The Twist of a Knife: A gripping locked-room mystery from the bestselling crime writer (Hawthorne, 4) Paperback – Import, 18 August 2022

I started this book two days ago on vacation in Goa. I couldn't have picked a better book to contrast my time spent lazily near the beach. I am looking forward to reading the next one in the series.

Enjoyed this one. Finished in a day. Though I have to say that it wasn't as gripping as the other Daniel Hawthorne books. It was a little slow in the beginning though it picked up in the middle. And it all comes together neatly in the end.

Anthony Horowitz has cracked the mystery-thriller code. The Hawthorne series has everything- angst, friendship, weird twists, chilling climax and a grappling writer as the main lead. Love it!

One murder, seven suspects & one detective who has 48 hours to prove that his partner, and the author of this series, Anthony Horowitz is not a murderer.The author has woven reality with fiction so perfectly that he keeps up the ruse even in the acknowledgments. All the characters, even his own somewhat naive version, are charming. His back and forth with the detective, Hawthorne, is particularly hilarious. As always, Horowitz not only keeps the reader invested in murder mystery on the razor edge, but also entertained all the way till the end.

Totally let down...nothing happened...the ending was so so predictable...quite saddened to read this from Horowitz...its like an Agatha Christie novel buy badly written....

By Anthony Horowitz.This is the fourth book in the Detective Hawthorne series. Whereas it is desirable to read the books in sequence, they can also be read as standalone novels.Genre: Murder/Detection/Crime/MysteryAudience: Teenage and olderReview:This book is more literary than the previous books in the series. The author's unique and creative narration with personal involvement in the present moment and in the real world continues. The characters are interesting, the plot is good. The writing style is excellent; one looks forward to resuming the book from where one left off. A criticism is that the clues seem to fall too easily into Hawthorne's lap. The end - spoiler alert - is a tad disappointing. The book didn't quite reach the climax that the earlier chapters promised.Note: This is NOT a locked room mystery.

In a few words. This is a MUST read. Easy and captivating. Loved it.

Have always liked his books and this one was more of the same writing that i like.Definably buy it and any of his other books.

Oh I really do love this series. And I’m not just saying that because I know how well being critical of Anthony Horowitz’s creativity worked out for Harriet Throsby … I genuinely do like these books, the ultimate in deliciously twisty and thoroughly entertaining meta-fiction, which, in this particular instance sees our author, and narrator, in a particularly sticky situation. This is a series about and author, Anthony Horowitz, who is commissioned to write up the investigations of former Detective, Daniel Hawthorne. Or at least, he was. A three book deal and all three books are now written. Hawthorne wishes to carry one, Horowitz less so. And so when he finds himself accused of murder and in need of Hawthornes help to prove his innocence … well you can just imagine how that conversation went.This book is set very much in Anthony Horowitz’s world. A lot of the action surrounds the staging of his play, Mindgame, and its opening night at the Strand Theatre in London, an opening night which, despite completing a successful regional tour, received less than favourable reviews, including a particularly savage one from the books soon-to-be victim, Harriet Throsby. But surely there are far worse things than a bad review, right? Personally I’m often drawn to those plays and films that are critically panned, and they often turn out to become cult classics, so it’s certainly not anything you would expect someone to commit murder over. Unless you are Detective Inspector Grunshaw and DC Mills, two people who have their own reasons for holding a grudge against the author and his Detective friend, and who seem to delight in all the evidence pointing squarely in his direction.This book is a beautiful mix of humour, character and mystery. From the cast and crew of the ill-fated Mindgame, to the Detectives who are hot on Anthony Horowitz’s trail, to the author himself and the wonderfully matter of fact Hawthorne, each person we meet adds a new dimension to the story. Some brilliantly exaggerated personalities (where I’m sure inspiration has been drawn from true life, even if the author can’t or won’t say where) and acute observations framed in some truly witty turns of phrase made this book an absolute delight to read. Each character, from the actors, to the director to the producer, appeared larger than life. A strange concoction of ego, vanity and enthusiasm, all enshrouded, to a degree, in a thin veil of secrecy. The whole concept of Mindgame (the play) was to unsettle the viewer, to subtly change and alter perception, something which was skilfully reflected in the way in which we viewed the various characters over the course of the investigation.I tore through the book, finishing in just one afternoon and evening. It sounds awful, but it was fun reading about the author’s misfortune (sorry Mr H 😬😉) Certain as I was, obviously, of his innocence and knowing that, eventually, Hawthorne would find his way to the truth, I was still completely intrigued as to which of the remaining production members might be responsible, if any of them actually were. Harriet’s relationship with her own family also seemed to leave a lot to be desired. The more we learned of them all, the clearer it became that any of them might have had a motive, but all seemingly had irrefutable alibis. And you always come back to the question of whether a bad review is really worth killing for or was there something far darker in play? There were plenty of surprise reveals, things I both had and hadn’t been expecting, but which drew us to a very fitting and satisfactory conclusion. Very Hercule Poirot in delivery it was too.This is the very best in ‘cosy-crime’ if you have to label it that way. It’s no high action, high thrill chases, although there are some moments that get you right on the edge of your seat. But these books are lighthearted and entertaining, and absolutely packed with puzzle and mystery that I find myself just longing to solve. At following on from that very tantalizing and wonderful of endings, I can only hope there will be plenty more to come. Absolutely, without question, recommended. Loved it.

I have enjoyed all the books in this series, and this is another enjoyable and highly entertaining addition. The writing is crisp and concise, often hilarious. I also enjoyed learning new words and how they are used in sentences. The plot cracks along with a satisfying conclusion.

It wasn’t one of his better ones cause I figured out who dun it before the twist came. Still worth reading.