A Deadly Episode
Published on 23. April 2026
Book
Hardback
384 pages
978-1-5299-0432-1 (ISBN)
Description
The unputdownable new murder mystery in the Sunday Times bestselling detective series, from the award-winning author of Magpie Murders and Close to Death.
'Easily the greatest of our crime writers' Sunday Times
'Nobody does this crime fiction better than Anthony Horowitz' Crime Time FM
'An absolutely wonderful writer' Richard Osman
____________
How do you investigate your own murder...?
The good news is that The Word is Murder, the first book in the Hawthorne series, is being turned into a major feature film.
The bad news is that the director is pretentious, the two stars hate each other, and the producer has run out of money.
And things are about to get much worse.
In the middle of shooting, the actor playing Hawthorne is stabbed - which leaves the real Hawthorne with no choice. He has to step in and investigate his own murder.
Because the killer may not have got the right man. Was it Hawthorne himself who was meant to be the target?
A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, A Deadly Episode is an intriguing page-turner that once again demonstrates why Anthony Horowitz is the reigning king of the modern whodunit.
____________
Praise for A Deadly Episode . . .
'Five-star entertainment' The Times
'Clever and playful, this is meta-mystery at its best.' iPaper
'Another winner' Financial Times
'Perfect for Agatha Christie fans' Hello!
'A brilliant writer' Sunday Independent
'Delightful' Wall Street Journal
'Full of humour, twists and red herrings' 5-star reader review
'A pacy and entertaining mystery that I loved from start to finish' 5-star reader review
'A rollercoaster of red herrings' 5-star reader review
'Exceedingly brilliant' 5-star reader review
'The perfect whodunnit' 5-star reader review
'Easily the greatest of our crime writers' Sunday Times
'Nobody does this crime fiction better than Anthony Horowitz' Crime Time FM
'An absolutely wonderful writer' Richard Osman
____________
How do you investigate your own murder...?
The good news is that The Word is Murder, the first book in the Hawthorne series, is being turned into a major feature film.
The bad news is that the director is pretentious, the two stars hate each other, and the producer has run out of money.
And things are about to get much worse.
In the middle of shooting, the actor playing Hawthorne is stabbed - which leaves the real Hawthorne with no choice. He has to step in and investigate his own murder.
Because the killer may not have got the right man. Was it Hawthorne himself who was meant to be the target?
A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, A Deadly Episode is an intriguing page-turner that once again demonstrates why Anthony Horowitz is the reigning king of the modern whodunit.
____________
Praise for A Deadly Episode . . .
'Five-star entertainment' The Times
'Clever and playful, this is meta-mystery at its best.' iPaper
'Another winner' Financial Times
'Perfect for Agatha Christie fans' Hello!
'A brilliant writer' Sunday Independent
'Delightful' Wall Street Journal
'Full of humour, twists and red herrings' 5-star reader review
'A pacy and entertaining mystery that I loved from start to finish' 5-star reader review
'A rollercoaster of red herrings' 5-star reader review
'Exceedingly brilliant' 5-star reader review
'The perfect whodunnit' 5-star reader review
Reviews / Votes
The sixth outing for the sleuthing duo of Horowitz and Hawthorne, A Deadly Episode, is another winner. * Financial Times * A meta romp * New York Times * Brilliant . . . the author combines delicious dry humour with a rigorous fair-play whodunnit, but this installment's Scream-like Hollywood satire takes it to another level * Publishers Weekly, Starred Review * Delightful * Library Journal * Clever and playful, this is meta-mystery at its best. * i Paper * [Horowitz's] "Overactive imagination" has once again produced a chunk of five-star entertainment * The Times * The sixth in the brilliant Hawthrone and Horowitz series... (is) layers of fun. * Daily Express * Horowitz is quite simply a brilliant writer - he's funny, smart and knows how to craft a good story.... Be warned. Horowitz is addictive * Sunday Independent * I take such pleasure from this series and this, the sixth, is every bit as good as its predecessors... dare I say, my favourite. * Belfast Telegraph * A fresh treat * Boston Herald *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Cornerstone
Dimensions
Height: 243 mm
Width: 158 mm
Thickness: 37 mm
Weight
598 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-5299-0432-1 (9781529904321)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Anthony Horowitz
A Deadly Episode
The gripping NEW murder mystery from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Close to Death
E-Book
04/2026
Penguin (Cornerstone)
€14.99
Available for download
Person
Bestselling author Anthony Horowitz has written two highly acclaimed Sherlock Holmes novels, The House of Silk and Moriarty; three James Bond novels, Trigger Mortis, Forever and a Day and With a Mind to Kill; the acclaimed bestselling mystery novels Magpie Murders, Moonflower Murders and Marble Hall Murders; and the Detective Hawthorne novels, The Word is Murder, The Sentence is Death, A Line To Kill, The Twist of a Knife and Close to Death.
He is also the author of the teen spy Alex Rider series, and responsible for creating and writing some of the UK's most loved and successful TV series, including Midsomer Murders and Foyle's War. In January 2022 he was awarded a CBE for his services to literature.
He is also the author of the teen spy Alex Rider series, and responsible for creating and writing some of the UK's most loved and successful TV series, including Midsomer Murders and Foyle's War. In January 2022 he was awarded a CBE for his services to literature.