A Deadly Episode - The Library of the Uncommons

Hardcover, 384 pages

English language

Published April 28, 2026 by HarperCollins.

ISBN:: 978-0-06-330574-8
ASIN:: 0063305747

The Word is Murder, the first book in the Hawthorne series, is about to be made into a major feature film.

The actors have been cast, the script written, and filming has already started in Hastings.

But when Hawthorne and Anthony visit the set, they find a far from happy family.

The director’s pretentious, the screenwriter’s an eco-warrior, the two stars hate each other, and the producer has run out of money.

And things are about to get much, 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 Deadly Episode is a wild ride through a world that …

The Word is Murder, the first book in the Hawthorne series, is about to be made into a major feature film.

The actors have been cast, the script written, and filming has already started in Hastings.

But when Hawthorne and Anthony visit the set, they find a far from happy family.

The director’s pretentious, the screenwriter’s an eco-warrior, the two stars hate each other, and the producer has run out of money.

And things are about to get much, 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 Deadly Episode is a wild ride through a world that the author knows only too well, and the most personal case Hawthorne has had to deal with so far.

2 editions

faticake reviewed A Deadly Episode by Anthony Horowitz

A Bit Too Winding but Still Fun

4 stars

Content warning Some spoilers

I still enjoy reading this series, and it's a relief because I recently saw a series written by the author and found it disappointing. My reaction was "He can do better than this!" which he's shown across several books and TV series. Anthony Horowitz shows his age in some plot points, however, like with the use of spying technology in the this series and his treatment of a character whose career was ruined over an embarrassing BAFTA moment (neither detail was believable to me). But these elements don't take away my enjoyment of the Tony and Hawthorne dynamic, and I look forward to more developments about Hawthorne's past and him in action as a detective.