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Content snapshot
Flag an inaccuracy →What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.
Violence
Some
Murder by strangling; investigation of the crime; deaths connected to the victim's past
Language
Barely any
Mild language; the register of a polished mystery
Sexual Content
Barely any
Mild; adult relationships in the backstory
Substance Use
Barely any
Mild
Emotional Intensity
A lot
Moderate; the meta-fictional device of Horowitz writing himself; the mystery of Hawthorne himself as the series' deepest puzzle; fair-play construction
What this book is about
Anthony Horowitz's clever meta-mystery introduces 'Anthony Horowitz' as a character who is recruited by the mysterious ex-detective Daniel Hawthorne to help solve a case: a woman who visited a funeral home to plan her own service was strangled hours later. The Hawthorne series uses the Watson-Holmes dynamic with Horowitz himself in the Watson role, which allows him to comment on detective fiction while writing it. Witty, fair-play mystery with a compelling antagonist.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
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