One for sorrow,
Two for joy,
Three for a girl,
Four for a boy,
Five for silver,
Six for gold,
Seven for a secret,
Never to be told.
Eight for a kiss,
Nine for a wish,
Ten for a bird,
You must not miss.
Magpie Murders is a book within a book. There is a murder mystery during the 1950s in a Somerset village in the style of “Midsummer Murders” with a wide range of typical characters, each with a secret. We meet a troubled vicar, a hard-working doctor and her artistic husband, an antique dealer with a shady past and a bombastic, unpleasant lord of the Manor.
Two deaths are investigated by Atticus Pünd, a detective reminiscent of Hercule Poirot, but with a German Jewish background. Despite the large number of characters, the mystery is intriguing, though rather long-winded.
But beyond this storyline is that of Alan Conway, the author of nine novels about this popular detective. Alan is not an engaging man. He has few friends, has left his wife and child and has had a major row with his loyal sister. The heroine of this plot is Susan Ryeland, Head of Fiction at Cloverleaf Books, who has edited all of Alan’s books while keeping her distance from him. When Alan has an accident, only Susan is prepared to look for foul play, despite the opposition of her lover, her boss and the police.
This is a lengthy volume and for me only becomes interesting when Susan takes over the narrative. Structurally it is clever, and the devices Alan has used are amusing, especially in naming his characters and drawing parallels from his own life. A worthwhile read with a twist at the end but not my favourite book by Anthony Horowitz.
Magpie Murders on Amazon UK
Lizanne lost in a good book 
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