Close to Death, Anthony Horowitz, 2024

Rating: 3/5

In the world of murder mysteries, Anthony Horowitz stands out for his diverse approach. His books defy convention, and “Close to Death” is no exception. I have read four previous Hawthorne books—the first two were Susan Ryeland mysteries, structured as books within books. One even featured Sherlock Holmes. The fourth book saw the author playing sidekick to investigator Daniel Hawthorne in a true crime novel. Now, in “Close to Death,” Horowitz revisits an unsolved case from years ago, getting involved with Hawthorne long after the crime occurred. However, this desire to be unconventional did not work for me this time, but more about that later.

Detective Hawthorne tackles an unsolvable murder in Riverside Close, an idyllic gated and wealthy community. The entire set-up is very Agatha Christie-like, an obvious inspiration for Horowitz in many of his books. The Close consists of six houses occupied by a hedge fund manager and his wife, a chess expert and his Asian wife, a dentist and his invalid wife, a conscientious doctor-designer couple, a widowed lawyer, and two ex-nuns. The least liked person is killed, and everyone else seemingly has a motive, however trivial it may be. Horowitz uses this murder, committed several years ago, as the basis for his new book.

Once again, Horowitz blends reality and fiction, keeping himself as a character alongside Hawthorne. Juggling multiple timelines, Horowitz keeps readers engaged and guessing. The supposed murderer is revealed exactly midway through the book, and it’s left to Horowitz to piece together the real story behind the murder. While this eventually justifies the “meta” structure of the book, it is distracting and weary during the first half. On the plot itself (which is the most important part of any murder mystery), the eventual resolution is far from satisfying—while the author has scattered a few clues throughout the book, it could have been resolved in so many different ways, and I don’t think it is possible for readers to work it out themselves.

While Horowitz’s ambition is admirable, it occasionally hampers the book’s flow. Eventually, I felt that Horowitz’s desire to be unconventional sometimes overshadowed the plot.

A bonus: Horowitz rants about his dislike for locked-room mysteries in the middle of the book but helpfully suggests a couple of good ones for lovers of that genre: “Murder in the Crooked House” by Soji Shimada, and “The Honjin Murders” by Seishi Yokomizo.

Pros: Engaging, Agatha Christie-like setting

Cons: Weary meta structure at times

Breathe, James Nestor, 2020

Rating: 4/5

"Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art" is part historical narrative, part journal of the author’s personal health exploration, and part guidebook to breathing techniques. While the topic might seem mundane, this combination, along with the book’s brevity, makes it an easy and interesting read.

For me, the historical narrative was the most captivating part. Nestor peppers the book with fascinating stories, including how human evolution — becoming brainier, learning to speak and to cook — actually impaired our ability to breathe properly. He discusses ancient Indian yogis, the perfect teeth of Native Americans, the use of breathing techniques on Civil War battlefields, and how tough chewing gum can help with breathing.

The book is filled with various breathing techniques and the science behind aerobic and anaerobic respiration. While this information can be quickly found online, Nestor provides valuable context for these different methods (he also includes a helpful appendix at the end). However, this book shouldn't be used for self-medicating various ailments. Some of the breathing techniques contradict each other, and there are clear risks to following them without medical supervision.

Nestor also describes some of his personal experiments in the book. These sections are detailed and repetitive, which can drag. Nonetheless, his overall exploration of the subject still makes the book worthwhile.

The best tip in the book: The perfect breath is an inhalation for about 5.5 seconds, followed by an exhalation for 5.5 seconds, which is about 5.5 breaths per minute. And yes, if you're interested, you will likely take 670 million breaths in your lifetime!

Pros: Interesting overall exploration of a seemingly ordinary topic, historical anecdotes

Cons: The description of his personal experiments