*A Deadly Episode* finds Hawthorne visiting a film set only to find himself investigating the murder of the actor who plays him in the dramatisation of *The Word is Murder*.

*The Word is Murder*, the first book in the Hawthorne series, is about to be made into a feature film. The actors have been cast, the script written, and filming has already started in Hastings. But when Hawthorne and Anthony visit the set, they find a far from happy family. The director’s pretentious, the screenwriter’s an eco-warrior, the two stars hate each other, and the producer has run out of money.

And things are about to get much, much worse.

In the middle of shooting, the actor playing Hawthorne is stabbed – which leaves the real Hawthorne with no choice. He has to step in and investigate his own murder. Because the killer may not have got the right man. Was it Hawthorne himself who was meant to be the target?

*A Deadly Episode* is the most personal case Hawthorne has had to deal with so far.