Review - 'The Sentence is Death' by Anthony Horowitz

Our favorite author who writes himself into murder mysteries is back!

In this installment, famous celebrity-divorce lawyer Richard Pryce is found murdered in his home, beaten and stabbed with a bottle of expensive wine. The killer leaves a clue: a three-digit number painted on the wall next to his dead body. The police is baffled, so they bring in private investigator Daniel Hawthorne, who then brings in his scribe, writer Anthony Horowitz.

This whodunit is so much fun. There is a small number of interesting suspects, plenty of clues everywhere (but which ones are the important ones?), and lots of red herrings. It was delightful to go on the journey with the detective and the writer as they uncover secrets and sort through clues, trying to fit each piece into the puzzle.

I've read a few mysteries by Horowitz now, and he hasn't disappointed yet. His style hearkens back to the Golden Age of mystery, where the murders can be solved by paying attention to the clues instead of cheap thrills or crazy characters.

As is standard for this series, Horowitz writes himself into the book by being the scribe for the detective. I found it to be a little odd in the first book, and I'm still getting used to it in this one. Horowitz definitely isn't afraid to poke fun at himself, so his character verges on the annoying. He keeps jumping in with comments that give away crucial information. He becomes obsessed with solving the case before the detective does. He bungles around a lot. Honestly, I wouldn't mind if the character was toned down just a bit.

Aside from that little nitpick, I'm really enjoying the series. This whodunit turned out to be super entertaining and engrossing, and I can't wait to read more.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars