Oxmoor Page Turners (January 2018 Selection): Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz

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Oxmoor Page Turners is a book group and meets January 9, 2018 at 6:30 p.m. We pick one title per month from various fiction and nonfiction writers.  Snacks are served at each meeting.  Come join us!!

Our pick for January 2018 is Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz .

Anthony Horowitz is an English author who knew he was going to be a writer since the was eight years old.  His first novel was published at the age of 22.  Since then he as written over 40 books, various television shows and mini-series, and countless other journalism projects ranging from newspaper articles to travel pieces from all over the world.

Horowitz is best known for the Alex Rider series – a series centered around a teenage spy named Alex Rider.  Selling more than 19 million copies, the series consists of 11 novels, 5 graphic novels, 3 short stories, a companion book, a movie and video game.

He has participated some unique projects.  First, he was tapped by the Conan Doyle Estate and Orion Books to write two new Sherlock Holmes novels:  The house of silk : a Sherlock Holmes novel  and Moriarty : a novel.  This project was touted as the first time the Conan Doyle Estate authorized new official  Sherlock Holmes works.   This was followed by Trigger mortis: a James Bond novel This book was commissioned by the estate of Ian Fleming, the creator of the James Bond series, and was revealed to coincide with Fleming’s 107th birthday.

32075854Magpie murders / Anthony Horowitz

When editor Susan Ryeland is given the manuscript of Alan Conway’s latest novel, she has no reason to think it will be much different from any of his others. After working with the bestselling crime writer for years, she’s intimately familiar with his detective, Atticus Pünd, who solves mysteries disturbing sleepy English villages. An homage to queens of classic British crime such as Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers, Alan’s traditional formula has proved hugely successful. So successful that Susan must continue to put up with his troubling behavior if she wants to keep her job.

Conway’s latest tale has Atticus Pünd investigating a murder at Pye Hall, a local manor house. Yes, there are dead bodies and a host of intriguing suspects, but the more Susan reads, the more she’s convinced that there is another story hidden in the pages of the manuscript: one of real-life jealousy, greed, ruthless ambition, and murder.