Like all the books in the 'Hawthorne and Horowitz' series, this novel is structured like a 'Sherlock Holmes' story in which Dr. Watson accompanies Sherlock Holmes on an investigation, then chronicles the case. In this 4th novel in the series, a theatre critic is murdered. The book can be read as a standalone though familiarity with the characters is a plus.
*****
Private investigator Daniel Hawthorne was a Scotland Yard Detective Inspector until he was fired for pushing a child molester down the stairs. Still, the Yard sometimes asks Hawthorne - who's essentially a modern day Sherlock Holmes - to consult on tough cases.
Hawthorne's Watson-like sidekick and chronicler is Anthony Horowitz, a real-life author who writes the television series Foyle's War, and pens the Alex Rider young adult books, among other things.
As the story opens, Horowitz is telling Hawthorne, "The answer's no. Our deal is over." Horowitz had followed Hawthorne on three investigations and written three books, and he wanted to move on. Moreover, Horowitz points out, "I can't write another book about you. You're not working on any new cases." But that's about to change.
One of Anthony's current projects is his play, 'Mindgame', a comedy thriller that's opening next week at London's Vaudeville Theatre. 'Mindgame' is about a journalist who visits a lunatic asylum to interview a notorious serial killer. The journalist senses something is off at the institute, whose director has a skeleton in his office. When the journalist finds himself restrained and strapped in a straitjacket, he realizes the inmates have taken over the asylum.
The people involved with the play are producer Ahmet Yurdakul and his assistant Maureen Bates;
director Ewan Lloyd;
deputy stage-door manager Keith;
financial backer Martin Longhurst;
and three performers. The actors/actresses are Jordan Williams - a Lakota Indian;
Tirian Kirke - a heartthrob headed for Hollywood;
and Sky Palmer - a newbie with flair.
Horowitz is very nervous on 'Mindgame's' opening night. However the production seems to go well, and Anthony makes his way to the after-party at a Turkish restaurant.
There, Anthony is surprised to see the Sunday Times critic, Harriet Throsby, come in with her daughter Olivia. Critics never attend first-night parties, but - as Horowitz learns - Harriet always expects to be invited. The Times critic is reputed to be a nasty woman, and she soon proves this by sniffing at the wine disapprovingly, criticizing the restaurant, looking bored, eyeing people malevolently, and slinking around listening to people's conversations. Later that night, Harriet writes her review of 'MIndgame.'
Actress Sky Palmer - who's constantly checking her phone - immediately shares the review with everyone involved with the production. Unfortunately, the review is ABSOLUTELY SCATHING. Harriet writes that Anthony Horowitz lacks talent as a playwright; the actors do a bad job; the director is on autopilot; etc. Harriet wraps up with this advice to the audience: "I'd say you should run to get tickets for this one - if you really want to see it. I suspect it won't be around for long."
The next morning, Harriet is found dead in her house, stabbed with one of the decorative daggers distributed as opening night gifts. Unfortunately for Horowitz, HIS dagger is the murder weapon. Anthony is soon arrested by Detective Inspector Cara Grunshaw and Detective Constable Derek Mills, who have a grudge against Anthony for making them look bad in a previous investigation.
The authorities can only hold Horowitz for 24 hours before charging him with murder, and they're waiting for the results of hair and DNA analysis to do just that. Then, almost miraculously, there's a computer glitch at the forensic science laboratory, and the cops have to let Anthony go until it's fixed.
As it turns out the computer glitch was caused by Daniel Hawthorne's downstairs neighbor, a teenage computer hacker named Kevin.
In addition, Hawthorne is waiting outside the jail for Anthony, so they can immediately start searching for the real killer.
Hawthorne and Horowitz's investigation involves interviewing everyone involved with 'Mindgame', as well as the victim's husband and daughter. Along the way, Horowitz discovers a bit about Hawthorne's background, which has been a goal of Horowitz's for years. To his great satisfaction, Anthony learns where Hawthorne was born, who some of his relatives are, an organization he's involved with, and more.
At the climax of the book, all the persons of interest are gathered on the the Vaudeville Theatre stage, and Hawthorne explains how he solved the murder (a la Hercule Poirot and Nero Wolfe). The story contains plenty of clues for the armchair detective, but I didn't guess the killer. 😏
I enjoyed this innovative mystery and recommend it to fans of the genre.
Rating: 3.5 stars
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