Moonflower Murders: A Novel
Written by Anthony Horowitz
Narrated by Lesley Manville and Allan Corduner
4/5
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About this audiobook
Narrated by Lesley Manville
Featuring his famous literary detective Atticus Pund and Susan Ryeland, hero of the worldwide bestseller Magpie Murders, a brilliantly complex literary thriller with echoes of Agatha Christie from New York Times bestselling author Anthony Horowitz.
Retired publisher Susan Ryeland is living the good life. She is running a small hotel on a Greek island with her long-term boyfriend Andreas. It should be everything she's always wanted. But is it? She's exhausted with the responsibilities of making everything work on an island where nothing ever does, and truth be told she's beginning to miss London.
And then the Trehearnes come to stay. The strange and mysterious story they tell, about an unfortunate murder that took place on the same day and in the same hotel in which their daughter was married—a picturesque inn on the Suffolk coast named Farlingaye Hall—fascinates Susan and piques her editor’s instincts.
One of her former writers, the late Alan Conway, author of the fictional Magpie Murders, knew the murder victim—an advertising executive named Frank Parris—and once visited Farlingaye Hall. Conway based the third book in his detective series, Atticus Pund Takes the Cake, on that very crime.
The Trehearne’s, daughter, Cecily, read Conway’s mystery and believed the book proves that the man convicted of Parris’s murder—a Romanian immigrant who was the hotel’s handyman—is innocent. When the Trehearnes reveal that Cecily is now missing, Susan knows that she must return to England and find out what really happened.
Brilliantly clever, relentlessly suspenseful, full of twists that will keep readers guessing with each revelation and clue, Moonflower Murders is a deviously dark take on vintage English crime fiction from one of its greatest masterminds, Anthony Horowitz.
Editor's Note
Literary connections…
“Magpie Murders” author Anthony Horowitz has done it again with his latest crime thriller. Retired publisher Susan Ryeland now operates a small hotel on a Greek island, where her patience for island life is wearing thin. When the Trehearne family books a stay, Ryeland learns of their mysterious past, involving a murder that took place on the same day and in the same Suffolk hotel in which their daughter was married. Now, she’s missing. A series of literary connections convince Ryeland that there’s more to the story, and she returns to England to find out the truth.
Anthony Horowitz
ANTHONY HOROWITZ is the author of the US bestselling Magpie Murders and The Word is Murder, and one of the most prolific and successful writers in the English language; he may have committed more (fictional) murders than any other living author. His novel Trigger Mortis features original material from Ian Fleming. His most recent Sherlock Holmes novel, Moriarty, is a reader favorite; and his bestselling Alex Rider series for young adults has sold more than 19 million copies worldwide. As a TV screenwriter, he created both Midsomer Murders and the BAFTA-winning Foyle’s War on PBS. Horowitz regularly contributes to a wide variety of national newspapers and magazines, and in January 2014 was awarded an OBE.
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Reviews for Moonflower Murders
702 ratings62 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is a very clever, complex, and well-written crime novel, and it is brilliantly narrated. I am impressed at how much thought and intricacy have gone into the conception of the plot.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A good listen with interesting, as always, characters., but a little too convoluted for my taste.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5An excellent style of whodunit.
Even more than a regular detective yarn where the reader attempts to solve the crime before it is revealed by the author, here one is in lockstep with the protagonist. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A brilliant read that's a murder mystery within a murder mystery.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Too long. Works too hard to be clever. Adds up to boring read.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This was great fun to listen to on these cold
Winter days! - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Enjoyed....clever idea of a book within a book, just made it a bit too long. I like his writing style, easy read and keeps it interesting. Recommend....
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Unnecessarily long and I guessed the ending with 12 hours left in the audio book.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I loved all the twists and turns, and how the author kept my guessing. Great read! One of my favorite authors!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Mr. Horowitz makes his readers really work for the payoff in this novel as in its predecessor, Magpie Murders. A long, almost excruciatingly complex story, made even more challenging by the story-within-a-story, and not just a short one but a complex, tediously detailed one. I did enjoy the challenges of plot, obscure details, anagrams, and other tricks of the trade, but one drawback for me to Magpie Murders and Moonflower Murders is that the “sideshow” of looking for the author’s admittedly clever devices still did not provide the connection with characters that is important to me. The people seem less important to their creator than his trickery, so I found them all a bit wooden, even Susan. I listened to the audiobook version, and while both readers were exceptional, I offer my deepest appreciation to Lesley Manville for a brilliant read! Bravo!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ingenious! Brilliant! I am more keen on looking through s
Susan Rylands glasses than Atticus Punts. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Loved the book. It's a book within a book with two different plots. Great details and storyline. Interesting characters .
