Book Club “Magpie Murders”
For June, we chose to read Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz. A few of us were fans of the Masterpiece Mystery series on PBS that is an adaptation of this book, and were eager to read source material. The others were just excited to read what promised to be a well-crafted plot, and the fact that there are two mysteries within this book made it sound even more compelling!
Book
Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz
Description:
When editor Susan Ryeland is given the manuscript of Alan Conway’s latest novel, she has no reason to think it will be much different from any of his others. After working with the bestselling crime writer for years, she’s intimately familiar with his detective, Atticus Pünd, who solves mysteries disturbing sleepy English villages. An homage to queens of classic British crime such as Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers, Alan’s traditional formula has proved hugely successful. So successful that Susan must continue to put up with his troubling behavior if she wants to keep her job.
Conway’s latest tale has Atticus Pünd investigating a murder at Pye Hall, a local manor house. Yes, there are dead bodies and a host of intriguing suspects, but the more Susan reads, the more she’s convinced that there is another story hidden in the pages of the manuscript: one of real-life jealousy, greed, ruthless ambition, and murder.
Masterful, clever, and relentlessly suspenseful, Magpie Murders is a deviously dark take on vintage English crime fiction in which the reader becomes the detective.
Club
Snack suggestions:
While you could go for an “old and new” theme, trying to pair meals that are reminiscent of the two time periods (post WWII and modern day) in the book, we opted to serve something more in line with what Andreas would serve. While our chicken gyros and Greek salad might not more simplistic than the meals in the book, we felt they paired well with some wine.
There wasn’t a clear-cut dessert for this book, so we jumped on the idea that Alan Conway loved being cheeky with language. We made some mini pies that we dubbed “mag”pies and enjoyed the sweet treats.
Check out Cozy Crimes’ book club questions that can be used for any mystery.
Here are our questions targeted to Magpie Murders:
1. How did the Atticus Pund investigation exemplify classic mysteries and those reminiscent of the Golden Age of mysteries?
2. How was Susan Ryeland’s investigation reminiscent of a modern mystery novel?
3. How did the two mysteries intertwine and influence one another?
4. What were your thoughts about Alan Conway as a writer and as a victim?
5. How did the investigative styles of Pund and Susan differ? How did their personalities and unique skills help them solve their respective cases? How did their personal issues help or impede their searches?
6. Word games and literary tricks were vital to Alan Conway. How did they influence the plot and the theme of the book? What literary devices did you think were clever, and what were your favorites?
7. The characters have differing views on the merits of whodunits. How did each of the characters feel, and how did it influence their actions? What are your thoughts on whodunits as literature?
8. What were the key clues scattered throughout each story? How did they come together so the investigators could understand why events unfolded the way they did? How did some clues mirror each other between the literary past and the modern real world?
9. What was the significance of magpies?
10. Have you watched the Masterpiece Mysteries series Magpie Murders on PBS? Both were written by the same author. How did they compare? What changes were made to suit each medium?