CHARACTER DOSSIER · SPOILER-LIGHT
Daniel Hawthorne
A brilliant, guarded former police detective who sees what everyone else misses—and reveals almost nothing about himself unless the case forces the issue.
Role
Hawthorne investigates while a fictionalised Anthony Horowitz follows, takes notes and repeatedly discovers how far behind he is.
Method
Observation, interviews, silence and an unnerving ability to recognise which ordinary detail does not belong.
Core tension
The narrator needs access to Hawthorne to write the books; Hawthorne needs a writer but resists becoming knowable. Their bargain is both partnership and contest.
Fan perspective
His deductions are satisfying, but the addictive long game is the dossier Horowitz cannot quite complete: every answer about Hawthorne seems to expose another locked door.
Case file
A woman plans her own funeral and is murdered hours later. Daniel Hawthorne investigates, with a reluctant Anthony Horowitz cast as his Watson.
Case 2 of 7The Sentence Is DeathA divorce lawyer is found bludgeoned with a bottle of wine. Hawthorne notices what everyone else misses; Horowitz tries to keep up.
Case 3 of 7A Line to KillA literary festival on Alderney becomes a locked-island investigation, with every celebrated guest carrying baggage.
Case 4 of 7The Twist of a KnifeWhen a theatre critic is killed after a savage review, Horowitz becomes the prime suspect and has no choice but to call Hawthorne.
Case 5 of 7Close to DeathHawthorne revisits a murder in an apparently perfect gated London close. A cold case, a hostile community and an unfinished story collide.
Case 6 of 7A Deadly EpisodeA film adaptation of the first Hawthorne case runs into egos, money trouble—and murder. The newest case, published in 2026.
Case 7 of 7The Vanishing JuryDuring a murder trial, a juror is killed and former detective Daniel Hawthorne intervenes. Penguin UK lists this forthcoming case for 8 April 2027.
Continuity dossier — reveal spoiler-marked guidance
Publication order matters because the narrator's trust, frustration and knowledge of Hawthorne accumulate between cases. This dossier does not disclose solutions or identify culprits.
Watch the gap between what Hawthorne notices, what he tells the narrator, and what the narrator understands in time to put on the page.
Sources
Case order and premises checked against Anthony Horowitz's official Hawthorne catalogue on 20 September 2026.