'Five-star' BBC crime drama based on bestselling books hailed 'best TV mystery'

It is no secret that the BBC harbours many a crime drama. But one has been singled out as the "best mystery" on TV. Magpie Murders is a 2022 drama series that adapts the Anthony Horowitz novel of the same name. It stars Lesley Manville and Tim McMullan as Susan Ryeland and Atticus Pünd, respectively.

The second book in the Susan Ryeland series, Moonflower Murders, was also adapted into a series and aired in 2024. The numerous through-line plot elements between the two series made it into a de facto season two. An adaptation of the third and final entry in the series, Marble Hall Murders, has been confirmed as in production.

The series synopsis reads: "Magpie Murders is about a book editor, Susan Ryeland, who discovers the final chapter of a popular mystery novel is missing and that her client, the author, is dead. Susan investigates the disappearance of the chapter and the author's death, realising the novel's characters are based on real people, and the solution to the fictional murder may hold the key to the real-world crime. The series interweaves the investigation into the present-day death with the unfolding 1950s murder mystery from the manuscript, creating a "story within a story" narrative."

Magpie Murders has received many five-star ratings from critics alongside a perfect 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The critics' consensus states: "A meta riff on detective yarns, Magpie Murders is clever and gentle fun that gets a big lift from Lesley Manville and Tim McMullan's delightful performances."

One critic said: "It's a masterpiece mystery, and so it's easy to watch, not least of all thanks to the always engaging Manville and a game cast, some of whom appear in both time frames. It's good, twisty fun."

Another said: "This was one of the best series I've seen in a long time. The story is told in several layers. The central mystery follows the book editor's investigation into the death of the best-selling author and the missing final chapter of his last book. In parallel, we follow the fictional detective, Atticus Pund, as the story in the last novel unfolds. The use of the same actors in both the present day and the novel adds another dimension to the storytelling. The acting is superb, with Lesley Manville as the editor leading a strong cast. Seek this series out. It deserves to be seen more widely."

A fan of the series said: "This is the best mystery I've watched in some time."

Magpie Murders is available to stream now on BBC iPlayer.