Anthony Horowitz: Creating Across Medias: Background information when reading The Word Is Murder

Anthony Horowitz: Creating Across Medias

This article relates to The Word Is Murder

Anthony Horowitz has had a prolific career writing across multiple media including books, TV, film and stage plays. Since publishing his first novel in 1979, he has written over forty books for both adults and children, his screen credits include episodes of six TV series including Poirot and Midsomer Murders and creator and writer for six more including Foyle's War. His play, Mindgame, based on his book of the same name, opened in London's West End in 2000 and has also been performed Off-Broadway. If you're interested in more Horowitz, here are some of my favorites:

The Alex Rider series
Initially published in 2000 with the first novel, Stormbreaker, Horowitz's most well-known work is undoubtedly his children's series, Alex Rider. The books follow the adventures of 14-year-old Alex as he is recruited into MI-6 to complete his now-deceased uncle's spy mission. The series comprises 11 novels, and is largely credited with rocketing Horowitz to fame. The first book was adapted into a 2006 motion picture.

Foyle's War
This 2002 historical series details the investigations of Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle, a British widower who solves crimes primarily revolving around the series backdrop of World War II. This was the first television series entirely created by Horowitz, making its success all the more impressive. It ran for eight seasons before ending in 2015, cementing him as one of today's premiere screenwriters.

The House of Silk
The first Sherlock Holmes novel to have been written with the endorsement of the Conan Doyle estate, Horowitz's 2011 novel follows the famous detective and his trusty partner, Watson, as they are approached by Edmund Carstairs, a fine art dealer who is being threatened by an unknown man in a flat-cap. The case escalates, first with robbery, and then with murder. Horowitz's passion for the classic detective story is evident in this text and makes clear why he was chosen to take up the Sherlock Holmes mantle.

Injustice
Horowitz's 2011 mini-series follows dual plot-line murder investigations; the first of a London secretary, whose accused killer, Martin Newall is being defended by Will Travers, and the second of John Jarrold, a reclusive farm worker, being investigated by D.I. Wenborn. Horowitz gives several morally gray characters center stage; there are no "right" answers in this one. This complicated series handles its plotlines with ease as it asks the question: What really defines justice?

Magpie Murders
Horowitz's first adult, stand-alone mystery novel was published in 2016. It follows Susan Ryland, an editor who has recently received the latest manuscript from Alan Conway, author of detective novels starring Atticus Pund. However, as Susan reads on, she begins to suspect that there might be something more sinister hiding between the lines. Magpie Murders was a New York Times bestseller and established Horowitz fully in the mystery genre.

Filed under Reading Lists

This "beyond the book article" relates to The Word Is Murder. It originally ran in June 2018 and has been updated for the May 2019 paperback edition. Go to magazine.