Susan Ryeland · #2 / 3
Moonflower Murders
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 Trehernes 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 Branlow Hall—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 Branlow Hall. Conway based the third book in his detective series, Atticus Pund Takes the Cake, on that very crime.
The Trehernes' 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 Trehernes 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 readers 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.
The series
In the world of modern mysteries, few characters blend suspense, intrigue, and clever literary twists as seamlessly as Susan Ryeland. Anthony Horowitz's Susan Ryeland series brings a refreshing, meta approach to the genre, where the boundary between fiction and reality is constantly shifting. At its heart, the series follows Susan, a savvy editor caught up in mysteries that force her to unravel more than just the stories she's editing.
Read full series description
The beauty of Susan Ryeland lies in its intricate layering. On one level, it’s a traditional whodunit – a murder, a tangled web of motives, and a cast of suspects. But what sets this series apart is how Horowitz cleverly twists the conventions of the genre. With sharp wit and an eye for detail, Susan’s investigations lead readers into a maze of literary references, secrets within secrets, and layers of deception that mirror the very books she edits. It’s a series that knows its own formula, pokes fun at it, and then reinvents it with startling originality.
The books are more than just puzzle boxes for readers to solve—they're examinations of storytelling itself. As Susan delves deeper into each case, the narrative becomes a thrilling exploration of how stories are crafted, the power of narrative within a narrative, and the unpredictable nature of truth. The characters she encounters aren't just suspects—they’re part of a larger narrative game that plays with the reader's expectations, making each twist and turn all the more satisfying.
As Susan embarks on these complex journeys, her character evolves. Initially an editor just looking for a straightforward story, she finds herself drawn into mysteries that blur the lines between fiction and reality, often putting her own life at risk. Her personal growth, alongside the mysterious cases she faces, creates a dynamic tension that keeps readers hooked.
With its sharp dialogue, meticulously constructed plots, and delightful self-awareness, the Susan Ryeland series is a celebration of the mystery genre and the art of storytelling. Fans of classic mysteries with a contemporary twist, as well as readers who enjoy a good puzzle, will find themselves immersed in this smart, unpredictable series where nothing is quite as it seems.
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