Gus Murphy
hardboiled mystery
Series · crime
Susan Ryeland (Magpie Murders)
The Susan Ryeland (Magpie Murders) series by Anthony Horowitz has 3 known books (3 published). It is best read in publication order, starting with Magpie Murders (2016). Marble Hall Murders is the latest book with a fully recorded publication date.
- Books
- 3 known books (3 novels)
- Published
- 3
- First published
- 2016
- Status
- ongoing
- Shelved under
- Mystery & Crime
Start here: Magpie Murders (2016)
— then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
Magpie Murders
Magpie Murders introduced the series in October 2016 at 236 pages, launching Anthony Horowitz's nesting-doll structure in which book editor Susan Ryeland investigates a real murder mirroring a manuscript she's editing -- a complete Atticus Pund whodunit folded inside her own. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Magpie Murders - Book 2:
Moonflower Murders
Four years later, at more than double the length of the opener, Moonflower Murders (2020) runs 560 pages and finds Susan running a small Greek hotel before being pulled into another Pund-shaped mystery. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Moonflower Murders - Book 3:
Marble Hall Murders
Marble Hall Murders (2025), the longest entry yet at 592 pages, has Susan reluctantly agreeing to edit a third, unauthorized Atticus Pund continuation novel by a new author. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Marble Hall Murders
Key facts about the Susan Ryeland (Magpie Murders) series
Our list has 3 books in the Susan Ryeland (Magpie Murders) series. Since all 3 are out now, you can read the whole list today.
Start with Magpie Murders, since it opens the publication order in 2016. Moonflower Murders is book 2, from 2020. Marble Hall Murders is book 3, from 2025.
The list keeps the books in date order, while each title links to its own page. Each book page shows its dates and editions.
Marble Hall Murders is the latest book with a full release date, out on 10 April 2025. The catalogue marks it as ongoing, yet no next book has a date so far.
The books came out between 2016 and 2025, while their length runs from 236 to 592 pages. That is a run of 9 years.
Anthony Horowitz has 43 books on our list. Additionally, they write The Diamond Brothers, Groosham Grange and Alex Rider, plus 3 more series. We shelve the books under crime.
About the Susan Ryeland (Magpie Murders) series
The Susan Ryeland series is Anthony Horowitz's tribute to golden-age British detective fiction, built on a nesting-doll structure: each novel follows book editor Susan Ryeland investigating a real murder that eerily mirrors the plot of a manuscript she's editing -- a complete, fully-plotted whodunit-within-the-whodunit starring fictional 1950s detective Atticus Pund. Readers effectively get two mysteries per book, Susan's contemporary investigation and Pund's period one, with clues in the manuscript sometimes illuminating the real case Susan is chasing.
Magpie Murders (2016) introduced the format to wide acclaim and was adapted into a PBS/BritBox television series. Moonflower Murders (2020) found Susan running a small Greek hotel and pulled back into another Pund-shaped mystery, while Marble Hall Murders (2025) has her reluctantly agreeing to edit a third, unauthorized Atticus Pund continuation novel by a new author -- again finding real danger folded into its pages. Each entry works as a satisfying pure mystery on its own while building Susan's ongoing arc as a reluctant amateur detective increasingly entangled with her own authors' fiction.
Running since 2016 with three novels so far, Susan Ryeland stands alongside Hawthorne & Horowitz as one of the two major pillars of Anthony Horowitz's acclaimed adult crime-writing career, distinguished by its structural cleverness and deep affection for classic detective fiction.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in the Susan Ryeland series?
3 books, published from Magpie Murders (2016) through Marble Hall Murders (2025).
What order should I read the Susan Ryeland books in?
Publication order, used here. Each book contains a self-contained mystery, but Susan's own life and career develop across the series, so reading in order is recommended.
What is the story-within-a-story structure?
Each novel interleaves Susan Ryeland's real-world investigation with the complete text of a manuscript she's editing -- a period detective novel starring fictional sleuth Atticus Pund -- whose plot echoes or illuminates the real murder Susan is chasing.
Was Magpie Murders adapted for television?
Yes -- a PBS Masterpiece/BritBox television adaptation of Magpie Murders aired in 2022, with a Moonflower Murders adaptation following in 2025.
Is the Susan Ryeland series connected to Hawthorne & Horowitz?
No -- they're separate adult crime series by Anthony Horowitz with different lead characters and no shared continuity.
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