A Line to Kill: A Novel (A Hawthorne and Horowitz Mystery)

by Anthony Horowitz

Hardcover, 2021

Call number

MYST HOR

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Publication

Harper (2021), 384 pages

Description

"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. Arriving on Alderney, Hawthorne and Horowitz soon meet the festival's other guests--an eccentric gathering that includes a bestselling children's author, a French poet, a TV chef turned cookbook author, a blind psychic, and a war historian--along with a group of ornery locals embroiled in an escalating feud over a disruptive power line. When a local grandee is found dead under mysterious circumstances, Hawthorne and Horowitz become embroiled in the case. The island is locked down, no one is allowed on or off, and it soon becomes horribly clear that a murderer lurks in their midst. But who?"--… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member Pat_Bunk_Malecki
I have read two of Anthony Horowitz's novels, Magpie Murders and its sequel, Moonflower Murders. I tackled with anticipation A Line to Kill. Although the ending redeemed itself, the story lacked, for me, the suspense the two other mysteries had. Mr. Horowitz appeared to be lacking in such self -
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confidence in this story, which became unnerving to me. As I said, FINALLY, the ending struggled to make a HOROWITZ comeback. Will I read another of Horowitz books? Sure, I like his style, but if it involves his sidekick Hawthorne, mmm not so much.
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LibraryThing member jnmegan
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
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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.
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LibraryThing member ericlee
This book, the third in a series featuring the fictional detective Daniel Hawthorne, a Sherlockian consulting detective if there ever was one, and his very own Dr. Watson — Anthony Horowitz himself. It’s an amusing conceit, with Horowitz giving an author’s views of publishers, literary agents
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and literary festivals. And the book is an enjoyable romp, with many twists and turns and a cast of (mostly) genuinely unlikeable characters.

Set during a literary festival on Alderney, one of the channel islands, it is your classic British country house mystery where any number of characters could be the murderer. I won’t say more, but it was enjoyable and I for one did not correctly guess the identity of the killer.

I have one gripe about the book, however. “There has never been a murder on Alderney.” This line appears in the text, on the cover and in all its publicity.

But of course it is not true — Alderney is the scene of the largest mass murder ever to take place on British soil. I’m referring, of course, to the mass murder of slave labourers by the Nazi Germans who occupied the island during the Second World War. An estimated 700 innocent people were murdered there. Horowitz knows this; he makes a couple of passing references to the German occupation and the crimes that took place there. I wonder how that line slipped through.
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LibraryThing member Twink
A Line to Kill is the latest entry (3#) in Anthony Horowitz'sHawthorne and Horowitz series.

I can't recommend this series enough. It's clever in so many ways. The protagonist is the enigmatic Hawthorn, let go from the police force and now working as a P.I. Hawthorne is such a great character - a
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brilliant detective, but somewhat lacking in personal interactive skills. I quite like him. And playing Watson to his Holmes? Anthony Horowitz. Uh huh - Horowitz has written himself in as a character in the series! He plays himself, writing about Hawthorne's cases. The relationship between the two is...interesting...
Hawthorne and Horowitz are invited to a literary festival that's being held on the island of Alderney to promote their first two books. They attend and meet the other presenters - who are a peculiar bunch. When a murder occurs and the island is locked down, Hawthorne's expertise is called upon. And Horowitz is along to document what may become the basis for their third book.(He fervently hopes so, as then his contract would be fulfilled and he'd be done with Hawthorne.)

