderer was!

I will continue engaging with this series, but I am hoping for more in the next one!

For me, AnthonyHorowitz is always an excellent writer, whether it’s his adult or YA series, Alex Ryder, his tv adaptions or original scripts. I’ve never read or seen anything by Anthony Horowitz I haven’t loved but this series has to be my favorite. Horowitz plays himself in this thinly veiled series where he as writer works with ex detective Hawthorne telling the story of his cases. They’ve worked on three books together but Horowitz is no closer to figuring out the enigma that is Hawthorne than he was in the beginning, so he’s had enough, calling quits to their writing partnership. But Horowitz has written a produced play, there’s a murder, and now he needs Hawthorne’s help once again.
The characters Horowitz writes are complex and nuanced, the plots are never dull. All in all a treat, and I truly hope he doesn’t dissolve their partnership because I can’t wait for the next installment.

A new Anthony Horowitz mystery where he plays the major role and is the prime suspect. The book is obviously fiction but there is a thin line between what is real and what are literary allusions.
His relationship with Hawthorne, his "partner" and the solution to the murder of a theater critic who wrote a scathing review of Horowitz"s play provides the complexity to the plot.
Not really scary. The antics and motives of Hawthorne and Anthony are fun.
There will be a PBS Mystery in 2022 of a prior book. ( Magpie Murders)