PBS orders new murder mystery drama from creator of ‘Foyle’s War’

Foyle’s War writer Anthony Horowitz is returning to TV with a brand new crime series.

Horowitz is adapting his acclaimed 2016 novel Magpie Murders for PBS and BritBox.

Executive producer Susanne Simpson commented: “Anthony Horowitz is a master mystery writer, and Magpie Murders is a beautiful and complex work. Our Masterpiece audience will truly enjoy this intriguing story of a mystery within a mystery.”

Horowitz added: “Magpie Murders is my most successful novel and it wasn’t easy to adapt. But I think the result is a completely original drama that will delight and beguile audiences in equal measure.”

Producer Jill Green said: “This is an extraordinary and distinctive drama. I don’t think there’s ever been a crime show like it with a strong female lead treading the line between reality and fiction as she fights to uncover the truth.”

Set in 1940s England, Foyle’s War ran for eight seasons on ITV between 2002 and 2015.

You can watch all 28 episodes of Foyle’s War for free on Amazon Prime with a 7-day trial of Acorn TV.

The official synopsis for Magpie Murders reads: “When editor Susan Ryeland is given the manuscript of Alan Conway’s latest novel, she has no reason to think it will be much different from any of his others. After working with the bestselling crime writer for years, she’s intimately familiar with his detective, Atticus Pünd, who solves mysteries disturbing sleepy English villages.

“An homage to queens of classic British crime such as Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers, Alan’s traditional formula has proved hugely successful. So successful that Susan must continue to put up with his troubling behavior if she wants to keep her job.

“Conway’s latest tale has Atticus Pünd investigating a murder at Pye Hall, a local manor house. Yes, there are dead bodies and a host of intriguing suspects, but the more Susan reads, the more she’s convinced that there is another story hidden in the pages of the manuscript: one of real-life jealousy, greed, ruthless ambition, and murder.”

Magpie Murders is set to premiere in 2021 on PBS Masterpiece in the US and exclusively on BritBox in the UK.

Foyle’s War is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video.