The Word Is Murder | 
ISBN: 9781473539105
Intriguing concept; the author has written himself into the story as the narrator and even tells us the various TV and book series (eg Alex Rider) that he has written. Now he is collaborating with a police consultant from his TV series to cover a crime he's investigating
… and meeting Peter Jackson & Steven Spielberg to discuss the sequel to the Tintin film!
It was very close between The Word is Murder and Dead Simple (hence the bonus pick), but considering that I've already bought another book in the Horowitz series and not the James, I think it means this book won for September.
pickJust a light pick for this one. My brain has been fried lately - so i appreciated the light tone and some of the amusing asides as Anthony Horowitz inserts himself into the mystery as a kind of goofy Watson character. Some good red herrings and a bunch of unlikeable but well created characters. However there were a few things that brought me out of the story because they felt too far fetched.
pickA writer, Horowitz, is asked by an ex-detective,Hawthorne, to write about him and his case. Horowitz agrees. The case, a woman who just planned her funeral is murdered. Her son is a famous actor, she has a crime from her past where some feel justice wasn't served. And Horowitz can't get a handle on Hawthorne. Overall, good read. Will continue the #SeriesLove2024 . #AwesomeApril first book finished.
Make a great day everyone 😊
Adding another #SeriesLove2024 to my list of series - will start the first one this week.
#blameitonlitsy
Make a great day everyone 🙂
pickI finished this audiobook during our evening walk. I liked it, but there is something odd about the author being a main character in their own novel. I'm not saying it doesn't work, but there were moments that took me out of the story and made me think about what really happened, specifically where film productions were concerned. Overall, I enjoyed the mystery, even if the Watson-Holmes archetype was slightly too obvious.
pickReally enjoyed this meta-mystery. Good audiobook. Will definitely be continuing with the series.
pickThis...review is not going to make a whole lot of sense. Logically, I should not like this book. I hesitate to recommend it to others for most of the reasons I shouldn't like it. For SOME reason, I had a good time reading it? 🥴 Basically everybody is a bit of an asshole, except for Hawthorne who is HUGE asshole. 1/?
Not gonna lie, that vivid analogy is going to stick with me.
I love that the full list of options is explored. You COULD have sat around gleefully chewing your own shoelace (an impressive feat if the shoe's on your foot), but it just didn't seem as likely...🤔😁
pickThe unlikable police officer Hawthorne convinces author Anthony Horowitz to document a murder case together. He will solve it, Horowitz will write about it. They are an original couple. At least as original is the murder of a woman just hours after she arranged her own funeral. Red herrings everywhere! An engaging mystery novel!
#tbrtarot @CBee One word title?? ?? One "word" in the title? ??? No? Oh OK.
(This is the picture I took to complain about this book not being in the condition advertised. On what planet is this "Like New"? The pages are yellow, the spine is cracked and the cover is peeling. I don't usually quibble about this sort of thing, but I feel they are taking the mickey a little here.)
pickA🤘🏽but just barely. This kept me interested and was a fast, entertaining listen. But ooooft the characters are so unlikable. One of them is explicitly homophobic and while the other one disagrees, it‘s done in a way that feels performative (“oh, that‘s wrong, but I‘m not gonna do anything abt it, I‘m the good guy tho ok?”). You can‘t just drop some homophobia, even if it seems self-aware, and not take it anywhere- no lesson, no redemption?! Nah
pickIt was very clever - I didn‘t get ‘whodunnit‘, though I did get some other elements - but I couldn‘t quite settle into the autobiographical first-person style, it was just a bit too weird! I stopped after a couple of pages then came back to it after I‘d read another book. One thing that needled me was that because AH is so successful, it felt like too much name-dropping. I couldn‘t feel much connection with the detective. I will read the sequel.
#AdventRecommends @emilyrose_x
Book 1 in the Hawthorne and Horowitz series. Horowitz writes himself into these stories as, well, himself writing the stories. In order to do this, he has to spend a lot of time with Hawthorne who is smart, irritating, rude and unapologetically blunt.
Halloween is in full swing now that I‘ve unwrapped all these fabulous, festive gifts and treats from my thoughtful and totally awesome #litsypenpal @Beck9lol !! 🎃📚🥳🧟♀️👻The Jack Skellington wrapping paper (not pictured) was perfect, too! I love, love, love it all! Thanks so much, Becky, you‘re the best! ❤️ Wishing Becky and all my #Litsy mates a very Happy Halloween 🎃👻📚🖤🧡🖤🧡🖤
pickAnthony Horowitz is very good at his job. He threw out some excellent red herrings and I was left guessing until the very end. Highly recommended.
Had to stop for 10 minutes for a sing along with Tay Tay #swiftieswhoread
pickQuite a good read once Ingot used to the very unusual premise of the author inserting himself into the story. I enjoyed the fast pace and the characters were really believable which is always a huge plus for me. I will definitely be looking into further books in this series.
pickI‘m really warming to this author. Great for a light read. Clever and at times funny. My 3 reads have been op shop books. So will continue to look out for more.
