Magpie Murders

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Mystery / Horowitz, Anthony	4-week checkout	Due 04-30-2024
Pittsfield Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Mystery / General / Horowitz, Anthony	4-week checkout	Due 05-10-2024

"From New York Times bestselling author Anthony Horowitz comes Magpie Murders, a brilliant and strikingly original reimagining of the classic whodunit (a la Agatha Christie) with a contemporary mystery wrapped around it"-- Provided by publisher.

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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Amazing submitted by adeesh on June 16, 2017, 1:33pm Amazing book with a ton of suspense

Modern and Classic Mystery in One submitted by unikitty92 on July 6, 2018, 6:28pm A mystery novel within a mystery novel! Quite a long book with a ton of characters, but I really enjoyed it and all of its different layers. I would definitely recommend it to fans of both modern and classic mysteries.

Slow start submitted by allie0 on August 12, 2018, 3:00pm This was a slow start for me, but I am glad that I finished the book. I enjoyed the actual story much better than the story within the story.

Not what you’re expecting...in a good way submitted by Jnoel2424 on August 17, 2018, 11:12am This book really surprised me and felt new and different but still true to the genre.

Amazing Start submitted by smileforjd on August 27, 2018, 2:30pm So, this book started off amazing. It was different than anything I've read previously, but it's ending didn't go where I thought it would or how I wanted it to. I'm looking forward to reading more of his books.

Intriguing submitted by ramcgarty on July 9, 2019, 7:26am The way that the mysteries were handled in this book were quite engrossing. I really enjoyed the way Horowitz wrapped the mystery story into real life. Great fun!

A Mystery Within A Mystery submitted by Barbara Beaton on August 2, 2019, 6:12pm Very cleverly structured and an engaging read. You have to be willing to read a more traditional mystery within the larger story and the styles are quite different, but this is a great read!

A great who done it! submitted by carrienemo on June 13, 2020, 12:53pm This is such a fun mystery. Filled with all the classic elements of a great who done it, but with a twist. Highly recommend!

Fun read. submitted by AGAPHD on June 25, 2020, 8:08pm Really enjoyed this one. Recommended!

One of my favorite mysteries! submitted by jaromatorio on July 24, 2020, 11:31am I’ve always enjoyed mysteries, but I find that many tend to follow the same sort of tired formula and thus, are fairly predictable.

Unlike these novels, “Magpie Murders” has an incredibly unique structure and plot and really kept things interesting till the end! “Magpie Murders” is a mystery within a mystery—the book follows publisher Susan Reyland as she reads through the latest manuscript of famed mystery novelist Alan Conway, allowing the reader to get as far as the penultimate chapter of that story before cutting the tale off and switching back to Ms. Reyland, who has just stumbled upon a real life murder mystery of her own.

Though I must say I preferred Mr. Conway’s mystery to the irl one that follows it, both mysteries in this book are smart and well-written, with plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader on their toes. This book is a really fun and easy read, and I’d absolutely recommend it to anyone and everyone!

Clever mystery within a mystery submitted by vickik on June 21, 2023, 10:43am Magpie Murders is a clever mystery within a mystery. It begins with Susan Ryeland, an editor for a London publishing house, reading the last manuscript by a recently deceased mystery author. Then you read the manuscript along with her: a classic English village mystery in the style of Agatha Christie. Frustratingly, it cuts off just before the solution is revealed, and the rest of the book returns to the present day as Susan searches for the missing chapters. Soon enough you learn that the author of the manuscript was murdered, and Susan has to find the real-life murderer as well as the pages that will reveal the murderer in the fictional world.

Clever Story within a Story submitted by lilymctaggart on July 9, 2023, 8:51pm This book was recommended by a neighbor and I didn’t read about it before diving in to not risk any spoilers… but I didn’t realize it was a “story within a story” and I had to go back to the first chapter once I realized. Don’t make my mistake! :) It’s like 2 whodunits for the price of one.

Overall I found this to be a very clever book that was fun to read. There were a few pieces that I had to push through (like the second ramp up when the “actual” story starts and new characters are introduced, but definitely worth the read.

Enjoyable mystery submitted by eisbruchs on July 24, 2023, 2:02pm A clever mystery within a mystery, including a look at the literary world of authors and editors.

Very unique mystery submitted by purchasingqueen on August 6, 2023, 1:09am The story is a who-dunnit. But, the telling of the story is done in a very unique way. You go through the whole story ALMOST to the conclusion, reading along with the author's editor. Then, you are returned to present day and find out who killed the author as his editor solves the mystery. Excellently written. Highly recommend. (There is also a PBS mini-series of the same name worth checking out.)