Encore Sundays, Aug. 11, 18 and 25, 2024 from 9 - 11 p.m. on KPBS TV / Stream now with KPBS Passport! + Encore Tuesdays, Aug. 13 - Sept. 17!
A dead mystery author. An incomplete manuscript. Suspects galore. This juicy setup for Anthony Horowitz’s bestselling novel, "Magpie Murders," is coming to MASTERPIECE in an adaptation by Horowitz himself starring Academy Award®-nominee Lesley Manville (THE CROWN, "Phantom Thread"). MAGPIE MURDERS includes six spellbinding episodes.
Coming Soon! The devilishly delightful MOONFLOWER MURDERS picks up where literary whodunit MAGPIE MURDERS left off, and it’s coming to MASTERPIECE this fall! Watch the trailer and find out about the cast, plot, episodes, and when the Anthony Horowitz-penned mystery-within-a-mystery premieres.
A mystery author dies under suspicious circumstance, with his last book seemingly unfinished. This leaves two mysteries: What happened to him? And how does his latest potboiler end? Manville stars as the author’s editor, Susan Ryeland, who assumes the role of detective in the case. Meanwhile, Tim McMullan (Patrick Melrose) plays the fictional sleuth in the incomplete novel, whose investigation parallels Susan’s. The series also stars Conleth Hill, Michael Maloney, Alexandros Logothetis, and Claire Rushbrook.
“There is true satisfaction in watching the pieces of Horowitz’s puzzle click into place,” applauded The Telegraph (London). In addition, The Sunday Times (London) declared, “Yikes, this is excellent.”
EPISODE GUIDE:
Episode 1 Encore Sunday, Aug. 11 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV + Encore Tuesday, Aug. 13 at 8 p.m. on KPBS 2 - A mystery author turns in the manuscript for his latest book, but the last chapter is missing. His editor investigates and is soon on the trail of a suspicious death.
![Conleth Hill as Alan Conway in MASTERPIECE Mystery! MAGPIE MURDERS episode 1.](https://cdn.kpbs.org/dims4/default/fc9cda0/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1000x616+0+0/resize/880x542!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fkpbs-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2F23%2Fd8%2F9c3289ac4546a7e91c8018a200ce%2Fmagpiemurders-ep1-9.jpg)
Episode 2: Encore Sunday, Aug. 11 at 10 p.m. on KPBS TV + Encore Tuesday, Aug. 20 at 8 p.m. on KPBS 2 - Everyone he knew had reason to kill mystery author Alan Conway. But was his fatal fall actually murder? The missing last chapter of his new book may hold the secret.
![Matthew Beard as Fraser and Tim McMullan as Atticus Pünd](https://cdn.kpbs.org/dims4/default/9b9cdbd/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1000x616+0+0/resize/880x542!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fkpbs-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fa2%2Fa9%2F1e9d906d4ee18e07ac46e062fd98%2Fmagpiemurders-ep2-2.jpg)
Episode 3: Encore Sunday, Aug. 18 at 9 p.m on KPBS TV + Tuesday, Aug. 27 at 8 p.m. on KPBS 2 - Angling to sell his publishing firm and r.etire, Charles leans on Susan to take over as CEO. In a parallel story, the detective plot in Alan’s last novel unfolds.
![Lesley Manville as Susan Ryeland and Michael Maloney as Charles Clover](https://cdn.kpbs.org/dims4/default/c1f7432/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1000x616+0+0/resize/880x542!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fkpbs-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2F1c%2F3f%2F7347b7434d76b9108e9a86e2f708%2Fmagpiemurders-ep3-2.jpg)
Episode 4: Encore Sunday, Aug. 18 at 10 p.m on KPBS TV + Tuesday, Sept. 3 at 8 p.m. on KPBS 2 - The puzzle pieces of Alan’s death get more and more jumbled. At the same time, the plot of his new book and the lives of his acquaintances start to converge.
![Daniel Mays as Chubb](https://cdn.kpbs.org/dims4/default/bcb9914/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1000x616+0+0/resize/880x542!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fkpbs-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2F7a%2F7d%2F3a920aca4524bcab32bf99b73ba1%2Fmagpiemurders-ep4-3.jpg)
Episode 5: Encore Sunday, Aug. 25 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV + Tuesday, Sept. 10 at 8 p.m. on KPBS 2 - Susan’s sister and Andreas have unexpected connections to Alan. Meanwhile, Pünd wraps up his investigation, promising, “Very soon all will be made clear!
![Matthew Beard as Fraser, Tim McMullan as Atticus Pünd and Daniel Mays as Chubb](https://cdn.kpbs.org/dims4/default/0df5695/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1000x616+0+0/resize/880x542!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fkpbs-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2F4d%2F22%2F32b8e1a24219950ed6cc8f9bf9c9%2Fmagpiemurders-ep5-3.jpg)
Episode 6: Encore Sunday, Aug. 25 at 10 p.m. on KPBS TV + Tuesday, Sept. 17 at 8 p.m. on KPBS 2 - Susan cracks her case—not without mishap—then accompanies Pünd as he lays out the solution to Alan’s final book, as magpies watch from above.
![Lesley Manville as Susan Ryeland](https://cdn.kpbs.org/dims4/default/2213063/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1000x616+0+0/resize/880x542!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fkpbs-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fe6%2F59%2F7d2d4b534634b2735c41a75752f4%2Fmagpiemurders-ep6-2.jpg)
Watch On Your Schedule: The series is now available to stream with KPBS Passport! Contribute a tax-deductible* gift of $5 per month or an annual gift of $60 or more. Your donation will help KPBS serve your community through media that educates, inspires, and entertains.
Credits: An Eleventh Hour Films production for MASTERPIECE and BritBox UK. Distributed by Sony Pictures Television.