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Magpie Lane

the most chilling and twisty read of 2020!

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Magpie Lane

By: Lucy Atkins
Narrated by: Susie Riddell
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'Riveting, twisty, page-turning stuff' Guardian

A 'best books of 2020' pick for BBC Radio 4 Open Book, the Guardian, the Telegraph and Good Housekeeping


'The page turner you've been looking for. Sly, witty and gripping . . . I devoured it' Naomi Alderman
'An utter joy . . . wonderfully skilled' Sarah Perry
'Beguiling, brilliantly creepy, and an utterly compelling read' Claire Fuller
'Tender, creepy and gripping' Sunday Times
'Spellbinding and spooky . . . a dazzling high wire act, superbly absorbing' Sunday Mirror

When the eight-year-old daughter of an Oxford College Master vanishes in the middle of the night, police turn to the Scottish nanny, Dee, for answers.

As Dee looks back over her time in the Master's Lodging - an eerie and ancient house - a picture of a high achieving but dysfunctional family emerges: Nick, the fiercely intelligent and powerful father; his beautiful Danish wife Mariah, pregnant with their child; and the lost little girl, Felicity, almost mute, seeing ghosts, grieving her dead mother.

But is Dee telling the whole story? Is her growing friendship with the eccentric house historian, Linklater, any cause for concern? And most of all, why is Felicity silent?

Roaming Oxford's secret passages and hidden graveyards, Magpie Lane explores the true meaning of family - and what it is to be denied one.

'Enthralling . . . creepy and compelling' The Times
'Deliciously dark' Alexandra Shulman
'A gorgeously satisfying triumph' Lucy Mangan
'A rare thing . . . simply stunning' Daily Express
'I was gripped . . . highly original' Alex Clark
'Creepy, suspenseful' Independent
'One of the most intriguing narrators since Notes on a Scandal' Sara Collins
'Grown-up and cleverly written . . . a dizzying sense of uncertainty' Literary Review
'Keeps you guessing . . . a real sense of menace' Good Housekeeping
'Wholly beguiling' Mick Herron
'Dazzlingly good' Diane Setterfield
'Beautiful writing' Polly Samson
'Clever, tense and twisty' Amanda Craig
'Highly intelligent' Sarah Vaughan
'Simply brilliant!' JP Delaney
'Darkly atmospheric' Jane Fallon
'Clever and creepy' Erin Kelly
'Highly recommended' Louise Candlish©2019 Lucy Atkins Detective Domestic Thrillers Family Life Genre Fiction Psychological Suspense Thriller & Suspense Women's Fiction Mystery Fiction Exciting Scary Highlander
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Critic reviews

