A Line to Kill

A Novel

By: Anthony Horowitz

Narrated by: Rory Kinnear

The New York Times best-selling author of the brilliantly inventive The Word Is Murder and The Sentence Is Death returns with his third literary whodunit featuring intrepid detectives Hawthorne and Horowitz.

When ex-detective inspector Daniel Hawthorne and his sidekick, author Anthony Horowitz, are invited to an exclusive literary festival on Alderney, an idyllic island off the south coast of England, they don’t expect to find themselves in the middle of murder investigation - or to be trapped with a cold-blooded killer in a remote place with a murky, haunted past.

Arriving on Alderney, Hawthorne and Horowitz soon meet the festival’s other guests - an eccentric gathering that includes a best-selling children’s author, a French poet, a TV chef turned cookbook author, a blind psychic, and a war historian - along with a group of ornery locals embroiled in an escalating feud over a disruptive power line.

When a local grandee is found dead under mysterious circumstances, Hawthorne and Horowitz become embroiled in the case. The island is locked down, no one is allowed on or off, and it soon becomes horribly clear that a murderer lurks in their midst. But who?

Both a brilliant satire on the world of books and writers and an immensely enjoyable locked-room mystery, this audiobook is a triumph - a riddle of a story full of brilliant misdirection, beautifully set-out clues, and diabolically clever denouements.

©2021 Anthony Horowitz (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers

This could be the new Foyle's War on TV!

This is a made for the big screen novel about a pair of criminal sleuths who are almost complete opposites who solve a interesting fact pattern that is both original and satisfying. The main protagonist is a 39 year old ex. Scotland Yard detective with a sketchy history of dealing with a criminal's basic rights who happens to be a methodical and brilliant professional that has teamed up with the writer of the book, Anthony Horowitz, to chronicle several high profile crimes as a private detective. Horowitz brings with him a firm set of moral values that are cut and dry while the protagonist has a moral compass that sometimes seems to waver. I think it is fair to say that both of the main characters are charming in their own ways and in the end work well well together. I would hope that the author will continue to write about the his new Detective character and that he maintains his skeptical partner as the story develops into new novels. Riveting, funny, and smart writing equal a near perfect score on all accounts.

The adventure continues.

Great mystery flled with interesting. characters. Love the reluctant biographer and the grumpy detective with a secret concept. I know this is the end of the "three book" deal but here's hoping for another.

Another Great Horowitz Tale

Addicting story with clever intricacies. I kept finding any opportunity--or just making the time--to turn it back on and hear the story unfold; and Kinnear, as ever, delivers a brilliant performance.

Best yet

Good mystery with some classic golden age tropes. Best yet of the series for Horowitz.

Another great Hawthorne story!

Anthony Horowitz wrote another great Hawthorne story with twists and turns. The reader did a wonderful job bringing the story to life.

A LINE TO KILL

Another great Horowitz murder mystery. I love Rory Kinnear who could read the dictionary and deliver wonder.

Good performance, predictable ending

I enjoyed it but it is fairly predictable - maybe not in why but in who. And not only about the killer.

I love this series!!!

Brilliant plots, fabulous character development, witty narrative story, fantastic audio performance. 10 out of 10 recommend!

The murder mystery writer casts himself as the novel’s narrator….

Anthony Horowitz casts himself once again as a character in his own novel. As the sidekick of Hawthorne, a former Scotland Yard detective inspector turned private investigator, who consults with the Police on difficult cases, Horowitz has landed a three book publishing contract to write about Hawthorne and the cases he has solved. They are stuck with each other as he and his tongue in cheek, alter ego, Hawthorne, head off to a Literary Conference where of course-Spoiler alert!- there are murders to be solved.
‘A line to Kill’ is quirky, funny and above all else, keeps the reader guessing “who did it” until the very end.

Fiction and nonfiction combination

I am in love with this series. I love how Anthony Horowitz has inserted himself into his own book. I love that he named drops actual actors and artists as well as shares insights from work that he has done in his real life. I love listening to it on audible with Rory Kinnear narrating. I’m a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes and I will begin reading Agatha Christie novels as well.