I adore 'locked room' mysteries. There's always a wealth of characters to sift through for the final whodunit. None of them will tell the truth and we're along for the ride as Hawthorne interviews, investigates and pulls on the threads that will unveil the culprit. My suspect list changed with every revelation. Horowitz adds in his two cents worth as well. There is a large cast of possible suspects and I did have to stop and make a mental list of who was who. The mystery is well written, intricately planned and the final ah hah wasn't easy to suss out. But what I enjoy the most are the characters. I want to know more about Hawthorne's past. There are some hints and clues leaked in this latest, with one final revelation opening the door for the next book. My curiosity is more than whetted. And again the clever way Horowitz has inserted himself in the story. I wonder how much of the book character is Horowitz himself? The verbal sparring and mental jousting between the two is so much fun.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - I find that I become more immersed in a book when I listen. And this is definitely the case with A Line to Kill. The reader is Rory Kinnear and his reading is fantastic! Kinnear has narrated the first two books and has cemented the mental images I have created for this duo. Hawthorne's is low with a slightly gravelly tone and he speaks in measured tones. On the other hand Horowitz has more of a frantic tone, often incredulous, put out and frustrated. Supporting players have different tones, speeds, accents and more for both male and female characters. Again, all of them suit the characters. Kinnear easily captures the (real) author's work wonderfully. Kinnear's voice rises and falls, changes speed and timbre, capturing the emotions and actions as the plot dictates. His speaking is easy to understand.
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LibraryThing member bookappeal
A small literary festival sets the stage for the murder of a person whom people were practically lining up to kill. Straightforward murder mystery investigation solved mostly by observational skills. Clever, fun read.
LibraryThing member BrianEWilliams
A wonderful mystery story, heavy on plot. The setting on Alderney island is exotic but not especially atmospheric. Again, as in the previous books, Hawthorne is an enigma, and he is the only really interesting character. Horowitz is a good narrator. It's an enjoyable quick read.
LibraryThing member brangwinn
Not a closed room mystery but an island mystery is almost the same since it limits the number of suspects. In the third Hawthorne mystery, Horowitz and Hawthorne attend a literary festival on one of the Channel Islands. They arrive to find the island upset that a French company is planning to bring
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cheaper electricity to the U.K and have chosen this island as the place for the installation. When the sponsor of the festival and then his wife are found murdered, suspicions arise that the anti-electricity people are behind the murders, but of course, there’s far more people who have reason to hate this rich, spiteful man. It’s a classic mystery but the contempory setting and issues along with the entertaining Horowitz and his detective Hawthorne make it a fun book to read.
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LibraryThing member khenkins

In his third novel, A Line to Kill, featuring the Horowitz and Hawthorne duo, Anthony Horowitz serves up a locked-island mystery for the author and former police officer to solve. This is a first-person narrative, innovatively told, purportedly, by the book's actual author, Anthony Horowitz, about
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himself, Anthony Horowtiz, and his dealings with Daniel Hawthorne. Author as protagonist. This device was used in the previous two novels, and it is the first one , “The Word is Murder,” which Hawthorne and Horowitz are now touring to promote its publication – again the real and fictional collapsed.

The Horowitz-Hawthorne dynamic may seem a bit worn around the edges for those who have read the previous two books. Hawthorne is the savvy, save-the-day retired detective who will ferret out the murderer of the man who funded the literary festival on the island of Aderney. Horowitz follows him around and amusingly bumbles through the evidence and the interrogations. They are still an at-odds couple.

As soon as the crime is discovered, all transport to and from the island is stopped, so it becomes a locked down-island mystery. Fortunately, there is a bevy of characters to pursue in the investigation, including a TV chef, a war historian, a children's book author, and a French poet. Eerily, another invitee to the literary festival is a blind psychic who talks to the dead. Apparently, there is a whole line of people who wanted to kill Charles le Mesurier.

Clues and red herrings, revelations and twisty turns abound. All these are a great pleasure for the reader of the cozy mystery.

I received an advance copy of this book from Harper publishers via NetGalley. This is an honest review.
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LibraryThing member Beamis12
I am usually reading multiple books at the same time. Usually between ten and twelve. A few fiction, a few non fiction, a couple of mysteries, a few on audio and sometimes an oldie thrown into the mix. The only reason I'm mentioning this is to explain how unusual, outside of a group read, it is for
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me to listen,read one straight through. Which is what happened here, I started listening and didn't want to pick anything else up. Listened in two days from beginning to end. Shows how addicting I find this series, the writing, the witticisms of Tony and the terrific voice of the narrator, Rory Kinnear.

