Magpie Murders

Ironically, I think Alan Conway is a better writer than Anthony Horowitz? Magpie Murders is a mystery within a mystery – a cool concept that I haven’t come across yet in whodunnits. It is a fun take on an age-old genre. However, I do have to say that the murder of Pye Hall was infinitely more likeable than the murder of Abbey Grange. I flew through the first 50% of the book; there’s something about hidden secrets of an idyllic English village that endlessly charm me. The second half with our titular editor protagonist is just…ok.

The murder of Pye Hall is much more twisty with characters who have more nuanced motives and backstories than that of Abbey Grange. Anthony Horowitz (or should I say Alan Conway) does Agatha Christie some justice. The English countryside comes alive and Horowitz does a fantastic job capturing the small-town vibe – seemingly close neighbors with streaks of cruel judgement. I enjoyed Atticus Pund’s character and I also quite liked following him around, so much so that I was quite dismayed when the book decided to drop-kick me out of Saxby-on-Avon.

I know that is the premise of Magpie Murders so it was necessary, but I would be less miffed by it if Susan wasn’t so utterly average, bordering on unlikeable. Yes, I get it that you hate your client – yes, I get it, you don’t have to tell me everything; I too have eyes. The characters of the second half feel shallow and the mystery feels bland. The build-up to the reveal was so middling (might I daresay unbelievable) compared to the one that Alan Conway (Anthony Horowitz?) built up earlier. The two mysteries are just unbalanced in their quality.

Despite my misgivings with the second half of Magpie Murders, it is tightly paced. If anything, Magpie Murders captures the magic of mysteries that I adored when I was younger. I have been on a fantasy stretch recently but Magpie Murders might just send me on a dive into the genre that made me the reader I was.

(Ok, but she was an editor?? Not a a detective??)