Close to Death by Anthony Horowitz
Damn, I love these.
Hawthorne & Horowitz are back and I couldn't have been more delighted. The fifth book of the series, and author Horowitz has done such a brilliant job of keeping the stories and two leads fresh and far from false. The previous book, The Twist of a Knife, was the first that ventured a few steps from the setup we'd relied upon in the first three. Instead of Hawthorne pulling the author around as he works to solve a current case, Knife saw Horowitz under suspicion for a crime he didn't commit, reluctantly turning to Hawthorne for his expertise and assistance.
Now in Close to Death, Hawthorne and Horowitz are without a current case demanding their attention and turn to a previously worked case in order to get started on a new book. The narrative is then a back and forth between the book Horowitz is writing based on what he can garner from the case's files and his day-to-day life — dealing with Hawthorne, trying to find out more about Hawthorne, and doing some investigative work without Hawthorne in order to see the real-life, present day location of the murder of Charles Kentworthy.
Riverside Close epitomized tranquility, with its exclusive houses nestled away from the hustle and bustle of city life. However, the arrival of the Kentworthy family disrupted the peaceful community. When Charles Kentworthy was discovered dead, Detective Hawthorne was called in to unravel the mystery in a neighborhood where everyone became a suspect.
This series is a favorite now — and I look forward to each new installment with its hidden joy, untethered dry wit, and boatloads of that accidental English charm.
Audiobook, as narrated by Rory Kinnear: Kinnear continues to impress with his narration. His ability to bring a wide range of voices, accents, and pitches to life remains exceptional, maintaining the immersive performance that has become a hallmark of this series for me. It's a testament to his skill as a performer that I often forget it's just one person behind all these voices. And while hearing the author's note, recorded by the author Horowitz, shattered the illusion momentarily, Kinnear's captivating narration remains with me as the voice of the character Horowitz.
