The Word Is Murder cover art

The Word Is Murder

Hawthorne, Book 1

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The Word Is Murder

By: Anthony Horowitz
Narrated by: Rory Kinnear
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About this listen

She planned her own funeral. But did she arrange her murder?

Buried secrets, murder and a trail of bloody clues lie at the heart of Anthony Horowitz's new detective series. If you enjoyed BBC's Sherlock, you'll love The Word is Murder!

A wealthy woman strangled six hours after she's arranged her own funeral.

A very private detective uncovering secrets but hiding his own.

A reluctant author drawn into a story he can't control.

What do they have in common?

©2017 Anthony Horowitz (P)2017 Random House Audiobooks Amateur Sleuths Crime Thrillers Detective Fiction Mystery Psychological Suspense Thriller Thriller & Suspense Crime Murder

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Critic reviews

"The beguiling whodunit plot is dispatched with characteristic elan as Horowitz blurs the line between fact and fiction." ( Financial Times)
"A very clever and inventive mystery." ( Bookbag)
"With its unorthodox protagonist, clever plotting, brilliantly imperfect characters, and escalating sense of urgency and intrigue, The Word Is Murder is an instant crime classic that will keep you reading as fast as you can...one of the best and most compulsively readable mysteries of the year. Hugely satisfying on every level." ( Written by Sime)
"Will undoubtedly exhilarate not only crime and Horowitz fans but anyone who enjoys the sense of metafiction and fourth wall breaking found in books by authors like Lemony Snicket, Bret Easton Ellis and Martin Amis." ( Fiendfully Reading)
All stars
Most relevant  
I started this with some trepidation, the idea of a novel with its own writer as a character in a fictional story had the potential to be a bit of a car crash. But he really did pull it off. The elements of reality and fiction were pulled together neatly, and I really enjoyed all the overt, and the more subtle, nods to the conventions and the works of the Greats of the Detective genre.

Enthralling

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From the start this book is clever, intriguing, surprisingly witty and gripping. The plot is stunningly brilliant and has a lot of depth and layers that reveal themselves as the story develops. For those who criticise the fact that Horowitz sometimes goes on about his various achievements, I do get your point- but these segments are not frequent and the rest of the book is too damn brilliant to miss!

Amazing, clever, gripping novel

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Only drawback the relentlessly dull voice of the narrator. But a very good yarn nonetheless.

Classic murder story

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The first person narrative by the author himself is a little off putting at the start but stick with it. The story unfolds with several twists and blind alleys leading to a conclusion that is constructed in a manner that gives the listener the opportunity to work out the murderer - something I personally enjoy - just before the author reveals the culprit himself. Hawthorne, the detective inspector, obviously has ‘history’ and his character is well positioned for book two!
In all an enjoyable listen and I’d recommend it.

Involving the author directly makes for an interesting story

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I've never read any of Anthony Horowitz before but I certainly will do from now on. The story had me gripped from the very beginning. The fact that he's put himself in the book was fascinating and I had to keep telling myself that it was a work of fiction and not true!
The hateful Hawthorne really made me laugh at times and at others I was virtually shouting at him but his character rubbed along with Horowitz so nicely that I'd love to read another about them both.
Rory Kinnear has such a wonderful voice and I could listen to him all day. He remembered the voices and accents of all characters so you could recognise them instantly.
All round, this is a must listen. I really don't know why it was languishing in my library, unheard, for as long as it was.

Absolutely first class!

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When Audible notified me about the 3rd in this series being out, I went to investigate. I loved his Sherlock Holmes books.
Turns out I already owned the 1st, this, but had forgotten about it. Oops!
Odd format, odd mix of reality and fiction but excellent book.
Perfect narrator.
On to the 2nd!

Loved it!

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i loved it and Rory Kinnear is an excellent reader.
will now read some more Horowitz adult novels

excellent murder thriller

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bit different to other murder books but keeps you changing your mind who the murderer is sad it finished too quick

intriguing

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Fantastically written. Brilliantly told. A riveting story. I could not put it down, so to speak!

Captivating!

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This is such good fun, I binge listened and almost left work early so I could finish. The performance was wonderful.

Fabulous

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