It is a long time since I have enjoyed a book as thoroughly as I enjoyed Magpie Lane, which reminded me variously of Iris Murdoch, Ruth Rendell, Donna Tartt and Daphne du Maurier. I adored the narrator, and it was an utter joy to relish Atkins's wonderfully skilled and unobtrusive writing and lose myself in the mystery
The page turner you've been looking for. Sly, witty and gripping . . . I loved it
The word-of-mouth success of lockdown, this riveting exploration of emotional damage is set against the dysfunctional world of Oxford academia . . . It is twisty, page-turning stuff, but Atkins also excels at characterisation: the deliciously horrid master and his new wife, the eccentric scholar writing a history of their creepy house, the closed-off nanny with her own secrets and the girl at the centre of it all.
Tender, creepy and gripping
With graceful writing, sharply observed characters including the city itself, and a withering look at the hidebound ways of dusty-gowned academia, this wonderfully atmospheric tale is, at its core, about the true meaning of family
A creepy, suspenseful thriller set against the dreaming spires of Oxford
Deliciously enjoyable
I fell hard for the beautiful writing and ghostly mood of Magpie Lane. Dee, a riveting Russian doll of a character, had me in her thrall from start to finish. Highly recommended
Clever and creepy, twisty yet tender: Magpie Lane will have you hearing footsteps overhead in an empty house. I loved it
'Full of hidden chambers, and some of them are haunted . . . part thriller, part love story, wholly beguiling. I was glued to every page'
'Lucy Atkins excels at creating highly intelligent, slightly eccentric outsiders. I was completely immersed . . . and preoccupied, and appalled, by such credible characters. I loved it!'
'The most sublime book I've read since Apple Tree Yard . . . masterful writing from an experienced hand. I'll be gushing about this for a while'
One of the most intriguing narrators since Notes on a Scandal - I loved it!
Darkly atmospheric, Magpie Lane will grip you from the first page and refuse to let you go
'So clever and different. I raced through for the reveal but also the spookiness, the characters and the wonderful love story'
'A brilliant feat - a creepy, chilling, page-turning tale that also made me laugh out loud. I can think of no other writer who pulls that off'
'Intricate, intelligent, and immensely satisfying, and with a deliciously spooky edge. It really is first-class Oxford intrigue'
'That rare thing: a thriller that warms your heart even as it chills your spine. I adored it on so many levels - the page-turning tension, the emotional depth of the central relationship. Simply brilliant!'
All stars
Most relevant
This was so good, it hooked me right from the beginning, as Dee the nanny revealed more about her time in Oxford with this dysfunctional family.
I liked Dee, although I wasn’t too sure if I should like her, as she came across as was quite a cold person, although not towards Felicity. She really cared for her and took her job as the nanny very seriously.
I liked Mariah at first, mostly to do with Susie Riddell’s portrayal of her which was just brilliant. I loved her accent and enthusiasm. I must confess I was horrified at what she was doing to the house though, and couldn’t understand that someone who was involved with restoration would blatantly change a listed building. I didn’t like Nick, Felicity’s father, he was not a nice character at all, so entitled and arrogant.
I really liked Linklater the house detective who took Dee and Felicity around some of Oxford’s old graveyards. He was a very interesting character who seemed friendly enough and Felicity really liked him.
I felt very sorry for Felicity but she also spooked me especially when Dee was describing her night terrors! I loved how she developed throughout the story as Dee cared for her and also opened up about her own past.
I had so many questions going through my head as I was listening to this. Why was Felicity reluctant to speak? What exactly happened to Felicity’s mother? How did she die? Why didn’t Nick and Mariah pay more attention to Felicity? Why were they so keen to hire Dee as their nanny when they knew so little about her? Why was Dee holding back certain information from the police? I could go on but I think I’ll be giving some of the plot away.
Oxford was a wonderful setting, I loved hearing familiar place names that I used to know so well. I learnt lots about the city and some of it’s very famous residents, Tolkien in particular. I also learnt where the nursery rhyme Goosey Goosey Gander came from!
Susie Riddell, a new-to-me narrator was superb. I particularly enjoyed her portrayal of Dee and Mariah. I’m definitely adding her to my favourite narrators list!
Highly recommended!

Superb!

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Unfortunately I saw it all coming very early on and knew how things were going to play out. Therefore there wasn't really any suspense or mystery, which was what I wanted.

The story wasn't terrible; I'm not telling people not to listen but it was just average in my opinion.

I thought the Narrator was brilliant and I am quite fussy :)

I would try the author again as the details and descriptions were good, just unfortunate that I found this one so predictable

Good Narration, predictable plot

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This was brilliantly performed. A clever enjoyable psychological whodunnit with some excellently drawn characters. It was a wee bit slow in the middle otherwise would’ve given it five stars.

Clever and enjoyable

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Really enjoyed this book, it was very well written, kept me engaged for hours. I'd have liked to hear more about Felicity and her mother, and Dee's daughter and less about the University and I almost turned it off, and then it got really good! The author was making sure we knew every character, their setting and why people did the things they did. The narrator was exceptional, I'll look for more books by the same author and those of the same narrator next, its the best book I've listened to for a while. Thank you!

Great narrator and good story

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Wonderfully crafted story by this writer & brilliant observations of the human condition . The performance was very engaging & the ending although predictable was very well written to be open to interpretation & mora judgement.

Great listen

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