The Word Is Murder

A Novel

By: Anthony Horowitz

Narrated by: Rory Kinnear

Narrated by Rory Kinnear

""One of the most entertaining mysteries of the year. It’s also one of the most stimulating, as it ponders such questions as: Which is of greater interest to the reader, the crime or the detective? And: Is the pencil truly mightier than the butcher knife?” — Wall Street Journal

New York Times bestselling author of Magpie Murders and Moriarty, Anthony Horowitz has yet again brilliantly reinvented the classic crime novel, this time writing a fictional version of himself as the Watson to a modern-day Holmes.

A woman crosses a London street. It is just after 11 a.m. on a bright spring morning, and she is going into a funeral parlor to plan her own service. Six hours later the woman is dead, strangled with a crimson curtain cord in her own home.

Enter disgraced police detective Daniel Hawthorne, a brilliant, eccentric man as quick with an insult as he is to crack a case. And Hawthorne has a partner, the celebrated novelist Anthony Horowitz, curious about the case and looking for new material. As brusque, impatient, and annoying as Hawthorne can be, Horowitz—a seasoned hand when it comes to crime stories—suspects the detective may be on to something, and is irresistibly drawn into the mystery.

But as the case unfolds, Horowitz realizes that he’s at the center of a story he can’t control, and his brilliant partner may be hiding dark and mysterious secrets of his own.

Mystery

This is the second book by Mr. Horowitz I have read and both have been extremely enjoyable. This books keep you interested from start to finish. It has interesting characters and a interconnected theme that engages you from start to finish. It is set in England and the setting makes the story more real. Great narration.

Main Characters' Rivalry + Friendship

Loved it. The narrating really made it for me. The hilarious relationship between Hawthorne and Anthony was delivered so perfectly through the narration. I laughed out loud quite often!

a book within a book

I've been wrapped up in this story for days and now that it's done, I'm sad it's over. I don't often write reviews on here, but this is so deserving. it felt like I was reading a book within a book and I'm completely fascinated by this new concept of writing he created for this story. I'm a fiction reader for sure, but the elements of truth weaved throughout made the story so much more realistic for me. All the stars go to this book and I'll be looking to read more by this author.

Ingenious

From the narrative device to character development to plotting, red herrings, locations and story-telling prowess, what a treat of a read. Horowitz and Galbraith/Rowlings reign supreme IMHO.

loved it!

This book kept me guessing until the end. That is delightfully unusual for me. This is the best book i have listened to in months.