Magpie MurdersAudiobook review by Paul Fiander
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Written by: Anthony Horowitz
Narrated by: Allan Corduner , Samantha Bond Length: 15 hrs and 47 mins Publisher: Orion Publishing Group Limited |
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Why Should I Listen to Magpie Murders?
Crime has been an ever present issue for too many generations to count, the tales of theft, assault and the like are all around us, however when it comes to fiction Murder is the trump card. With this in mind Anthony Horowitz sets about telling a story within a story that takes in the golden and modern age of crime fiction. The two stories work well together and show both the development of the genre and Horowitz’s ability to create a compelling narrative. In a great move the book is narrated by two different voices. Each gives their own twist to the story helping to truly demarcate the move from “real life” editor Susan Ryeland to the fictional word of Atticus Pund. With Magpie Murders Horowitz’s will lead you down the garden path in a series of tangents all with the aim of drawing you in to this compelling tale of murder and deceit. |
Review
Great crime novels are a delicate balance of truth and lies. From the outset the author knows who the murderer is but they need to leave enough breadcrumbs for the reader to follow the trail of a number of suspects in order to keep their attention. In essence the book is just a puzzle solving experiment, but unlike a game of Sudoku the author is able to play on your emotional side as well as your analytical thought processes. In this Anthony Horowitz is a truly gifted writer, he is able to create situations and more importantly characters that drive the reader to decisions in an effort to deflect from his killer’s true identities.
I say identities, as Magpie Murders has more than one tale to tell, Horowitz’s has managed to wrap a story up around the folds of another in an intriguing piece of storytelling. The main story has our narrator Susan Ryeland taking part in the real life murder mystery of her top selling author Alan Conway. Ryeland is an editor for Cloverleaf and through the stories she manages to shine a light on the world of book publishing as well as investigate the events behind the death of Conway. Throughout her story you get shown her love for books as well as for her life. It is though her love for crime novels that pushes her towards her investigative slant, much in the way Jessica Fletcher was drawn into investigating in the Murder She Wrote series. The difference is that Susan has no background except for her publishing skills and a desire to seek the truth.
Conway’s death revolves around a manuscript for his latest book in the Atticus Pund series Magpie Murders. His creation is a post war German ex-pat that has come to England and now works as an investigative consultant. Within Susan’s story she begins to read the manuscript and from there we are transported to a small town in the 1950’s. This use of the Golden Age of fiction allows for a vast array of characters built around the class system that permeated the world in those days. The central focus is Pye Hall and it seems all the suspects revolve around the manor house in some way or another. This part of the story moves along at a steady pace with Pund being more like Poirot and taking his time over investigations and always managing to be one step ahead of his suspects. The change in tone from Ryeland is palpable as we move away from a modern way of looking at the world to one more in keeping with the 1950’s.
To his credit Horowitz is able to make both stories as compelling as the other. I will admit I’m not the biggest Golden Age fan but after this I am certainly coloured intrigued especially if he creates the Atticus Pund series referenced within the book. The joy of both stories is certainly the mystery but the stories of both our investigators are also a big draw. Neither is perfect and both have clouds looming over their heads but as we learn more about the seemingly polar opposites of Pund and Ryeland we understand they have a drive for the truth that is hard to ignore.
With the modern setting we are treated a number of references to writing and popular culture, this is certainly a book of its time and you will even find the name of the publisher of the book Orion Publishing placed within the story. More than that Horowitz even looks at the way writers are viewed by the public and reviewers. Most of these ideas are easy to spot but help to flesh out the world of Susan Ryeland and so give her a stronger footing within the story.
On the narration we get three voices within the story. Two are the narrators Samantha Bond the voice of Susan Ryeland and Allan Corduner who takes on the duties of narrating the Pund novel. Despite the obvious tonal shift between the two stories it is still a brilliant presentation idea to use the two different voices for the two stories. I have no doubt either narrator could have completed the entire book as both are very good at bringing the characters to life it’s just the vocal change suited the book. The third voice you will hear is that of writer Anthony Horowitz as he makes a cameo appearance at the end of the book that acts as a lovely bookend and well worth listening to till the very end.
Within Magpie Murders Anthony Horowitz made some bold narrative choices and to his credit they played off perfectly. His grasp of the two eras that appear in the book feel genuine but most of the mysteries themselves are compelling enough to draw you in and keep you guessing. Whether you are new to crime fiction or an old hand there is so much within this book that it’s one hard to ignore.
I say identities, as Magpie Murders has more than one tale to tell, Horowitz’s has managed to wrap a story up around the folds of another in an intriguing piece of storytelling. The main story has our narrator Susan Ryeland taking part in the real life murder mystery of her top selling author Alan Conway. Ryeland is an editor for Cloverleaf and through the stories she manages to shine a light on the world of book publishing as well as investigate the events behind the death of Conway. Throughout her story you get shown her love for books as well as for her life. It is though her love for crime novels that pushes her towards her investigative slant, much in the way Jessica Fletcher was drawn into investigating in the Murder She Wrote series. The difference is that Susan has no background except for her publishing skills and a desire to seek the truth.
Conway’s death revolves around a manuscript for his latest book in the Atticus Pund series Magpie Murders. His creation is a post war German ex-pat that has come to England and now works as an investigative consultant. Within Susan’s story she begins to read the manuscript and from there we are transported to a small town in the 1950’s. This use of the Golden Age of fiction allows for a vast array of characters built around the class system that permeated the world in those days. The central focus is Pye Hall and it seems all the suspects revolve around the manor house in some way or another. This part of the story moves along at a steady pace with Pund being more like Poirot and taking his time over investigations and always managing to be one step ahead of his suspects. The change in tone from Ryeland is palpable as we move away from a modern way of looking at the world to one more in keeping with the 1950’s.
To his credit Horowitz is able to make both stories as compelling as the other. I will admit I’m not the biggest Golden Age fan but after this I am certainly coloured intrigued especially if he creates the Atticus Pund series referenced within the book. The joy of both stories is certainly the mystery but the stories of both our investigators are also a big draw. Neither is perfect and both have clouds looming over their heads but as we learn more about the seemingly polar opposites of Pund and Ryeland we understand they have a drive for the truth that is hard to ignore.
With the modern setting we are treated a number of references to writing and popular culture, this is certainly a book of its time and you will even find the name of the publisher of the book Orion Publishing placed within the story. More than that Horowitz even looks at the way writers are viewed by the public and reviewers. Most of these ideas are easy to spot but help to flesh out the world of Susan Ryeland and so give her a stronger footing within the story.
On the narration we get three voices within the story. Two are the narrators Samantha Bond the voice of Susan Ryeland and Allan Corduner who takes on the duties of narrating the Pund novel. Despite the obvious tonal shift between the two stories it is still a brilliant presentation idea to use the two different voices for the two stories. I have no doubt either narrator could have completed the entire book as both are very good at bringing the characters to life it’s just the vocal change suited the book. The third voice you will hear is that of writer Anthony Horowitz as he makes a cameo appearance at the end of the book that acts as a lovely bookend and well worth listening to till the very end.
Within Magpie Murders Anthony Horowitz made some bold narrative choices and to his credit they played off perfectly. His grasp of the two eras that appear in the book feel genuine but most of the mysteries themselves are compelling enough to draw you in and keep you guessing. Whether you are new to crime fiction or an old hand there is so much within this book that it’s one hard to ignore.
Review copy and Cover Image courtesy of Publisher
