Anthony Horowitz’s Magpie Murders – a Mystery Within a Mystery

To say that Anthony Horowitz is prolific is like saying that the sky is blue. The British novelist and screenwriter is responsible for some of the most popular mystery series on both sides of the pond and, indeed, around the world. At a young age, Horowitz found his escape in books so it’s not surprising that the first books he published were for children, including series like The Diamond Brothers, Alex Rider, and The Power of Five (known in the U.S. as The Gatekeepers). Lucky for adult fans he soon branched out to an older audience. He created and directed many episodes of Midsomer Murders, wrote 11 screenplays for episodes of Agatha Christie’s Poirot, and (hold onto your hat), created, wrote, and directed eight seasons of Foyle’s War, which starred Michael Kitchen as a chief superintendent investigating crime in the midst of World War II.

Horowitz also writes bestselling mysteries. (His latest, The Twist of a Knife, fourth in the Hawthorne and Horowitz series, will be published on November 15.) The first in his Susan Rylan series, Magpie Murders, adapted for PBS with six episodes now airing on PBS, showcases Horowitz’s talent for creating innovative mystery plots. 

Conleth Hill as Alan Conway (Photo Credit: © Eleventh Hour Films)

Susan Ryland (played by the marvelous Lesley Manville) is a book editor whose popular author, Alan Conway (Conleth Hill) delivers his new manuscript. Because Conway’s mysteries are not only bestsellers, but basically keep the publishing house in the black, each book he delivers is highly anticipated. Ryland takes the pages home with her but is in for two shocks. In the early chapters, Conway’s protagonist, detective Atticus Pünd, discovers he has cancer with only months to live. Does this mean Conway’s latest will be his last? Being delivered a death sentence doesn’t prevent the fictional Atticus from taking on yet another case.

Ryland’s second shock: the final chapter is missing, leaving the killer’s identify a mystery. The next day, Ryland seeks out the publishing house’s owner, Charles Clover (Michael Maloney), but discovers he’s in the dark, too. The situation gets more serious, however, when they learn Conway has been found dead, apparently after a fall from the tower in his country mansion.

Tim McMullan as Atticus Pünd and Matthew Beard as Fraser (Photo Credit: © Eleventh Hour Films)

What makes Magpie Mysteries unique is that the action shifts back and forth between the present, with Susan trying to find the missing chapter and, hopefully, discover whether Conway died by suicide or was murdered, and the 1950s, when Conway’s detective works his last case – helping a young couple, Robert Blakiston (Harry Lawtey) and Joy Sanderling (Nia Deacon) with a serious problem – while dealing with his terminal illness. In each scenario, time is of the essence, facts are missing, and suspects plentiful.

Harry Lawtey as Robert Blakiston and Nia Deacon as Joy Sanderling (Photo Credit: © Eleventh Hour Films)

Finding the final chapter is only one challenge Susan faces. Her boyfriend, Alexandros (Andreas Patakis), is tired of teaching Greek at a fancy school where the students are entitled and bored. He’s thinking of moving to Greece to run a restaurant and wants Susan to come with him. Susan, meanwhile, is being pressured by Charles to take over the company since he wants to retire. But Susan knows she won’t be able to make any decision until she finds that final chapter which she is convinced holds clues to how Alan died.

Magpie Murders is Horowitz at his best. There’s only one mystery to be solved. How can we keep up with this talented writer who resembles the Energizer Bunny on speed? Not sure, but we’re eager to try.

The six episodes of Magpie Murders can be seen on PBS Masterpiece Mystery (check local schedules) and streamed on PBS Passport.