Magpie Murders

 

Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz

Mystery

2018 Harper Perennial (first published in 2016)

Finished on October 28, 2020

Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

From the New York Times bestselling author of Moriarty and Trigger Mortis, this fiendishly brilliant, riveting thriller weaves a classic whodunit worthy of Agatha Christie into a chilling, ingeniously original modern-day mystery.

When editor Susan Ryeland is given the manuscript of Alan Conway’s latest novel, she has no reason to think it will be much different from any of his others. After working with the bestselling crime writer for years, she’s intimately familiar with his detective, Atticus Pünd, who solves mysteries disturbing sleepy English villages. An homage to queens of classic British crime such as Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers, Alan’s traditional formula has proved hugely successful. So successful that Susan must continue to put up with his troubling behavior if she wants to keep her job.

Conway’s latest tale has Atticus Pünd investigating a murder at Pye Hall, a local manor house. Yes, there are dead bodies and a host of intriguing suspects, but the more Susan reads, the more she’s convinced that there is another story hidden in the pages of the manuscript: one of real-life jealousy, greed, ruthless ambition, and murder. 

Masterful, clever, and relentlessly suspenseful, Magpie Murders is a deviously dark take on vintage English crime fiction in which the reader becomes the detective.

Magpie Murders has been lurking on one of my bookshelves for a couple of years and I decided to add it to my stack of books for this year's RIP challenge. It wound up taking me over two weeks to finish, partly because it took me a long time to get fully invested in the mystery and partly because we were camping, and I'm usually too distracted to settle down to read while traveling. As it turned out, we had gorgeous weather at our campground and I spend a good chunk of one day reading in the warmth of the sun. A mystery like Magpie Murders requires one to read continuously rather than in fits & starts. There are not only numerous characters, but a mystery within a mystery. Plotlines overlaps and similar names for characters and locations make for a very complex, if not convoluted, tale. I considered giving up, but hated to quit after spending so much time on one book. I'm glad I stuck with it, as the pace picked up and the denouement had me so enthralled, I didn't stop reading until I'd finished the book. 

I was torn between a 3- and 4-star rating, but settled on the higher of the two since the conclusion was so strong. And, I enjoyed it so well, that I plan to read Horowitz's upcoming release, Moonflower Murders. I'm also excited to see that PBS plans a six-part series based on Magpie Murders.

The television adaptation is scripted by Horowitz, who is known to Masterpiece fans for the popular World War II mystery Foyle’s War. 

Masterpiece executive producer Susanne Simpson said, “Anthony Horowitz is a master mystery writer, and Magpie Murders is a beautiful and complex work. Our Masterpiece audience will truly enjoy this intriguing story of a mystery within a mystery.” Masterpiece is presented on PBS by WGBH Boston.

Anthony Horowitz said, “Magpie Murders is my most successful novel and it wasn’t easy to adapt. But I think the result is a completely original drama that will delight and beguile audiences in equal measure.” (PBS.org)

Magpie Murders is a clever read. There are actually more than two mysteries, none of which I solved before they were revealed, and there are nods to familiar works within the genre, which I found very entertaining. I do have one quibble, though: If you're a reader who pays close attention to the page count, this book will drive you crazy. The page numbers change depending on whether you're reading Alan Conway's manuscript or Horowitz's novel. No wonder the book felt especially long!

I read Magpie Murders for the RIP XV Challenge.