Horowitz's reluctant amateur sleuth Susan Ryeland makes her third foray into the surprisingly (or perhaps not so surprisingly) deadly world of publishing murder mysteries. This time, she is drawn into the machinations of the Crace family via author Eliot Crace who has been hired to write a continuation novel of the Atticus Pund series--a series that seemed doomed to die along with its creator Alan Conway, whose murder Susan solved in the first book, Magpie Murders.

As with the previous titles, Susan is forced into playing detective when a real-life murder occurs in connection with the latest Atticus Pund mystery. The series' book-within-a book format offers the reader two intricately plotted mysteries with echoing themes and characters that pay homage to golden age detective fiction while delighting puzzle-solving readers. Marble Hall Murders is a thinking reader's delight.

Susan is a wry and likable character and this series entry seems to be creating a vehicle for her to become involved in solving future mysteries. I certainly hope so--the world needs more of Susan Ryeland and Atticus Pund.

Full Disclosure--NetGalley and the publisher provided me with a digital ARC of this book. This is my honest review.

I was so excited to see that we would be returning to the world of Susan Reyland and was not disappointed! I got sucked into this book so quickly. My attention span of a moth doesn’t generally enjoy 600 page books but I devoured this one and couldn’t wait to get back to it each day. I bounced back and forth between the digital copy and the audiobook - the audiobook featured the same narrators as the first two in the series and it was wonderful to return to old friends. However, I do have some complaints with the development of Susan’s character and her increasing moments of stupidity in this book that really clash with her personality of previous books. Most notably, her repeated guilt over putting Charles in jail - he murdered someone and tried to kill her! I feel like the Susan that had been previously developed would not have the levels of guilt that consistently showed up throughout this story. Likewise, she got way too invested in Eliot way too fast - and he seemed like a true butt 95% of the time, yet she still was attempting to take care of him because of that guilt. It just didn’t quite add up. I did quite enjoy the subtle commentary on separating an author from their works and how do we reconcile that - I feel like parts of this had to be written with JK Rowling in mind. Overall, I really enjoyed reading and listening to this classic murder mystery in a murder mystery and would highly recommend! Thanks to NetGalley for the digital and audio arcs!

Absolutely fabulous. I love this series and this new installment doesn't disappoint. Susan Reyland is one of my very favorite female main characters in the mystery genre and Pund rivals Poirot in my heart. Love this one.

This may be my personal favorite of the Susan Ryeland book. It incorporated a lot of the clever storytelling tricks that have made this series interesting and one that I'm always eager to pick up, but introduced its own new characters that connected well with previous books and characters. The fun of reading these books is to figure out the clues- or, if you are like me, to find them out when they are revealed.

Unpredictable, twisty, and absorbing!

Marble Hall Murders is a skillfully crafty, brilliantly executed mystery that takes you back into the life of Susan Ryeland, a freelance editor who, after being hired to work on the manuscript of a Pund story written by a new author, finds her world turned upside down once again when the latest story seems to have an eerie resemblance to real-life events, everyone seems to have something to hide, and danger lurks around every corner.

The writing is sharp and crisp. The characters are relentless, intelligent, and vulnerable. And the plot, using a story within a story, builds quickly, creating intrigue and suspense as it unravels all the relationships, motivations, personalities, deception, and devious behaviours within it.

Overall, Marble Hall Murders is the third and final novel in the Susan Ryeland series, and even though it’s more than a little bittersweet to say goodbye to the characters I’ve come to know and love over these past three books, Susan and Atticus Pund, it is nevertheless a superb ending to a fabulous series that I highly recommend and will undoubtedly miss.

This title is the third and last novel that Horowitz is writing about Atticus Pund and Susan Ryeland. It is a corker written by an author who, I think, is just the teeniest bit smug about his talent and expansive knowledge of publishing and other aspects of modern life.

Anyone who has not read The Magpie Murders can read this novel but there are definitely many aspects of that story that are revealed in this one. It may be best to read the series in order or at least catch up on events via the PBS series.

