Close to Death - (A Hawthorne and Horowitz Mystery) by Anthony Horowitz

Book Synopsis

In New York Times bestselling author Anthony Horowitz's ingenious fifth literary whodunnit in the Hawthorne and Horowitz series, Detective Hawthorne is once again called upon to solve an unsolvable case--a gruesome murder in an idyllic gated community in which suspects abound.

Riverside Close is a picture-perfect community. The six exclusive and attractive houses are tucked far away from the noise and grime of city life, allowing the residents to enjoy beautiful gardens, pleasant birdsong, and tranquility from behind the security of a locked gate.

It is the perfect idyll, until the Kentworthy family arrives, with their four giant, gas-guzzling cars, gaggle of shrieking children, and plans for a garish swimming pool in the backyard. Obvious outsiders, the Kentworthys do not belong in Riverside Close, and quickly offend every last one of the neighbors.

When Giles Kentworthy is found dead on his own doorstep, a crossbow bolt sticking out of his chest, Detective Hawthorne is the only investigator they can call to solve the case.

Because how do you solve a murder when everyone is a suspect?

Review Quotes

"A deliciously twisty mystery."
- BookBub
"It'll keep you guessing until the very last page." - Town & Country
"Ingenious metafiction fun from a master." - Library Journal
"A gripping whodunit with a perfect setting turned deadly." - BiblioLifestyle
"A delirious concoction that transplants a Christie-style mystery into the present.'' - Financial Times
"A corking pip of a book. On your marks, get set, don't miss this." - Book Reviews by David Marshall James
"If 'witty, ' 'page-turning' and 'clever' sound like something you'd like to see in a mystery, it might be the one for you." - Minneapolis Star Tribune
"Horowitz tips his cap to Agatha Christie again in Close to Death. . . . Just know that if you enjoy Christie and Hercule Poirot, Horowitz's latest is written in a similar vein, albeit set in the present day. . . . This is some of Horowitz's best work, as he again pulls off a uniquely plotted story that further cements his own legacy as one of the best mystery writers of our time. Not many writers can twist and turn their way through a mystery with the precision and panache that Anthony Horowitz regularly treats his readers to. When he's on his A-game like he is with Close to Death, there's nobody in the genre today who can match him step-for-step. Horowitz is that good." - Real Book Spy
"Will hit the sweet spot for lovers of Horowitz's prodigious fictional work and those who adore his superb BBC series. . . . While Close to Death intentionally veers near to the Agatha Christie plot in Murder on the Orient Express, Anthony Horowitz has devised his own twisted tale and turns the closed-circle mystery inside out." - New York Review of Books
"Anthony Horowitz has devised his own twisted tale and turns the closed-circle mystery inside out." - New York Journal of Books
"'Close to Death, ' like its series predecessors, is an exceedingly entertaining and inventive mixture of humor and suspense. . . . Long may this duo endure." - Wall Street Journal
"What a devilishly clever novel we have here." - Dayton Daily News
"Close to Death unfolds like a typically delightful Hawthorne-and-Horowitz adventure--amusing, absorbing, slightly more straightforward than its predecessors. But nothing in this series is ever truly simple . . . Horowitz has a few extra tricks up his sleeve that will provide plenty of Christie-esque stimulation for readers who relish a challenge." - Air Mail
"A perfect mystery for spring!" - CrimeReads
"What begins as a decorous whodunit set in a gated community on the River Thames turns out to be another metafictional romp for mystery writer Anthony Horowitz and his frequent collaborator, ex-DI Daniel Hawthorne. . . .Gloriously artificial, improbable, and ingenious. Fans . . . will rejoice." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"An absolutely engrossing tale . . . written with the abundance of whimsy and dark humor that seems to permeate nearly everything that Horowitz creates. Kudos to anyone who can figure this one out!" - Booklist (starred review)
"Intriguing . . . there's plenty of ambition on display." - Publishers Weekly
"A supremely engrossing and expertly plotted mystery that will challenge and delight even the most well-read mystery fans. . . . This installment may be the strongest book yet in the superb series." - BookPage, starred review
"Ingenious. . . . An unforgettable case that will have heads shaking for its brilliance, as well as the eventual solution. There is much to love about this mindbender of a novel." - Bookreporter.com