Magpie Murders

Alan Conway is a successful mystery author whose unexpected death causes others to think he has killed himself. His final novel, Magpie Murders, is the last in a bestselling series. Alan grew up with a stern, abusive father and is not close with his family. He always had a dream of becoming a writer, and eventually achieved success with his mystery novels, although he truly wanted to become a literary fiction author. He married his wife Melissa and had a son Freddy, but he later came out as gay and left them for a younger man named James Taylor. Alan is vain, arrogant, and difficult to manage, but is also determined and dissatisfied with the trajectory of his life.

Charles Clover is Susan’s boss at Cloverleaf Books and the publisher of Alan Conway’s successful novels. He is an older gentleman who worked in the publishing industry for many years. After Alan’s death, Charles's behavior comes into question as Susan investigates the mysterious circumstances surrounding his supposed suicide. Eventually, he is arrested for Alan's murder.

James Taylor is the ex-boyfriend of Alan Conway. Although James and Alan broke up shortly before his death, James inherits Alan’s house and much of his fortune. James is much younger than Alan is, and is an aspiring actor who felt trapped by his life with an older, famous partner. In Alan’s book, James Taylor is the inspiration for James Fraser, Atticus’s charming young assistant.

John White is Alan Conway’s wealthy neighbor and a suspect in his murder. Alan and John had a disagreement about a failed investment soon before Alan’s death. In Alan’s book, John White is the inspiration for Johnny Whitehead, a petty criminal and gang member.

Claire Jenkins is Alan Conway’s sister. The two siblings had a difficult childhood but remained close through their adult years until they fell out over a conflict regarding Claire’s work on Alan’s books. Claire appears shocked by her brother’s untimely death and feels sure that he was murdered. In Alan’s book, Claire is the inspiration for Clarissa Pye, the disenfranchised sister of the wealthy Magnus Pye.

Donald Leigh is an aspiring writer whose novel idea was stolen by Alan for one of his books. Donald is bitter about Alan’s success, and is startled to see him at a restaurant where Donald works as a waiter.

Tom Robeson is the local vicar who officiates Alan Conway’s funeral. Tom and Alan were classmates at boarding school, and Tom indicates that Alan may have bullied him when they were children. In Alan’s book, Tom is the inspiration for the vicar Robin Osborne.

Mark Redmond is a TV producer working with Alan to create a show based on his bestselling novels. They have a difficult working relationship, and Mark confesses that Alan was actively looking for other producers to work with at the time of his death.

Melissa Conway is Alan Conway’s ex-wife. The couple met while teaching at a private school and began dating. They have a young son named Freddy. Melissa was the one who convinced Alan to pursue mystery novels rather than literary fiction, and he has always resented her for it. After several years of marriage and the success of several novels, Alan left her for James Taylor.

Freddy Conway is Alan’s son. Now a teenager, he resents his father for abandoning him and has no contact with him. In Alan’s novel, Freddy is the inspiration for Freddy Pye, the son of Magnus and Frances.

Jemima Humphries is Charles and Susan’s assistant at Cloverleaf Books. Soon after Alan’s death, she stops working at the company.

Andreas Patakis is Susan’s boyfriend. He is a teacher at a local school, and once taught at the same school as Alan and Melissa Conway (the latter with whom he had a brief affair). He is Greek and wants to move back to Crete with Susan to start a business running a hotel.

Atticus Pünd is the famous detective and star character of Alan Conway’s novels. A survivor of German concentration camps during World War Two, Atticus moves to England after the war and sets up shop as a private detective. Atticus is mild-mannered and modest, and he prefers to come to his own conclusions before he shares them with others. At the beginning of Alan’s final novel, Atticus is diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor, which gives him only months to live.

James Fraser is Atticus’s assistant. Once an aspiring actor, he now helps Atticus solve mysteries around the country. He is easygoing and charismatic, and he serves as a foil to Atticus’s reserved character.

Mary Blakiston is a villager who dies in an accident—that seems as though it could have been a murder—at the outset of the novel. She is mother to Robert Blakiston and works as a housekeeper at Pye Hall. Mary is nosy and suspicious, and is enemies with different people in the village. Atticus partially comes to the village to investigate her death.

Robert Blakiston is Mary Blakiston’s son. Shortly before her death, he argued with his mother and threatened to kill her. He is engaged to be married to Joy Sanderling. Robert is somewhat of a loner, with few friends and a somewhat violent disposition; he killed his younger brother when they were children and is eventually recognized as the murderer of Magnus Pye. 

Joy Sanderling is a young woman in the village, engaged to be married to Robert Blakiston, and works as an assistant to the village doctor, Emilia Redwing. After Mary Blakiston is murdered, she seeks Atticus’s help to clear her fiancée's name. She is a good-natured and determined person who is eager to begin a life for herself and her future husband.

Robin Osborne is the local vicar. He is generally even-tempered, but does not get along well with Mary Blakiston, and becomes enraged when he hears that Magnus Pye is considering selling off the woods that border on his backyard. He is a suspect in Atticus’s murder investigation.

Henrietta is Robin Osborne’s wife. She is fiercely protective of her husband and is also upset that Magnus Pye is considering selling Dingle Dell.

Emilia Redwing is the local doctor. When a vial of poison goes missing from her dispensary, she is reluctant to tell police for fear that they might blame her for her negligence. Emilia is well respected in the community and has a friendly presence and no-nonsense attitude.

Arthur Redwing is Emilia Redwing's husband. An aspiring artist, he has painted several portraits for different people in the village.

Magnus Pye is a wealthy landowner who lives in Pye Hall, an estate at the edge of the village. Magnus is arrogant and not well liked by his neighbors. He seems to care only about money and possessions, and he is often unkind to those around him; he claimed all of his deceased parents’ wealth and left his twin sister, Clarissa, with next to nothing. 

Frances Pye is Magnus Pye's wife. Although she enjoys the comforts that come with her status, she is trapped in a loveless marriage with Magnus and only remains with him for the sake of convenience. She is the mother of Freddy Pye and is engaged in a love affair with Jack Dartford.

Freddy Pye is Magnus and Frances’s son. He is a wealthy, privileged, and arrogant young man.

Clarissa Pye is Magnus’s twin sister. Although their parents raised both she and Magnus in wealth and luxury, Clarissa is entirely cut out of the inheritance when their parents unexpectedly pass away. Forced to work for a living, Clarissa spends time in America as a tutor before returning to England and working as a schoolteacher in the village where she grew up. She resents her brother Magnus for withholding the family wealth from her and is unhappy with her life.

Jack Dartford works in finance and is in an affair with Frances Pye. Although he is attractive and charming, Jack made unwise investments and does not have much money.

Neville Brent is the groundskeeper and gardener at Pye Hall. Like his father before him, he works for Magnus and takes care of the grounds surrounding the estate. He is a simple, juvenile man with few friends, but is an important witness in the deaths of Mary and Magnus.

Matthew Blakiston is the estranged husband of Mary and father of Robert. After the death of their youngest son Tom, he moves away and falls out of contact with his wife and child.