Magpie Murders

by Anthony Horowitz

Libby audiobook 16 hours

Read by: Samantha Bond and Allan Corduner

Published: 2016 (this version 2017)

Genre: murder mystery

I've long enjoyed Horowitz' YA books, especially the Alex Rider series. But I didn't realize until recently that he had mystery books written for adults. What fun!

This is a story-within-a-story, which got a bit confusing for me. But it is so very reminiscent of Agatha Christie mysteries and yet very self-aware! I really enjoyed this and the vocal work was excellent, but I kind of wished I were reading it in print. I would have made quite a character map!

Editor Susan Ryeland gets a manuscript and starts to read. It is the story of a village and a curious death. Detective Atticus Pünd is called in to investigate, but he is dealing with serious end-of-life news from his doctor. There are so many characters and clues! Sir Magnus Pye and his wife, Johnny Whitehead, the vicar and his wife, the doctor and her artist husband, . . . 

When Susan finds the final chapters missing and then the author dies in mysterious circumstances, she plays detective. I didn't figure out either the "novel" mystery nor the overarching mystery of who killed the author. It definitely kept my attention!

Oh, there were also loads of anagrams and other word games. That's another reason I would have enjoyed seeing the text rather than listening. 

I'm going to get another of these books now that I know they exist!

I had initially read an article in the Costco Connection recommending this book. The article was fascinating and I learned a lot about this author. 

<Above posted 3.14.23. Below added 6.7.24.>

I decided to re-listen to this book before reading book #2, which recently showed up on my "ready" list. Even having "read" it before, I didn't remember the ending of Alan Conway's "novel" - who killed Magnus? And why? I DID remember what happened to Susan at the end, but again hadn't remembered the why. 

The "novel" is set in 1955. Everyone seems a legit suspect! I love Joy (Josie) the best of all the characters. The ending of the novel - "A Secret Never to Be Told" - is the culmination of the story!

Anthony Horowitz is an extremely talented author. Since Alan Conway dies in this book, I know that the next one will focus on Susan .  . . she is the protagonist, after all. Will it be about her going to Crete with Andreas?

It fascinates me that this book refers to Atticus Pünd's many cases. The eight books "written" by Alan Conway before Magpie Murders seem so real . . . as though I could look in the library catalog and request them!

***Warning! Spoilers below! (Because I forgot some of this over the last year.)***

Spoilers:

• Tom's dog Bella killed by Robert (but if he was psycho enough for his mom to want to keep him under her thumb, how did a lovely person like Joy fall in love with him and want to spend her life with him?)
  
• Tom killed by Robert (in a fit of jealous rage - 12yo brother found pyrite before 14yo . . . how did Brent not suspect? Why did Mary protect her violent son?)
  
• Mary died by accident when her husband called (upstairs phone not working; ran to get downstairs phone and tripped over the cord)
• Robert murdered Magnus because of letter Mary had left in case of her untoward death
• Charles killed Alan because he was going to kill off Atticus Pund and tell a radio show that the character name was an anagram for "a stupid cunt" . . .