Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz is a mystery novel published in 2016 by The Orion Publishing Group. It's the first book in the Susan Ryeland series and an excellent introduction to it. The book uses a story within a story format, primarily focusing on the murder of a mystery writer.
The main story goes like this, Susan Ryeland, a book editor, receives a copy of a manuscript by best-selling author Alan Conway. Unfortunately, Conway has a less-than-pleasant demeanor and is not exactly one of Susan's favorite clients. As a point of fact, Susan loves her job and only puts up with Alan because his books are so successful. And this latest story promises to be another triumph. However, the odd thing about this new manuscript is that as Susan nears its end, she notices that the book's final chapter still needs to be added. After all, who writes a murder mystery without an ending? And when Susan is told that Alan Conway has died of an apparent suicide, she suspects all is not as it appears. So she decides to investigate Conway's death to learn the truth and find the manuscript's missing chapter while at it.
Atticus Pünd, the 1950s fictionalized detective and the main protagonist of Conway's successful books, is charged with investigating a murder at a local manor house in this latest novel. However, the more Susan reads, the more convinced she is that another story is hidden in its pages. So can Susan solve the mystery in the final Atticus Pünd novel without the last chapter, or...can the fictional Atticus help Susan solve the mystery of Alan Conway's death? You'll need to read Magpie Murders to find out. This is a carefully crafted puzzler with an ending you won't see coming. And a must-read for anyone that loves a good mystery.
My Personal Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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