Magpie Murders

Magpie Murders is a 2016 mystery novel by British author Anthony Horowitz and the first novel in the Susan Ryeland series. The story focuses on the murder of a mystery author and utilises a story within a story format.

Magpie Murders
Cover for Orion release
AuthorAnthony Horowitz
Audio read byAllan Corduner
Samantha Bond
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
SeriesSusan Ryeland
GenreMystery fiction
Published2016
PublisherOrion
Media typePrint (hardback, paperback)
ebook, audiobook
Pages560 pages
ISBN1409158365 First edition hardback, UK
Followed byMoonflower Murders 

The book has been translated into multiple languages and has been adapted into a six-part drama series.

Synopsis

Susan Ryeland is the editor of the mystery author Alan Conway, who is known for his well-received series of novels centring upon the detective Atticus Pünd and for being very difficult to work with. Fans are eagerly awaiting Conway's latest novel, rumoured to be the last in the series, but when Susan reads through the manuscript she discovers that it is unfinished. Shortly after she hears on the news that Alan Conway has died. In order to discover the whereabouts of the final chapters Susan begins an investigation of her own and finds that the novel may have been based on true events, causing someone to murder Conway.

Development

Horowitz first developed the concept of Magpie Murders during the first season of Midsomer Murders, which premiered in 1997. He has stated that he wanted the novel to "be more than just a murder mystery story" and to be "a sort of a treatise on the whole genre of murder mystery writing. How the writers come up with the ideas; how these books are formed."[1]

Release

Magpie Murders was first released in hardback and e-book format in the United Kingdom on 6 October 2016 through Orion.[2] An audiobook adaptation narrated by Allan Corduner and Samantha Bond was simultaneously released through Orion and BrillianceAudio.[3] The novel was given a release in the United States the following year through Harper and HarperAudio in hardback, e-book, and audiobook format.[4][5] Paperback editions were released in the United Kingdom in 2017 and the United States in 2018.[6][7]

In the following years the novel has been released into multiple languages that include Korean and Japanese (2018, through Kyŏnggi-do P'aju-si and 東京創元社, respectively),[8][9] as well as Chinese and German (2019, 新星出版社 and Berlin Insel Verlag, respectively).[10][11]

Adaptation

In July 2020 Deadline announced that PBS’ Masterpiece would adapt the novel into a six-part drama series and air it in the US, and on BritBox in the UK.[12] Horowitz will prepare the script and Masterpiece will produce it along with Jill Green and Eleventh Hour Films.[13][14] Tim McMullan was signed to portray the character of Atticus Pünd after actor Timothy Spall pulled out of the production due to scheduling issues,[15] while Lesley Manville plays the central character of Susan. Daniel Mays, Alexandros Logothetis, Jude Hill, and Claire Rushbrook are also part of the series' cast.[16]

Reception

Reception for Magpie Murders was largely positive, earning a "Rave" rating from the book review aggregator Book Marks based on eight independent reviews.[17] It was reviewed by outlets such as the New York Times and Time magazine, the latter of which called it the "thinking mystery fan’s ideal summer thriller."[18][19][20] Common praise for the series centered upon its characters and the use of the story within a story, with some criticism noting that the story within a story also made it difficult to keep up with the goings on.[21][22][23]

References
  1. "What Makes A Good Whodunit? 'Magpie Murders' Author Spells It Out". NPR.org. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  2. Horowitz, Anthony, 1955- (6 October 2016). Magpie murders. London. ISBN 978-1-4091-5836-3. OCLC 934197047.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. Horowitz, Anthony (2016), Magpie murders, ISBN 978-1-4091-6737-2, OCLC 962356490, retrieved 7 October 2020
  4. Horowitz, Anthony (2017), Magpie Murders, Harper Collins, ISBN 978-0-06-283453-9, OCLC 1032596461, retrieved 7 October 2020
  5. Horowitz, Anthony, 1955- (6 June 2017). Magpie murders (First U.S. ed.). New York. ISBN 978-0-06-264522-7. OCLC 959036988.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. Horowitz, Anthony, 1955- (6 October 2016). Magpie murders. London. ISBN 978-1-4091-5836-3. OCLC 934197047.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. Horowitz, Anthony, 1955- (6 June 2017). Magpie murders (First U.S. ed.). New York. ISBN 978-0-06-264522-7. OCLC 959036988.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. Horowitz, Anthony (2018). 맥파이 살인 사건. ISBN 978-89-329-1918-8. OCLC 1105729802.
  9. アンソニー・ホロヴィッツ; 山田蘭 (2018). カササギ殺人事件: 上 (in Japanese). ISBN 978-4-488-26507-6. OCLC 1055199411.
  10. Horowitz, Anthony; Wolff, Lutz-Werner; Insel Verlag Berlin (2019). Die Morde von Pye Hall Roman (in German). ISBN 978-3-458-36415-3. OCLC 1057844629.
  11. Horowitz, Anthony; 梁清新 (2019). 喜鹊谋杀案 = The magpie murders. ISBN 978-7-5133-3578-2. OCLC 1122858029.
  12. Petski, Denise (21 July 2020). "'Magpie Murders' Drama Series Adaptation Set On PBS' Masterpiece". Deadline. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  13. Hallemann, Caroline (23 July 2020). "The 'Magpie Murders' Is Being Made into a TV Show". Town & Country. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  14. "MASTERPIECE to Co-Produce Magpie Murders | PBS". Masterpiece. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  15. Kanter, Jake (21 May 2021). "Timothy Spall Pulls Out Of PBS/BritBox Series 'Magpie Murders' & Is Replaced By Tim McMullan; Daniel Mays Joins Cast". Deadline. Retrieved 23 September 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. "The Crown star's new drama Magpie Murders looks seriously good - see first look". HELLO!. 22 September 2021. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  17. "Book Marks reviews of Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz". Book Marks. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  18. Sulcas, Roslyn (8 June 2017). "Anthony Horowitz's Whodunit Within the Whodunit (Published 2017)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  19. "Review: Anthony Horowitz's 'Magpie Murders' Is Catnip for Classic Mystery Lovers". Time. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  20. "MAGPIE MURDERS by Anthony Horowitz Read by Allan Corduner Samantha Bond | Audiobook Review". AudioFile Magazine. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  21. "Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz review – fiendish whodunnit". The Guardian. 10 December 2017. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  22. Cha, Steph. "'Magpie Murders' dishes up two tasty mysteries in one". USA TODAY. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  23. Dobbin, Muriel (3 August 2017). "A mystery of simple themes and an intricate solution". The Washington Times. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
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