I love Anthony Horowitz but this wasn't my favorite - and that's okay because I was still entertained. And with the Susan Ryeland mysteries, you basically get two books in one.

Having two separate stories does make me prefer one over the other. I liked the Susan/real storyline better than the Pund book at first (I found "Pund's Last Case" hard to follow and kept confusing characters). But then I liked the Pund storyline better toward the end when it was all the real people as fictional characters. I do appreciate that Susan isn't an idiot but I figured it out along with her about whodunnit and the various secrets everyone was hiding and that isn't fun - I want to be fooled! I want clues that are sprinkled around and I can't tie them all together until they are displayed at the end for me!

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review in advance of publication!

I’ll be honest: I kind of read this book as a mistake because the cover design made me think this was part of his other detective series. Once I realized it was the third book in a series I actually don’t like, I almost didn’t give feedback on it at all! But then I saw that it was marketed as a standalone and I thought all right I’ll see how it goes. This was actually an excellent mystery which I greatly enjoyed and would definitely recommend! Bonus for me: I read this while I was actually visiting London and felt like I was in the novel as I read it, so that was a very cool reading experience.

As a longtime Anthony Horowitz fan—starting all the way back with Alex Rider—anytime he releases a new novel, it shoots straight to the top of my reading list. And, as always, he doesn’t disappoint. Marble Hall Murders, the third book in the Susan Ryeland series, is another masterfully crafted mystery.

I strongly recommend reading the first two books before diving into this one, as Marble Hall Murders references key details from the first title. Horowitz once again uses his signature book within a book structure, as Susan finds herself editing a new Atticus Pünd mystery—this time penned by a different author. But as she digs in, she begins to suspect that the novel may be mirroring a real-life murder—the death of the author’s grandmother.

Beyond the mystery itself, readers will get an inside look at the publishing world, and Horowitz keeps things engaging with plenty of red herrings. The story practically pulls you to the finish line, making it hard to put down.

I only hope this isn’t the final book in the series, as it appears to be. If it is, Marble Hall Murders is a fantastic (but bittersweet) conclusion.

First, anytime you see the name Anthony Horowitz, you know it’s going to be great, and Marble Hall Murders is no exception. In fact now that Atticus Pund is a television series it added to the enjoyment of the book and was fun picturing Susan, Atticus and the other characters.

Susan has moved to England and is trying to get back into the publishing industry. . Her new boss assigned her a writer, who was known trouble, and writing the new Atticus Pund book. The author doesn’t want Susan to critique or change his book, only to read it. Although the book so far is quite good, Susan discovers he’s had a terrible childhood being the grandson of a famous children’s writer, and he’s writing a thinly veiled novel with his entire family in it. Not only that but he’s friends with Charles wife, the man Susan put in prison. Susan becomes a little too nosy in everyone’s life and is in danger on all sides. With multi layered multiple plots Horowitz once again proves himself to be a master at mystery, and creating characters. I only hope there’s many more books in this series. They’re not to be missed. I’d give it more than 5 stars.

Number three in the Susan Ryeland series (after Magpie Murders and Moonflower Murders — both now streaming on Masterpiece). Susan was the editor of the fantastically successful Atticus Pünd detective series — from inception until disastrous events brought the series to an end. You’d think she would have had enough, but dire straights lead her to accept a job editing a continuation novel, written by Eliot Crace — a well-known loose cannon who is nevertheless blessed with a beloved children’s author as a (now deceased) grandmother.

It’s a classic story-within-a-story format — we’re reading the Crace novel as fast as he produces pages while simultaneously reading Ryeland’s story as she keeps sticking her nose into the author and the story, which continues to mirror reality to an uncomfortable extent. The two stories dovetail in weird and twisted ways and I never saw what was coming, though the clues were all there. I love Horowitz’s writing — clear and concise and bringing characters to life with minimal, essential, prose. The mystery (two in parallel really, one fictional and one not) is excellent on its own, but I also loved the meta layer exposure of the literary world — how writers write, the relationship between author and editor, and basic survival tips for the publishing industry. It’s full of anagrams, ethical discussions, and deliciously clever (albeit often evil) moves. I always appreciate a book that has no stupidity — intentional or not — in its pages!

