Before I started Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz I re-read my reviews of Magpie Murders and Moonflower Murders and realised this review was going to be similar. Firstly it's very long. And though I LOVED the book within a book theme again, I feel like Horowitz spends too long in the fictitious inner novel before getting back to real life. Here—we get so embedded in the fictional Pünd plot I thought maybe there wasn't going to be a real-life mystery— but was again being jolted out of the book within a book and and reminded there was another layer to come. I realise that sounds as a criticism but it's really more that I was quite contented, completely lost in the Pünd account so would have happily stayed there.

Horowitz knows the literary (and television) industry well so he's easily able to place readers amongst it. Here through editor Susan who worked with Pünd's original creator - Alan Conway, an antagonistic type who came to hate his literary creation and developed great disdain for his work and the world in which it sat. Horowitz (through Susan) does however, reflect on his brilliance and ability to hide clues and little puzzles [in his work] to entertain himself and have a little joke at readers' expense.

Here Eliot Crace is recruited to recreate Pünd. Despite his literary legacy Eliot had no success with his own attempt at crime fiction. His new publisher thinks he can nail the voice and writing style of Conway, and if not, Conway's original editor (Susan) will help. Susan is a tad reluctant but needs the money so begrudgingly starts reading his half-finished manuscript.

And there we spend a lengthy amount of time in the mid 1950s as Pünd is beseeched by [a character who'd featured in a previous novel] to visit her in southern France on an urgent matter. But of course, when Pünd arrives, she's already dead (Horowitz again showing some deference to Dame Agatha!). The victim was wealthy, but diagnosed with a terminal illness so in many ways it makes no sense that she's murdered - although we learn her adult children and second husband and step-son all had financial issues.

And in the present Susan meets Eliot, as an editor she tells us she feels a level of responsibility for her author. She realises then that Eliot has emulated Pünd's original creator (Conway) by putting a number of his own extended family in his novel - taking minimal care in hiding their identity. Which is problematic because (as per the backcover blurb) Eliot believes his own grandmother was murdered and is unveiling her killer through his novel... putting his life at risk. Dum-dum...

It has to be mentioned that Eliot is not particularly likeable and we learn life with his famous grandmother was unpleasant for the whole family and (in person) she was far from the beloved children's author worshipped by strangers.

So again Susan's placed amidst two murders for the price of one, initially relying on the book for clues, but when Eliot dies before finishing she's forced to insert herself into the investigation into his death. I have to admit I didn't really understand why Susan didn't walk away at some point, given she's treated very poorly... but it was interesting she still wanted to know whodunit - in real life and in the novel. 

At almost 600 pages this is loooooong but I again loved Pünd's story and investigation—Horowitz again demonstrating his crime fiction and story-telling prowess—ensconcing me in 1955 where I was happy to stay. But the 'real-life' investigation is excellent here as well, with old Crace family secrets revealed and some of Susan's own past revisiting in a not-pleasant way. And happily this ends in a way that makes me think there will be more in this series despite the fact that Pünd is edging closer to the end of his life.

Having only watched the television dramatisation of the first two Susan Ryeland novels, I was excited to get to this one before it comes to TV!

Anthony Horowitz crafts another powerful and gripping mystery, flitting between the narrative of Susan, editor of the famous Atticus Pund detective novels, and the narrative of the story of Atticus Pund's final case.

As with the other novels, the Atticus Pund story mirrors a real-life murder mystery, and Susan must assemble the clues to work out what's really going on, all while ending up in danger herself.

Highly recommended, this is a great mystery read.

