When editor Susan Ryeland is given the manuscript of Alan Conway’s latest novel, she has no reason to think it will be much different from any of his others. After working with the bestselling crime writer for years, she’s intimately familiar with his detective, Atticus Pünd, who solves mysteries disturbing sleepy English villages. An homage to queens of classic British crime such as Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers, Alan’s traditional formula has proved hugely successful. So successful that Susan must continue to put up with his troubling behavior if she wants to keep her job.
Conway’s latest tale has Atticus Pünd investigating a murder at Pye Hall, a local manor house. Yes, there are dead bodies and a host of intriguing suspects, but the more Susan reads, the more she’s convinced that there is another story hidden in the pages of the manuscript: one of real-life jealousy, greed, ruthless ambition, and murder.
Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz was released by Harper Publishing in June of 2017.
I discovered this story first from the PBS broadcast that started airing last month on Masterpiece. The story-within-a-story structure intrigued me, and the screenplay allowed for the present day investigation by Susan and the manuscript mystery to unfold side by side. While the novel version does present both mysteries in their entirety, I like how the two varied in that in the book we get to read the near complete manuscript first (as Susan does).
No spoilers here - I won't ruin either of the mysteries. I will say though that as a writer, I liked how this one unfolds. The stories have some parallels by design. Also, having an editor involved in the narrative, Horowitz peels back the curtain a bit and provides a little commentary on the genre within which he has made his mark. All in all, I found it highly enjoyable and will very much seek out more of his works in the future.
No comments:
Post a Comment