Recommended by the Reviewers Club

Magpie Lane, by Lucy Atkins

Cover of Magpie Lane, by Lucy Atkins.

This book is so much more than a crime/mystery novel! The narrative is told back to front. It starts with the narrator/suspect being interviewed by the police for some crime. Who is this narrator? And what is the crime? The reader’s mind is instantly engaged. There is no slow build-up to a climax here.

Oxford, the setting, is so important to the story, it almost becomes a character in itself. For a serious crime novel it is surprisingly quite funny. She paints her characters so well, they are easily pictured in the reader’s mind – eg Linklater with his stick like arms and legs flapping everywhere comes to mind instantly. It is definitely one of the top crime novels I’ve read. I’ll be looking for more of her books and agree with the high star rating.

4.5/5 Stars