Description

Death, deception, and a detective with quite a lot to hide stalk the pages of Anthony Horowitz’s brilliant murder mystery, the second in the bestselling series starring Private Investigator Daniel Hawthorne.

“You shouldn’t be here. It’s too late . . . “

These, heard over the phone, were the last recorded words of successful celebrity-divorce lawyer Richard Pryce, found bludgeoned to death in his bachelor pad with a bottle of wine—a 1982 Chateau Lafite worth £3,000, to be precise.

Odd, considering he didn’t drink. Why this bottle? And why those words? And why was a three-digit number painted on the wall by the killer? And, most importantly, which of the man’s many, many enemies did the deed?

Baffled, the police are forced to bring in Private Investigator Daniel Hawthorne and his sidekick, the author Anthony, who’s really getting rather good at this murder investigation business.

But as Hawthorne takes on the case with characteristic relish, it becomes clear that he, too, has secrets to hide. As our reluctant narrator becomes ever more embroiled in the case, he realizes that these secrets must be exposed—even at the risk of death . . .

About the author(s)

Anthony Horowitz is one of the UK’s most prolific and successful writers, unique in being active in both adult and YA fiction, TV, theater, and journalism. Several of his previous novels were instant New York Times bestsellers. His bestselling Alex Rider series for young adults has sold more than nineteen million copies worldwide and has become a hugely successful show on Amazon Prime TV. His breakthrough murder mystery Magpie Murders was adapted into a miniseries for PBS. He lives in London with his wife and dog.

Reviews

“Fans of traditional puzzle mysteries will be enthralled.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Horowitz succeeds on all levels with book two in the Detective Daniel Hawthorne series . . . the overall voice of the series is fresh and original, Horowitz writing with the effortless élan that distinguishes all his work.” — Booklist

“Except for Jeffrey Deaver and Sophie Hannah, no one currently working the field has anywhere near this much ingenuity to burn.” — Kirkus Reviews

“The Sentence Is Death . . . may just be one of summer’s greatest, guiltiest pleasures . . . Pray for solitary confinement, because you’ll want to read this one straight through and uninterrupted.”  — New York Journal of Books

“Horowitz mimics Golden Age authors (Christie, Allingham, Marsh, Sayers) so well in his books' scope and denouéments that fans of both puzzle and cozy mysteries will savor the balance of clues.” — NPR

“The Sentence Is Death is...fast-paced, lively ... there are twists and turns and unexpected developments. The fact-fiction blurring continues to the last page.” — Minneapolis Star Tribune

“Horowitz shows no signs of ceding the spotlight. He’s having too much fun and, as a result, so are his readers.” — Los Angeles Book Review

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