bnsfly's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoy Horowitz's writing, and the Susan Ryeland series especially with its book-inside-a-book conceit. But I'm growing more uncomfortable with his relationship to homosexuality. He made Hawthorne, his meta detective written as nonfiction with Horowitz as the first-person narrator, a homophobe, and literally in his book said "I would not have chosen to write a character like this" but uh, he did. And with Alan Conway, whose sexuality is prominent through two books, we mostly get ugly caricatures as well. It looks like Horowitz once played devil's advocate in a TV discussion, against gay marriage, despite purportedly not actually objecting to gay marriage himself. It's not absolutely damning, but also, like, the devil doesn't need an advocate. So it kind of fits this bill, where I don't think he would see himself as homophobic but he's certainly not doing himself or the LGBTQ community any favors.
I feel like I missed an obvious clue (in retrospect) to JKR's transphobia in the early Cormoran Strike books, and I'm worried I'll be doing the same here if I continue reading these. I don't know, though. We'll see I guess.
Spoiler
The eventual villain of this book turns out to be a former "rent boy," who is apparently not actually gay but performed gay sex for money and is just disdainful of basically everyone around him.I feel like I missed an obvious clue (in retrospect) to JKR's transphobia in the early Cormoran Strike books, and I'm worried I'll be doing the same here if I continue reading these. I don't know, though. We'll see I guess.
welocin's review against another edition
5.0
This is my first Anthony Horowitz book since the days of Alex Rider and I’ve certainly been missing out.
This is an excellent and very meta take on the whodunnit genre. I’m not terribly fond of Susan Ryeland but the whole package was captivating.
This is an excellent and very meta take on the whodunnit genre. I’m not terribly fond of Susan Ryeland but the whole package was captivating.
amelia_o_reads's review against another edition
4.0
Reading Anthony Horowitz always feels like I am reading an episode of Midsomer Murders (to me that is a good thing) and the Agatha Christie influence always slaps you right in the face. I enjoyed Moonflower Murders, I love a large cast murder mystery and got through this one in a 24 hour period.
The book within a book format wasn't my favourite but that's probably because I really dislike the Atticus Pünd character. That being said it was fun reading Atticus Pünd Takes the Case and being on the lookout for clues (some I noticed straight away, and some needed explanation) and discounting red herrings.
If you like British crime shows, Agatha Christie whodunnits or certainly other Anthony Horowitz books then you will enjoy Moonflower Murders.
The book within a book format wasn't my favourite but that's probably because I really dislike the Atticus Pünd character. That being said it was fun reading Atticus Pünd Takes the Case and being on the lookout for clues (some I noticed straight away, and some needed explanation) and discounting red herrings.
If you like British crime shows, Agatha Christie whodunnits or certainly other Anthony Horowitz books then you will enjoy Moonflower Murders.
boospookypoops's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
fionadonaldsonmcilrath's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
tpanik's review against another edition
4.0
After a strong start and a slow middle, this book-within-a-book concludes with the usual Horowitz brilliance.
ruthiella's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
scorpiogirl93's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
jhbandcats's review against another edition
5.0
Moonflower Murders is so clever! I love a good mystery where the threads are all tied up so neatly at the end. It’s two years later and Susan, the editor heroine from Magpie Murders, is living in Crete running a hotel with her partner. But she’s antsy and is asked to look into a disappearance back in England, so she goes. The connection: the murder victim from Magpie Murders, a mystery author and former client of the editor, has left clues to the disappearance in a book he wrote eight years earlier.
Sounds like a complicated timeline but it makes sense in the book. The best part about this and the prior novel is that there’s a book within the book. Each of these two novels includes a complete mystery by the fictitious author murdered in the first book.
I’m sure I’ve muddied things instead of clarifying them. All you really need to know is that if you like books, you like mysteries, and you like clever stories, these two books - Magpie Murders and Moonflower Murders - need to be on your list!
Sounds like a complicated timeline but it makes sense in the book. The best part about this and the prior novel is that there’s a book within the book. Each of these two novels includes a complete mystery by the fictitious author murdered in the first book.
I’m sure I’ve muddied things instead of clarifying them. All you really need to know is that if you like books, you like mysteries, and you like clever stories, these two books - Magpie Murders and Moonflower Murders - need to be on your list!
katarinacannata's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5