New York Times bestselling author Anthony Horowitz’s fifth Detective Hawthorne mystery offers up a head-scratching whodunit, a case so unsolvable that even a modern-day Sherlock Holmes might not be able to crack it.
Riverside Close is a perfect place to live. Or at least it was until one of the neighbors, Giles Kenworthy, turns up dead, and it’s revealed that not a single person in the community is sad he’s gone. Thriller writer Anthony Horowitz is also not sorry to hear there has been a murder. For the record, he had never met the victim, and he does feel bad that someone died. Why wouldn’t he be? On the other hand, Horowitz had been so wrapped up in his own criminal accusations (he was accused of murder in the last book, The Twist of the Knife, 2022) that he nearly missed his next publishing deadline. It’s not until his agent informs him that his contract states he needs to soon deliver another manuscript, a continuation of his Hawthorne series, or else.
For Horowitz (the fictionalized version who plays Watson to Hawthorne’s Sherlock Holmes in the book), the looming deadline is a real problem. Over the course of the first four novels, Horowitz simply followed around Daniel Hawthorne, a brilliant detective, as he solves a murder in real-time, which the author then fictionalizes into a novel. It’s a foolproof system, and one that’s helped to churn out four major bestsellers. But now, there isn’t enough time to follow their normal way of doing things, which means that Horowtiz needs Hawthorne to advise him on a previous case, which turns out to be the death of one Giles Kenworthy.
The setup here is very different than the first four books. Whereas in past stories, Horowitz narrates the events from the beginning, Anthony doesn’t even appear until nearly seventy pages into Close to Death. That means everything prior to that is written in the third person narrative, which is how we learn that the residents of Riverside Close hated Giles Kenworthy. It’s also how we learn that Kenworthy had made a nice living for himself in finance as a hedge fund manager before moving his family into Riverside Close, disrupting the peace and harmony their residents once enjoyed. Before his death, multiple neighbors—there’s Adam Strauss, a grandmaster chess player who fancies showing off his talent by taking on more than twenty opponents at a time; Doctor Tom Beresford, a man so frustrated that he’s started prescribing himself meds just to get some needed rest before a long day in surgery; and Andrew Pennington, a retired barrister who is quick to check individual’s actions against the management contract each family signs, forcing them to comply for the betterment of the greater good—conspired to find a community violation egregious enough get the family kicked out. Not long after, Giles Kenworthy is found dead on his porch with a crossbow bolt stuck in his chest, making everyone living in Riverside Close a suspect.
Picking Hawthorne’s brain and going over past case files, Horowitz pours over the murder investigation in an attempt to find a way to fictionalize things for his next thriller, only to wind up with some questions of his own. As things play out, it becomes clear that solving the murder may be impossible. Then again, if anyone can figure it out and ensure the killer is brought to justice, it’s Hawthorne . . . right?
Anthony Horowitz (the real-life author, not the character) has done a superb job putting a modern spin on the classic whodunit in recent years, and not only with this series. Magpie Murders (2017) is one of the best mysteries published in the last forty years, and the sequel, Moonflower Murders (2020), is right up there as well. It’s noteworthy that Magpie pays homage to the Queen of Crime herself, Agatha Christie, because it’s clear that Horowtiz has studied her work, and without giving anything away, he tips his cap to her again in Close to Death, though to elaborate any further would enter spoiler territory. 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. While the shift in format from the past four books feels a bit jarring at first, overall, 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.
Book Details
Author: Anthony Horowitz
Series: Horowitz & Hawthorne #5
Pages: 432 (Hardcover)
ISBN: 006330564X
Publisher: Harper
Release Date: April 16th
Praised as “One of the hardest working, most thoughtful, and fairest reviewers out there” by New York Times bestselling author Lisa Scottoline, Ryan Steck has “quickly established himself as the authority on mysteries and thrillers” (Author A.J. Tata). Steck also works full-time as a freelance editor and is building a growing community on Twitch. His debut thriller, FIELDS OF FIRE, which #1 New York Times bestselling author Jack Carr says “will leave you speechless and begging for more,” is now available. His second novel, LETHAL RANGE, is also in bookstores, and his third book, OUT FOR BLOOD, comes out on June 4th. For more information, be sure to follow him on Twitter and Facebook. To interact with other readers and talk about your favorite books and authors, join The Real Book Spy’s Discord server.