A woman is strangled six hours after organising her own funeral.

Did she know she was going to die? Did she recognise her killer?

Enter Daniel Hawthorne, a detective with a genius for solving crimes and an ability to hold secrets very close.

With him is his writing partner, Anthony Horowitz. Together they will set out to solve his most puzzling of mysteries.

What neither of them know is that they are about to embark on a dark and dangerous journey whether the twists and turns are as unexpected as they are bloody.
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'EASILY THE GREATEST OF OUR CRIME WRITERS' Sunday Times

'Raises the game-playing to Olympic level' Guardian Books of the Year

'A real page-turner. I loved it!' Aled Jones

'Horowitz blurs the line between fact and fiction' Financial Times

'Splendidly entertaining, absorbing and difficult to put down. Hawthorne is an intriguing character' Daily Express

'Sharp-witted readers who think they've solved the puzzle early on can rest assured that they've opened only one of many dazzling Christmas packages Horowitz has left beautifully wrapped under the tree' Kirkus Reviews

'Deduction and wit are well-balanced, and fans of Peter Lovesey and other modern channelers of the spirit of the golden age of detection will clamor for more' Publishers Weekly