Magpie Murders

Magpie Murders is an elegant and well put together novel in a novel. It's both ingenious and very readable. It takes time to unravel it gives the reader two murders to think about.

The plot sees Susan Ryeland, Head of Fiction at Cloverleaf Books settling down to down to read. She's editing the final instalment in the Alan Conway's bestselling Atticus Pünd whodunit series. Set in 1955, Pünd investigates the "accidental" death of a housekeeper, Mary Blakiston. And the violent murder of Sir Magnus Pye that follows is surely no coincidence. The atmosphere of the village takes a dark turn. Suspicion abounds the renowned sluth delves into the secrets of the two deaths. It stops just before Conway's big reveal. We then jump back to Susan. Who finds herself investigating a murder mystery of her own. The Conway has thrown himself to his death. Not only that but the Pünd novel is missing its final chapter. As Susan searches for it she starts to think that Alan Conway was murdered. She also learns that Conway has been inventing his own in-jokes and clues in his novel plotting.

I enjoyed the mystery contained in the Pünd adventure more than the actual focus on the author's demise. It felt more coherent and avoided the repetitive exploration of Conway's literary aspirations. In short the second half dragged a little. But, all in all an excellent thriller. It is rich in detail, has strong characters and an engaging and suspenseful plot that is a back to basics Agatha Christie style novel.