Andrew Horowitz’s Moonflower Murders is a sequel to the acclaimed Magpie Murders, which in turn was Horowitz’s take on an Agatha Christie novel. One of the best writers to adapt other author’s styles (he’s done Conan Doyle and Fleming), Horowitz once again takes up the mantle to produce not one but two mystery stories. The first has a modern flair, but the other is in the style of the premier Grand Dame of Mystery herself.
Like Magpie, Horowitz has a story within a story. Retired editor Susan Ryeland is approached by the owners of Branlow Hall, a quaint inn in Suffolk, to solve the disappearance of their daughter. Why did they want to hire an editor? Because the owners believe Susan has edited a book in her past that contains the clues to both their daughter’s whereabouts and a murder that happened years ago at the inn.
Some context. When she was an editor, Susan worked with Alan Conway, a brilliant mystery writer who wrote cozy mysteries with a German detective, Atticus Pünd. Alan also visited Branwell Manor soon after a murder occurred there looking for inspiration for his next novel, Atticus Pünd Takes the Case. Not only did Alan find material for the story, he also figured out the identity of the killer. While writing the fictional story of a murder connected to his version of Branwell, Conway left subtle clues within the text pointing to the “real” murderer. The owner’s daughter read the story years later, spotted the clues, but then vanished after telling her parents she discerned the secrets Conway wrote about. The owners of Branlow Hall—known as the Moonflower Hotel in Conway’s novel—want Susan to investigate, and she agrees.
Thus begins the first mystery. About two-thirds the way through, Susan sits down and rereads Atticus Pünd Takes the Case. And that is the hook that makes Moonflower Murders stick in this reader’s memory. In the middle of this book, another story starts over—with a cover, copyright, chapter, and full novel included—allowing the reader to read the book Susan edited. Inserting the fictional novel is one of the cleverest gimmicks I’ve seen in writing in a long time, if not ever.
This review must evaluate Moonflower Murders and Atticus Pünd Takes the Case each on their own terms as they are two different mysteries.
For the Atticus Pünd novel, it effectively mimics Agatha Christie. Like Magpie Murders, I found Horowitz’s cozy mystery a delight to read. I enjoy Dame Christie’s novels and most of the Golden Age books so this should come as no surprise. The set up and solution was fun, and it could stand in that age as one of the better offerings.
But what about the modern-day murders in Branlow Hall? Again, this mirrored Magpie Murders for me as the action in the “real” world had to tie into the cozy mystery. While it does so effectively, the “actual” murders are more mundane. Also, too many coincidences occur in the “real world,” and the solution, though it makes sense, wasn’t as thrilling.
While the gimmick is top-notch, one has to wonder if it had been better for Anthony Horowitz to have just published the cozy mysteries “in the style of Agatha Christie.” He had done this in the past with Ian Fleming. I find his Atticus Pünd stories the best parts of these novels, though perhaps others who enjoy modern mysteries might disagree.
Moonflower Murders has taken the story within a story idea and elevated it to a new level. The major clue for solving the mystery at Branlow Hall is sitting within the pages of Atticus Pünd Takes the Case right where the missing daughter spots it. A fun read, though the cozy mystery overshadows the modern one. It’s two-books-in-one for mystery lovers everywhere.
Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084VRHJX8