I’m not sure how to feel about this book. I liked the mystery itself, it’s just the delivery I’m not totally sold on. I actually liked the literal author-insertion that Horowitz did, it’s just his fictional detective himself I didn’t quite get. Hawthornes not as brilliant as Sherlock Holmes, but they act as though he is, and he’s twice as rude with a dash of seemingly needless homophobia. Why doesn’t Hawthorne talk about himself? What’s the purpose of him lying so much? Horowitz makes it pretty clear we aren’t supposed to like Hawthorne, which puts all of the importance on Horowitz himself, which isn’t always successful. Im still searching for my next Agatha Christie and Hercule Poirot, and I'm not sure if Horowitz and Hawthorne are it.