The setting of a book festival on Alderney was a plus, any mention of book festivals is a draw for many readers. No murder yet and Tony, playing his usual Watson, writer in residence role, is surprised when Hawthorne, whose presence was requested by the publisher, agrees to attend. Of course, since this is a murder mystery, murder occurs during their stay on the island. A few new revelations about Hawthorne, as well as new questions, arise. An old face tied to Hawthorne reappears. Now I will impatiently wait for the next in series. May the book God hurry it along.
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LibraryThing member Dianekeenoy
Another great read starring ex-detective inspector Daniel Hawthorne and author Anthony Horowitz! I love these books and thank goodness have another waiting for me at home!
LibraryThing member TomDonaghey
A Line To Kill (2021) (Hawthorne #3) by Anthony Horowitz. This third outing in the continuing saga of the Hawthorne/Horowitz detective series follows the pair to a book festival on the small English Channel island of Alderney. This is a place that has never seen a murder until the pair arrive.
That
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is if you don’t count what happened during the German occupation during WWII. But now there is a vicious murder and then a second. And it is up to our heroic duo to discover the truth.
While this is the third in the series, like the others, it too stands alone so you can enjoy the story without worrying about what you might have missed before. Mr Horowitz has charmingly written himself into the role of Watson here, blundering through the entire investigation, making wrong conclusions and always leaping to fruitless summations of the crimes and suspects.
The book event is being sponsored by an on-line gambling website. The owner has a fabulous house on the island. And the island itself is in turmoil due to a property development deal that would almost certainly wreck the idyllic life the islanders currently enjoy.
The book fest has a small collection of authors, a tv celebrity chef and his assistant, a French poet of dubious merit, a children’s author, a local island historian, a sightless spiritualist and her husband, and our detectives. Strange things begin happening even before reaching the island, but terrible things happen shortly after arrival.
As usual Mr. Horowitz gives us a very nice puzzle in the “Golden Age” fashion of the writers of the thirties. The clues are spread thin but there they are, just waiting to be found and correctly interpreted. The suspects are a shady bunch with secrets all their own, but only one leads to murder. The setting, a small channel island only three miles long, feels claustrophobic after the shortest of times, the the murdered present themselves as either vile or pure of heart adding to the question of motive.
As in all his others writings, Mr. Horowitz plays as fair as he can and provides many hours of pleasant entertainment with a certain distinct flair. Now I just have to go back and read the first two novels in the series.
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LibraryThing member hhornblower
Not his best, but Mr Horowitz is such a talented, entertaining writer, even his average work is still fun. A good selection when you just want/need a little brain candy.
LibraryThing member Eyejaybee
With each new book of his that I read, I am increasingly impressed with Anthony Horowitz’s flexibility. In recent years he has probably been best known for writing the popular and enduring television series, [Foyle’s War] along with several episodes of [Midsomer Murders]. He is also the author
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of the very successful series of children’s novels around the character Alex Rider.

But over the last few years he has also branched out into fiction for adults (I know that is a rather awkward construction, but I feared that the phrase ‘adult fiction’ might give people altogether the wrong impression of his writing, and, indeed, my reading habits), in which he continues to demonstrate a constantly innovative approach.

The first of his novels that I encountered was [The House of Silk], which he was commissioned to write by the Estate of Arthur Conan Doyle, and which recounted a ‘lost’ Sherlock Holmes adventure which, for reasons which become evident as the story progresses, Dr Watson had undertaken to defer from publication until all the protagonists were dead. Horowitz captured the feel of Conan Doyle’s original stories admirably, and the book represented a valuable addition to the Sherlock Holmes canon.

Following that success, he was commissioned by the Estate of Ian Fleming to write a new James Bond book, which came to fruition as [Trigger Mortis]. Once again, he captured the feel and style of the original books – far more capably than [[Sebastian Faulks]] managed in [The Devil May Care], and to my mind almost on a par with [[William Boyd]]’s excellent [Solo]. Indeed, I suspect that writers as accomplished as Boyd and Horowitz probably found it painful to have to rein in their own laudable style to try to recapture what I have also seen as the relentless mediocrity of Ian Fleming’s prose.

