A review by gwendle_vs_literature
Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

The story is fairly good, but the writing is mediocre. If the narrator is an editor then I expect the text written in her voice to be grammatically correct and syntactically pleasing. Repetition of the same word (sometimes the wrong word) within a sentence or paragraph when it’s not done for emphasis or effect is just clumsy writing and poor editing — all the while criticizing excerpts from works by other (fictional) writers as poorly written.  

I was particularly disappointed because the miniseries produced for Masterpiece (PBS) was adapted by the author and was much better, so I know he’s capable of better writing.