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

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!

Great characters, good story

The story itself was very interesting, however I was a little let down by the reveal at the end, being similar to another Horowitz novel I’ve read. I was hoping for something a little more distinctive, but I still really liked the book, so 4 stars.

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.

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.

Good Mystery, Excellently Narrated

I was very much looking forward to this book. I like innovative ways to tell a story. And certainly the story grabbed me and it was compelling listening, owing at least in part to Rory Kinnear's wonderful narration. Horowitz uses the device of inserting himself into the story, blending fact with fiction, which initially created greater uncertainty, what's real? what's not? making the story more exciting.

But ultimately I wasn't sure what the device did to enhance the story. If the Horowitz character had instead been a completely fictional character would the story be different? I didn't really think so. I had hoped that it would somehow lead to some interesting development but was disappointed in the end that the story ended up as a good but conventional mystery.

Definitely a very good listen but if the hype has raised your expectations for something completely different, you might want to adjust them a bit.

Gripping, amusing, and full of surprises! A must-read!

I started this book when I began taking care of newborn twins a couple of years ago BUT anyone who’s taken care of twins knows that there is really NO time to read (or do anything else ;) ) after the first couple of months. Now that COVID has given me the chance to read again, I restarted it, this time on audiobook, and I devoured it in two days! It’s an extremely compelling story with twists, turns, and a truly surprising ending! I HIGHLY recommend Anthony Horowitz for anyone who likes Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes, Midsomer Murders..basically any classic British murder mysteries! His style is wonderful, the narration is spot-on, and the characters- are superbly crafted to be dynamic personalities who are recognizable, dislikable, likable, pompous, irritating, etc.-just like the people in anyone’s life! They’re realistic and relatable enough that one doesn’t need to completely suspend reality, which is particularly important in this series because it’s meant to be a “real-life” murder mystery. Bottom line: this is an amazing story with stellar narration and I can’t wait to start the sequel! I’ve recommended it to everyone I know who reads this genre and I really hope that you all enjoy this book as much as I did!

enjoyable!

My favorite of his books. Love Hawthorne - the mysterious brilliant difficult detective. Looking forward to reading the next book.

Hawthorne Rocks

I think the narrator matters and Rory did an awesome job telling this one. I enjoyed the dialect, voice inflection and tone performed when Hawthorne was involved; like two people narrated the book. Terrifying and unpredictable ending.

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.