#joysbooks2021
@MrsMalaprop
pick• TBR since November 6, 2021
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Nobody arranges their own funeral, and then gets killed the same day – do they? Well, that‘s exactly what happened to Diana Cowper One bright, sunny morning in London.
The Word is Murder is the first in a series of crime novels starring Detective Daniel Hawthorne and the author Anthony Horowitz. Very clever … the writer inserting himself as a character.
pickI was worried this would be too meta for me but it was a fun mystery. Contemporary Sherlockian detective and proud, slightly mystified writer.
pickI almost bailed on this but I'm glad I didn't. Full review on GoodReads
⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
pickI first picked this audiobook up 3 years ago when I went on a Litsy hiatus. I never finished it. News of the 3rd installment in the series coming out in October put it back on my radar. I really enjoyed it, especially on my morning hikes with Benji. Can‘t wait to start THE SENTENCE IS DEATH. There‘s something to be said about the Hawthorne character.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ ½ #shibainu #benji
pickI randomly selected this book off of my Overdrive wish list and was unsure how much I would like it. Turns out I thoroughly enjoyed this murder mystery! A woman plans her own funeral and is murdered shortly thereafter. Hawthorne, a detective, is solving the crime. He wants a book written about his life and hires Horowitz. The two form a strange relationship as Horowitz follows Hawthorne around on his interrogative interviews. #MountTBR
pickI wound up liking this one, but didn‘t know if I would about half way through. The detective is a next-level arse that almost pushed this book to so-so for me. I kinda loved the author writing a fictionalized version of himself into the story, however - it saved the book for me. I picked this up on audiobook loan just because the author wrote episodes of Midsomer Murders and I adore Rory Kinnear, whose performance is lovely. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
so-soMeh.
So, this could have been excellent. Great jerk of a detective, great mystery and plot. The problem was Anthony Horowitz. He wrote himself in to the story as the “Watson” and pontifically waxed about all of his success as a writer. And waxed and waxed.... It took me out of the story and I had to keep going back to find the plot again.
#mystery #audiobook #AnthonyHorowitz #Knittingwhilereading
pickI love the idea that the author wrote himself into this book. A cool idea and a good book. Right up my alley.
pickA fast paced and delightful read. I was intrigued how the author basically wrote himself as a main character and literally referenced his own writing career. But a fun mystery and I‘ll be checking out the second book.
pickI loved this book 👍🏻 I finally started and finished a book and it didn‘t feel like “work” to do so. I‘m onto his next book in this series 🙌🏻
pickThe premise of this book is a little unusual, as the author himself is part of the book. In it, is asked by an ex-policeman now consultant to write a book about one of his cases, leading him (the author) to play a Watson-like role in the book.
The presence of the author-as-character is a bit off-putting in some ways, but this is still an interesting mystery. The consultant Hawthorne also takes a bit of getting used to, as he is pretty abrasive.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️This is perhaps the most meta book I have ever read. Anthony Horowitz, the author, is also the narrator, and while he uses realities of his life & writing career, his relationship with Detective Hawthorne is, I assume, purely fiction. If you read or watch any British mysteries you have likely encountered Horowitz‘s work, & he is a master at his craft. For the actual murder mystery, I did not see the ending coming (though I almost never do)
pickWonderful book! I enjoyed traipsing around London with the characters!
pickMy husband bought this for me to read for our March Break trip to London, England that we never went on. It‘s the most meta murder mystery. Truthfully I found it a bit jarring at times, the sort of true crime vibe. I often thought of Comoran Strike, who is a crotchety bastard that I LOVE and the Hawthorne character in this book. There is no comparison. Hawthorne is more Sherlock, I guess. It is a good mystery with some good twists
Saturday mornings are for treats and reading
pickBook 1 in the Hawthorne series and it was a good one. Was abit strange that the story was told in the first person by Horowitz but it was an interesting way to do it.
#Murder2020 (book 42)
pickI am really enjoying Anthony Horowitz‘s books. This is the second I have read and I plan to read more. His style is quite different and I really get drawn into his mysteries. 👍
pickI really, really enjoyed this book. I listened to it and enjoyed the narrator as well. The author puts himself into the story as the MC and works with a grumpy ex-police detective to solve murders. I found the book to be funny and full of twists and turns. There was some strong language, but overall a really fun read/listen!! Definitely recommend.
pickI had never even heard of Anthony Horowitz before Litsy. I really enjoyed this! The climax was the slightest bit corny but I get that it kind of had to be. Thanks to all the Littens who reviewed this and piqued my interest!
My reading spot on this Friday afternoon. The girls and I are, very impromptu, spending the weekend with a friend in Westdene, Johannesburg. I'm dying of jealousy at how lovely her place is! By comparison I live in a hole 🙁