Thank you for allowing me to review this book. I am familiar with Atticus Pund, from the television series., so was keen to read this book. I loved it. The author does a very good job of setting puzzles among the anagrams etc. Susan Ryland is asked to help Elliott as he completes a novel series begun by an author who met an untimely end. His story resembles his own family background, with similarities displayed by the names of the characters or their qualities. Susan struggles to control Elliott 's excesses. Who can she trust to help her? I enjoyed the book and particularly liked him the murders were uncovered and died, along with who wrote the final part of the book.
I can recommend this book to all who enjoy crime fiction

I had eagerly awaited this novel, having read the previous 2 in the series, and it did not disappoint. Susan Ryeland has returned to the UK and has been given the job of editing a continuation novel by Eliot Crace, a previously undistinguished crime novelist who has been chosen to write a new Atticus Pund novel. Susan suspects that Eliot's plot is a deliberate mirroring of the murder of his grandmother, a world-famous children's author, by one of Eliot's family. Ever the glutton for punishment, Susan sets out to investigate Crace's past. When things turn nasty, Susan leans on the wife of the man she helped to put in prison as she battles forces that she has awoken through her efforts to find the truth. Things build to a dramatci and highly satisfactory finale which rounds of the trilogy is fabulous style. This book is simply brilliant and highly recommended for anyone who enjoys skilful plotting and great writing. I'd give it 6 stars if I could!

I hadn’t read the previous books (though I will now!) and I didn’t feel it detracted from my enjoyment at all. This was a cleverly plotted mystery and I really enjoyed the two stories- great characters and a great story.

EXCERPT: ' . . . they needed the money. I wouldn't say no to twenty thousand pounds myself! But they were going to get it anyway. Maybe in a few days. Maybe in a few weeks. All they had to do was wait.'
Pünd smiled. 'Ah, yes. It is the question that comes up again and again.'
'Why murder a woman who is already dying?'
'Exactly, James. And I will give you the obvious answer, because it is, I believe, the key to everything that has happened.'
'Why, then?'
'Because, my friend, it does not matter.'

ABOUT 'MARBLE HALL MURDERS': Susan Ryeland has had enough of murder.

She’s edited two novels about the famous detective, Atticus Pünd, and both times she’s come close to being killed. Now she’s back in England and she’s been persuaded to work on a third.

The new ‘continuation’ novel is by Eliot Crace, grandson of Miriam Crace who was the biggest selling children’s author in the world until her death exactly twenty years ago.

Eliot believes that Miriam was deliberately poisoned. And when he tells Susan that he has hidden the identity of Miriam’s killer inside his book, Susan knows she’s in trouble once again.

As Susan works on Pünd’s Last Case, a story set in an exotic villa in the South of France, she uncovers more and more parallels between the past and the present, the fictional and the real world – until suddenly she finds that she has become a target herself.

It seems that someone in Eliot’s family doesn’t want the book to be written. And they will do anything to prevent it.

MY THOUGHTS: As with the first two books in this series, we have another book within a book to enjoy and ponder over. It's a read where you have to keep your wits about you; it can be a little difficult to remember which timeline and which story you are in. But, as with the first two books, Marble Hall Murders (encompassing Pünd's Last Case) is a superb read.

I enjoyed both facets of the storyline: Susan Ryeland in the present time editing a 'continuation' novel of the Atticus Pünd series penned by Eliot Crace; and the story of the Chalfont family and the murder of the matriarch, Lady Margaret set in France in 1955. There is a rather useful character list for this family just as there is a family tree for the Crace family.

It's not always easy to like Susan. She can be quite sharp and tends to speak before putting her brain into gear. This tends to get her into rather a lot of trouble, and I would have thought that by now she would have learned to temper her impulses.

Actually, to be quite honest, while there aren't a lot of likeable characters in this novel there are characters, like Susan, that you will want to root for. There are characters I felt sympathy for, sometimes somewhat misguidedly, and characters that are simply so awful that you want them to be guilty.

We do have a wonderful new character, DI Blakeney, who Susan thinks is like one of those Edwardian heroes created by Erskine Childers or John Buchan, dragged into an adventure without quite wanting to be there. Of course, that opinion is only valid when he's not trying to prove her guilty of murder!

The plot is intricate with a good number of both red herrings and valid clues (none of which I picked up on). Marble Hall Murders is a compelling blend of Cluedo and Agatha Christie and I loved it. The bonus is that with two mysteries set in two different time periods, there are two endings plus a sort of epilogue which updates us on Susan's life which was, let's face it, (view spoiler)

⭐⭐⭐⭐.3

#MarbleHallMurders #NetGalley

MEET THE AUTHOR: Anthony Horowitz's life might have been copied from the pages of Charles Dickens or the Brothers Grimm. Born in 1956 in Stanmore, Middlesex, to a family of wealth and status, Anthony was raised by nannies, surrounded by servants and chauffeurs. His father, a wealthy businessman, was, says Mr. Horowitz, "a fixer for Harold Wilson." What that means exactly is unclear — "My father was a very secretive man," he says— so an aura of suspicion and mystery surrounds both the word and the man. As unlikely as it might seem, Anthony's father, threatened with bankruptcy, withdrew all of his money from Swiss bank accounts in Zurich and deposited it in another account under a false name and then promptly died. His mother searched unsuccessfully for years in attempt to find the money, but it was never found. That too shaped Anthony's view of things. Today he says, "I think the only thing to do with money is spend it." His mother, whom he adored, eccentrically gave him a human skull for his 13th birthday. His grandmother, another Dickensian character, was mean-spirited and malevolent, a destructive force in his life. She was, he says, "a truly evil person", his first and worst arch villain. "My sister and I danced on her grave when she died," he now recalls.
A miserably unhappy and overweight child, Anthony had nowhere to turn for solace. "Family meals," he recalls, "had calories running into the thousands. I was an astoundingly large, round child." At the age of eight he was sent off to boarding school, a standard practice of the times and class in which he was raised. While being away from home came as an enormous relief, the school itself, Orley Farm, was a grand guignol horror with a headmaster who flogged the boys till they bled. "Once the headmaster told me to stand up in assembly and in front of the whole school said, 'This boy is so stupid he will not be coming to Christmas games tomorrow.' I have never totally recovered." To relieve his misery and that of the other boys, he not unsurprisingly made up tales of astounding revenge and retribution.


Anthony Horowitz is perhaps the busiest writer in England. He has been writing since the age of eight, and professionally since the age of twenty. He writes in a comfortable shed in his garden for up to ten hours per day. In addition to the highly successful Alex Rider books, he has also written episodes of several popular TV crime series, including Poirot, Murder in Mind, Midsomer Murders and Murder Most Horrid. He has written a television series Foyle's War, which recently aired in the United States, and he has written the libretto of a Broadway musical adapted from Dr. Seuss's book, The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. His film script The Gathering has just finished production. And, oh yes, there are more Alex Rider novels in the works. Anthony has also written the Diamond Brothers series.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Random House UK, Cornerstone, Century for providing an e-ARC of Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

The author has a highly original approach to his novels that keeps a reader on their toes throughout. The story is told across different timelines, which is not unusual, but encompasses two sets of characters with links to each other that only become apparent as the story progresses. For readers unfamiliar with the two previous books in the series, the present day protagonist is Susan Ryeland, a literary editor. Her most famous author, who is now deceased, created a series about a 1950s private detective named Atticus Punt. Susan is asked to work with another author, who is taking over the series. As with the earlier books, the present day and the storyline of the book co-exist, with contemporary characters being portrayed under different names. Like his predecessor, the present author has an axe to grind and is using the book format to do just that. When this, Inevitably, leads to disaster, Susan and Atticus becoming involved in solving separate crimes in separate eras, the solution of the earlier crime leading directly to that of the later one.
Both stories move along at an energetic pace and character description is remarkable. Atticus for example, draws immediate parallels with the inimitable Hercule Poirot. But is he inimitable? Horowitz makes Pund such a well-drawn, three-dimensional character that comparisons between the two famous detectives do not lead to Punt's detriment.
As a third novel, this one follows the formula of the previous two quite closely but because of the author's imaginative presentation, this is an endorsement not a criticism. A very enjoyable read. Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin.

Amazing addition to the series - first class writing.
The characters are old friends now and they develop nicely as you get to know them better. The conversations are crisp and in keeping with each character’s personality.

