In this 2nd book in the 'DI Daniel Hawthorne' mystery series, the consulting detective investigates the murder of a lawyer. The book can be read as a standalone.
*****
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 among other things.
Anthony Horowitz
Hawthorne is asked to help solve the murder of divorce lawyer Anthony Pryce, who was bashed on the head with a wine bottle, then stabbed in the neck with the broken top. At the time of his death, Pryce was about to finalize the divorce of his wealthy client Adrian Lockwood - for whom Pryce had secured a very advantageous divorce settlement.
Lockwood's wife Akira Anno - an artsy literary writer and poet - felt cheated, and confronted Pryce in a restaurant. Anno shouted at Pryce, upended a bottle of wine over his head, and threatened his life. This makes Anno the prime suspect in the attorney's murder.
Hawthorne rounds up his wingman Horowitz, and the duo accompany Detective Inspector Cara Grunshaw to interview Anno, who seems to have an alibi.
Hawthorne then considers other people in Pryce's orbit, including the lawyer's husband and a woman named Davina Richardson, whom Pryce has been helping financially for years.
It turns out that Pryce and two college buddies, Gregory Taylor and Charlie Richardson, were wont to go caving every year.
When the three men were exploring Long Way Hole ten years ago, a sudden storm flooded the caves, and Charlie - who had fallen behind - drowned.
Pryce and Richardson felt guilty about the incident, and Pryce stepped up with money for Charlie's wife and son.
Hawthorne and Horowitz also discover that dead attorney Pryce, who did things 'by the book', had hired forensic accountants to make sure the Lockwood-Anno financial settlement was completely kosher. This widens the suspect pool and brings surprising things to light.
An additional death muddies the investigative waters, and Hawthorne and Horowitz travel around England to question people and make inquiries. As always, Horowitz is expected to pony up for travel expenses, food, witness payoffs, and other incidentals.
The criminal investigations in this series are always accompanied by snippets about the Hawthorne-Horowitz relationship. Hawthorne is extremely secretive about himself, and Horowitz wants to know more - for his book about the case. This leads to a kind of 'cat and mouse game' that's very amusing. Horowitz even agrees to attend a meeting of Hawthorne's book club, where he might hear scuttlebutt about the detective.
Horowitz has an additional problem. DI Grunsaw - who's determined to solve the case herself - threatens the writer, and demands that he keep her informed about Hawthorne's investigation. Hawthorne is so tight-lipped, however, that Horowitz can't tell her much. This leads to trouble for Horowitz, who's framed for a minor crime AND loses permits to film Foyle's War in London.
While he's recounting the case, the author takes the opportunity to throw a little shade at literary writers who disdain 'commercial fiction' (like his) and give us a peek at the complexities of producing/filming a TV show, which is quite interesting.
Behind the scenes at Foyle's War
I'm a fan of Sherlock Holmes and I enjoyed this this homage to the iconic sleuth. I'd recommend the book to mystery fans.
Rating: 3.5 stars
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