» Click here to read Kate Ayers' review.
 

Review #1 by Ray Palen

A bestselling author and the creator of some of the most beloved TV shows in the UK, Anthony Horowitz knows how to create puzzling stories for his readers and viewers. He has even been known to use a gimmick or two to spice things up, but rarely does a novel do this seamlessly. I can only think of two modern works that nailed it: HOUSE OF LEAVES by Mark Z. Danielewski, a mental and physical puzzler, and THE NOTHING MAN by Catherine Ryan Howard, which expertly utilized the novel-within-a-novel trope.

In MOONFLOWER MURDERS, a follow-up to 2017’s MAGPIE MURDERS, Horowitz literally drops a completely different novel within the pages as both it and the narrative play off each other perfectly. The fictional Magpie Murders was such a disaster for book publisher Susan Ryeland that it drove her into retirement. That is not a bad thing as she and her Greek partner, Andreas, are now permanently ensconced in Agios Nikolaos, Crete, where they run a charming hotel, the Polydorus.

"MOONFLOWER MURDERS is a brilliant work of art that will be a delectable treat to true fans of mystery novels. I dare you not to go back and reread Atticus Pund Takes the Case upon finishing the book!"

All is fine until Susan is visited by a British couple, Lawrence and Pauline Treherne. Also hoteliers, running a popular and upscale hotel outside of London, Branlow Hall, they have come at the behest of a London solicitor who used to work with Susan. His recommendation drove them to approach her with a business proposition. Their daughter, Cecily, has disappeared, and they are at their wits’ end to find out what happened to her. They fear it must be related somehow to a well-publicized murder that happened at Branlow Hall the night of her wedding to her then-fiancée, Aiden. While the ceremony was taking place, a guest named Frank Parris was brutally beaten to death. Stefan Codrescu, a recently terminated employee, was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.

One of Susan’s former authors, the late Alan Conway, wrote the novel Atticus Pünd Takes the Case, which made quite an impression on Cecily. In fact, she swore that the narrative mimics the murder case at Branlow Hall. Ironically for Susan, Conway also wrote the now-infamous Magpie Murders. The Trehernes offer a rather hefty sum for Susan to come as their guest to Branlow Hall and spend a few days looking into both the coincidence of the novel and the real-life crime to see if there are any clues related to Cecily’s disappearance.

Susan accepts and heads back to London, leaving Andreas behind in Crete to manage their hotel. She begins by talking to each of the employees at Branlow Hall in the hopes of finding anything that has not been covered already. I hesitate to use the word “questioned” as the local PI who handled the Parris murder warned Susan off from reopening any wounds regarding his old case. One theme that runs through much of the staff is the claim of Stefan's innocence. Not everyone is forthcoming, especially Cecily's sister, Lisa, who is rather abrupt and rude when Susan speaks with her. She reaches out to both former colleagues and anyone who might have been involved in the Parris case, including the imprisoned Stefan. She even talks to her own sister, Katie, who seems to know more than she is letting on about the murder and is obviously being misleading.

Just as Susan has gathered a good amount of information from several characters, Horowitz decides to drop the Alan Conway novel directly into the narrative --- 224 pages that must be read very carefully. Somehow, Cecily only needed to read one page to know the identity of Frank's killer. Readers are not coming to Conway's novel with all the knowledge that Cecily had, but I promise you that upon finishing MOONFLOWER MURDERS, it becomes fully evident that all of the answers to Susan's questions can be found within Atticus Pünd Takes the Case. The hotel in Conway's novel, the Moonflower, is an obvious recreation of Branlow Hall, and many of the red herrings in that story were almost distracting in their overtness.

The remainder of MOONFLOWER MURDERS is the clever way that Susan goes back over bits of information she already gathered to dig further for the truth. This is done to a point where she actually puts herself in physical peril. I read the UK edition of this book, which has a beautiful flying owl on the cover. Beware the owl when it makes an appearance! The denouement, which features a group of characters in a room as Susan unveils her version of the truth, is right out of similar moments from great fictional detectives like Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot. I actually found myself not catching a breath during this part as the tension was so extreme.

MOONFLOWER MURDERS is a brilliant work of art that will be a delectable treat to true fans of mystery novels. I dare you not to go back and reread Atticus Pünd Takes the Case upon finishing the book!
 

Review #2 by Kate Ayers

Publisher Susan Ryeland has retired and moved from London to Crete with her fiancé. There, in a little village, they run a small hotel. It sounds idyllic, and it would be except that they rarely have time for each other, and Susan finds that she misses the literary world. It’s true that her wildly successful author Alan Conway was a difficult man and often rankled her --- plus a lot of others --- but he died, and Susan made her choice to move on.

"If you liked MAGPIE MURDERS, you absolutely can’t miss MOONFLOWER MURDERS. If you haven’t read the former, be sure to pick that one up, too. And delight in meeting Atticus Pünd, a methodical, smart German detective with skills akin to Miss Marple or Sherlock Holmes."

One morning, the Trehernes, a well-off English couple, approach Susan with an odd request. They, too, own a hotel, Branlow Hall, which is situated on the Sussex coast of England. Their daughter, Cecily, has recently gone missing, and they believe Susan may be able to help find her. Why? Well, years ago, Conway wrote a murder mystery titled Atticus Pünd Takes the Case, which was based on an actual murder, one that occurred at Branlow Hall. A man named Frank Parris was bludgeoned to death in his room on the day of Cecily’s wedding. The hotel’s handyman was convicted of the crime and now sits in prison. Cecily never believed that they put the right guy away. Always fighting for justice, she had looked for proof to help free the man. While reading Conway’s book, she figured out the identity of the real killer and excitedly called her parents to share the news. Right after that, she disappeared.

Will Susan look into the matter, please? She agrees, somewhat reluctantly. After all, the Trehernes have offered a handsome sum, and truth be told, she and her fiancé could use the money. Besides, some time away might clear her head.

Once at Branlow Hall, Susan encounters a whole cast of characters, many of whom seem to have no connection to Frank and no motive to have killed him. At least, upon first glance. With a little digging, though, she uncovers much more than she bargained for. Oddly, too, a number of the people she attempts to interview become openly hostile. Susan soldiers on, though, undeterred. Finally, when she reaches a dead end of sorts, she decides it’s time to stop and read Atticus Pünd Takes the Case. Possibly she will see what Cecily saw. Tucked inside MOONFLOWER MURDERS is Conway’s entire novel. So curl up, read along with Susan and try to determine who killed Frank as she does.

Anthony Horowitz’s novels deliver double the pleasure in that he gives his readers a story within a story. At the very least. Sometimes, he gives them a story within a story within a story. With so much going on, it can take some following, but he never makes it too complicated and always makes it purely pleasurable. If you liked MAGPIE MURDERS, you absolutely can’t miss MOONFLOWER MURDERS. If you haven’t read the former, be sure to pick that one up, too. And delight in meeting Atticus Pünd, a methodical, smart German detective with skills akin to Miss Marple or Sherlock Holmes. This book is destined to be a hit!