Susan Ryeland is back in England with her trust MG. She is freelancing and hoping for a more permanent position as an editor when she is invited/lured into working with Eliot Crace. He is writing an entry in the Atticus Pund series, continuing what the original author (SPOILER! and murder victim) had begun.

As is true of others in the series, there is a story in the present (that has roots in the past) along with the manuscript of the new Pund novel. I love how authentic this looks with Horowitz making this look just like others that I have received from Harper Collins. It is quite clever.

It begins to appear that Eliot's book may be a bit too closely related to his take on events in his family. Where will this lead? Nothing else here so that there will be no spoilers.

Suffice it to say that this read is immersive, long, filled with numerous characters and plots, clever and perhaps a modern classic.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper for this title. All opinions are my own.

“Marble Hall Murders,” by Anthony Horowitz, Harper, 592 pages, May 13, 2025.

Editor Susan Ryeland has left her Greek island, her hotel and her Greek boyfriend, Andreas, in search of a new life back in England. She lives in Crouch End, in the northern part of London.

Susan is freelancing for a London publisher, Causton Books. Michael Flynn, the publisher, calls her. He wants her to come in to talk about Atticus Pünd, a character created by the late author Alan Conway. Someone at the publishing house has come up with the idea of commissioning an Atticus Pünd continuation novel called “Pünd’s Last Case.”

Conway’s estate agreed to the option for three more books. Eliot Crace was chosen as the new author. He is the grandson of legendary children’s author Miriam Crace who died 20 years ago. Eliot is convinced she was poisoned.

To her surprise, Susan enjoys reading the manuscript which is set in the South of France and revolves around the mysterious death of Lady Margaret Chalfont. She lived with her second husband, Elmer Waysmith, and family. Lady Chalfont had asked Atticus Pünd to meet with her, but died before he arrived.

But when it is revealed that Lady Margaret was also poisoned, Susan becomes alarmed. The more she reads, the clearer it becomes that Eliot has deliberately concealed clues about his grandmother’s death inside the book. As Eliot’s behavior becomes more erratic, another murder follows. Suddenly, Susan becomes a suspect.

This series are books within books, meaning you have the fictional author’s book as part of the overall novel. “Marble Hall Murders” can be read as a stand-alone book, but it is the third in the series and it reveals the solution to the first novel.

The characters are good and the plotting is intricate with both clues and red herrings.
Mystery readers will certainly enjoy it, but I recommend reading the series in order. The first two are “Magpie Murders” and “Moonflower Murders.” Fans will hope for more to come.

I rate it five out of five stars.

In accordance with FTC guidelines, the advance reader's edition of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

This one had so many predictable pieces! I don't know if I've just figured out the logic behind these books now, but I wasn't blown away. I appreciate the small pivot in a softer novel (a little love, aging, etc.), but it fell flat.

I imagine this is the last one too, so hard to leave on a flat note.

Absolutely loved this book. By far my favorite of the three- with the same amount of characters and side by side stories happening at once, this one is the easiest to follow, but definitely the hardest to guess the ending! Every time I thought I had it figured out, I was wrong, and I'm again blown away at the creativity of the author! This was my first time reading the book versus audio for Moonflower Murders and Magpie Murders, and this way may honestly have helped retain more of the information- the family trees provided as always help a ton as well.

The pacing felt great also- the book is still split up alternating the story and present day like the previous copies, and even though there were times I got confused which story I was dealing with, they bring you back by recapping details which I LOVED since it is a lot to keep track of!

Be sure to read the first two as you MUST get an idea where this all starts! 10/10!

When editor Susan Ryland returns to England, she tries to jump-start her career by freelancing. Her first project: a new Atticus Pund novel, this time written by a young author, Eliot Crace. Crace is the grandson of a much-beloved British childrens' author, and seems to be hiding clues about the Crace family and his grandmother's death in the new Pund title. The more Susan reads, the more she believes that Marian Crace's death may not have been a natural one, and the further she becomes enmeshed in the family's drama. Can she solve the fictional murder in time to solve a possible real-life murder?

