The Twist of a Knife: A gripping locked-room mystery from the bestselling crime writer (Hawthorne, 4)

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And that was maybe the worst part of the plot for me, as it seemed as though both of the galoofing cops were 100% convinced it was Anthony because he'd made them look bad in a previous book. It bothered me that they were both such poorly constructed, one-dimension characters.

This is the fourth installment in the brilliant Hawthorne and Horowitz series. This begins with Hawthorne asking Horowitz to write another book, but Horowitz has other plans. His play, 'Mindgame,' opens the following week and he has thrown himself into hopes for success on the stage and his name in lights. Of course, it is all going to go wrong. On the opening night in London, theatre critic Harriet Throsby gives the play a terrible review and the next day she is found stabbed to death with an ornamental dagger that producer, Ahmet Yurdakal, gave Horowitz as a gift. I'll bet he WANTS Anthony to have to investigate another case with him and then feel obligated to write about it. His new play 'Mindgame' is about to open at London's Vaudeville theatre, and on opening night, Sunday Times critic Harriet Throsby gives the play a savage review. In addition, Hawthorne is waiting outside the jail for Anthony, so they can immediately start searching for the real killer. I'll admit I was a little hesitant to read this after the dull events of A Line To Kill, but I will never say no to an ARC of one of my favorite authors. And boy did he redeem himself with this one.A total joy. Anthony is a master entertainer, the genius twists and turns of his writing and plot keep me on the edge of my seat.' Rory Kinnear

So, maybe it sounds like I'm not giving this a perfectly glowing review but the truth is that I had a ball listening to this one regardless of any minor complaints I had. There's been a crime committed on two fronts. One is a play that hasn't quite cut the mustard since opening night in London's Vaudeville Theater. The second is the murder of a theater critic, Harriet Throsby, who slaughtered Tony's play, Mindgame, on that very opening night. All eyes were riveted on Tony whose gift of an ornamental dagger found itself embedded in ol' Harriet. Fingerprints and a stray hair from Tony made its entrance that evening as well. These two are in a bit of a dispute over another book deal. "I’m sorry, Hawthorne. But the answer’s no. Our deal is over."The sarcasm and humor we expect from these two is on point, the mystery is clever and suspenseful. It kept my mind spinning throughout, a bit hard to follow at times (just stay the course and pay attention), but never boring. Throw in an old dagger, fingerprints, dna, CCTV images, a Japanese blossom and a bumbling detective and have fun solving the Christie-esque murder! Honestly, that's not a bad way to work out anger issues, and I heartily approve of this version to the alternative, sir. In a nod to Agatha Christie, there is no shortage of suspects and motives for the murder, and I was kept guessing to the very end. The final resolution is clever when Hawthorne gathers all the major players together and reveals all.