Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz
⭐ 5/5 — Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz: Two Mysteries in One, Brilliantly Done 🕵️♀️📚
👉 Buy Magpie Murders on Amazon (affiliate link)
⚠️ Trigger Warnings
-
Murder & homicide 🔪
-
Attempted murder
-
Suspenseful threats
-
Mild emotional trauma
🧐 Initial Thoughts
Oh wow. I’m really starting to appreciate the “book within a book” format, and Magpie Murders proves why it works so well. Anthony Horowitz managed to write two full mysteries in one novel, each with its own twists, red herrings, and satisfying whodunit style. Honestly, I don’t know how he does it — the story is so tight and smart that it left me thinking, “I wish I’d written this!” 😄
If you’re a fan of classic British mysteries, especially in the Agatha Christie tradition, this one is a feast.
🚨 SPOILER WARNING: Full Plot Summary Below 🚨
📖 Overview
Magpie Murders (2017) follows Susan Ryeland, a meticulous book editor in London, who has been working with Alan Conway, a bestselling author famous for his Atticus Pünd series. Conway’s novels are set in quaint English villages and feature grisly mysteries solved by his brilliant detective.
Susan is used to editing these cozy, twisty tales. But when Conway’s latest manuscript — also titled Magpie Murders — arrives, she discovers that the last chapter is missing. Shortly after, Alan dies under suspicious circumstances, supposedly a suicide. Susan dives headfirst into uncovering the truth, unraveling two connected mysteries at once: one in the fictional world of Atticus Pünd, and one in real life.
🕵️♂️ Inside the Manuscript: Atticus Pünd’s Mystery
In Alan Conway’s story:
-
Location: Saxby-on-Avon, a small English village.
-
Victims: Mary Blakiston, a local busybody and Pye Hall housekeeper, dies in what seems like an accident. Two weeks later, Magnus Pye, a wealthy local, is murdered.
-
Investigation: Atticus Pünd, who is terminally ill, travels to Saxby to solve the case. He interviews villagers, unravels secrets, and pieces together a web of motives and opportunities.
-
Resolution:
-
Mary’s death was accidental but triggered a chain of events.
-
The murderer of Magnus Pye was Robert Blakiston, Mary’s son.
-
Atticus solves the case, leaving readers hanging just before the manuscript’s “final chapter” (which mirrors the real-world mystery of Alan Conway’s death).
-
🕵️♀️ The Real-World Mystery: Alan Conway’s Death
-
Susan Ryeland notices the missing chapter and starts digging.
-
She discovers that Alan didn’t commit suicide — he was murdered by his publisher, Charles, who wanted to ensure the success of the publishing house.
-
Charles even used part of the manuscript as a fake suicide note. 😱
-
When Susan figures this out and plans to alert authorities, Charles tries to kill her and destroy the missing chapter.
💡 Susan’s bravery uncovers the truth, linking the fictional and real-world murders in a clever, meta way that only Horowitz could pull off.
✍️ My Final Thoughts
-
✅ Two mysteries for the price of one. Absolutely brilliant.
-
✅ Tight, smart, and full of red herrings — keeps you guessing until the very end.
-
✅ Susan Ryeland is an excellent protagonist: clever, relatable, and heroic without being over-the-top.
-
✅ Homage to classic British whodunits is done so well, you’ll feel like you’re in a cozy village solving the crime yourself.
⭐ Rating: 5/5. If you love mysteries with intelligence, wit, and a little meta fun, this is a must-read.
📚 If You Liked Magpie Murders, Try These…
-
🔍 The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman — quirky characters + clever twists
-
🕵️♂️ A Talent for Murder by Josephine Tey — classic British whodunit vibes
-
📖 The Word Is Murder by Anthony Horowitz — another brilliant book-within-a-book mystery
-
🏡 Closed Casket by Sophie Hannah — Agatha Christie-style suspense
Comments
Post a Comment