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The real suspense that builds throughout and the fact that there are many story lines going this way and that you are never really bored.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Moonflower Murders is written by Anthony Horowitz and published in 2020.The title is billed as Book 2 of Magpie Murders.It features literary detective, Atticus Pund and book editor Susan Ryeland.Susan has left England and operates a small hotel in Crete with long-time partner Andreas.She is exhausted (and bored) with all the miniscule details of running the hotel and missesher editing work in the London publishing world.When a visiting couple ask her to look into the current disappearance of their daughter, Susan jumps at the chance (and the money) to return to England and delve into ‘invistigation mode’ with the shadow of Atticus Pund leading the way.Atticus Pund Takes The Case (the mystery inside the mystery of Moonflower Murders), is Susan’s guide to solving the case.Another absolutely brilliant book by Anthony Horowitz.It is a mystery wrapped in an enigma. A mystery within a mystery.A labyrinth. Head-spinning. Tense. Suspenseful. Fantastic. *****
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Well done. Complex. Requires commitment, coffee, a 10 hour rainy day alone. The novel is a super good procedural— and then, in the middle, ANOTHER Horowitz book appears, chapter by chapter [Atticus Pund Takes The Case] —- and Horowitz then weaves the whole thing together spectacularly. It was a teeny bit slow here and there but I quickly saw and felt the need for the rhythm. It was just a great, challenging, rewarding read—I both read it on my iPod AND listened on Scribd (another story, I’m afraid). Get this book and enjoy!!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I really hope there's another Susan Reyland novel. Very entertaining.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Too sordid. I didn’t engage with this one as much as the first.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Very entertaining... I can't wait for the next one. Kept me on the edge of my seat.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Well weaved plot. The whole story comes alive as you read on. And as always, top quality narration.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I don't usually read a lot of historical fiction, but something about a murder mystery set in the 1950s embedded in a detective story set in the 2010s works for me. I enjoyed the first book in the series a lot, and the second almost as much. I don't really consider the premise of a book editor as a private investigator all that plausible, but the book also doesn't take itself too seriously in that regard so I'll let it pass. A really fun read.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Nice book, great story, decent characters, I recommend it to murder mystery fans. Hope to see it on TV soon like Magpie Murders
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I belatedly discovered Horowitz thanks to a review of Magpie Murders, which I loved. That started me on a Horowitz binge, and now I’m all caught up and impatiently awaiting the next— shouldn’t be long, as he puts out so much material. And it’s not just quantity— it’s quality! This was another book in a book, like Magpie Ms, and returning protagonist Susan Ryeland is persuaded to come from Crete to investigate in Sussex. Lots of suspects in both books, great characters, and a couple of deliciously labyrinthine plots. I listened to the audiobook— as in MMS, a woman read the “real” story, and a man read the Atticus Pund “book”. Both are splendid voice actors, and perfect fits for this assignment.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Great plot. Characters are all extremely credible and relatable. Narration is perfect
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Excellent murder mysteries interwoven together and a sequel to Magpie murders.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5By inserting an entire novel into this one, the story seemed to drag on forever. Susan, the former editor of the Atticus Pund novels, is hired to find a missing woman and solve a murder at a country hotel.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I’m a big fan of Anthony Horowitz. This new installment of the Susan Ryeland series is a fantastic mysteries that keeps you thinking and envelopes you from the beginning.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I'm a fan of Anthony Horowitz, so nothing against the book - but I couldn't get myself to get past the first few chapters of the audiobook thanks to the narrator. The way she sharply stressed on adjectives and certain words made Susan sound like a petulant snob and very much unlikeable. Which is unfortunate because I found Susan very likeable when I read The Magpie Murders.
2 people found this helpful
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Of all the Horowitz novels I've read, this one was the least engaging. I kept on reading hoping for some twist that would make it worth the effort. But sadly, that came too late. So it was just OK.
2 people found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I enjoy These books, but it bothers me that I’m 2/3 way through the book and 3 women have fainted for different reasons. No men have fainted. When will Authors get it through their heads that women really don’t pass out so easily. I’ve never seen anyone pass out (except for honest medical reasons). Women deal with female issues, childhood illnesses and deaths , and medical emergencies frequently. We’re not shrinking violets.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Moonflower Murders (Susan Ryeland, #2) by Anthony HorowitzSusan Ryeland is back, this time she is investigating the disappearance of a woman (Cecily) eight years ago. There is a possible connection to Susan's former Boss, Author Alan Conway. The clues seem to be hidden in his third book; Atticus Pund Takes the Case, which Cecily read right before her disappearance.The story moves at a fast pace with well developed (interesting) characters. Attention to detail and engaging dialog pulled me in. The clever "mystery within a mystery" makes for plenty of suspects, secrets, twists, turns and unexpected events. (The) classic who-done-it style had me engrossed and guessing until the end.Overall I found Moonflower Murders thrilling, suspenseful and quite enjoyable. A must read for murder/mystery lovers.