The Word Is Murder

A Novel

By: Anthony Horowitz

Narrated by: Rory Kinnear

Length: 9 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

The New York Times best-selling author of Magpie Murders and Moriarty brilliantly reinvents the classic crime novel once again with this clever and inventive mystery starring a fictional version of the author himself as the Watson to a modern-day Holmes, investigating a case involving buried secrets, murder, and a trail of bloody clues.

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 he’s at the center of a story he can’t control...and that his brilliant partner may be hiding dark and mysterious secrets of his own.

A masterful and tricky mystery which plays games at many levels, The Word Is Murder is Anthony Horowitz at his very best.

©2018 Anthony Horowitz (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers

This book did not land for me, unlike Anthony’s other books

I have listen to three of Anthony Horowitz’s books in a row and this one was by far the worst. The Sherlock-inspired dynamic only works if the Sherlock is likable on some level. Hawthorne was a homophobic recluse who was not at all redeemed by the end.
And while I love that the author likes to mix up the detective genre putting himself in the story seems like a chance for him to do odd humble brags about his accomplishments, his lifestyle and and name drop. It didn’t work nearly as well as his book in a book innovation in Magpie Murders (so fun!).

Maybe you’ll enjoy this book more than me, but I don’t my job, you have been warned.

Excellent story and exceptional narration!

The story is pretty cogent, logical, but yet has a surprise ending. the writing is truly excellent and reads like a real novel vs a generic whodunnit. but above all, the narration is truly exceptional! one of the best performances on audible I ever heard. the narrator does different voices masterfully and stays in character for every one of them . even if the story was half as good I would still recommend it because of the narration alone. it is a gripping work and hard to stop listening to it! in a word - amazing

The word is clever.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. I watched Magpie Murders and loved all the twists and turns. I then watched an interview with Mr. Horowitz and he said that he always leaves clues. And he does. If you listen they will come. Also the part with the directors meeting where Mr. Horowitz is interrupted was hilarious along with other funny moments. Thank You.

A gripping tale, well told.

Listened to it in practically one sitting, enjoyed the story and the performance was excellent. Each character had a clearly distinguishable voice, and all the dialogue was clearly pronounced. The author did a nice job of placing himself in the story.

Love the main character, Hawthorne!

He's brilliant, unlikable, secretive and best of all, unashamedly politically incorrect! I almost gave up on this book during the portion the author went on and on about his other books but I am glad that I didn't! I laughed, I worried. In the end, found this read delightfully clever and especially enjoyed hearing it from the first person perspective! I am already listening to the next book, The Sentence is Death. I was a big fan of Foyle's War and intend to listen to more books by this author but hope that there will be more in this series, as well.

Excellent in every way!

This book is like tasting the perfect blend of ingredients after a complicated recipe. A masterpiece! It's doesn't have any strong, overbearing elements, and on the opposite site of the spectrum, it's not a weak slow-burn of a dragged-out drama. It was perfectly cozy, intelligent and engaging. It was easy to immerse myself in it. Should have mentioned first and foremost that this Narrator is FANTASTIC!

Wonderful whodunit!

I thoroughly enjoyed this whodunit! I thought I knew the answers and was thrilled to see that the story was far more complex than a bad TV murder mystery. Horowitz created memorable characters. Kinnear was a very good narrator EXCEPT for that half way through the book, he deepens the voice of one of the main characters. That was the only drawback I found.

Refreshing

I found myself bored with Ludlum, Follett and others and thankfully found Horowitz and now am hooked. Not sure there is enough available to become bored and don’t think I will as there is enough difference between Magpie and this one. Thoroughly enjoyed both!

Fun and different

What a good writer. I like this guy and hope others will try him.

My Review

It wasn't hard to get motivated into the book, and it was unusual to hear a story in the Ist person, at times it was slow especially in the middle. I'm glad I persevered because the later part of the book was the best. Thank you