This was my favorite one in the series so far (but you still have to start from the beginning). [a:Anthony Horowitz|32590|Anthony Horowitz|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1301176549p2/32590.jpg] is a master at crafting a perfect whodunit.

This fourth installment in the Hawthorne & Horowitz series may very well be my favourite yet.

In this gripping tale, Anthony Horowitz, the author himself, finds himself the prime suspect in a recent murder. Desperate to clear his name, he enlists the help of the brilliant and intriguing detective, Hawthorne, to uncover the true perpetrator.

As with every book in this captivating series, the plot is filled with a diverse cast of characters, each with their own intricate backstories, any of whom could be the culprit. Adding to the intrigue are a series of red herrings that keep the reader guessing until the very end.

The resolution is both satisfying and intellectually rewarding, as Hawthorne methodically unravels the mystery in a tense scene, where the potential murderer stands in the room alongside the police, who are ready to arrest Horowitz.

I recommend this book, as well as the entire series, to any lover of whodunnits. I am looking forward to reading the next novel in the series.

I am a huge fan of the Hawthorne and Horowitz Mystery Series, where the author writes himself into a fictional murder mystery series as the Watson to ex-D.I. Daniel Hawthorne's Sherlock. Unfortunately, I must admit that book four was my least favorite in the series so far.

This time the story centers around Horowitz being framed for the murder of a theater critic who wrote a bad review of his play Mindgame. I think it’s fair to say that the reader knows all along that there’s no way Horowitz committed the murder, and instead we follow Hawthorne and Horowitz as they try to clear Horowitz's name by figuring out who of the other six people with access to the same dagger might have done it.

Looking at the reviews, I am an outlier; it seems that most people were satisfied with this book. But overall, I didn’t find myself as captivated by the story as much as I have been with its predecessors. It was still a fast, easy read but I felt like it was lacking a certain something that the other books in the series had. I am excited that there will be at least three more books in the series and am intrigued about learning more regarding Hawthorne's mysterious past.

It's funny that I'm giving a mixed review given the murder victim in THE TWIST OF THE KNIFE is a theater critic. Rounding up to a 3.5 but I have a couple of nits:

* I'm sure it was popular back in the day to disgrace a mystery thriller's antagonist as fat and therefore stupid and incompetent - it's not now. I don't care how evil or shit at her job Cara Grunshaw is, it's going to pull me out of the storyline if other characters make fun of something that has nothing with her ability to do her job. Doesn't keep me from continuing to read but I found it stereotypical and unnecessary

* You know that feeling you get from a writer that's trying to talk about contemporary cultural issues but does a shit job because they're old and white? That's how I felt reading this book. The passage where Anthony chats with a character about his Native American heritage is so cringeworthy, I can only suspect that the author is trying to capitalize off mainstream conversations without understanding the point he's trying to make

* We know almost nothing about Hawthorne after the 4th (and final?) book in the series. I'm tired and no longer interested in his backstory - and combined with the fact that he doesn't entirely believe Anthony isn't the murderer, his outward ambivalence to the possibility of his partner-in-crime going to prison for life really got on my nerves

* No spoilers here, but it really sucks the air out of a story's revelation when the killer is someone you can really sympathize with and the murder victim is an absolute twat who deserves to die. This is the second time Anthony has done this in the series

* Call it intuition, but as someone who has read this series from start to finish I can tell that
Anthony is either running out of ideas or is ready to move on to another series. This book is so cut and dry - maybe in part because it's fast-paced and takes place across the span of only 4 days, but it still felt lacking in suspense

I'm disappointed because I love this series and got an early copy of this book without intending to review it. I'll continue to read Anthony's books if he adds to this series, but my expectations will certainly be lowered.