The Sentence Is Death

How does the novel’s resolution function as a critique of how violence and death are used in the crime-mystery and true crime genres?

Discuss the function of humor in The Sentence Is Death, including in-jokes, wordplay, irony and dark humor. What effects do these elements have?

How does the novel use detailed, real-life settings to reflect the personalities and deceptions of its characters? What clues do these hold?

Examine the character of Davina Richardson. How does her depiction challenge traditional female archetypes within the detective genre, such as the “damsel in distress” or “femme fatale?”

Daniel Hawthorne is presented by Horowitz as an often-abrasive personality. Does the novel ultimately present his difficult nature as a byproduct of his genius or as a driver of it? Draw on textual evidence in your answer.

Compare the narrative function of Anthony Horowitz in The Sentence Is Death to that of Dr. Watson in Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories. What are the differences and similarities, and how do these reveal the book’s metafictional devices?

How does the novel treat criminal or immoral actions and perpetrators? Is this more judgmental or more empathetic? Why do you think this?

DI Cara Grunshaw is presented as an antagonist to both Horowitz and Hawthorne. Her character is generally a narrative obstacle—but how does she also act as a positive force in the novel?