A delicious mystery within a mystery.
“Everything in life has a pattern and a coincidence is simply the moment when that pattern becomes briefly visible.”
― Moonflower Murders
Susan Ryeland, a former book publisher, has retired in Crete with her boyfriend. A British couple implore her to help them find their missing daughter, Cecily, who had some dealings with Alan Conway — the author who was murdered in Magpie Murders (another fantastic read).
As Ryeland investigates the real life disappearance of Cecily and murder of a hotel guest, she understands why Cecily sought out Conway — his third novel, Atticus Pünd Takes the Case, mirrored many of the events and contained clues to the murderer.
I loved the twisty way this novel within a novel works. Not only do we watch Ryeland investigate (with the crotchety modern day detective), we read Atticus Pund Takes the Case with Ryeland to discover the clues to solve the modern day murder.
This intricate, brain challenging, literary mystery is a treat for lovers of Hercules Poirot, word lovers and mysteries set in small English villages.
Other titles to sample:
Eight Perfect Murders
Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz