Moonflower Murders

A pleasant, albeit complicated, murder mystery that juggles three timelines, three murders, and unnecessary personal drama of the protagonist, "Moonflower Murders" is a show that lays the plot(s) on thick, to the detriment of developing characters that are fleshed out, dimensional, or likeable. The plot drags halfway through the season, and I found myself forgetting what the characters' motivations were (and, frankly, who everybody was) thanks to excessive time jumping and the sheer amount of characters we're supposed to keep track of. Susan's personal drama was annoying this time around. And I found the Atticus Pund storyline much more interesting than the present day one. Wish they had time to develop that world a bit more. Great acting, but I expect nothing less from the Brits (and why I enjoy consuming so much British television even though I'm American). I hear Horowitz is releasing a third Ryland/Pund novel this spring, so we'll surely get another one of these seasons in due course. Let's just hope it's less overwrought than this one.

A very good beginning to this fresh new series. After Magpie, it finds our heroine in Greece, running a restaurant with her guy. The restaurant is a disaster, in disrepair and close to financial ruin. She has about had enough. While she is trying to figure things out, a man and a woman come to her and tell her that their daughter has been missing and a book written by the man for whom she was an editor, holds the secret. They offer to pay her a huge sum of money to find the daughter. They say the secret lies in the book. We are then introduced to principle figures. We also realize, as with Magpie, we have actors double cast as characters from present and past. As she is trying to make up her mind, the figure of Atticus Pund appears--her alter ego. Things get cooking but we need to wait.

I don't agree with the couple of negative reviews here. I found the story and writing very good (Anthony Horowitz adapting his own novel). The plot was twisty and engaging, and the 'story in a story' keeps you on your toes.

If you liked Magpie Murders, you'll very probably like Moonflower Murders. It's once again a well-written recreation of the 'golden age' whodunnit.

The interaction between Susan and Pünd is always enjoyable. Susan's personal drama does not get too much in the way of the murder mystery, and the mingling of the two feels relevant.

I hear the third Susan Ryeland novel is coming out in March 2025 and I'm hoping it will also be adapted to TV. This is very competent and enjoyable television and a treat for murder mystery fans.

I agree with other reviewers. This series was good but the Magpie Murders was top notch. It just seemed to flow a little better than this series.

I found myself getting really confused with the characters. Like the actresses' husband looked just like her doctor (not sure of the names). It was just not as smooth and easy to follow as Magpie series.

The string of possible suspects was endless. Everyone was so unlikeable in their own way. This made for an interesting whodoneit.

Atticus was wonderful as usual. A great detective. I'm not sure if I really like Susan but perhaps she is not meant to be that likeable. Even her own sister did not want to confide in her. It was also nice to see Mr. Beard. I really enjoyed his character from the Magpie series as Allen's boy toy. He ended up being a great contributor.

One case had a big twist but the other case was rather obvious, really.

I do hope the series, or ones similar continues.

I enjoyed Moonflower Murders even more than the PBS production of Magpie Murders, probably because I've been to all the locales where the film was made. Both are mysteries-within-mysteries but the Moonflower series had so many enjoyable features I love: excellent cast, beautiful settings, glorious Greek Islands, 3 hotels (wonderful armchair getaways), clever plotting, even humor. I watched the first 4 of 6 episodes in all seriousness but I started laughing during Ep 5 and 6; sorry! I'm reading the novel now, very nice. I especially enjoy author Horowitz's comments on PBS after each episode - aspiring novelists would do well to listen to what he has to say. I detected one of two killers in record time: the first scene in which that character appeared; also, I detected a flaw that would never happen in real life, but I can't include those details without spoiling the conclusion for you. Moonflower is escapist fun, with clever puzzles, endearing Atticus Pund and a 2d charming "detective" - OPA!