TITLE: The Word is Murder
NARRATOR: Rory Kinnear
PUBLISHER: Harper Audio
PUBLICATION DATE: June 5, 2018 (first published 2017)
FORMAT: Unabridged audiobook
LENGTH: 9 hrs and 2 mins
GENRE: Mystery
ISBN: 9781443456425
She planned her own funeral. But did she arrange her own murder?
New York Times best-selling author of Magpie Murders and Moriarty, Anthony Horowitz has yet again brilliantly reinvented the classic crime novel, this time writing a fictional version of himself as the Watson to a modern-day Holmes.
One bright spring morning in London, Diana Cowper - the wealthy mother of a famous actor - enters a funeral parlor. She is there to plan her own service.
Six hours later she is found dead, strangled with a curtain cord in her own home.
Enter disgraced police detective Daniel Hawthorne, a brilliant, eccentric investigator who’s as quick with an insult as he is to crack a case. Hawthorne needs a ghost writer to document his life; a Watson to his Holmes. He chooses Anthony Horowitz.
Drawn in against his will, Horowitz soon finds himself a the center of a story he cannot control. Hawthorne is brusque, temperamental, and annoying but even so his latest case with its many twists and turns proves irresistible. The writer and the detective form an unusual partnership. At the same time, it soon becomes clear that Hawthorne is hiding some dark secrets of his own.
A masterful and tricky mystery that springs many surprises, The Word Is Murder is Anthony Horowitz at his very best.
MY REVIEW:
This was a great mystery that sucked me in right from the start!
A woman in her 60s, Diana Cowper, attends at a funeral parlor to pre-arrange her own funeral. Although she does not have an appointment, the funeral director meets with her. Approximately six hours later, Diana is strangled in her apartment. Daniel Hawthorne, an ex-cop with ten years on the force now working as a PI, is called in by the police to investigate.
Meanwhile, Daniel approaches Anthony Horowitz (yes, the author has written himself into the story) to ask him to write a story about him. Although he initially says no, Horowitz agrees and shadows Hawthorne while he works.
The funeral is carried out according to Diana's wishes. After the body is lowered into the ground, a recording of a children's song is heard coming from the casket. Diana's murder appears to be tied to another crime, and her murder is just the first.
This mystery was so engaging and, to me, Horowitz's savviness is reminiscent of Agatha Christie. I loved how he inserted himself into the story and even referenced his other works. Hawthorne is astute with an eye for detail, and nothing seems to escape his notice. He also has an air of mystery surrounding him, which makes him all the more appealing as a character. I want more Hawthorne!
This is my first book by Horowitz, but it won't be my last! I am so excited to see that there is a second book in this series, The Sentence is Death, which is expected to be published in November 2018.
Rory Kinnear was an excellent choice of narrator. I love his accent, and he made this a very enjoyable listen! Here is a sample of the narration:
A woman in her 60s, Diana Cowper, attends at a funeral parlor to pre-arrange her own funeral. Although she does not have an appointment, the funeral director meets with her. Approximately six hours later, Diana is strangled in her apartment. Daniel Hawthorne, an ex-cop with ten years on the force now working as a PI, is called in by the police to investigate.
Meanwhile, Daniel approaches Anthony Horowitz (yes, the author has written himself into the story) to ask him to write a story about him. Although he initially says no, Horowitz agrees and shadows Hawthorne while he works.
The funeral is carried out according to Diana's wishes. After the body is lowered into the ground, a recording of a children's song is heard coming from the casket. Diana's murder appears to be tied to another crime, and her murder is just the first.
This mystery was so engaging and, to me, Horowitz's savviness is reminiscent of Agatha Christie. I loved how he inserted himself into the story and even referenced his other works. Hawthorne is astute with an eye for detail, and nothing seems to escape his notice. He also has an air of mystery surrounding him, which makes him all the more appealing as a character. I want more Hawthorne!
This is my first book by Horowitz, but it won't be my last! I am so excited to see that there is a second book in this series, The Sentence is Death, which is expected to be published in November 2018.
Rory Kinnear was an excellent choice of narrator. I love his accent, and he made this a very enjoyable listen! Here is a sample of the narration:
MY RATING:
4 stars!! It was really good, and you should put it on your TBR if you enjoy a good mystery.
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