“Close to Death” by Anthony Horowitz – The Art of Cultivating Hatred

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

Short Summary

Close to Death by Anthony Horowitz follows the author himself (a meta character in his own stories) as he digs into an older case of Hawthorne’s, one which never reached a conclusion satisfying to the detective. It takes him back to Riverside Close, a seemingly idyllic community where a new neighbour is suddenly greeted with a lethal crossbow bolt at their own doorstep. As luck would have it, virtually every person in the community is a suspect: the new neighbours successfully managed to offend the entirety of Riverside Close during their short stay there. Where did Hawthorne go wrong?

Anthony Horowitz Explores Hawthorne’s Blemish

Crime is fairly unforgiving towards those investigating it, forcing them to make do with whatever evidence the criminal(s) were unfit to destroy. Our methods might be getting increasingly scrupulous and precise, but in the end, we are still at the mercy of whatever few facts remain at a crime scene. Even the greatest and most successful detectives have dark spots and blemishes on their records, and in Close to Death, Anthony Horowitz dives into just such a moment in the life of Daniel Hawthorne.

For those who are unfamiliar with the series, two things need to be mentioned. First of all, this here is the fifth book in the Hawthorne and Horowitz Mysteries series, and while it can be read as a standalone, I certainly do recommend going back and reading some of the previous ones to connect a bit better with the characters. The Word is Murder and The Sentence is Death are excellent starting points. If you choose to start here though, simply be aware of the fact that the author inserts himself as a meta character in this series, mixing bits of fact with the loads of fiction he presents.

In any case, as is often the situation for writers who find themselves the subjects of novels, Anthony Horowitz is scrambling to meet a deadline. A new book about Daniel Hawthorne is due relatively soon, but unfortunately for Anthony, all major criminals seemed to have ceased their activities with the specific aim of making his life miserable. This forces him to dig into the past, and one Hawthorne feels hasn’t reached a satisfying conclusion.

The case in question took place years ago, in the seemingly idyllic community of Riverside Close, one where peace and love had probably reigned since time immemorial. Unfortunately, everything must come to an end, and so does the concept of a peaceful life upon the arrival of the Kentworthy Family. With their giant loud cars, uncontrollable and spoiled children, not to mention development plans for a lavish swimming pool, they quickly harness a whole lot of hatred from virtually every other resident in the community.

On one fine day, Giles Kentworthy is found murdered on his doorstep, the murder weapon obviously a crossbow, as indicated by the crossbow bolt jutting out of his chest. Daniel Hawthorne is called in to investigate, with his work cut out for him. In their short time there, the Kentworthys have truly managed to personally alienate every other family living there, to the point where it seemed like there were more people who wanted them dead than alive in the world. The case didn’t close to Hawthorne’s satisfaction back then, but perhaps this is a chance to put things right in the world.

Horowitz’ Growth as a Character in Close to Death

Those of you who have read any of the previous books in the series have probably come to expect at least one predictable thing from this series: the constant banter between Horowitz and Hawthorne, with the former always being two steps behind. To my pleasant surprise, this book took a somewhat different and, at this juncture, more interesting approach to their relationship.

Naturally, after four books spent together, Anthony Horowitz has gotten no closer to knowing Hawthorne as a person, what drives him, what his formative experiences were, and so on and so forth. The whole charade of our author trying to pierce his character’s iron veil of secrecy takes a back seat in this one, with their interactions actually being much sparser than before.

This time around, Anthony is amassing information on a closed case, and despite how close the publisher is to lighting a fire under his bottom, Hawthorne doesn’t feel like giving him all he seeks on a silver platter. This forces our author to conduct an investigation of his own, to track down what happened back then through any sources he can muster up.

Though the previous novels have conditioned us to seeing Horowitz as always being two (if not more) steps behind the great detective, the feeling more or less vanishes here, and for the first time ever I started to see them closer to being equals. Thankfully, it works due to the fact that Horowitz keeps this believable in regards to his own budding investigative skills, never forgetting who the real hardened detective is in Close to Death.

