Close to Death - Anthony Horowitz

Description

Richmond Upon Thames is one of the most desirable areas to live in London. And Riverview Close - a quiet, gated community – seems to offer its inhabitants the perfect life.

At least it does until Giles Kenworthy moves in with his wife and noisy children, his four gas-guzzling cars, his loud parties and his plans for a new swimming pool in his garden.

His neighbours all have a reason to hate him and are soon up in arms.

When Kenworthy is shot dead with a crossbow bolt through his neck, all of them come under suspicion and his murder opens the door to lies, deception and further death.

The police are baffled. Reluctantly, they call in former Detective Daniel Hawthorne. But even he is faced with a seemingly impossible puzzle.

How do you solve a murder when everyone has the same motive?

Review

This is the first Anthony Horowitz novel I have read and it won't be the last.

A man living on a desirable Close is murdered. He's managed to alienate all of his neighbours, but did one of them actually kill him? The police call in Hawthorne a private eye, to see if he can uncover what they can't.

I hadn't realised this book is the latest in a series of books to feature Hawthorne. Despite that I had no trouble reading this as a standalone book, and now want to read the earlier ones too (and probably everything he has ever written). I don't think I have ever been as intrigued by a book since I read Agatha Christie many moons ago. Brilliantly written it had me turn the pages so fast that I finished it in two sittings.

There are so many facets to this story and at first I struggled with too many characters and a map I couldn't memorise. I just read on and it all fell into place and I even had an inkling of what may have happened. To say I loved this writing would be an understatement. Why has it taken me this long to discover this fantastic author.

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review. The book is published on 11 April 2024.

Comments

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