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A review by arianatee
Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
What a wonderful surprise it was to find this book! I had not even really I think heard of the author-or if I had, I'd not taken note of it and forgotten the name quite quickly. I simply was looking to find another book to complete a challenge in StoryGraph and stumbled across Magpie Murders. I love a murder mystery--both of the cozy kind and the thrilling kind. I'd read the synopsis, thought "good enough for me" and carried on several months before even picking it up. I was in desperate need of another audio book and saw this one on my TBR was available now so I checked it out and then found myself incredibly confused at the beginning.
I'd forgotten this was essentially a book inside a book. A mystery layered on top of another mystery. All very complex and incredibly intriguing. I instantly found myself in love with the writing. There was one thing that was very clear from the beginning, and that was that Anthony Horowitz is an expert craftsman when it comes to creative a believable world with nuanced characters. I loved the setting for the 1950s small town novel and could not stop thinking about this book and its many mysteries. I loved the audiobook narrators as well, but found myself needing to also read the print version to keep clear the cast of characters since I had no idea who was who and wanted very deeply to pay attention to the story.
Halfway through I knew that the mystery alone was a five star read, but then I became frightened of the second half. What if I didn't like the characters from the modern day setting? What if I found it all that much less believable since it's set in present day? Luckily, I didn't need to worry because those skills in crafting a complex world and characters that Horowitz has transferred easily to the modern day detective novel. I loved the way the literary world of the 1950s Magpie Murders was interwoven with that of the modern day and found it fairly seamless. I had guessed the murderer of the 1950s fictional mystery after certain clues were revealed, but had not seen various twists and turns along the way in both worlds! I found this book so incredibly delightful and am in awe of the Horowitz's capabilities in creating such fantastic stories. I most definitely now need to check out more of his work-and it's no wonder that the book was adapted to a show as it feels like a perfect cozy Sunday evening program! An easy 5/5 for me and I look forward to checking out the second book in the series (hopefully sooner rather than later!).
I'd forgotten this was essentially a book inside a book. A mystery layered on top of another mystery. All very complex and incredibly intriguing. I instantly found myself in love with the writing. There was one thing that was very clear from the beginning, and that was that Anthony Horowitz is an expert craftsman when it comes to creative a believable world with nuanced characters. I loved the setting for the 1950s small town novel and could not stop thinking about this book and its many mysteries. I loved the audiobook narrators as well, but found myself needing to also read the print version to keep clear the cast of characters since I had no idea who was who and wanted very deeply to pay attention to the story.
Halfway through I knew that the mystery alone was a five star read, but then I became frightened of the second half. What if I didn't like the characters from the modern day setting? What if I found it all that much less believable since it's set in present day? Luckily, I didn't need to worry because those skills in crafting a complex world and characters that Horowitz has transferred easily to the modern day detective novel. I loved the way the literary world of the 1950s Magpie Murders was interwoven with that of the modern day and found it fairly seamless. I had guessed the murderer of the 1950s fictional mystery after certain clues were revealed, but had not seen various twists and turns along the way in both worlds! I found this book so incredibly delightful and am in awe of the Horowitz's capabilities in creating such fantastic stories. I most definitely now need to check out more of his work-and it's no wonder that the book was adapted to a show as it feels like a perfect cozy Sunday evening program! An easy 5/5 for me and I look forward to checking out the second book in the series (hopefully sooner rather than later!).