Moonflower Murders

I throughly enjoyed Magpie Murders. Moonflower Murders is living up to the bar that was set. I am looking forward to more of Alan Conway's books, Susan and Pund in the future. Most excellent series I highly recommend. Lots of twists and turns that leave you guessing to the end. I love the characters, the writing and the parallel investigation from the book and real time. Great writing, acting and story. Wonderful series I highly recommend for a light murder mystery. So much today is so dark and depressing. It's nice to watch something that actually makes you think about what's going on. No profanity, sex and very little violence. It engages the mind to figure out who did what when. So looking forward to future series.

I agree with other reviewers. This series was good but the Magpie Murders was top notch. It just seemed to flow a little better than this series.

I found myself getting really confused with the characters. Like the actresses' husband looked just like her doctor (not sure of the names). It was just not as smooth and easy to follow as Magpie series.

The string of possible suspects was endless. Everyone was so unlikeable in their own way. This made for an interesting whodoneit.

Atticus was wonderful as usual. A great detective. I'm not sure if I really like Susan but perhaps she is not meant to be that likeable. Even her own sister did not want to confide in her. It was also nice to see Mr. Beard. I really enjoyed his character from the Magpie series as Allen's boy toy. He ended up being a great contributor.

One case had a big twist but the other case was rather obvious, really.

I do hope the series, or ones similar continues.

I don't agree with the couple of negative reviews here. I found the story and writing very good (Anthony Horowitz adapting his own novel). The plot was twisty and engaging, and the 'story in a story' keeps you on your toes.

If you liked Magpie Murders, you'll very probably like Moonflower Murders. It's once again a well-written recreation of the 'golden age' whodunnit.

The interaction between Susan and Pünd is always enjoyable. Susan's personal drama does not get too much in the way of the murder mystery, and the mingling of the two feels relevant.

I hear the third Susan Ryeland novel is coming out in March 2025 and I'm hoping it will also be adapted to TV. This is very competent and enjoyable television and a treat for murder mystery fans.

A very good beginning to this fresh new series. After Magpie, it finds our heroine in Greece, running a restaurant with her guy. The restaurant is a disaster, in disrepair and close to financial ruin. She has about had enough. While she is trying to figure things out, a man and a woman come to her and tell her that their daughter has been missing and a book written by the man for whom she was an editor, holds the secret. They offer to pay her a huge sum of money to find the daughter. They say the secret lies in the book. We are then introduced to principle figures. We also realize, as with Magpie, we have actors double cast as characters from present and past. As she is trying to make up her mind, the figure of Atticus Pund appears--her alter ego. Things get cooking but we need to wait.

This sequel to the 'Magpie Murders' opens at a country hotel where a wedding is taking place. Events are disturbed when the body of a guest is discovered in his room. A member of staff, an ex-offender, is quickly arrested and it appears that the case is closed. Eight years later the bride at that wedding has disappeared shortly after claiming the police got the wrong man... she believed the real killer is identified in an 'Atticus Pünd' novel which was inspired by the original murder. Her parents approach the late author's editor, Susan Ryeland, hoping she will be able to find their missing daughter. As with the 'Magpie Murders' the action is divided between Susan's investigation and a dramatization of the fifties-set novel.

Having really enjoyed the 'Magpie Murders' I was keen to see this... while I don't think this was quite as good it was still a lot of fun. I liked how many cast members appear in dual roles; playing a person in the present mystery and the character they inspired in the novel. The cast does a fine job bringing the various characters to life. Mystery fans should be satisfied by the variety of suspects and motives that should keep people guessing for most of the series. The ending was solid although I preferred the resolution of the Pünd case more than the real world one. The series contains little that might offend; even the original hammer-murder isn't gory or disturbing; a sex scene, that is crucial to the plot, is tame and I didn't recall any overly strong language. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to anybody who liked the 'Magpie Murders' or classic murder mysteries.