Moonflower Murders

A Novel

By: Anthony Horowitz

Narrated by: Lesley Manville, Allan Corduner

Length: 18 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

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 Halle—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 listeners 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.

©2020 Anthony Horowitz (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers

I want the next one now!

Though a little “twisty turny“ thoroughly engaging. You do have to pay a bit more attention than one might ordinarily pay it is worth it. Maybe the next one will be a book within a book within a book. Characters well drawn, plot complicated but engaging, scenes brought to life with creation of atmosphere rather than boring descriptions. Loved it!

Not as good as Magpie Murders

This was certainly an enjoyable read, and perhaps I’m being unfair to compare it to Magpie Murders, but they are very similar in style and format. One of my biggest issues with this book was the female narrator. She made very little effort to change her voice when she was speaking the part of a man. The only exception to this was when she adopted an Irish accent when she was reading as Aidan. The Irish accent was actually pretty good. But otherwise, it was extremely difficult to tell who was speaking, and I found that rather annoying.
The narrator aside, it was a good book, and it certainly filled many enjoyable hours. I gave it four stars.

Entertaining enough.

Performances are great. Not a huge fan of mysteries that are all but impossible to solve since the audience is not privy to all the clues.

Must read!

Layer after layer of intrigue, mystery and fun, something I've come to expect from this author. Highly recommend!

"Twisty"

A good book within a good book. loved both of them. Narrator was great. Hidden clues are everywhere but they are well hidden. Enjoy!

Excellent Narration and Story

Enjoyed it! I recommend this mystery which balances the right amount of intrigue, character development and dialog. I am a big fan of Lesley Manville and especially enjoy her narration, she is convincing and draws the reader into the story.

A mystery fiction-lover's mystery

Like his Daniel Hawthorne mysteries, and this novel's predecessor, Magpie Murders, Horowitz creates another referential delight for whodunit enthusiasts. In this case, the meta layers include a contemporary missing woman plot, a retired mystery editor (Susan Ryeland), a novel by her late client (mystery novelist Atticus Pund) -- rendered essential in its entirety within The Moonflower Murders -- and plenty of literary wordplay. Not quite the broken fourth wall of "The Word is Murder," this one is still epic fun for folks with shelves full of Christie, Sayers, Tey, Conan Doyle, and on through Sue Grafton, Tony Hillerman, and Ann Cleeves. Insider tip: Read Horowitz's Guardian article entitled "My First Boss" and see if you can name the Moonflower character he inspired!

I like these story in a story books

The story in a story is a challenge to follow but are enjoyable to read. Thank you!

Masterfully written!

This mystery was intricate and engrossing. I could not stop listening. Enjoyed it thoroughly! I’m glad I found it.

Fantastic!

Loved it! Very enjoyable, quite unexpected ending. Highly recommend it to the genre lovers.
Horowitz is at his best.