Close to Death – Hawthorne & Horowitz #5

Author: Anthony Horowitz
Genre: Murder Mystery
419 pages
Publisher: Harper, 2024

Synopsis
Riverside Close is a picture-perfect community. The six exclusive and attractive houses are tucked far away from the noise and grime of city life, allowing the residents to enjoy beautiful gardens, pleasant birdsong and tranquility from behind the security of a locked gate.

It is the perfect idyll until the Kentworthy family arrives, with their four giant, gas-guzzling cars, a gaggle of shrieking children and plans for a garish swimming pool in the backyard. Obvious outsiders, the Kentworthys do not belong in Riverside Close, and they quickly offend every last one of their neighbours.

When Giles Kentworthy is found dead on his own doorstep, a crossbow bolt sticking out of his chest, Detective Hawthorne is the only investigator that can be called on to solve the case.

Because how do you solve a murder when everyone is a suspect?

My review
Close to Death is the fifth installment in the Hawthorne & Horowitz series by Anthony Horowitz. Since I haven’t read the earlier books, my review focuses on this novel as a standalone. Horowitz has been on my list of authors to read for a while, and I was eager to dive into his latest release over the weekend. Horowitz’s prose is sharp and nuanced, and he skillfully develops his characters bit by bit throughout the story, which kept me engaged and curious. While the book was entertaining, it lacked the punch and intensity I typically look for in crime fiction. Fans of the series will likely appreciate how this installment deepens the main characters’ backstories, but for me, it was a solid yet unremarkable read.

This novel has the charm of a classic mystery, enhanced by Horowitz’s clever novel-within-a-novel structure. There’s a murder (or two), a cast of plausible suspects, and a sharp investigator cutting through the red herrings to uncover the truth. Horowitz’s writing is sharp and inventive, and the layered narrative structure works brilliantly.

The story unfolds across two timelines: the present, where Horowitz portrays himself as an author using case notes to revisit a decade-old murder investigated by Hawthorne, and the past, detailing the original investigation. In an exclusive gated community, a resident was found dead, and everyone living there became a suspect. The case was officially solved—but did the detective or Hawthorne get it right?

The plot unfolds at a steady pace, and Horowitz skillfully builds a sense of the close-knit community while developing the characters. Unfortunately, the ending felt somewhat contrived, and, unless I missed something, there wasn’t much of a twist or surprise in revealing the murderer. Additionally, the clues leading to the culprit seemed to appear abruptly, rather than being gradually uncovered throughout the story.

Close to Death will likely appeal to fans of this series, but it doesn’t quite hold up as a standalone. While I found the novel’s structure clever and entertaining, the overall narrative lacked the unique twists or intensity needed to elevate it beyond an average read.

My recommendation: it’s an enjoyable read with an interesting structure, though not high on my recommendation list.