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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
Never used to be into mysteries, but I quite like Horowitz's.
tbh star off because there's so much unnecessary homophobia in this book it soured my experience of an otherwise enjoyable book
https://cannonballread.com/2022/03/moonflower-murders-dsbs42/
To pull off another storyline with a similar structure as the first book with almost equal brilliance is quite commendable. Even though, for me, the first part was better, I thoroughly enjoyed reading Moonflower Murders and revelled in the satisfaction of the big reveal.
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
This is super fun! I would suggest reading "Magpie Murders" first. They are both clever, a book about a fictional author with a fictional detective whose book is contained within the larger book. Great concept.
Very few whodunnits manage to surprise me the way the Susan Ryeland series has so far, and I don't think I've read a murder mystery executed as well as The Moonflower Murders. I was a big fan of the first book and wondered how he would continue with the publisher-meets-detective arc, but he does so quite convincingly.
The plot (which I will refrain from describing) is clever and immersive, and the book-within-a-book plot device serves as a good basis for creating a layered story with a complex trail of open questions.
At 600+ pages, this is no quick read, but I was invested throughout. While many books (whole genres, in fact) require effort to finish, this one pulls you forward naturally. It's almost a masterclass in keeping readers engaged. It reaffirms my theory that the crime fiction/thriller genre is the closest authors have come to creating engaging writing as a science.
This, just like the previous book in the series, is well worth the read. I'll definitely be reading the finale next year.
An aside: this series contains one of the worst page-numbering systems in existence, which changes depending on which book you're reading.
The plot (which I will refrain from describing) is clever and immersive, and the book-within-a-book plot device serves as a good basis for creating a layered story with a complex trail of open questions.
At 600+ pages, this is no quick read, but I was invested throughout. While many books (whole genres, in fact) require effort to finish, this one pulls you forward naturally. It's almost a masterclass in keeping readers engaged. It reaffirms my theory that the crime fiction/thriller genre is the closest authors have come to creating engaging writing as a science.
This, just like the previous book in the series, is well worth the read. I'll definitely be reading the finale next year.
An aside: this series contains one of the worst page-numbering systems in existence, which changes depending on which book you're reading.
It's funny because early on in this book I would have said I liked it less than Magpie Murders, but the reason was mostly that I kind of preferred that Magpie Murders started with the Alan Conway/Atticus Pünd novel and then later went to Susan Ryeland, whereas here we got Susan first.
I thought Susan's mystery was somewhat less interesting in Magpie Murders than the fictional Conway plot, but in this one I think it really redeemed itself by the end, even if initially I just wanted to get to Atticus Pünd already! I think it makes sense that it was written as it was, I just needed a bit more patience.
I thought Susan's mystery was somewhat less interesting in Magpie Murders than the fictional Conway plot, but in this one I think it really redeemed itself by the end, even if initially I just wanted to get to Atticus Pünd already! I think it makes sense that it was written as it was, I just needed a bit more patience.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wow!!
After reading the first book in the Susan Ryland series, Magpie Murders and giving that book 5 stars, I had such high expectations! But ultimately, I don’t believe it was quite as good.
Pros
I love our narrator Susan, she is smart, sharp, and I love how we get to walk through her mind as she’s figuring out and solving these mysterious murders.
The settings, an old British castle or the island of Crete, Anthony Horowitz really makes the atmosphere come alive!
I love some the authors takes on reading and books in general… He has a way of phrasing things that truly get at the heart of what it means to be “reader”.
Cons
While I truly do love some of the mysterious, whodunnit parts….. at least in this book it seems like we hardly got any clues until the very end, maybe the last 30 or 40 pages… Wish we could’ve had a few more Easter eggs/clues.
The reveal felt a little too on the nose.
Maybe this is just a me thing, but in both this book and the last I found myself loving the small town mysteries FAR more than the modern day ones!! I wish I could have a whole series just about Atticus Pund going about solving crime/mysteries in rural 1950s England…That would be truly wonderful!!!
PS the audiobook is wonderful 👍🏻
Cawpile 6.71
After reading the first book in the Susan Ryland series, Magpie Murders and giving that book 5 stars, I had such high expectations! But ultimately, I don’t believe it was quite as good.
Pros
I love our narrator Susan, she is smart, sharp, and I love how we get to walk through her mind as she’s figuring out and solving these mysterious murders.
The settings, an old British castle or the island of Crete, Anthony Horowitz really makes the atmosphere come alive!
I love some the authors takes on reading and books in general… He has a way of phrasing things that truly get at the heart of what it means to be “reader”.
Cons
While I truly do love some of the mysterious, whodunnit parts….. at least in this book it seems like we hardly got any clues until the very end, maybe the last 30 or 40 pages… Wish we could’ve had a few more Easter eggs/clues.
The reveal felt a little too on the nose.
Maybe this is just a me thing, but in both this book and the last I found myself loving the small town mysteries FAR more than the modern day ones!! I wish I could have a whole series just about Atticus Pund going about solving crime/mysteries in rural 1950s England…That would be truly wonderful!!!
PS the audiobook is wonderful 👍🏻
Cawpile 6.71