This is the second book in the Susan Ryeland series by Horowitz and after thoroughly enjoying the first one, I was so excited about the second one that I preordered it from my local indie bookstore in Charleston. I became so caught up in trying to finish A Song of Fire and Ice before the close of 2020, I wasn't able to read it as soon as I got it but it was very high on my TBR in 2021.

Both Magpie Murders and Moonflower Murders focus on Susan Ryeland, editor to the famous and deceased author Alan Conway, who wrote the fictional Atticus Pund series. Ryeland worked closely with Alan Conway for years as his editor, including on his novel Atticus Pund Takes the Case which is loosely based on a murder that took place at Branlow Hall, owned and operated by Lawrence and Pauline Treherne and after their daughter, Cecily, finds a clue in Conway’s book as to who really killed the man in room 12, she abruptly goes missing. The Treherne’s call on Ryeland, hoping she will be able to locate the clue in the book and their missing daughter. This may sound a bit convoluted but I promise Horowitz does a much better job laying everything out. It is very easy to read.

As with Magpie Murders (the first in this series), Horowitz has completed Bookception—a book within a book, literally there is an entire book within this book. About halfway through Moonflower Murders, Horowitz gives us the novel Atticus Pund Takes the Case by Alan Conway. The book is absolutely necessary to knowing what happens in the central crime of this book and while I love the book within a book concept, I could see how some would become frustrated having to seemingly start over with a whole new book in the middle of the book they are currently reading!

With this being said, I find the book within a book concept to be truly original and like nothing I have ever read before. Horowitz does an incredible job developing two stories and then weaving them together, both of which not being able to stand without the other. This book was like a treasure hunt, as Alan Conway (author of the Atticus Pund series) is fond of including Easter eggs and anagrams all throughout his books. Trying to piece together clues from the Atticus Pund novel to help try and solve the central crime that Ryeland was attempting to solve kept me engaged the entire way through.

Overall, I enjoyed this clever, fast paced, classic whodunnit by an incredible author with the ability to write two books, two crimes, two casts of complex characters, and who is somehow able to seamlessly weave them all together into something so satisfying with two endings that I didn’t see coming.

Book rating: 4 stars

Similar books: Magpie Murders (earned a 4 star rating from me) and The Word is Murder (earned a 5 star rating from me) both by Anthony Horowitz are entertaining mysteries sure to keep you guessing!