What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedMagpie Murders
Anthony Horowitz · Book · 2017
If you loved Magpie Murders, start with Magpie Murders (Anthony Horowitz, 2022) — a series from the same story. Below: 4 films, 1 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to Magpie Murders across media.
If Magpie Murders hooked you, it is because you enjoy untangling complex webs of deception buried within layers of human mystery.
Start with the source
Adaptation
Magpie Murders
Anthony Horowitz · Series · 2022
Films on the same thread
Knives Out
Rian Johnson · Film · 2019
Shares 2 threads with Magpie Murders: Unreliable Narrator, Whodunit.
Like Magpie Murders, this film subverts the classic whodunit structure, using a sharp, inquisitive investigator to peel back the layers of a dysfunctional family hiding dark, wealthy secrets.
Crooked House
Film · 2017
Shares a thread with Magpie Murders: Whodunit.
This story mirrors the Golden Age mystery sensibilities found in Magpie Murders, focusing on a sprawling estate where family greed and long-held secrets drive a sophisticated, puzzle-like investigation.
Sleeping Dogs
Adam Cooper · Film · 2024
Explores: Memory Loss, Redemption, Moral Ambiguity.
Fans of the investigative focus in Magpie Murders will appreciate this protagonist’s struggle to reconstruct a fractured past, where pieces of a long-buried crime eventually reveal a hidden truth.
Hot Fuzz
Edgar Wright · Film · 2007
Explores: Small Town Secrets, Fish Out of Water, Conspiracy.
While tonally distinct, this film shares the same fascination with the mechanics of a police procedural as Magpie Murders, exposing the chilling, hidden conspiracies lurking beneath a quiet surface.
Series on the same thread
Moonflower Murders
Anthony Horowitz · Series · 2024
Shares 2 threads with Magpie Murders: Book Within a Book, Literary Mystery.
As the direct continuation of the narrative established in Magpie Murders, this series perfectly captures the author-detective relationship and the recursive, meta-fictional thrill of solving a mystery within a mystery.
Podcasts on the same thread
Small Town Murder
James Pietragallo, Jimmie Whisman · Podcast · 2026
Explores: provincial life, tragic irony, forensic breakdown.
Much like the analytical process in Magpie Murders, this show balances deep-dive research with a sharp, observational eye, uncovering the grim realities behind the facade of a small town.
Unravelling Amy
Podcast
Explores: fraud, deception, identity theft.
The investigative rigor found here mirrors the editor-detective’s journey in Magpie Murders, focusing on the slow, methodical process of exposing a prolific deceiver who built a life on elaborate lies.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is Magpie Murders a book or a television series?
Magpie Murders is both a 2017 novel written by Anthony Horowitz and a 2022 television adaptation. The story follows editor Susan Ryeland as she navigates a complex manuscript written by the fictional author Alan Conway, blending a classic whodunit with a modern-day mystery.
Should I read the Magpie Murders book before watching the 2022 adaptation?
You can enjoy the Magpie Murders television series without reading the book first. Both versions follow the same narrative structure, where editor Susan Ryeland encounters a manuscript by Alan Conway that mirrors a chilling, ingeniously original mystery, though the book provides the original source material for the adaptation.
What is the premise of the Magpie Murders book?
In Magpie Murders, editor Susan Ryeland receives the latest manuscript from author Alan Conway. She expects a standard mystery novel, but instead finds herself caught in a complex narrative that weaves a classic whodunit into a chilling, original modern-day mystery that challenges her as she reads.
Who wrote the Magpie Murders book?
The book Magpie Murders was written by Anthony Horowitz. He is a New York Times bestselling author known for his work on other titles such as Moriarty and Trigger Mortis, and he is the creative mind behind the intricate puzzle presented in this specific thriller.