An extremely private, private detective, Daniel Hawthorne, is skilled at solving crimes by blowing up secrets and has a wealth of secrets of his own. I’ve never read anything quite like it before. Despite the somber circumstances, I found myself laughing out loud on more than one occasion. The author’s tone is perfect and absolutely spot on, albeit tongue in cheek- mostly. ANTHONY HOROWITZ: It's a pleasure. Thank you. And what a wonderful way to describe my book. I so enjoyed that.

I highly recommend this book for those who are looking for a different way of both writing and telling a story that was hard to put down. Clever and witty and one in which I do hope to see "Tony" and Daniel meet up once again and get that Hawthorne book written. In addition, Diana is the mother of the famous actor Damian Cowper - who's currently a big sensation in America. Thank you to Anthony Horowitz, Harper Publishing, and Edelweiss for forwarding me an advanced copy of this totally engaging novel. Well done "Tony"!And it was then that I discovered that despite what my teachers had told me, which was that I was fundamentally useless, that I did have a talent. I had a skill. And I determined at that age that I would pursue it all my life, and that is what I've always done. HOROWITZ: I had to be very careful, actually, to make sure that I was not the center of attention in this book. I am Watson, not Holmes. I'm merely the narrator, and it is Hawthorne who is the hero. And he, I'm afraid, definitely gets the best lines. HOROWITZ: Well, that's one of the sort of fun aspects of writing it, which is the hero's a character that I suppose I've created. And yet, at the same time, I just don't get on with him. He has some views which I find very distasteful. He's not the easiest of men. Read this book for: author self-insert, reality/fiction blend, UK mystery, amateur detective, consulting detective, unique format Enter: Diana Cowper, a sixtyish Londoner, who begins our story with an unusual event that should really be termed as an ending. Diana enters into a neighboring funeral home to plan her own funeral. Before her signature is barely dry on the funeral forms, Diana enters once more into her London home. And the word is murder spelled out brutally for Diana.

The distinction between fiction and non-fiction, I’d like to believe, is clear enough where I don’t need to explain it. When we read fictional novels, we do so to distance ourselves from reality, to entertain ourselves with hypothetical scenarios which happen to people who aren’t real. However, we can never help but imagine how we ourselves would fare in those stories, and Anthony Horowitz set out to find out just this in The Word is Murder, the first novel in the Detective Hawthorne Series. Forget about solving all these crimes; the signal triumph here is (spoiler) the heroine’s survival. New York Times bestselling 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. Six hours after Diana Cowper, mother of famous actor Damien Cowper visits a funeral parlor to discuss plans for her own funeral, she is killed in her own home. Coincidence, or not? Was she aware of a threat to her life or was it something else entirely? With 10 million words under his belt, Horowitz has long toyed with penning a guide that details everything from how to plot a novel to how to deal with TV executives. “I even started to write it. But it was dull and slightly arrogant and, at the end of the day, it just didn’t interest me.” He laughs, unfazed by failure, which he regards as a healthy corrective.And it’s a seamless blend between the actual facts of his career and the events in this novel. Horowitz has skillfully created a near-seamless blend of the his own creation and recognizable television shows and novels. For example, while he writes this book, he is supposed to be working on a follow-up to THE HOUSE OF SILK. At first, the prolific British novelist and television screenwriter Anthony Horowitz demurs, or at least says he does in the novel The Word Is Murder, the debut outing in a projected series. A character named “Anthony Horowitz,” who is in most respects exactly like the real writer, agrees to assist the sleuth. The former police detective has been called in by the London Met to solve the murder of a wealthy matron strangled in her parlor—just hours after visiting an undertaker to plan her own funeral. HOROWITZ: Well, my mother spent an awful lot of time looking for this money. And I remember that she found my father's notebooks full of code words and strange hieroglyphics and symbols and this and that and names of things, and went to Switzerland many, many times trying to find it because she was being pursued by a large number of companies to whom my father had owed money. So it was a very traumatic time for her. But that's one mystery and one investigation that has never touched me. I didn't want to know anything about it at the time. I was too traumatized by the events anyway. At first glance Alex Rider is a normal schoolboy who seems to be having a fairly straightforward uneventful upbringing. That is until one day as a teenager he finally realizes his true calling and that everything has been leading up to the moment where he’s to become a super-spy. After his uncle and adoptive parent, Ian Rider, mysteriously dies he’s led to discover more about what happened and the true nature of what he’s to become. Forced to attend a training program, he reluctantly goes to a special camp for spies where he learns more about what he’s to become. That’s when he realizes there’s more to things than initially meets the eye, as he discovers a plot set-up by the people he’s now entrusted with. Not knowing where to turn he has to decipher the clues left to him by his uncle and prevent a catastrophe from taking place. Will Alex be able to save the day and those around him, whilst saving himself in the process staying out of harm’s way? Can he become what he was always destined to be and fully realize his true potential as a secret-agent for the government? What will become of Alex Rider in his first mission as he goes head-to-head with none other than the ‘Stormbreaker’? Raven’s Gate

Born on the the 5th of April, 1955, Anthony Horowitz had a British upbringing after being born and raised in the area of Stanmore in Middlesex. Enjoying the privileges of a wealthy childhood, he gained a first class education, thus paving the way for him to become a successful writer. Despite this he suffered a lot of unhappiness and would constantly be found reading as a way of escape. It was at thirteen whilst attending Rugby School that he discovered his true passion for writing as a means for expressing himself. Later graduating from the University of York, he gained himself a degree in art history and English literature during the year of 1977. This all helped him to provide an academic study of the form, thus inspiring his work that was to come later on, along with the experience he gained over the years as well. Hawthorne allows Horowitz to accompany him to the murder scene. It's here that Horowitz reveals the ease of writing about murder, but viewing it first hand sends him into a near faint. Careful steps are taken around the body as Hawthorne eyes misplaced objects and the last movements of the ill-fated Diana. As the investigation broadens, Hawthorne muzzles the curious writer from asking any questions. Frustration sets in and Horowitz feels compelled to walk away from the deal. But can he or will he? The Word Is Murder takes us into the highly creative and originial thought processes of the very talented Anthony Horowitz. He's turned the tables on us readers. Instead of a passive reading experience on our usual part, we become more privy to the writer's approach to developing his characters and his storyline. We get inside the author's head which makes for a wild ride through this one. There's even a revealing dialogue between Hawthorne and Horowitz at the end.

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

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. However, as the investigation gets under way, the duo begin to realise that Diane is not the person they thought she was because Mrs Cowper did have enemies and pulled out of a failed film production on the same day as her murder and a past transgression that keeps enemies looming large. She was acquitted by a judge who found her innocent of running over a child, but the judge was also an investor, and the accident was seen by a number of people. Cleverly plotted, evenly paced, and reminiscent of classic detective stories with an ending that is almost impossible to predict, The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz is an absorbing read. I was a bit wary of the fact that the author writes himself as one of the main characters in the plot, but I must say he does so quite effectively and the dynamic between Horowitz and Hawthorne makes for some truly entertaining moments. The mystery was well-crafted and held my interest as the plot progressed. The final reveal truly surprised me, which is always a good thing. I did feel, however, that the segments leading up to the collaboration between the duo, could have been a tad shorter, but this in no way detracted from my overall reading experience. I paired my reading with the incredible audio narration by Rory Kinnear. Immersion reading at its best!