A treat to read - thank you

Newly returned from Crete, Susan Ryeland is trying to pick up her life as a book editor and is given a commission to edit a new Atticus Pund book. After the death of the original author, the publishers have asked Eliot Crace to write the book. He is the troubled grandson of national treasure author Miriam Crace and working with him brings Susan into contact with the family foundation charged with preserving her memory. When Eliot is killed Susan realises she has been framed and the answers are held in Eliot’s unfinished book.
The previous two novels in this series were terrific and I think this is the best yet. Using the device of the Atticus Pund book to explore themes related to the novel is a clever way of engaging interest – I found myself enjoying the dual narratives immensely. Whilst I’d worked most of the plot out in advance it didn’t disappoint and Horowitz continues to deliver clever, satisfying books.

The possible last novel in the Susan Ryeland/Atticus Pund series sees Susan back in London working as a freelance editor. Although the novel is lengthy, there are plenty of twists and turns in this cleverly plotted novel.

I am a big fan of Anthony Horowitz. He is a prolific writer and a day doesn’t go by when I don’t hear or see his name either on a bookshelf or magazine, or in the credits of a television programme. It may be a classic TV adaptation of an Agatha Christie novel, his own wonderful continuation novels of both Sherlock Holmes and James Bond to mention but a few. He is also the hugely successful author of the Alex Rider series, of which is constantly absent from my school Library bookshelves. As a school Librarian he makes my job very easy indeed when I need something for those students who think reading is ‘boring’ – they literally devour the series. I was therefore delighted when I received an early copy of the latest of the Magpie Murders series. I have watched, read and listened to the first two books in the series, Magpie Murders and Moonflower Murders, and thoroughly enjoyed watching editor, Susan Ryeland, be the most unlikeliest (but most excellent) of detectives. The TV adaptations have brought another layer to the series and I feel have been wonderfully put together with an excellent cast.

The third and possibly final novel in the series, Marble Hall Murders did not disappoint. Alan Conway may be dead, but he is still very much casting a shadow over Susan’s life as she is swept up in another plot that may well cost her her life…again.

Returning to London alone after a sad but friendly parting from Andreas, Susan is still feeling the weight of her involvement with Charles Clover and is struggling to find a permanent job as an editor. It is, however, what she loves to do and so when a major publishing house offers her the opportunity to edit a continuation novel of the Atticus Pünd series she feels that it may be the way in to a permanent job with them as an editor. With a mortgage to pay and a new cat to feed, Susan needs the money and so against all her gut instincts she decides to take the job. She thankful at least that she doesn’t have to deal with Alan Conway and a novel with bitterness and revenge at it’s heart. Or does she…

Horowitz is a master of Murder Mystery. His knowledge of the genre is extensive and I love the way we get two mysteries for the price of one in each of these novels. I’m rather fond of both Pünd and Susan and so it was lovely to see them working together again. One thing that I love about these novels, the clues are all there, interwoven in the two stories and if you are really clever you might just be able to work them out. I have read many, many mystery novels and so I did work some elements of the plot out, but there were still plenty of twists and turns along the way and the ending was wonderful.

Anthony Horowitz has concluded his series brilliantly, fans old and new will not be disappointed, I am sure. It will be wonderful to see Lesley Manville return to our screens as Susan, and of course, Tim McMullan as Atticus. I can’t wait to watch it. It can be tough deciding whether you wait for the TV adaptation or read the book first with a whodunnit – where would you most like to see the denouement (the big reveal)? In my opinion each has something different to offer in the unfolding of a story. Whatever you choose to do, please do read the book. It is wonderful to watch the plot unfold, to see Horowitz’s expertise within the field and of course to get an insight into the darker side of the human mind, in a gentle, cosy yet clever type of way.

