The Sentence Is Death: A Novel

"The author turns up the suspense, the sleuths turn up the clues, and crooks end up dead all while Moriarty’s specter hovers. Anything but elementary, this clever thriller is sure to please Sherlock fans." —People

A brilliantly inventive murder mystery and compelling whodunnit by the author of the New York Times bestseller The Word Is Murder.

"You shouldn’t be here. It’s too late . . . "

These, heard over the phone, were the last recorded words of successful celebrity-divorce lawyer Richard Pryce, found bludgeoned to death in his bachelor pad with a bottle of wine—a 1982 Chateau Lafite worth £3,000, to be precise.

Odd, considering he didn’t drink. Why this bottle? And why those words? And why was a three-digit number painted on the wall by the killer? And, most importantly, which of the man’s many, many enemies did the deed?

Baffled, the police are forced to bring in Private Investigator Daniel Hawthorne and his sidekick, the author Anthony, who’s really getting rather good at this murder investigation business in this compelling meta mystery.

But as Hawthorne takes on the case with characteristic relish, it becomes clear that he, too, has secrets to hide. As our reluctant narrator becomes ever more embroiled in this British detective mystery, he realizes that these secrets must be exposed—even at the risk of death . . .

Praise for The Word is Murder “Actually, the word is not murder, it’s ingenious....a masterful meta-mystery.”    - Booklist(starred review)

Praise for Magpie Murders “Anthony Horowitz’s Magpie Murders is catnip for classic mystery lovers… With its elegant yet playful plotting, Magpie Murders is the thinking mystery fan’s ideal summer thriller.”

  - Time magazine

“Horowitz mimics Golden Age authors (Christie, Allingham, Marsh, Sayers) so well in his books' scope and denouéments that fans of both puzzle and cozy mysteries will savor the balance of clues.” - NPR

“The Sentence Is Death is...fast-paced, lively ... there are twists and turns and unexpected developments. The fact-fiction blurring continues to the last page.” - Minneapolis Star Tribune

“Horowitz shows no signs of ceding the spotlight. He’s having too much fun and, as a result, so are his readers.” - Los Angeles Book Review

Praise for The Word Is Murder:

    - Booklist(starred review)

Praise for Moriarty “The author turns up the suspense, the sleuths turn up the clues, and crooks end up dead all while Moriarty’s specter hovers. Anything but elementary, this clever thriller is sure to please Sherlock fans.”

    - People magazine

“Horowitz succeeds on all levels with book two in the Detective Daniel Hawthorne series . . . the overall voice of the series is fresh and original, Horowitz writing with the effortless élan that distinguishes all his work.” - Booklist

“Fans of traditional puzzle mysteries will be enthralled.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Except for Jeffrey Deaver and Sophie Hannah, no one currently working the field has anywhere near this much ingenuity to burn.” - Kirkus Reviews

“The Sentence Is Death . . . may just be one of summer’s greatest, guiltiest pleasures . . . Pray for solitary confinement, because you’ll want to read this one straight through and uninterrupted.”  - New York Journal of Books