He followed this with another venture into the world of Sherlock Holmes territory with his excellent [Moriarty], which recounted the exploits of that arch criminal and featured a major twist that I certainly didn’t see coming, and then addressed the traditional whodunit with a homage to Agatha Christie in [The Magpie Murders], one of the finest examples of meta-fiction that I have read recently.

In his next novel, [The Word is Murder], Horowitz returned to meta-fiction but with a different twist, casting himself as one of the leading characters, which allowed him to offer an insight into the modus operandi of a busy professional writer. In that book Horowitz was more or less appropriated by Daniel Hawthorne, a former Detective inspector from the Metropolitan Police. Hawthorne had previously acted as an adviser on some of the programmes with which Horowitz had been involved, and also occasionally acts as a consultant for the Met on some of their more unusual murder investigations. Hawthorne approaches Horowitz, asking the writer to catalogue some of his investigations with a view to their eventual publication in book form. The relationship between Hawthorne and Horowitz was fractious but eventually productive, and they do eventually identify the perpetrator of the first murder that they investigate.

This novel is the third to feature that uncomfortable pairing, and sees them flying to Alderney to attend a new literary festival, with a view to promoting [The Word is Murder,] which was then on the point of publication. They are accompanied by a selection of other writers who will be promoting their latest works at the festival. These include a television celebrity chef, the writer of some successful children’s adventure stories, a French performance poet who writes in a rare regional dialect, and a blind writer who has acquired apparent spiritual powers as her physical vision faded.

Right from their first meeting, at Southampton Airport, tensions are clearly apparent within the group, and these intensify once they land in Alderney and meet some of the other participants in the Festival, along with prominent members of the local community. That community is currently riven over plans to develop a power line from France, which will be extended to the British mainland. Many islanders see this as a source of commercial benefit to Alderney, while others see it as a disfigurement of the island’s charm.

Against this backdrop the various writers attend a session at the house of the island’s most wealthy resident, an especially unpleasant man who seems to have encountered several of the writers in the past. Almost predictably, he is found dead at the end of the evening, in circumstances that leave no ready explanation. As Alderney lacks its own resident police force, officers are dispatched from elsewhere in the Channel Islands, and they immediately call up Daniel Hawthorne’s past experience, commissioning him to lead the investigation.

Horowitz manages all of this with his customary dexterity, self-deprecatingly making his own character the butt of much derision. As always, the plot is watertight. The clues are all there, although I contrived to miss most of them! The tension between Horowitz and Hawthorne (wo is a decidedly difficult and generally unempathetic character) is very deftly developed, and the addition of some clever humour all makes for a very entertaining and rewarding book.

And while one shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, the endpapers are very appealing too,
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LibraryThing member MissBrangwen
"A Line To Kill" is my favourite installment of this series so far! This crime novel takes us to Alderney, a small Channel Island that is part of the bailiwick of Guernsey. The descriptions create a high sense of place and the history of the island is an important aspect in the plot, too.
Hawthorne
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and Horowitz travel there because they are guests of a local literary festival, but soon Horowitz suspects that Hawthorne may have his very own secret reasons for this journey. Then a murder happens, and nobody is allowed to leave the island...
The setting and plot feel very classic (of course it reminds the reader of Agatha Christie), and on the other hand, because of the characters and how they are portrayed, reading this felt like watching one of the earlier Midsomer Murders episodes (which is not a surprise considering Horowitz wrote many of those). Another aspect I liked was that this novel provides a lot of insight into the publishing world and the work of an author, into literary festivals and the process of getting a book out there. While it must of course be kept in mind that this is a novel and Horowitz writes about himself as a fictional character, it was nonetheless very interesting to me.
I enjoyed this novel very much and hope to read the fourth book of the series soon!
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LibraryThing member terran
I did not enjoy this book as much as the first two, because there is no change in the relationship between Detective Hawthorne and Author Horowitz. Tony seems particularly dense and unable to make any progress in developing a compatible relationship with Horowitz. The detective has not changed but
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is very dismissive of Tony, while still inviting him along everywhere.
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LibraryThing member witchyrichy
A Line to Kill is third in the Hawthorne/Horowitz series. This one is set on Alderney, one of the Channel Islands, where we find our main characters attending a literary festival. The island may be idyllic but its inhabitants are embroiled in battles over modernizing. And the authors attending the
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festival bring their own secrets and quirks. Once a local leader is murdered, the island is locked down and Hawthorne, with Horowitz following along to take notes and occasionally chiming in, works to solve the mystery.