Anthony Horowitz has a knack for creating plots that are twisty enough to make things interesting but plausible enough to keep the reader from becoming confused---no easy feat with this book-within-a-book format. While I found Susan to be a little too trusting in this newest title, it didn't detract much from the story and the supporting characters in both storylines were well-drawn. The almost-too-good-to-be-true Marian Crace mirrors reality when it comes to some contemporary authors' gradually tarnished reputations, and Atticus Pund is a steadying, reliable influence. Highly recommended for fans of the series and any mystery reader who enjoys a well-plotted, smart whodunnit.

I have not yet read the first two books in this series, but I have watched the TV show, so I was pretty comfortable picking up with this third story. If you haven’t read the other two or seen the show, you probably should start at the beginning and work your way to this one.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It has a great cast of characters, especially the two main ones, a really interesting story within a story with two mysteries that were hard to solve and I loved the way that the author was able to write with totally different styles. It is masterfully done and really makes you think.

I really adored Susan Ryeland’s character. She is an older woman, finding herself at a crossroads in her life. She is working on editing a story with an author she doesn’t particularly like, but feels compelled to help. She is smart and really good at her job which comes across in her thoughts and the criticisms she gives the author. But once again she finds herself solving a real life mystery that has been fictionalized for revenge. I loved how the two stories were woven together to help her solve the real life murder.

Atticus Pund is a great character as well. He is a character similar to both Holmes and Poirot, but totally with his own style. He is also finding himself at a crossroads in his life, but decides to take on one more case. I really enjoyed reading that story and how he solves the crime.

There are lots of secondary characters in both stories that are involved in the book, but the most important one is Eliot Crace. He is a very troubled young man, who has had a very tragic life. He is depicted quite realistically and even though you don’t want to like him, you do become very sympathetic to him and his life.

The best part of this novel, and the series, is the fact that there are two stories being told. You have the present day ‘real life’ story of Susan and all that is happening to her, and the ‘fictional mystery’ that Atticus is trying to solve. Both stories are separate but rely on each other to tell the whole story. The author does a great job of writing the stories like he is two different authors. The Atticus story is obviously being written by a novice, and I loved how Susan is able to point out the flaws to the author within that story.

The two very connected mysteries were well done and I really enjoyed trying to solve them both. I was pretty surprised at the big reveal for the real life murder mystery, I had only put it together about the same time that Susan did. I also liked that there were some little mysteries throughout the story that needed solving as well. Lots of twists and turns and red herrings which are always enjoyable in a well written mystery.

If you are a fan of the series, I think you will enjoy this one. It is probably the last in the series, but never say never. I certainly hope to see another book with these characters at some point in the future. I am also looking forward to seeing this story on the screen sometime soon. If you are not familiar with the series, you should probably start at the beginning, or at least watch the TV show like I did. Some background information will give you insights into the characters and the style of the book.

This is the third book about Susan Ryeland solving murders with the help of novels she herself has edited. Susan is back in London, after a reprieve in Crete. She is single, with no job and no place to stay, so when she is offered a job editing a new Atticus Pund novel written by a young author with lots of personal problems, she doesn't really have a choice and says yes despite her misgivings.
Of course, complications soon arise, and Susan soon finds herself in mortal danger, but also with another shot at romance.

Thank you NetGalley for a chance to read and review this ARC.

Marble Hall Murders is a brilliant novel-within-a-novel mystery that delivers a double whammy of intrigue—and the astounding feat is that I was fully drawn into both stories. Anthony Horowitz expertly guides the reader through a cast of richly developed characters, weaving in their backstories and personalities while gently reminding us of key plot points so we never feel lost.

The inner mystery is Pünd’s Last Case, which book editor Susan Ryeland is working on. It is delightfully Agatha Christie-esque with Detective Atticus Pünd stepping in as a Poirot-like figure. In the story-within-the-story, a wealthy family is vacationing in a chateau in the south of France. Rest assured, there is a will. And everyone has a plausible motive.

