A Deadly Episode by Anthony Horowitz

Description from Goodreads:

"The Word is Murder, the first book in the Hawthorne series, is about to be made into a major feature film.

The actors have been cast, the script written, and filming has already started in Hastings.

But when Hawthorne and Anthony visit the set, they find a far from happy family.

The director’s pretentious, the screenwriter’s an eco-warrior, the two stars hate each other, and the producer has run out of money.

And things are about to get much, much worse.

In the middle of shooting, the actor playing Hawthorne is stabbed – which leaves the real Hawthorne with no choice. He has to step in and investigate his own murder.

Because the killer may not have got the right man. Was it Hawthorne himself who was meant to be the target?

A Deadly Episode is a wild ride through a world that the author knows only too well, and the most personal case Hawthorne has had to deal with so far."

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Murder on the movie set

I’ve just finished the latest Hawthorne and Horowitz mystery and it’s honestly one of the cleverest ones yet. This is the fourth book in the series I’ve read, and I still love the way Anthony Horowitz writes himself as the slightly out-of-his-depth sidekick to the brilliant but difficult Daniel Hawthorne.

The setup for this one is brilliant. They’re on the set of a film adaptation of the first book, The Word is Murder, when the actor playing Hawthorne is found murdered in his trailer. It’s such a fun premise – it’s essentially a book about a man writing a book about a movie based on a book he wrote! It forces the characters to navigate a cast of suspicious film types – from a pretentious director to an intense screenwriter – while wondering if the real Hawthorne was actually the intended target.

What I really enjoy about these books is there’s plenty of dry humour, especially when the film crew treats the "real" Anthony like a bit of a nuisance on set. We also get a few more hints about Hawthorne’s mysterious past, which always keeps me hooked. It’s sharp, engaging and doesn’t feel like a typical "by the numbers" detective story.

If you’ve enjoyed the previous books, you’re going to love this one. It’s a wonderful story within a story that kept me guessing right until the end. It’s definitely a must-read for anyone who likes a mystery that’s a bit different and very well-constructed.

Many thanks to the author, RandomHouse UK, Cornerstone and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this, the 6th book in this intriguing series.

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