Alex Rider
thriller
Series · crime
Hawthorne & Horowitz
The Hawthorne & Horowitz series by Anthony Horowitz has 6 books and is best read in publication order, starting with The Word Is Murder (2017).
- Books
- 6 books
- First published
- 2017
- Status
- ongoing
- Last checked
Start here: The Word Is Murder (2017) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The order the books were released — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
The Word Is Murder
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Word Is Murder - Book 2:
The Sentence Is Death
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Sentence Is Death - Book 3:
A Line to Kill
Alternative text for cover: Cover of A Line to Kill - Book 4:
The Twist of a Knife
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Twist of a Knife - Book 5:
Close to Death
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Close to Death - Book 6:
A Deadly Episode
Alternative text for cover: Cover of A Deadly Episode
About the Hawthorne & Horowitz series
Hawthorne & Horowitz is Anthony Horowitz's adult crime series with a metafictional trick at its center: the narrator is "Anthony Horowitz" himself, a novelist reluctantly dragged into real murder investigations by Daniel Hawthorne, a brilliant, prickly ex-detective he's been hired to write a true-crime book about. Hawthorne solves the cases with classic golden-age deduction; "Horowitz" bumbles along as an unreliable, self-deprecating Watson figure, complaining about his own contracts and screenwriting deadlines even as bodies pile up around him.
The series plays with the boundary between fiction and reality throughout -- Horowitz's actual editors, actual TV work (Foyle's War, the Alex Rider adaptations), and actual publishing anxieties all become material, while Hawthorne himself remains a compelling mystery: a disgraced ex-Scotland Yard detective whose past is doled out in fragments across the books rather than explained upfront. Each entry is a fully plotted, fair-play whodunit in the classic tradition, filtered through this modern, self-aware framing device.
Beginning with The Word Is Murder in 2017 and continuing to the present, Hawthorne & Horowitz has become one of Horowitz's most acclaimed adult works, running alongside his separate Susan Ryeland (Magpie Murders) series as the two pillars of his contemporary crime-writing career.
How to read this series
Read Hawthorne & Horowitz in publication order (used here), starting with The Word Is Murder (2017) -- Hawthorne's backstory and his working relationship with "Horowitz" the narrator are revealed gradually across the series, so reading in order is strongly recommended rather than jumping in partway through.
This entry covers every book published in the series so far. It's an adult crime series, distinct from Horowitz's YA work (Alex Rider, The Power of Five) and from his separate Susan Ryeland / Magpie Murders series, both tracked separately in this catalogue.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in the Hawthorne & Horowitz series?
6 books have been published as of this entry, from The Word Is Murder (2017) through A Deadly Episode (2026).
What order should I read Hawthorne & Horowitz in?
Publication order, used here. Detective Daniel Hawthorne's past and his relationship with narrator "Horowitz" build gradually across the series, so reading in order is recommended.
Is the narrator really Anthony Horowitz?
The narrator is a fictionalized version of the real author, sharing his name, career and biographical details, but the murder investigations and the character Hawthorne are invented -- it's a deliberate metafictional device, not a memoir.
Is Hawthorne & Horowitz connected to Anthony Horowitz's other series?
No -- it's a standalone adult crime series, separate from his YA Alex Rider and Power of Five series and from his other adult crime series, Susan Ryeland / Magpie Murders.
Is Hawthorne & Horowitz finished?
No, it's ongoing -- Anthony Horowitz has said he plans to write ten books in the series, with 6 published so far.
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Reading order last verified .