With the two main characters being separated for once, it is interesting to see them walking their paths on their own, giving us some different angles from which to gain insight into their inner worlds. This is another thing I believe Horowitz deserves recognition for: his characters, himself included, are never over-done in any way, always feeling like real people living in a real world. This helps to blur the line between fiction and reality (which Horowitz seems to relish), making Close to Death more relatable overall.

The Coziness of an Old Case

Before talking about the actual case itself, I think there is something to be said about old, cold and closed cases in general, at least within the realm of crime fiction. A novel with such a case at its center never fails to feel cozy, like playing with a complicated puzzle on a Sunday afternoon. It feels like an intellectual exercise to which no more pieces can be added, where the solution is there before us the entire time, and where, most importantly, there is little need to rush anything.

Close to Death almost begs us to take our time to read through every detail in the story, to note all the interactions between the characters, their choices of words, to revel in the sublime scenery serving as a contrasting backdrop to the gruesome affair. There is nowhere to run to (save for Horowitz with his deadline, but that’s not our personal concern), and we are invited to carefully untangle the mess before us along with our protagonist.

As far as mysteries go, this is the kind which will have you second-guessing every single person you come across in it. Anthony Horowitz (as the author, not the character this time), goes above and beyond in establishing solid motives for virtually every member of the community surrounding the Kentworthys, truly turning every man, woman, child and cat into a suspect.

The cast is a colorful one, including a pair of nuns whose pug was allegedly murdered by a Kentworthy, a dentist who couldn’t get his car out of the Kentworthy-adjacent driveway, a couple of people who had their prized possessions smashed to bits by the Kentworthy children, and a few more. Though being loved by all could be considered an art form by some, being hated by an entire community is no less of a feat, as the Kentworthys have clearly demonstrated.

It really is engaging to try and piece the mystery together alongside Horowitz, to see how all the tangled threads actually connect with each other, especially since, as readers, we can quite fairly assume that we will reach the conclusion Hawthorne missed all those years ago. There are enough twists and turns to keep you on your toes, and the ending is certainly among the better and more surprising ones I’ve had the pleasure of reading in recent memory.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• The puzzle at the heart of the story is a satisfying one to solve, or at least attempt to, considering the inventive ways Horowitz finds to throw us off the correct path.
• The atmosphere in the novel is simply second-to-none,with the author seldom passing up a chance to bring his vision of Riverside Close to life. Whether he describes the vegetation, architecture, or the people in it and their relations to each other, it all serves the greater purpose of immersing the reader in a fictional setting which ends up feeling real.
• The meta narrative structure is not only an interesting one, but opens the door for many humorous situations and self-deprecating observations. They help lighten the tone and separate Close to Death from the countless other murder mysteries littering our bookshelves.

Cons

• Though this might be a Horowitz and Hawthorne mystery, it does stray from the usual way of the series, in the sense that we barely get to see the two interact with one another, nor are they working together on the case. While it doesn’t spoil the novel as a whole, it is a little disappointing to see one of the more fun elements from previous novels being absent from this one.
• As is the case with most novels which deal with a case from years ago, the narrative structure shifts us back and forth between the past and the present. As such, it does take a certain amount of effort to follow it correctly while avoiding disorientation.

The Final Verdict

Close to Death by Anthony Horowitz is an excellent addition to the series, with the author taking the chance of doing a few things a little differently, a gamble which, in my opinion, paid off quite handsomely. Cozy, entertaining, and engaging from beginning to end, it only makes me want to read the next book in the series that much more.

If you’ve enjoyed the series so far, or are in search of a calm murder mystery with a good sense of humour in it, then I don’t think you can go wrong with this novel… or really any other book involving Horowitz and Hawthorne.

Anthony Horowitz

Anthony Horowitz is an English author from Stanmore, Middlesex, whose family had the distinction of being of having a history worthy of a novel in and of itself, largely revolving around his father’s mysterious occupation and fortune.

At the age of twenty he began publishing professionally, and has penned numerous bestsellers including The House of Silk, Stormbreaker, Moriarty and Magpie Murders.