MURDER, she read!

LESLEY MANVILLE and DANIEL MAYS on their unorthodox mystery within a mystery

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When Lesley Manville’s name is attached to a film or TV show, it’s pretty much a guarantee of quality. And new BBC1 drama Magpie Murders, in which the actor stars as book editor Susan Ryeland, is no exception.

Penned by Foyle’s War creator Anthony Horowitz and based on his 2016 novel of the same name, the story is an innovative whodunnit exploring the links between the death of a bestselling crime writer and the plot of his latest murder-mystery.

In the six-part series, first shown last year on streaming service BritBox, Susan is excited to receive the manuscript of Alan Conway’s new novel, Magpie Murders, in which his famous 1950s detective Atticus Pünd (played by Tim McMullan) investigates suspected foul play in a sleepy English village.

With Clover Books, where Susan works with boss Charles Clover (Michael Maloney), in the middle of a takeover, an upcoming Atticus Pünd adventure makes the publishing company an attractive prospect.

But after first discovering that the proof copy has no ending, Susan hears the shocking news that Alan (Conleth Hill) has been found dead on his country estate.