The Word Is Murder

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First edition (publ. Century)

The Word Is Murder[1] is a 2017 mystery novel by British author Anthony Horowitz and the first novel in the Hawthorne and Horowitz series. The story focuses on solving the murder of a woman who was involved in a hit-and-run accident ten years previously.

Synopsis

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Anthony, the narrator (a fictionalized version of the author), is approached by ex-Detective Inspector Hawthorne, with whom he worked on a television series. Hawthorne, who is in need of money, proposes that Anthony write a book about him and one of the cases he is working on in exchange for a 50/50 split of the advance and royalties. The case involves a woman who, six hours after planning her own funeral, is found murdered. Initially reluctant, Anthony agrees and proceeds to document Hawthorne’s solution of the case.

Reception

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The Word Is Murder received positive reviews in the Bookreporter,[2] The Wall Street Journal,[3] and Kirkus Reviews.[4]

In May 2021 the Japanese edition of The Word Is Murder won the Best Translated Honkaku Mystery of the Decade (2010-2019).[5]

References

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  1. ^ "The Word is Murder - Anthony Horowitz | Author | Alex Rider | Sherlock Holmes | James Bond". Anthony Horowitz is a British writer. His works include the Alex Rider series, Sherlock Holmes and James Bond novels and Foyle's War for television. 13 April 2017.
  2. ^ "The Word Is Murder". Bookreporter. 8 June 2018.
  3. ^ Nolan, Tom (15 June 2018). "Mysteries: A Postmodern Procedural". The Wall Street Journal.
  4. ^ "THE WORD IS MURDER | Kirkus Reviews" – via www.kirkusreviews.com.
  5. ^ "2010年代海外本格ミステリ ベスト作品決定(2021.5)". Honkaku Mystery Writers Club of Japan. Retrieved 16 May 2023. (in Japanese)
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