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tracey1981's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Ryan and I enjoyed listening to this meta-mystery-within-a-mystery book. We’ve also liked the Hawthorne and Horowitz series. If anything this one was maybe just a touch TOO clever which sometimes made it a bit annoying and I had to work harder than I wanted to for a cozy mystery. But the payoff was pretty good. Overall, this is a unique and worthwhile read. It ranged from about 2.5 to 4 stars at our book club.
aryeljimenez's review against another edition
i’m in a book slump and this did not help
traitorjoe's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
gayatriii's review against another edition
4.0
Ah, I’d forgotten how delicious a good, old school, classic whodunit can be. How richly descriptive, how eloquent, and how twisty turnzy (that’s a word, surely?) it can be. Magpie Murders is a novel set within a novel. I loved the novel in the novel a little bit more than the novel itself, know what I mean?
Atticus Pund is a famous investigator created by Alan Conway. Alan finishes his latest, most anticipated book and hands it to his publisher and then goes home and jumps off a tower and dies. The book as it turns out, is missing the last chapter. So, we have a whodunit that does not reveal who’s done it. How did he die? Why did he die? Where’s the missing chapter? Did he really off himself? That’s 1 part.
The 2nd story is in the pages of that incomplete book. A housekeeper slips, falls down the stairs and breaks her neck. Next, her employer is decapitated. And we have Atticus Pund become very interested in this possibly double-murder.
This book has excellent pace. Great, nostalgic, Agatha Christie-esque writing, and a satisfying mystery at the centre of it all.
Atticus Pund is a famous investigator created by Alan Conway. Alan finishes his latest, most anticipated book and hands it to his publisher and then goes home and jumps off a tower and dies. The book as it turns out, is missing the last chapter. So, we have a whodunit that does not reveal who’s done it. How did he die? Why did he die? Where’s the missing chapter? Did he really off himself? That’s 1 part.
The 2nd story is in the pages of that incomplete book. A housekeeper slips, falls down the stairs and breaks her neck. Next, her employer is decapitated. And we have Atticus Pund become very interested in this possibly double-murder.
This book has excellent pace. Great, nostalgic, Agatha Christie-esque writing, and a satisfying mystery at the centre of it all.
jessicahuss's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
krista114's review against another edition
4.0
A fun “whodunnit” that kept me guessing the whole way through. This book had a really interesting format of a mystery novel within a mystery novel. It includes so many references to classic detective novels which I unfortunately just haven’t read many of, this book made me want to though!
eb2114's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
vikramdas's review against another edition
4.0
Pretty entertaining holiday read. the concept of a novel within a novel is interesting; the overall book is just two whodunits...which is fun to read!