Marble Hall Murders was published on April 10th in hardback. It is also available on eBook and on Audiobook (narrated by Leslie Manville and Tim McMullan). I think the audiobook will make a wonderful listen and have just checked the availability for that with my local library service and it already has enough reserves that I will have to wait until April 2026 to listen to it! Might have to treat myself and buy a copy. The TV adaptation began shooting in March apparently, so hopefully that will be on our screens in the not too distant future – but there is plenty of time to read the book before then. The paperback, if that is your preference, (which I will be buying for my bookshelves) is due to be published in September 2025.

Needless to say I thoroughly enjoyed reading Marble Hall Murders and I’d like to send my thanks to both the publisher, Random House UK, Cornerstone and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review it

Another excellent read within a read from Anthony Horowitz.

Susan revisits Atticus Pund with a little more input, albeit, initially to her dismay.

As always you are quickly drawn in to the complexities of the novel and the dual timelines. This can be read as a standalone but I'd suggest reading the previous two in the series first ( In fact I'd suggest reading everything from Horowitz you can get your hands on).

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC which was very much appreciated.

The story:
Susan Ryeland is back in the UK and restarting her life as a freelance editor. Having nearly been killed trying to uncover the murderer of one of her authors – the unlikable Alan Conway, creator of popular 1950s detective Atticus Pünd – and being drawn into another murder hidden in one of Alan's books, the last thing she wants to think about is Pünd. But when an offer comes in to work on a continuation novel, "Pünd's Last Case", written by troubled young author Eliot Crace, grandson of famous children's author Miriam Crace, she finds it hard to say no. At first the similarities between Conway and Crace just seem to be the detective they write about. But it soon becomes clear to Susan that Eliot is using his book for more than entertainment. He is trying to expose a murderer in his own family...

My thoughts:
I've been an avid reader of Anthony Horowitz's mystery novels since I read "The House of Silk", his Sherlock Holmes continuation novel. Since then, I've also enjoyed his Susan Ryeland books ("Magpie Murders" and "Moonflower Murders", now also TV adaptations starring the fab Lesley Manville) and the Hawthorne and Horowitz series (some of which I've reviewed on this site), in which Horowitz himself features as a character.

The subject of continuation novels is very appropriate, as that is just what lures Susan back into the world of Atticus Pünd. As with the first two books in this series, we get two stories for the price of one... While Susan tries her best to work with troubled young author Eliot Crace on his novel, we also get to read "Pünd's Last Case", which tells the story of the murder of Lady Margaret Chalfont in her beautiful home in the south of France, the Chateau Belmar. This case draws us in to 1950s France, and sees Pünd, along with faithful assistant James Fraser, joining forces with Frédéric Voltaire of the Sûreté to try and uncover why anyone would murder a woman everyone seems to like, and who didn't have long to live. Could it be her sudden plan to change her will?

It soon becomes clear to Susan that the characters in Eliot's novel are representations of the Crace family. The matriarch of that family was Eliot's grandmother Miriam, who died 20 years ago, apparently of natural causes, at the family home of Marble Hall. Miriam was a famous and beloved children's author, but behind her public persona lurked a tyrant who controlled her family absolutely. Eliot claims her death was actually murder, and not only that – he knows who did it. Of course, this leads to no end of trouble for Susan, to the point where she herself comes under suspicion of murder...

I love the 'book within a book' format of these novels, and both mysteries prove compelling as we try and work out the 'real life' murders (and who might be trying to frame Susan), along with the 'fictional' murder of Lady Chalfont. This was a five-star read for me, and although it seems Susan's story has now come to an end, I look forward to seeing this on screen soon too!

As good or better than the previous two excellent books in the series! It is wonderful to be back in the company of Atticus Pünd and Sarah Ryeland.

As an avid crime reader, it is so interesting to be taken through a systematic deconstruction of a crime novel. Anthony Horowitz is a clever and talented writer and I really enjoy the book within a book technique that he has used in this series.

This can be read as a standalone book but is also a welcome return to those of us who have enjoyed the first two books in the series. I’m concerned this may be the last - but I hope not!!!

