The Susan Ryeland series by Anthony Horowitz is probably one of the most unique murder mystery series I have read. The books follow a book editor Susan Ryeland, who ends up investigating mysteries.
One of the best things about these books is the novel within a novel format.
Magpie Murders
Magpie Murders is the first book in the series and introduces us to two detectives. Susan Ryeland is an editor who ends up investigating the murder of one of her writers. Surprisingly, the clue to his murder lies in the detective novel he wrote featuring genius detective Atticus Pünd.
Does this sound confusing and unbelievable?
Thankfully, it’s a very straightforward read.
My Thoughts
This series is a modern-day throwback to the Golden Age of mystery fiction – lot of inspiration from the likes of Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes. There are two stories. In the modern day, Susan Ryeland investigates the murder of her author Alan Conway – who is famous for his detective novels starring Atticus Pünd. When she discovers a bizarre connection between the author’s murder and the plot of one of his books – the book takes off in the most unusual ways.
Both the mysteries in the book are solid, but I confess I have a soft corner for the Atticüs Pund one – he makes a good detective, and I love the cozy mystery vibe of the book – very much in line with Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple books set in an idyllic English village.
The book ends with a satisfactory resolution to both mysteries.
I loved this book so much, that I just plunged into Moonflower Murders immediately after.
Moonflower Murders
Moonflower Murders takes place almost a year after Magpie Murders. After the traumatic ending to the first book, Susan Ryeland has retired from editing, and is living with her boyfriend in Greece. Until she is approached by a family asking her to investigate the disappearance of her daughter, which they think could be connected to Atticüs Pund Takes The Case, a crime novel Susan edited some years previously. Susan knows she must return to London to find out what has happened.
My Thoughts
I loved this book even better than Magpie Murders. This follows the same format of two crime novels in one. But here, the modern mystery is just as strong as the mystery in the book. There are sub-plots and red herrings galore, and even though I had my suspicions, I was still really surprised by the culprit in the end.
Anthony Horowitz loves to provide clues with wordplay, anagrams, etc. and I really enjoyed this aspect. of the book. I also thought it was pretty unique that in both books, the clues to the crime were in the book written by Alan Conway.
Overall, both are super-enjoyable books, and I look forward to more Susan Ryeland books.
