Review: Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz

Published: October 2016

Pages: 304

Synopsis: “When editor Susan Ryeland is given the tattered manuscript of Alan Conway’s latest novel, she has little idea it will change her life. She’s worked with the revered crime writer for years and his detective, Atticus Pund, is renowned for solving crimes in the sleepy English villages of the 1950s. As Susan knows only too well, vintage crime sells handsomely. It’s just a shame that means dealing with an author like Alan Conway…

But Conway’s latest tale of murder at Pye Hall is not quite what it seems. Yes, there are dead bodies and a host of intriguing suspects, but hidden in the pages of the manuscript there lies another story; a tale written between the very words on the page, telling of real-life jealousy, greed, ruthless ambition and murder. From Sunday Times bestseller Anthony Horowitz comes Magpie Murders, his deliciously dark take on the vintage crime novel brought bang up-to-date with a fiendish modern twist.”

Raring: ****

I am a staunch fan of Anthony Horowitz from his children’s series to his Sherlock Holmes novels. I find his writing style very easy to read, the plots always flow well and this was certainly no exception.

A true homage to the vintage countryside crime novel. It isn’t surprising that Horowitz has written something in this vein considering his involvement with projects such as Midsomer Murders and Foyle’s War.

With an intriguing title that makes you think there will be more than one murder in line with the old rhyme regarding magpies. The book was arranged with this in mind, with part one being sorrow, part two being joy etc.

The plot by Alan Conway ended abruptly just before the half way point and we are returned to Susan the editor. It was a very clever idea for the reader to be given an insight into who she thought the murderer (or murderers) was, almost enabling the reader to compare their conclusions to hers.

It’s after this that you find out about Alan Conway as opposed to his fictional characters, and the idea of a book within a book really becomes relevant.

I did at times feel there had been too much crammed in, especially towards the end, for example the extracts of another book by Alan Conway and the waiter could have been omitted and merely Susan’s findings included.

During the book, you are given the impression that the Atticus Pund novel is the latest in a series; I was unsure whether this was another case of an author publishing a story from a long-standing canon such as Horowitz did with Sherlock Holmes or Sophie Hannah with Agatha Christie’s Poirot. But a Google search revealed nothing. I was however amused that the top search result for Alan Conway was a British conman.

Overall, Magpie Murders was a compelling read, with well-written characters and a believable atmosphere.