Close to Death
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?
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Become an affiliateAnthony Horowitz is one of the UK's most prolific and successful writers, unique in being active in both adult and YA fiction, TV, theater, and journalism. Several of his previous novels were instant New York Times bestsellers. His bestselling Alex Rider series for young adults has sold more than nineteen million copies worldwide and has become a hugely successful show on Amazon Prime TV. His breakthrough murder mystery, Magpie Murders, was adapted into a miniseries for PBS. He lives in London with his wife and dog.
"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
"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)
"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)
"Ingenious metafiction fun from a master." -- Library Journal
"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
"It'll keep you guessing until the very last page." -- Town & Country
"A delirious concoction that transplants a Christie-style mystery into the present.'' -- Financial Times
"Intriguing . . . there's plenty of ambition on display." -- Publishers Weekly
"A deliciously twisty mystery."
-- BookBub
"A perfect mystery for spring!" -- CrimeReads
"What a devilishly clever novel we have here." -- Dayton Daily News
"A gripping whodunit with a perfect setting turned deadly." -- BiblioLifestyle
"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 corking pip of a book. On your marks, get set, don't miss this." -- Book Reviews by David Marshall James