Hawthorne & Horowitz · BOOK 4 OF 7
The Twist of a Knife
Spoiler-free summary
When a theatre critic is killed after a savage review, Horowitz becomes the prime suspect and has no choice but to call Hawthorne.
London, centred on the theatre world and a murder investigation. The pleasure lies in observation and privacy, shaped by a first-person detective chronicle in which the narrator is also a character and occasional suspect..
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Can I start here?
Best read after Hawthorne & Horowitz 3; the central plot is approachable on its own, but continuing relationships and consequences carry forward.
What makes it different
Putting the narrator in the dock gives the series its fastest pulse and turns Hawthorne's exasperating methods into a lifeline.
Setting
London, centred on the theatre world and a murder investigation.
Content guidance
Murder, death, grief and criminal investigation; the summary above withholds solutions.
Source-linked extras
Horowitz on the craft
A publisher interview in which Horowitz discusses constructing murder-mystery twists; linked as series-level context, not misrepresented as a comment on this title alone.
Penguin — The Art of the Murder Mystery Twist ↗Continuity
The Twist of a Knife is volume 4 of 7 in Hawthorne & Horowitz. Its central adventure has a resolution, while relationships and consequences can continue into later volumes.
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These are affinity matches, not catalogue neighbours. Each card names the connection I used.