Tag: Reading Challenges

Book Review – Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz

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About the Book

Book cover of Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz

Crime writer Alan Conway has been a bestselling author for years. Readers love his detective, Atticus Pünd, a celebrated solver of crimes in the sleepy English villages of the 1950s.

But Conway’s latest tale of murder at Pye Hall is not quite what it seems. Yes, there are dead bodies and a host of intriguing suspects, but hidden in the pages of the manuscript lies another story: a tale written between the very words on the page, telling of real-life jealousy, greed, ruthless ambition and murder.

Format: Paperback (552 pages) Publisher: Orion
Publication date: 16th November 2017 Genre: Crime

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My Review

Magpie Murders has been in my TBR pile since 2017 and was included in my list for both the 20 Books of Summer 2022 and 2023 reading challenges. It’s satisfying to have finally read it, especially since I have a feeling it was a birthday or Christmas present.

As you’d expect from Anthony Horowitz, it’s a very clever book with an extremely intricate, skilfully crafted plot and his trademark wit. Magpie Murders pre-dates his Sherlock Holmes inspired books such as The House of Silk so it’s interesting to see allusions to Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories. For instance, Alan Conway lives in Abbey Grange, the title of a Sherlock Holmes story. And there’s a squabble over the title of a book which also features in his recent ‘Hawthorne & Horowitz’ crime series in which he plays the role of the hapless sidekick to brilliant but eccentric detective Daniel Hawthorne. (Follow the links to read my reviews of The Word Is Murder, The Sentence Is Death, A Line To Kill and The Twist Of A Knife.) And he indulges himself in a few references to his other work, such as the TV series Midsomer Murders.

Structured as a story within a story, the first half of Magpie Murders is the manuscript of a period murder mystery entitled, you guessed it: Magpie Murders. It’s written very much in the style of Agatha Christie and features a detective who you feel could easily have stood in for Hercule Poirot if needed. It has all the classic ingredients of a golden age crime novel and, to be honest, I could have happily enjoyed this in its own right. The second half of the book involves editor Susan Ryeland trying to discover whether there are clues in the manuscript that might help solve a real life crime that threatens the future of the publishing business where she works. As in the period mystery, there are plenty of suspects and the identification of the culprit turns on a small detail which I’m proud to say I spotted.

The book is lot of fun but I felt it was a little long. I found the solution of the period mystery and the motivation of the culprit far more satisfying than that of the modern day one. However, there’s no doubting the author’s cleverness and his seemingly effortless ability to pull off many different genres.

Magpie Murders is book 6 of my 20 Books of Summer 2024.

In three words: Clever, witty, assured
Try something similar: The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett

About the Author

Author Anthony Horowitz

Bestselling author Anthony Horowitz has written two highly acclaimed Sherlock Holmes novels, The House of Silk and Moriarty; three James Bond novels, Trigger Mortis, Forever and a Day and With a Mind to Kill; the acclaimed bestselling mystery novels Magpie Murders and Moonflower Murders and the Detective Hawthorne novels, The Word is Murder, The Sentence is Death, A Line To Kill, and the latest A Twist of Knife.

He is also the author of the teen spy Alex Rider series, and responsible for creating and writing some of the UK’s most loved and successful TV series, including Midsomer Murders and Foyle’s War. In January 2022 he was awarded a CBE for his services to literature.

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Book Review – Dark Frontier by Matthew Harffy @AriesFiction

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About the Book

Book cover of Dark Frontier by Matthew Harffy

A man can flee from everything but his own nature.

1890. Lieutenant Gabriel Stokes of the British Army left behind the horrors of war in Afghanistan for a role in the Metropolitan Police. Though he rose quickly through the ranks, the squalid violence of London’s East End proved just as dark and oppressive as the battlefield.

With his life falling apart, and longing for peace and meaning, Gabriel leaves the grime of London behind and heads for the wilderness and wide open spaces of the American West.

He soon realises that the wilds of Oregon are far from the idyll he has yearned for. The Blue Mountains may be beautiful, but with the frontier a complex patchwork of feuds and felonies, and ranchers as vicious as any back alley cut-throat in London, Gabriel finds himself unable to escape his past and the demons that drive him. Can he find a place for himself on the far edge of the New World?

Format: Hardcover (464 pages) Publisher: Head of Zeus
Publication date: 4th July 2024 Genre: Historical Fiction

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My Review

Nineteenth-century Oregon may be a departure in terms of period and location for Matthew Harffy but there’s no departure from the creation of a compelling and action-packed story.

The author gives Gabriel Stokes a fascinating back story: service in the British Army in Afghanistan, including exposure to the savagery of the Battle of Maiwand, followed by a stint in the Metropolitan Police during the period of the grisly Ripper murders. Gabriel’s had troubles in his personal life as well. (Surely plenty of material here for a prequel at some point?) He’s tried to blot out the traumatic memories that still give him nightmares with drink and drugs, but it hasn’t worked. He hopes the wide open spaces of Oregon and a reunion with his former commanding officer and friend, Captain John Thornfield (who also saved his life), will help him leave those memories behind.

Unfortunately for Gabriel the bad times are only just beginning, starting with the dreadful news that greets him when he arrives at the Thornfield ranch. It’s enough to drive him back into the grasp of the demons that possessed him before but, showing immense strength of character, he resists. Just.

Gabriel’s strong sense of justice means he can’t just ignore a crime, especially one that’s likely to go unpunished because power and influence seems to get you whatever you want in this neck of the woods. He’s determined to bring the culprit to account by following the same sort of diligent process he would have done back in London: gathering evidence and putting it before a court. Doing things in the right way. But as he’s warned, ‘There is no right way here. Just who’s left standing when the smoke clears. That’s the western way.’

The hard drinking, quick on the draw, grizzled old Jedidiah White makes a wonderful foil to Gabriel. Jed’s motto: Shoot first, ask questions later. Actually don’t bother with the questions. I also liked the inclusion of a character who brings unique skills to the investigation but also reflects the unhappy history of dealings between Native Americans and European settlers.

There are some great set piece scenes in which Gabriel, Jed and the Thornfield ranch hands fight the bad guys, often against the odds and with the outcome very much in doubt. We get a clear sense of the ruthless nature of the men they’re up against and how money can buy anybody and anything, including a willingness to look the other way.

Even if it moves at a trot rather than a gallop at the beginning, Dark Frontier has everything you could want from a Wild West adventure, including a little history lesson along the way about the conflict between cattle ranchers and sheep farmers. So put on your favourite Western film soundtrack (The Big Country for me), saddle on up, grab your Derringer or your Remington and set out with Gabriel to do what a man’s gotta do. Then wait for the sequel. Come on, there’s going to be one surely?

I received a proof copy courtesy of Head of Zeus. Dark Frontier is book three of my 20 Books of Summer 2024.

In three words: Authentic, gripping, action-packed
Try something similar: Road to Reckoning by Robert Lautner

About the Author

Author Matthew Harffy

Matthew Harffy grew up in Northumberland where the rugged terrain, ruined castles and rocky coastline had a huge impact on him. He now lives in Wiltshire, England, with his wife and their two daughters. Matthew is the author of the critically acclaimed Bernicia Chronicles and A Time for Swords series, and also presents the popular podcast, Rock, Paper, Swords!, with fellow author Stephen A. McKay.

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