Editor Susan Ryeland has moved back to London and is freelancing for Causton Books, working with Eliot Crace on his novel attempting to continue the late Alan Conway’s bestselling Atticus Pünd series. Given her past experiences with Alan Conway’s books, Susan is at first hesitant to take on another Pünd mystery. But she has to pay the rent and feed her recently adopted a cat, so agrees to work with Eliot Crace on his book.

Anthony Horowitz skillfully weaves together several mysteries on multiple levels, using the "novel within a novel" structure, creating an intricate plot. The plot is unpredictable and thrilling and the characters are engaging. Just like the previous two instalments of the series, the ending is frenzied and dramatic.

The Marble Hall property, the former home of the Crace family, controlled by matriarch and famous author Miriam Crace, provides the backdrop for Eliot Crace’s novel, in which he explores family dynamics, secrets and Miriam's death. Now a tourist attraction, the property connects the real history of the Crace family to the fictional family in Eliot Crace’s book.

Beyond the entertaining plot, the book also explores important themes, such as the publishing world and its fallacies, job security for freelancers working in creative industries, fame and fortune, as well as complex family dynamics and loneliness. Horowitz also incorporates modern technology, notably Chat-GPT, into the narrative.

Overall, this is a very enjoyable read, highly recommended for fans of intricate mysteries and layered storytelling.

Thanks to NetGalley, Random House UK Cornerstone and Anthony Horowitz for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What an absolutely brilliant book. I don’t know how he does it. Two mysteries for the price of one, and both keep you interested. I’m so pleased this will be made into a tv show, I’ll definitely be watching even though I’ve read the book. Having watched the others, I did have the actors in my head as I read the story. A very enjoyable read with a satisfying outcome, what more could you ask for?! I definitely recommend this book. Thank you #netgalley

Whilst Alan Conway is dead, Atticus Pünd lives on with a new author. As usual there's a Atticus Pünd book to read while reading about Susan wanting to solve an old murder case. I got bored of the TV series but I really enjoy the books.

A bittersweet return to the world of Susan Ryeland and Atticus Pünd! We owe our gratitude to the wonderful Lesley Manville for persuading Horowitz to give her one last outing to wrap up her story. After watching the series I find myself reading the book in her voice (in my head obviously) and she is exactly how I'd imagined her.

Sadly, Susan has decided that a life in the Mediterranean running a hotel is not for her and she returns to London and the publishing industry. After being embroiled in two real-life murder cases she expects that this is a fresh-fresh start and that she can get her life back on track. But sadly even in death, Alan Conway, and his literary detective, Atticus Pünd, follow her like a bad smell.

Owing to her experience she's asked to edit a Pünd continuation novel being written by the grandson of esteemed children's author Mariam Crace. Aware of her continued misfortune with Pünd books, she warns Eliot not to follow the same path as Alan to use the books as revenge or to settle scores against the Crace Family.

I was so excited to read this as Horowitz's books are some of the best mysteries of the modern era. They have a feel of the books of the Golden Age but in the modern day, and he faithfully allows his readers to follow the clues and solve the mystery. Sometimes some clues are deliberately omitted to maintain the surprise, but Horowitz lays it all out for you to figure out – which I did!

Overall, it was a superbly-written mystery with a gripping plot that will keep you hooked until you devour the book in one.

The question is, should one return to a beloved series for one last book? Atticus Pund is drawing to the end of his life - and he has solved his case… or has he?

Susan Ryeland is done with Pund - Charles Clover is in prison and Cloverleaf Books is finished… or is it?

When she’s invited back to edit one last Pund case penned by Eliot Crace she does so reluctantly. But she’s lonely and back in London and in need of work.

But Eliot is playing the same old Pund game… writing a mystery entwined with a real life murder, full of clues and anagrams. Who killed his grandmother? And who knows the truth and is willing to commit another murder to hide their guilt?

Not my first read of Anthony Horowitz, but my first in this series. So cleverly plotted with a novel within the novel. Had to keep on my toes with this one remembering who belonged to which story. Another page turner, but I do wish Susan would think before she speaks - she gets herself into so much trouble!
Many thanks to Netgalley/Anthony Horowitz/Random House UK for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.