#29 Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz

I do enjoy a great, classic mystery, dear reader. Not the blood, guts and gore type that is so prevalent in some books and TV shows today but rather the good, old-fashioned kind ~ like in the game Clue: with a quirky detective, a colorful cast of characters, complete with plot twists and unexpected resolutions. This book definitely falls into that category.  It is a cleverly written novel that pays homage to Agatha Christie’s murder mysteries and will have you hooked long before you can ask “Whodunnit?” 

Susan Ryeland, long-time editor for the best-selling crime writer Alan Conway, is reading his most recent manuscript about his character, the great detective Atticus Pund, who quietly solves mysteries throughout the English countryside. While reading, Susan has no reason to suspect that the manuscript she holds in her hands will be any different to the others that she has edited over the years.

In the manuscript, Conway’s character Pund is investigating a murder at Pye Hall, a local manor house in the sleepy village of Saxby-on-Avon. After piecing together the testimony of the villagers, Atticus, in the manner of all great detectives, naturally discovers who the murderer is.  Just as the culprit is about to be revealed, Susan discovers that the final chapters are missing and embarks on some detective work of her own to discover the missing pages and to find out who has committed the murder in the novel. While searching, Susan becomes convinced that there is another story buried in the pages of the manuscript: one of real-life murder and it is up to her to solve both mysteries. 

This novel will have you playing detective right along with Atticus and Susan, keeping you up late into the night as you puzzle out the clues while trying to solve the mysteries. What a great way to spend a long winter night! Until next time…have you read a book today?

Julie