'I've written three books and our deal is over.' That's what reluctant author Anthony Horowitz tells ex-detective Daniel Hawthorne in an awkward meeting. The truth is that Anthony has got other things on his mind.

His new play, a thriller called 'Mindgame', is about to open at the famous Vaudeville theatre in Shoreditch. Not surprisingly, Hawthorne declines a ticket to the opening night.

The play is not enjoyed by the critics. In particular, Sunday Times critic Harriet 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, it turns out, belongs to Anthony, and which has his fingerprints all over it.

Another fabulous book by Horowitz, this Hawthorne series gets better and better. At the start Horowitz declines to write another book about Hawthorne and imagines that it's unlikely the pair will meet again but when Horowitz is arrested for murder he knows all his hope lies in Hawthorne finding the real murderer before the police duo of Grunshaw and Mills put him behind bars.

It's a true Agatha Christie style story with just the right number of characters and clues to be gripping without being confusing and at the end there's the classic 'big reveal'. A brilliant read with humour, tension and excellent characterisation.

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for an advance copy in return for an honest review.