I did not know when I started that this book was part of a series. I got to know Anthony Horowitz's work through the PBS/Masterpiece Magpie Murders, which I enjoyed so much I watched it twice (second time through for my husband's benefit). So when I saw this in a Little Free Library, I picked it up. The front cover gives no indication that it is part of a series, but I'm also happy to report that it didn't matter much, and I love that. Hawthorne is, presumably, a fictional detective, but Horowitz writes himself into the stories--I imagine with a fair bit of truth. As this is the fourth book in the series, references are made to the other three books, by title, within the narrative. This creativity with narrative is what I loved about Magpie Murders so I was happy to see that it seems to be a trademark.

The story is an entertaining, fairly "cozy" mystery, and Horowitz manages to blend enough naivete, self-deprecation, but also a sort of good-natured crankiness (if that can be a thing) into himself as the narrator, and the characters have enough tried-and-true cliches to be memorable, but not completely predictable. No doubt those familiar with the series will enjoy certain characters and interactions even more (such as those with Cara Grunshaw), but Horowitz really does a great job of bringing the uninitiated up-to-speed without resorting to that backfill that mars many a good story. Theater references abound, but again, not to a saturated level at which one feels they are missing out on all the inside "wink-winks". Truly entertaining, and I didn't even mind the big clichéd "reveal" at the end because it was a self-conscious nod to the age-old practice in mystery writing.