Title: Moonflower Murder
Author: Anthony Horowitz
# of pages: 400
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Expected date of publication: 20 August 2020
Published by: Random House UK
Moonflower Murders first popped up on my screen in Jan this year. Since then, I have been eagerly waiting for this book. So, you can imagine my joy when my request to review this book was accepted.
Horowitz’s books are not just immersive, they also give readers a chance to solve a mystery along with the lead character. Now we think of ourselves as Watson to Sherlock.
Moonflower murders follow the story of Susan Ryeland, who has moved on from the debacle (Magpie Murders) that destroyed her publishing career.
She, now, co-owns a hotel in Crete along with her Greek boyfriend, Andreas Patakis. The hotel hasn’t seen its finest day yet! Running the hotel is an everyday challenge, though. And amid this chaos, Susan misses her publishing career and her passion for reading books.
One quiet afternoon, the Trehearnes arrived at her hotel. Looking at them, she figures they are posh British citizens. But the moment Lawrence Trehearne approaches her, everything changes! Cecily Trehearne, their daughter, has gone missing a few weeks back. The only clue they have is Alan Conway’s book Atticus Pünd takes the case. With her proximity to Alan Conway and the editor of the Atticus Pünd series, they ask for her help. After much reluctance and thoughts, she agrees to help them.
But once she reaches Suffolk, she realizes things are more complicated. Will this be over her head? Will the history repeat itself?
Second, in the series of Magpie Murders, the book follows a similar pattern of book-within-a-book. Horowitz has enticed his readers not just with 1 but 2 convoluted and intriguing tales. And there is a bonus story hidden in the chapters of Atticus Pünd.
The initial chapters focus on Susan’s life in Greece and how she has moved on life. She is also getting used to Greek culture and understanding the language.
Like his other works, this book is also filled with classic British humour, such as,
“……Well, I suppose it was the editor in me that noticed that every single one of the reports had described the murder as brutal as if anyone was ever murdered gently or with affection.”
an excerpt from the book
And have the perfect balance between golden age detective and contemporary novels. Atticus Pünd will remind you of Hercule Poirot in over one way. These elements come together and transport you to those pages, solving the case along with the protagonist.
Thank you NetGalley and Random House UK for the copy of the ebook in exchange for my honest review.
My rating for the book is 4.5 stars.
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