Magpie Murders
Magpie Murders is a 2016 mystery novel by British author Anthony Horowitz and the first novel in the "Susan Ryeland" series. The story focuses on the murder of a mystery author and utilises a story within a story format. The book has been translated into multiple languages and has been adapted into a six-part drama series. Synopsis. Susan Ryeland is the editor of the mystery author Alan Conway, who is known for his well-received series of novels centring upon the detective Atticus Pünd and for being very difficult to work with. Fans are eagerly awaiting Conway 's latest novel, rumoured to be the last in the series, but when Susan reads through the manuscript she discovers that it is unfinished. Shortly after she hears on the news that Alan Conway has died. In order to discover the whereabouts of the final chapters Susan begins an investigation of her own and finds that the novel may have been based on true events, causing someone to murder Conway. Development. Horowitz first developed the concept of "Magpie Murders" during the first season of "Midsomer Murders", which premiered in 1997. He has stated that he wanted the novel to "be  more than just a murder mystery story" and to be "a sort of a treatise on the whole genre of murder mystery writing. How the writers come up with the ideas; how these books are formed." Release. Magpie Murders was first released in hardback and e-book format in the United Kingdom on 6 October 2016 through Orion. An audiobook adaptation narrated by Allan Corduner and Samantha Bond was simultaneously released through Orion and BrillianceAudio. The novel was given a release in the United States the following year through Harper and HarperAudio in hardback, e-book, and audiobook format. Paperback  editions were released in the United Kingdom in 2017 and the United States in 2018. In the following years the novel has been released into multiple languages that include Korean and Japanese (2018, through Kyŏnggi-do P'aju-si and 東京創元社, respectively), as well as Chinese and German (2019, 新星出版社 and Berlin Insel Verlag, respectively). Adaptation. In July 2020 "Deadline" announced that PBS’ "Masterpiece" would adapt the novel into a six-part drama series and air it in the US, and on BritBox in the UK. Horowitz will prepare the script and "Masterpiece" will produce it along with Jill Green and  Eleventh Hour Films. Tim McMullan was signed to portray the character of Atticus Pünd after actor Timothy Spall pulled out of the production due to scheduling issues, while Lesley Manville plays the central character of Susan. Daniel Mays, Alexandros Logothetis, Jude Hill, and Claire Rushbrook are also part of the series' cast. Reception. Reception for "Magpie Murders" was largely positive, earning a "Rave" rating from the book review aggregator Book Marks based on eight independent reviews. It was reviewed by outlets such as the "New York Times" and "Time" magazine, the latter of which called it the "thinking mystery fan ’s ideal summer thriller." Common praise for the series centered upon its characters and the use of the story within a story, with some criticism noting that the story within a story also made it difficult to keep up with the goings on.