Some facts new to me: According to the Authors, Licensing and Collecting society, the average salary earned by a novelist is a mere 7,000 pounds a year — not a lot (not even a little, really). There are around 200,000 books published in the UK every year ( and as many as 1 million in the USA) and as Horowitz writes: “How many of them do you really think are going to end up on the front table at Waterstones?.” Lastly, I had never heard of the Nazca lines in Peru — giant geoglyphs in a Peruvian desert dated between 500 BC and 500 AD that are so large they can be seen from space (for those who have read it, this reminded me of Vonnegut’s Sirens of Titan.

Easy read, completely engaging, and (IMHO) book clearly better than the Masterpiece series (which itself is very good, but the book is better)

I was so excited to get my hands on this ARC, and it did not disappoint! . Susan is now a freelance editor and is given the opportunity to edit a new Atticus Pünd novel titled Pünd's Last Case by Eliot Crace. Eliot's grandmother, Marian Crace, was a famous children's book author who died 15 years ago, and Eliot believes she was poisoned. Susan starts to make connections from the Atticus Pünd novel to Marian Crace's death.

This is the third and seemingly last book in the Susan Ryeland series, and I'm sad to see her go. I really enjoy following her and her precious cat! This is one of the best modern mystery series I've read, and you need to get your hands on it! This book does spoil the ending to Magpie Murders, so make sure to read that one first!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I love Anthony Horowitz! This was another excellent entry in the Susan Ryeland series. As always, great characters and an interesting and intricate plot with the novel within a novel conceit. Now I'm hoping for the next entry in the Daniel Hawthorne series.

I had mixed feelings about this one. It’s very very long…albeit with several mysteries in one book. Some of the mysteries were obvious to me, others not. Virtually all the characters in the main mystery and the mystery within the mystery were nasty, loathsome. Normally I enjoy unlikeable characters but this was overwhelming. Susan Rylance makes odd choices, is defensive about being an almost murder victim and is basically persecuted by almost every other character. Yet I kept reading! The book is clever and well-written and kept my interest to the end

Love Anthony Horowitz and this books takes on similar characters to prior books in series.... this reads a bit more like a script for the next series rather than a mystery .

Definitely the weakest of the series, though it's always nice to revisit our old friends. The thing is, Susan has learned nothing from her scrapes and the reader is left to roll her eyes at her willingness to charge directly into dumb situations.

3.8 stars, rounded to 4.

So, editor Susan Ryeland had done what we’ve all seen coming; she’s left Greece and Andreas and returned to England for good (it was becoming hard to keep inventing reasons to go back for long periods of time.). Now she’s freelancing and has a job working on…wait for it…PUND’S LAST CASE with a writer named Eliot Crace, the grandson of famous children’s author Miriam Crace who died twenty years ago. Eliot believes his grandmother was poisoned and it becomes clear he placed clues in his manuscript. Someone is unhappy about that, murder results and Susan is a suspect.

Horowitz’s books are always entertaining and here we have the book within the book to enjoy. I guessed correctly about where Susan’s future cases may come from and even guessed the identity of the killer before the reveal, so I’m feeling quite proud of myself (there is one clue partway through that points in the right direction, but it could also mean nothing.) Anyway, I enjoy this series and the publishing aspects, so I’m anxious to see what comes next. It would be nice if Susan had people in her life who weren’t nuts.

Where do I begin? This is the third (and I think final, sob) book in the Magpie Murders series. It can stand alone, but will ruin especially the first book, but I can highly recommend the first two books, so definitely read those first. Without ruining or spoiling, wow! This book takes you on an adventure. And just like the first two books it like getting two for one, because there is always another book written within. There are some very likable characters, especially the main and narrator of all three, Susan Ryland. There are also some highly annoying ones as there are in all of them. But they make the books so much fun in my opinion. If you love twisty turns with a lot of funny moments, you will love this one!

