Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
There's some questionable representation of gay men and sex workers and I find it hard to believe the parents would go to an editor rather than a PI
But I do enjoy the format of this series. I would enjoy the Atticus Pünd part as a standalone work
But I do enjoy the format of this series. I would enjoy the Atticus Pünd part as a standalone work
Those who know me know I rarely give a review or a book rating. But I am this time so my friends know not to waste their time on this. Long. Convoluted. What a waste of my time.
Another clever book within a book by Horowitz. I like Ryeland and I like Pund. Both books are distinctive and well written. It’s easy to forget about Ryeland’s world when you’re reading about Pund’s. To write two distinct books and then weave them together so seamlessly… It’s impressive, to say the least.
Absolutely fantastic read. As a modern self aware take on the classic whodunnit murder mystery it's so ridiculously good and a more than worthy follow up to the first novel.
It's a similar format to the first you just have to forgive the book within contrivance being used a second time and that's easy, it's just such a brilliant concept and works so well. And frankly Conway is such absolute bastard it's entirely believable he's done this.
It's kind of amazing Horrowitz is able to write a very compelling novella within the novel with a great mystery but it also be not a particularly great at the same time. Outside of the mystery which is great it's a hack book cause in the book Conway was good at mysteries but outside of that was a cynical at best writer. And Horrowitz conveys that really well without losing your interest.
It's a similar format to the first you just have to forgive the book within contrivance being used a second time and that's easy, it's just such a brilliant concept and works so well. And frankly Conway is such absolute bastard it's entirely believable he's done this.
It's kind of amazing Horrowitz is able to write a very compelling novella within the novel with a great mystery but it also be not a particularly great at the same time. Outside of the mystery which is great it's a hack book cause in the book Conway was good at mysteries but outside of that was a cynical at best writer. And Horrowitz conveys that really well without losing your interest.
Moonflower Murders is the second in a series by Anthony Horowitz that started with Magpie Murders, which came out in 2016. I read Magpie Murders and remember enjoying it but couldn’t remember much of the plot, which didn’t matter very much.
Moonflower Murders is really very clever (I’m not going to say “ingenious” because that’s what people always say in reviews of murder mysteries, but it really is.)
The “book within a book” is a clever way of freshening up a standard format and I loved the little details like the copyright page for the book etc all being included. I did find it a bit difficult to get into the Atticus Pund mini novel at the start and felt a bit like I’d been wrenched out of Moonflower Murders, which I had been enjoying, but I got into it relatively quickly and enjoyed the fact that I was being given the chance to review the same material as the “detective”.
I read a lot of Agatha Christie and usually find other crime books a bit disappointing in comparison, but this really holds its own and is a must read for any Christie fans.
My only slight negative is that it is quite long and I did wonder if some of it could have been trimmed a bit.
Many thanks for my free copy in return for my honest review.
Moonflower Murders is really very clever (I’m not going to say “ingenious” because that’s what people always say in reviews of murder mysteries, but it really is.)
The “book within a book” is a clever way of freshening up a standard format and I loved the little details like the copyright page for the book etc all being included. I did find it a bit difficult to get into the Atticus Pund mini novel at the start and felt a bit like I’d been wrenched out of Moonflower Murders, which I had been enjoying, but I got into it relatively quickly and enjoyed the fact that I was being given the chance to review the same material as the “detective”.
I read a lot of Agatha Christie and usually find other crime books a bit disappointing in comparison, but this really holds its own and is a must read for any Christie fans.
My only slight negative is that it is quite long and I did wonder if some of it could have been trimmed a bit.
Many thanks for my free copy in return for my honest review.
I loved this series. It has a great combination of cleverness and good writing. I was suspect that he could pull off a sequel that wouldn’t feel too contrived, but he did it. Really enjoyed both books in this series.
I loved the format of Magpie Murders with the book within the book. This one is written in a similar fashion, but it didn't quite measure up to Magpie Murders. Ultimately still a good read for mystery lovers.
I honestly enjoyed this book even more than the first in this series. If you read them in order (which I recommend), you’re already familiar with some of the characters (which is one of the more complicated parts of Magpie IMO) and get to dive in to a new double mystery. I’d give this one 4.5 stars, it’s long but kept me hooked from start to finish
Another book within a book is quite the feat! Enjoyed both stories, though much preferred the writing style of the broader work (which may have been intended). Lots of red herrings and sub plots, but sometimes those can be fun, and I found that mostly true with this book. Unfortunately Horowitz makes all the gay characters out to be bad, and ties in kink unnecessarily. This, coupled with homophobic undertones in his previous work, is extremely disappointing and hangs a grey cloud over what could have been a great series.