teacherpatti 's review for:

Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz

2.5

medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

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I had SUCH high hopes for this book! I love Agatha Christie so I figured I would love this. But here's the thing--the problem with writing books set in the 40s or 50s in the 2020s means that you have to be very careful not to write with a modern sensibility. Did I love that the village had a woman doctor? I did! But that would have been extremely unlikely in 1955--even more unlikely that she would be the primary breadwinner. Talk about a brother with Down's, hints of autism--those things were not talked about back then. Reading about these took me right out of the book within a book.

Sure, the idea is interesting with the book within a book idea but neither captivated me. The main character, Susan, was okay but rather flat. Alan, the author, infuriated me--what a dick. 

The reason it is getting even 2.5 stars is because of the novel (ha ha) idea and the peek into the world of publishing, a dying industry.