The fourth book in the series comes out in November and I am looking forward to reading it. Horowitz has just the right tone, not quite Watson to Hawthorne's Sherlock as he finds his partner more annoying that fascinating.
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LibraryThing member JBD1
I think the best in this meta-series so far. Much better pacing and characters, with a few interesting twists.
LibraryThing member diana.hauser
A Line to Kill is written by Anthony Horowitz.
The title is Book #3 of the very brilliant and witty Horowitz and Hawthorne series.
Anthony Horowitz (the writer) and Daniel Hawthorne (the detective) are invited to a literary festival on Alderney, an island off the south coast of England. They soon
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find themselves involved in a murder investigation. Of course!
Another mystery full of riddles, red herrings and clues. It is brilliant (I keep using that word), witty and full of misdirection. And there is the bantering back and forth between the under appreciated writer and sidekick (Horowitz) and the rogue detective (Hawthorne).
Very engaging. I was also introduced to the lovely location of Alderney. *****
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LibraryThing member almin
Light, amusing mystery (surprised who the killer was)....still love the author writing himself into his own mysteries and the relationship between Hawthorne and Horowitz is a hoot.
LibraryThing member tangledthread
3rd in the series, where Hawthorne's nemesis meets his end. Though that is not the case to be solved in this story. Hawthorne and Horowitz go to a little known book festival on an island off the east coast of England in order to promote the first book in this series, which has yet to be released in
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this story's timeline.
There are a number of interesting characters attending the book festival, not all are who they seem to be. Then the multimillionaire financier of the event is found murdered.
And the games begin....
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LibraryThing member Dabble58
A bit too meta for me…
Anthony Horowitz crafts a closed room mystery set on an island (one that sounds rather charming and makes me want to visit) involving a book festival, plots for financial windfalls, and gambling, but it isn’t persuasive. He is writing as himself, the writer, working with a
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fictional detective to solve the mystery. There are almost too many reasons for the victims to be murdered and the red herrings are literally flying, but the final resolution is unsatisfying. I don’t understand the detective’s nature- he’s mysterious and cranky and unlikeable, doing a lot of the detective stuff in the background despite a lack of support for same. It just seems too self-referential, too. Makes me dislike the author.
The writing is, of course, excellent, and the story flows along, just as you’d expect from this best-selling author, but the characters are weak and too easy to figure out. And I think it is a mistake to put himself into the story- it’s cheesy and a bit lazy.
Horowitz is known for his unusual mysteries (Magpie murders, for ex) and I was fully hoping to enjoy this one, but for me it’s more like a standard cozy. All that’s missing is the cat to solve things.
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LibraryThing member KallieGrace
Another pure mystery, though that doesn't become apparent until nearly a quarter or the way through. I enjoyed more personal revelations from the detective, though the author continues to be bumbling.
LibraryThing member infjsarah
I really enjoyed the first 2 Hawthorne books. I enjoyed this one too but perhaps not so much. The quiet humour of the first 2 books was mostly missing from this one. It's still a fun, quick read requiring no effort at all.
LibraryThing member KallieGrace
Another great mystery with the twist being our author is accused of murder this time. I do enjoy these mysteries, I just don't quite love the tone of the relationship between detective and author. It's quite manipulative and not as good-natured as I'd like.

Pages

384

ISBN

0062938169 / 9780062938169
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