The Sentence is Death

Another one by Anthony Horowitz that I read recently. Like The Word is Murder, this book features the author himself as the main character. In the midst of filming a particularly problematic episode of Foyle's War, Horowitz is again approached by former Scotland Yard detective, Daniel Hawthorne, to continue writing a book about his cases. Hawthorne has been called in to solve another murder, this time of celebrity-divorce lawyer, Richard Pryce. Pryce was bashed over the head with a bottle of wine worth 3,000 pounds, and he didn't even drink alcohol. The obvious suspect is the ex-wife of a man Pryce recently represented successfully in their divorce (and who gave Pryce the bottle of wine as a thank you gift)--mainly because she publicly threatened Pryce in an upscale restaurant. But neither Horowitz nor Hawthorne are convinced she is the guilty party, although she is certainly an unpleasant person. As they investigate anyone connected to Pryce, it becomes clear that others had motive to murder. Although Hawthorne intends Horowitz to be the Watson to his Holmes, Horowitz is determined to figure out this puzzle first. To complicate matters, the detective actually assigned to the case hates Hawthorne and, by association, Horowitz, and is determined that she will get all the credit. She is willing to do anything to win, including framing Horowitz for book theft in order to blackmail him into giving her all the information that Hawthorne uncovers. Trapped between an uncommunicative Hawthorne and an unethical cop, Horowitz has his work cut out for him. 

 NPR's reviewer implies the book leaves readers anticipating a third installment. The New York Journal of Books is more effusive, calling this "one of summer’s grandest, guiltiest pleasures. ... Pray for solitary confinement, because you’ll want to read this one straight through and uninterrupted." Booklist notes that literary references abound and that readers may enjoy Howowitz's insight into the publishing industry; they add that readers will also "rack their brains deciding which stories are true and which are fictional."