Anthony Horowitz never dissapoints. I have read all books and watched all the streaming interpretations. This was no exception. A great mystery written in his fabulous stule with great characters and twists and turns.

Horowitz has done it again. The continuation of the magpie murders and moonflower murders is a thrilling phenomenal read that keeps you gripping the edge of your seat with anticipation the whole time.

Susan Ryeland swears, after this outing, she is done with Atticus Pund and Alan Conway forever. I, for one, hope she is wrong. The book within a book conceit takes a new turn when the author is indisposed and Susan must find a new way to tie up the ending. Susan is up a creek. She's working with a new author on a continuation novel under dubious, tenuous circumstances. The author in questions plans to air his family's dirty laundry through thinly veiled plot contrivances, and the members of the clan are afraid a reckoning may tarnish the image of their late grandmother, whose public image as a beloved children's author is a cash cow upon which they all depend. Susan is also accepting tentative overtures from the wife of the man who tried to kill her in the first book. And to top it all of, she's got a new flat and a new cat that she's not too sure about. Maybe Susan is done with AP and AC, but I hope Anthony Horowitz is not done with her.

This third (and presumably final) book in the "Magpie Murders" series has Susan Ryeland back in London and looking to resume her career in publishing. In the previous books in the series, her main author, Alan Conway, died while the last book in his wildly successful crime novels featuring the detective Atticus Pünd was being prepared for publication. The final chapter, which revealed the murderer in that book, was missing and trying to track it down to finish the book put Susan in danger and exposed Alan's killer. Now Susan has been contacted by one of her publishing friends and asked to edit a new book being written featuring Atticus Pünd. Susan is shocked that the character is being brought back by a new author, but she agrees to work on the project (hoping it will lead to a permanent position in publishing). The author of the new book, Eliot Crace, is the grandson of another famous author, Miriam Crace. Miriam died 20 years ago, but the beloved characters she created in her Little People books continue to create a large income for her estate, which is currently run by her son Jonathan. Eliot is a mess, having abused alcohol and drugs for his entire life. Even now, when he gives Susan the first third of his book to read, he's disheveled and rude. Eliot's book makes up the "book-within-a-book" mystery that has been a feature of the previous two Pünd books. Eliot's book is about an elderly wealthy woman who dies at her summer estate in France in 1955. She had recently met up with Pünd by chance and asked him to visit her at her home to discuss a situation that had upset her greatly. She died before Pünd could meet with her. The death seems to be suspicious, even though the woman was terminally ill and only expected to live a few more weeks. Pünd must investigate the case and find out who wanted to hasten her death. As Susan reads the book, she can't help but notice the similarities between the characters and Eliot Crace's own family. The names and relationships all mirror one another, and Eliot soon confides in Susan that he doesn't believe his grandmother's death all those years ago was from natural causes. Susan becomes involved in two mysteries -- what is the solution to the current novel, and was Miriam Crace actually murdered as well? As many people turn hostile toward Susan, she wonders if someone is trying to stop her investigations, or whether her own past might be catching up with her.

Since the first two books have been turned into a TV series, it was very useful to place the actors into the action of the story (Susan, Atticus, Alan). I enjoyed the two dueling narratives, although the hostility and anger directed at Susan from all directions seemed a bit too much. I also didn't like how several times in the book one of the characters would say, "I know who the killer is" then refuse to tell because "I'm still working out the details." When the answer was eventually provided, there was never any clarification as to what "details" needed to be worked out. It was frustrating and done several times, so double the annoyance for the reader! Other than that, I enjoyed the story, and I appreciated the London settings, and the name drops of other mystery writers. I'm looking forward to seeing this latest outing turned into another series, and I will be interested to see if this really is the last we hear from Susan and Atticus.

What a great end to the series. Initially, I found the literary device difficult (story within a story) however seeing the tv series made me go back to the book and all became clear. Great story, fast paced, enjoyable, a certain amount of levity. All in all a fun read. I look forward to seeing it on the screen.