Review: The Twist of a Knife by Anthony Horowitz

I discovered Anthony Horowitz’s novels last year and after finding out that he had written for several of my favourite British television shows, such as Midsomer Murders, and Foyle’s War, I quickly read through all of his mysteries that I could find . His books did not disappoint.

The Twist of a Knife was my first read of 2023, and is book 4 in the Hawthorne and Horowitz Investigate series. I’ve read the first two books but am on a waiting list for the third, having missed when it it was released.

If you aren’t familiar with the series, Hawthorne and Horowitz teamed up as a strange duo to produce three books, written by Anthony, based on cases solved by Hawthorne in his role as a private detective. As this book opens, Anthony has decided that he does not want to renew the deal and produce any more books about Hawthorne’s cases. Very soon after informing Hawthorne of his decision, Anthony finds himself needing Hawthorne’s assistance and the fun begins.

I’m not usually a fan of novels written from the first person point of view. I have a hard time connecting with the character, but this series is an exception. The author writes as though he is a character in the book and iI don’t know why but for me it makes the story more engaging,. He seems able to blend together reality and fiction seamlessly so that by the end of the novel you’re questioning which, if any, events were real, and which were made up.

Despite having read the first two entries in the series, very little has been revealed about Hawthorne’s past, or his personal life. In each book we learn a little bit more, and this book is no different. We also see the relationship between Hawthorne and “Tony”, as Hawthorne insists on calling him, develop further.

I found the book to be entertaining, with some comical moments, and the mystery intriguing enough that it kept me reading well into the early morning hours to find out what happened.