The Word Is Murder (Hawthorne & Horowitz Series)
I recently posted about listening to Magpie Murders, and in it, I mentioned that I was listening to Moonflower Murders.
I have now successfully finished listening to Moonflower Murders as well, and I thought I had finished listening to Anthony Horowitz's works.
To begin with, I actually don't know much about this author, Anthony Horowitz, so I'll ask ChatGPT.
Anthony Horowitz (born 1955) is a British author and screenwriter.
He is known as a mystery writer and is famous for series with unique structures, such as Magpie Murders and Moonflower Murders, which feature Detective Hawthorne and the author himself (Horowitz).
He has also worked on the screenplays for the TV dramas Poirot and Foyle's War, and his style is characterized by fusing authentic mystery with meta-structures.
Actually, after that, I just finished listening to the next work, which is the title of this post, The Word Is Murder.
Since Anthony Horowitz himself appears in this, I understood that he is indeed a person who writes TV drama scripts. I think I'll try watching the TV drama Foyle's War, as it seems to be available on Amazon Prime.
The Word Is Murder
As I wrote in "listening to Magpie Murders", the two works, Magpie Murders and Moonflower Murders, had settings that were a bit too complex, making them quite difficult to "listen" to.
By the way, there is of course a reason why I use the kanji for "listen" (聴く) rather than the other one (聞く). My understanding is that the latter is passive, while the former is active.
Now, regarding this current book, The Word Is Murder, I want to say without reservation that it is interesting. It is wonderful.
The banter between the fictional former detective Hawthorne and Horowitz is extremely funny, and I found myself laughing out loud more than once.
By the way, since Mr. Horowitz is a real person, there are photos of him online (https://anthonyhorowitz.com/gallery), but since Hawthorne is a fictional character, I am using the power of ChatGPT to expand my imagination here as well, just like in "reading a novelwith the help of ChatGPTreading with the help of ChatGPT".
The person on the right is Mr. Horowitz, and I think it's quite a good likeness. The one on the left is Hawthorne. Indeed, this is the image. I see, so this is Hawthorne. It's a very nice touch to have Hawthorne looking like he's listening absent-mindedly while Mr. Horowitz is talking his heart out.
Of course, since it is a story about the existence of Horowitz, a real author, and Hawthorne, a fictional former detective, it is quite complex, but the situation where Mr. Horowitz in the story—who is likely similar to the real person in personality—is fictional is relatively easy to accept. I get the impression that this subtle setting also contributes to the interest.
Actually, I am dying to write my thoughts on this The Word Is Murder. I would also like to write about it in connection with my own experiences, but no matter how I think about it, it would lead to spoilers, so I will refrain. This is a pity.
It is The Word Is Murder, but personally, there is actually a different main theme, and that is what left a deep impression on me. Since I have been listening to Mr. Horowitz's works in succession, I notice that several themes are constantly flowing in the background.
Something like a kind of destiny, or something of that nature.
It is not for me to say, as I have not read many novels, but I feel that interesting stories always seem to depict something of a person's "destiny".
Hawthorne & Horowitz Series
It seems that five books in this "Hawthorne & Horowitz Series" are currently available to listen to on Audible, so I'm going to listen to them all at once.
By the way, I am currently listening to the second book, "The Sentence Is Death."
I look forward to being made to laugh again by the banter between Hawthorne and Horowitz. It is truly entertaining.
First of all, I recommend "The Word Is Murder."