Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz

Moonflower Murders

by Anthony Horowitz

A labyrinth of clues. A mystery novel hiding a deadly secret. A killer with a fiendish plot: a brilliantly intricate and original thriller from the bestselling author of Magpie Murders.
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'A beautiful puzzle: fiendishly clever and hugely entertaining. A masterpiece.' Lucy Foley, author of The Hunting Party

Retired publisher Susan Ryeland is running a small hotel on a Greek island with her long-term boyfriend. But life isn't as idyllic as it should be: exhausted by the responsibility of making everything work on an island where nothing ever does, Susan is beginning to miss her literary life in London - even though her publishing career once entangled her in a lethal literary murder plot.

So when an English couple come to visit with tales of a murder that took place in a hotel the same day their daughter Cecily was married there, Susan can't help but find herself fascinated.

And when they tell her that Cecily has gone missing a few short hours after reading Atticus Pund Takes The Case, a crime novel Susan edited some years previously, Susan knows she must return to London to find out what has happened.

The clues to the murder and to Cecily's disappearance must lie within the pages of this novel.

But to save Cecily, Susan must place her own life in mortal danger...
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Chosen as one of the New York Times' top 10 thrillers of 2020

Want to read more Atticus Pund and Susan Ryeland? Order a copy of Sunday Times bestseller and the #1 ebook bestseller MAGPIE MURDERS, out now.
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'Absolutely loved it. So clever, just masterful stuff.' Richard Osman, author of The Thursday Murder Club

'We all want to go away on foreign holidays - but I was reading Anthony Horowitz's new book based in Greece and oh my God I could taste the wine, I could see the sea, I could smell that lovely dusky air! ... It's so much fun, I'm absolutely loving it' Ryan Tubridy, RTE Radio One

'Showcases Horowitz's full battalion of strengths: the whiplash plotting, the leather-smooth prose, the bold energy and, above all, the bright spark of joy that ignites the best fiction. Sophisticated, literate novels aren't supposed to be so much fun.' AJ Finn, author of The Woman in the Window

'A mind-bending mystery to tie readers in knots' BBC

'Funny, profound and at times frightening, this is Horowitz at his very best. And the perfect jumping-on point for newcomers.' The Sun

'In his latest books, Horowitz ... showcases a cleverness and finesse that even Dame Agatha might envy. Moonflower Murders resembles a super Mobius strip, interlacing multiple degrees and levels of fictiveness.' Washington Post

'It is amongst the most ambitious formats I've ever read, as, essentially, Horowitz writes not one but two fully-fledged, distinct stories ... and both of them are brilliantly executed as exemplars in their respective genres and fields' NB Magazine

'A cracking read ... Anthony Horowitz has written another winner in my book. I couldn't wait to get to the end to see if I had the right culprit.' Woman's Way

'A masterful and muscular whodunnit ... glorious' The Business Post

'There is no mystery writer whose puzzles make me think, 'Ooh, I can't wait!' more than Anthony Horowitz. He is a master of the cunning plot device, and brings zest and originality to the traditional murder mystery novel.' Sophie Hannah

'It's a complex plot, a novel within a novel, where the reader gets to grapple with the whodunnit both in the main narrative and through an entirely separate detective story[...] They are both gripping reads' Irish Times

'So clever, a story within a story within a story. A triumph.' Kate Mosse

'A masterpiece by an author at the top of his genre.' Adam Hamdy

Reviewed by katjah on

3 of 5 stars

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Can be read as a stand-alone book. I thought the book was allright, but I didn't love it. I found the main character annoying, and I couldn't care about her struggles with her partner and living situation. Also, at times it was evident that the female main character was written by a man, for example because pretty much every other female character she encountered was immediately hostile towards her. I thought that was a shame and a bit off-putting. I actually kind of prefered the book-within-the-book, with its Agatha Christie-like narrative. 

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Reading updates

  • 21 June, 2021: Started reading
  • 21 June, 2021: on page 0 out of 608 0%
  • 10 July, 2021: Finished reading
  • 30 August, 2021: Reviewed