A Line to Kill (A Hawthorne and Horowitz Mystery)

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Maissa Lamar – A French performance poet. (The ‘i’ in her Christian name actually has two dots above it, but I have no idea how to type that?!) The third instalment seeks to refresh the formula by having Hawthorne attend a book fair to publicise the first novel on a tiny island off the coast of the UK. A group of writers attending the festival are invited to a reception party at the palatial home of their wealthy host, a lecherous and loathsome playboy. Another sweltering month in Charlotte, another boatload of mysteries past and present for overworked, overstressed forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan. Because of the circumstances, Horowitz wondered why Hawthorne insisted the women admit their crimes. Horowitz believed justice was served when Anne died before she could go to trial. Kathryn’s case was heard by a jury, but they sympathized with her and found her not guilty of any crime.

Cigarette of Anxiety: A jittery Helen demands a cigarette and gets one from Hawthorne, the morning her husband is found dead. Some of the funniest moments occurred when Horowitz deliberately downplayed his success as an author, and the dismissive irrelevant way he was often treated by other characters. Horowitz may be the narrator but Hawthorne remained the definite star of the show. Author Anthony Horowitz is one clever mystery writer. In his Inspector Daniel Hawthorne series, Horowitz, in good fun, writes himself into the series as the author who pens novels about the retired Inspector’s cases. Inspector Hawthorne doesn’t always treat his author well, is generally downright dismissive of anything “Tony” has to say or offer. The banter between Hawthorne and ersatz Horowitz is part of the joy of reading the series.

From many angles

Hawthorne is welcomed by the police from nearby Guernsey to help with the investigation and Horowitz follows in his wake taking notes for what could turn out be a new book. There are almost too many suspects for the unpopular victim who was involved in local politics and promoting the installation of an electric power line connecting France to the UK through Alderney, a venture not popular with all on the island. French Maid: Kathryn Harris wears a French maid costume while serving drinks at le Masurier's party. Anthony watches le Mesurier drunkenly hit on her and is disgusted, but it turns out to be deliberate by Kathryn, part of a Honey Pot scheme.

Harry Bosch and the Lincoln Lawyer team up to exonerate a woman who’s already served five years for killing her ex-husband.Surprise, surprise, someone is murdered, and I’m not going to reveal who, because I went in blind, so there. I will say that the murder doesn’t take place until a wee way through, which suited me as it gave me a chance to get the characters straight, and learn the layout of the island. A couple of open-ended questions regarding Hawthorne’s past left me with food for thought, and I’ll be curious to see whether it becomes a main mystery plot, either in book four, or further down the line. In a recent interview, Horowitz stated he intends to write ten or eleven books in this series, so I’m thrilled to bits. I wish to thank NetGalley and HarperCollins Canada for this clever and entertaining ARC in return for an honest review. This is the third book in the Hawthorne and Horowitz series where the author has inserted himself into a mystery story alongside the intelligent, cool, and conceited detective Hawthorne. Hawthorne has asked Horowitz to write about his cases to enhance his fame. In this capacity, Horowitz accompanies Hawthorne as his assistant detective but doesn't have Hawthorne's skills in drawing clues together and establishing the truth. Their relationship is difficult, but they need each other to produce successful and popular books.