The Sentence is Death @AnthonyHorowitz @HarperCollins #mystery #hawthorne2 #fictionfriends #duoreviews @JanBelisle @absltmom

Looking for a great book to get us out of a bit of a rut, Jan and I decided to give The Sentence is Death a go. Happily we were very surprised and elated that the second book in the Hawthorne series became a favorite and brought us back to the days of a true and wonderful mystery story. Keep them coming Mr Horowitz, for we are anxious to see where you take yourself and Hawthorne next, for we are sure to follow.

“I’ve met police dogs with more intelligence than those two. You could tell them everything we’ve done, down to the last word, and they’d still end up running around
in a circle, sniffing each other’s arses.”

Jan’s review

What a terrific whodunit! This series is a homage to the Golden Age of mystery writers, although with a modern bent, and I loved every minute of it. It’s very clever how the author inserts himself into the story as the narrator, adds in tidbits from his real life, and pokes a little fun at himself. Which makes this a fun, unique read that I flew through. 5 stars for the pure enjoyment I got while reading!

Tony is an author hired to write a series of books about Daniel Hawthorne, a disgraced former police detective turned PI, and accompanies him as he works his cases.  Hawthorne is short on charm, but is a brilliant observer of things most people miss, a Columbo-type character. He’s an enigma with an air of mystery surrounding him and is as determined to keep his private life a secret as much as Tony is determined to unearth those secrets.

The mystery in this story follows the formula of a victim with a full cast of suspects, all of whom have secrets and powerful motives for murder. Tony plays Watson to Hawthorne’s Sherlock and bumbles along  determined to outwit Hawthorne and solve the case himself. There’s plenty of amusing dialogue and wry observations to keep things light. 

This is pure fun and I can’t wait for book #3! This book can stand on its own but I highly recommend the first book of the series, The Word is Murder.

* Many thanks to Edelweiss for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review * This was a buddy read with Marialyce and a series we both wholeheartedly recommend.

Marialyce’s review:

Mr Horowitz with his usual flair for cleverness has once again teemed up with his erstwhile nemesis, Hawthorne, and is on the trail of finding a killer. These two seem to model themselves after the team of Holmes and Watson, as one seems to bumble his way through the investigation, while the other is miles ahead and seems to have puzzled out the perpetrator long before the last chapter is read.

I was so ready for a down home, real good, wonderfully written mystery book that told a straight story with just the right amount of dropped clues, a bit of whimsy, and a touch of the camaraderie we came to love in the previous book, The Word is Murder, where both Anthony and Hawthorne made their grand entrance into the world of crime solving. Having read and loved The Word Is Murder, I was fully expecting another wonderful turn out for this book and happily I was not disappointed.

Loving mysteries the way I do, this book was perfect in all the ways a mystery can be. There were the usual suspects each one shrouded in secrets and looking more guilty than the next. You can match wits with Hawthorne once again and see if you too, can beat Anthony to the final conclusion. Murder is again afoot and our team is hot on the trail of a killer.

Thank you to Anthony Horowitz, Harper Books, and Edelweiss for a copy of this most enjoyable book.

and here’s the author:

His three tips for writing fiction are: (1) Read more. (2) Write more. (3) Believe in yourself.
One of his favourite books is Great Exectations by Charles Dickens.
He listens to a lot of classical music, such as: Chopin, Benjamin Britten and Mozart.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/audio/2012/mar/23/sequels-andrew-motion-anthony-horowitz