In New York Times bestselling author Anthony Horowitz’s ingenious fourth literary whodunit following The Word is Murder, The Sentence is Death, and A Line to Kill, Horowitz becomes the prime suspect in a murder investigation—and only one man can prove his innocence: his newly estranged partner in solving crime, Detective Hawthorne.
“I’m sorry but the answer’s no.” Reluctant author, Anthony Horowitz, has had enough. He tells ex-detective Daniel Hawthorne that after three books he’s splitting and their deal is over.
The truth is that Anthony has other things on his mind.
His new play, a thriller called Mindgame, is about to open at the Vaudeville Theater in London’s West End. Not surprisingly, Hawthorne declines a ticket to the opening night.
The play is panned by the critics. In particular, Sunday Times critic Margaret Throsby gives it a savage review, focusing particularly on the writing. The next day, Throsby is stabbed in the heart with an ornamental dagger which turns out to belong to Anthony, and has his fingerprints all over it.
Anthony is arrested by an old enemy . . . Detective Inspector Cara Grunshaw. She still carries a grudge from her failure to solve the case described in the second Hawthorne adventure, The Sentence is Death, and blames Anthony. Now she’s out for revenge.
Thrown into prison and fearing for both his personal future and his writing career, Anthony is the prime suspect in Throsby’s murder and when a second theatre critic is found to have died in mysterious circumstances, the net closes in. Ever more desperate, he realizes that only one man can help him.
But will Hawthorne take the call?
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“Rory Kinnear delivers an engaging and well-paced performance…Kinnear’s chesty-sounding Hawthorne is engaging, intransigent, and offhand…His higher-pitched Horowitz is hapless and comically whiny as a disbelieving victim. Most of the action involves Hawthorne conducting interviews in order to unmask the true killer, but Kinnear doesn’t let things drag and offers distinctive and droll character interpretations that maintain our interest through to the surprise conclusion.”
— AudioFile
“Gleefully witty.”
— Wall Street Journal“A great whodunnit.”
— Town & Country“This humorous homage to golden age closed-circle mysteries is not to be missed.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)“Excellent…Readers of character-driven novels will love the twists and turns of this Agatha Christie–style mystery that leads to an unexpected reveal.”
— Library Journal (starred review)Be the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Anthony Horowitz is the author of mysteries, thrillers, historical fiction, fantasy, children’s fiction, and young-adult fiction, including the New York Times bestselling Magpie Murders and Moonflower Murders. He has written nine stand-alone novels and novels in more than a dozen series. His novel Trigger Mortis features original material from Ian Fleming. His bestselling Alex Rider series for young adults has sold more than nineteen million copies worldwide. As a TV screenwriter, he created both Midsomer Murders and the BAFTA-winning Foyle’s War on PBS. He regularly contributes to a wide variety of national newspapers and magazines. In January 2014 he was awarded an OBE.
Rory Kinnear, an Earphones Award–winning narrator and a renowned theater actor, won the Evening Standard Award for Best Actor for his performances as Angelo in Measure for Measure and the title role in Hamlet, and he gained an Olivier Award for his portrayal of Sir Fopling Flutter in The Man of Mode. His TV credits include Count Arthur Strong, Lucan, Women in Love, and Black Mirror, and he played Bill Tanner in the Bond films Quantum of Solace and Skyfall.