Death, deception, and a detective with quite a lot to hide stalk the pages of Anthony Horowitz's brilliant new murder mystery, the second in the bestselling series starring Private Investigator Daniel Hawthorne.'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.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 the case, he realises that these secrets must be exposed - even at the risk of death..._____________________________"Anthony Horowitz gets away with murder in all sorts of ways and emerges triumphant" - THE TIMES, Books of the Year"Pure pleasure for readers ... A must-read delight." - WALL STREET JOURNAL"This is crime fiction as dazzling entertainment, sustained by writing as skilfully light-footed as Fred Astaire" - SUNDAY TIMES CRIME CLUB (STAR PICK)"A crime story that keeps you up into the small hours... a page-turning mystery" - METRO"Sheer genius ... The narrative is hilarious and full of Holmesian clues and deliberate errors which will leave the eagle-eyed reader feeling just a bit smug. A joy from start to finish" - INDEPENDENT"Fans of traditional puzzle mysteries will be enthralled" - PUBLISHERS WEEKLY"One of the most creative writers in the country today" - JEREMY VINE"Huge fun... It's hard to know why anyone who loves a good mystery wouldn't thoroughly enjoy the ride" - IRISH INDEPENDENT"A new Anthony Horowitz novel is always something to look forward to. Anyone who likes a good Midsomer-style murder mystery will love The Sentence is Death" - CULTUREFLY'Succeeds on all levels ... Horowitz has the Midas touch' - BOOKLIST'This mystery is a worthy and witty follow-up to last year's best-seller The Word Is Murder ... brilliant and enigmatic' - AARP'No one currently working the field has anywhere near this much ingenuity to burn' - KIRKUS...

Autorentext

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.

Klappentext

**Passion, deception, an unexplained death and a detective with quite a lot to hide lie at the heart of Anthony Horowitz's brilliant murder mystery, the second in the bestselling series starring Private Investigator Daniel Hawthorne.

'Easily the greatest of our crime writers'** Sunday Times
'An absolutely wonderful writer' Richard Osman
**'My favourite literary hero at the moment is Anthony Horowitz'** Shari Lapena

Secrets can kill.

Smooth-tongued divorce lawyer Richard Price is bludgeoned to death at his London home.

Scrawled on the wall beside the body: the number 182.

What does it mean? And who was at his front door just minutes before he died and while he was still talking on the phone?

Confronted with this most baffling of mysteries, the police are forced to turn to private investigator Daniel Hawthorne.

'Pure pleasure for readers ... A must-read delight' WALL STREET JOURNAL
**'Anthony Horowitz gets away with murder in all sorts of ways and emerges triumphant'** The Times
**'This is crime fiction as dazzling entertainment, sustained by writing as skilfully light-footed as Fred Astaire'** Sunday Times Crime Club
**'A crime story that keeps you up into the small hours... a page-turning mystery'** Metro
**'Sheer genius ... A joy from start to finish'** Independent
**'Fans of traditional puzzle mysteries will be enthralled'** Publishers Weekly
**'Huge fun... It's hard to know why anyone who loves a good mystery wouldn't thoroughly enjoy the ride'** Irish Independent
**'Succeeds on all levels ... Horowitz has the Midas touch'** Booklist
**'No one currently working the field has anywhere near this much ingenuity to burn'** KIRKUS