The fourth novel in this unusual crime thriller series featuring rogue detective Hawthorne and the author himself. After feeling ambivalent about the previous instalment, I wasn’t sure I’d want to read the next. However, I liked the premise of this one, in which Anthony is framed for the murder of a theatre critic. As he points out, it’s usually the critics that kill the authors!
It was a good read, with twists, suspense, humour and a London setting. We still have a lot of mysteries about Hawthorne, which will no doubt be slowly revealed in subsequent books. I still think it’s ingenious how real details about the author’s life are woven into the fiction. My only criticism for this book is that the language was a little repetitive. For example, Hawthorne looked ‘sadly’ at someone many times.
I would recommend you read the others in the series first.
Thank you to the publisher Cornerstone for the advance copy via NetGalley. The book will be published on 18th August.