This is the third novel to feature Ryeland, and in this outing, she’s once again pulled into a real-life crime. Ryeland is a compelling character – perceptive, smart and occasionally irritating. She’s driven by a need to understand and uncover the truth, even when it puts her in danger. She insists she has “no choice,” though as one character wryly notes; she seems to bring death and misery wherever she goes.

As a bonus, Horowitz cleverly slips in some thought-provoking commentary on crime fiction and mystery writing through Ryeland’s voice. Both Horowitz and Ryeland know the final chapter must stick the landing—and in both mysteries he delivers.

The third in Horowitz's book-within-a-book mysteries, this continues to follow Susan Ryeland as she leaves Crete and returns to England, Paired with an author writing a new mystery, she soon discovers he is using the mindset of her earlier author (in the Magpie Murders) to pillory people in his own life, while hinting at the resolution to an unknown murder. It's quite enjoyable, if not a little overly long, but as its 2 books in 1, that's understandable!

Loved this one! I've read several books by this author, including the first two in this series, and this one may be my favorite! There's three mysteries here, and I only figured one of them out on my own. I love the book within a book. Now I can't wait for the mini series to come out! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Once again, Horowitz dazzles in this third (and likely last) book in the Atticus Pund series. Using the same "book within a book" technique as in the previous two books, the author manages to weave complex mysteries together in styles that differ from each other. And, as in the previous books, this one contains clever clues and puzzles. Horowitz's talents are prodigious and at this point in his career, his readers expect no less than a fabulous book. But, once again he exceeds those expectations, much as Agatha Christie was able to exceed expectations as she shifted her focus from one principal crime-solver to another (think Poirot and Miss Marple). Fans of Horowitz's work, and particularly of the book's two predecessors, will clamor to read this one. Readers who discover Horowitz's work with this novel, will create demands for the others. Highly recommended.

Editor Susan Ryeland is back in London freelance editing. When the publisher gives her a manuscript she's back with her old fictional friend. Atticus Pund. This last case is written by Eliot, the grandson of a famous children's author who Eliot says was murdered. Like Alan Conway, who wrote the previous Atticus titles, Eliot says the clues are in his book.
Susan soon finds herself once again involved in two murders and threats against her own life.
Like the previous books in the series, this is a fast paced mystery - both the fictional one and the real one. Horowitz's characters are well-drawn and the two timelines meld together easily. Except for the threat on Susan's life, the guilty parties were a surprise. Another Horowitz hit.

This is third book in the "Susan Ryeland" series. I recommend Anthony Horowitz mysteries to library patrons often. They are consistently good cozy mysteries. I love the audiobooks, but there are a lot of characters, so it's helpful to have the book handy while listening.

Harper Books provided an early galley for review.

This is the third novel in Horowitz's Susan Reyland mystery series. I enjoyed the first two immensely, so I was excited to see this one coming.

It was comforting to settle back into Susan's publishing world, with all the meta references and such. I think that was part of what attracted me to this series in the first place. I like how Horowitz, through Susan, is able to discuss the publishing process and what goes into editing a submission.

Also, as with the previous two novels, we are treated to another story-within-the-story approach. Two books for the price of one. As a writer myself, I am in awe of how Horowitz is able to change up his styles so that he ends up writing as a totally different writer. In this case, it is through the style of Eliot who is troubled and using his art as an outlet. I like how Susan is able to point out the bumps in the work which, again, is a tribute to Horowitz who can write those into it. I liken it to watching a gifted singer purposely acting as a poor singer; it is a reversal of a honed craft.

This novel does a fantastic job of bringing together all the elements that came before in the series. All in all, it was a very enjoyable read. Will we ever see Susan and this world again? Never say never.

Another stellar installment in the Susan Ryeland series. Two mysteries in one in the style of the Golden Age of Detectives. Readers will find the mysteries sufficiently challenging to sustain interest with just the right dask of British mystery coziness thrown in. Recommended for mystery lovers and fans of the series.