Magpie Lane: a riveting, twisty and deeply compelling read

Magpie Lane is one of those books I couldn't put down once I began reading. I literally spent an entire Saturday in the ancient, haunting city of Oxford. (Time well spent. I've been to Oxford. Lucy captured it perfectly! Made me long to be there again.) It was refreshing to meet an imperfectly mysterious, relatable family who faces some harsh realities. In the end... wait, sorry. No spoilers! Oh, but it's so good! Magpie Lane delivers the experience readers wish for every time they pick up a book. I'll be rereading this one.Next to a gripping mystery, I feel like I also sat down to a delicious literary meal. Lucy's characters are real. Clearly defined. Their perspectives draw you along at a good pace. You never tire of it. If anything you're so intrigued that you sometimes want to get to the crux of the mystery faster. Expertly done.

Dee is an experienced nanny who prefers short-term assignments with visiting professors. A chance encounter with Nick Law, newly recruited from the BBC as a College Master, leads to a quick interview and job offer from Law's Danish second wife Mariah.Dee is touched by Law's daughter, eight-year-old Felicity. Her mother died not long ago and Felicity is painfully shy and selectively mute. Her ambitious, narcissistic parents have little time for her. The household is chaotic and frequently filled with strangers that make Felicity uncomfortable.Author Lucy Atkins has done a marvelous job of drawing the historic atmosphere and famed residents of Oxford. Felicity's room in the attic overlooks the gargoyles on the roof of the chapel across the lane and contains a hidey hole that once sheltered Catholic priests on the run during the Reformation.Laws and his second wife are easy to hate for their utter carelessness of Felicity. The suspension builds intensely with Felicity's safety at stake. The ending is both twisty and satisfying.

Set in contemporary Oxford, England, this novel draws on the history of Oxford to make the ambiance for a fascinating psychological thriller. The prose is pitch perfect, as are the characters. I've recommended it to a number of friends.

This book held my interest until the very end; however, the author should have either ended the book 10 pages earlier or made this the first of series. The ending left me disappointed.The character development was exceptional. Multiple characters were flawed as a result of the suffering and tragedies they suffered during their youth. Those interwoven stories touched my heart and kept me reading in hope of a happy ending.Felicity, as a little girl is the first to find her dead mother who had just committed suicide. Though very intelligent, she was so socially damaged and withdrawn that she could not speak. She lived in a scary new place with a father who drove her bipolar mother to kill herself when she discovered her husband, Dr. Law, was having an affair with his daughter’s stepmother.When the parents nearly begged Dee to be Felicity’s temporary nanny this innocent little girl finally had someone to love her. When Hardy Linklater Birdy came into Dee and Felicity’s life, and she began speaking to the two, hope entered into this otherwise morbid tale.Nick Law’s controlling ego continued to endanger the child’s chance at become a normal little girl.I want to give the author the benefit of the doubt and want to believe that the disappointing ending was nearly setting the scene for a sequel to a series, but I am not confident that she will do so. Accordingly, the author ruined this novel for me and I have deducted two stars for her very disappointing ending to what could have been a stellar tale.

I enjoyed this one. Well written and interesting characters and storyline. A welcome departure from the "unputdownable" mysteries of unfaithful wives, husbands, friends, etc. I'll search out more from this author.

This is a beautiful, difficult book. It is difficult because it is painful. And full of love. Depressing and joyful. Frightening and comforting. Mysterious and straightforward. It is all of these and more. I highly recommend it.

The story is told by the nanny as she is being interviewed by the police, which was a clever device. It centers on a child with selective mutism, the pompous father (a poster child for benign neglect parenting), his downright silly wife who restores wallpaper, but it's the erudite, cemetery trolling, compassionate "house detective', Linklater, who steals the show. The Inspector Morse quips are spot on. You will probably guess the outcome, and getting to it is a fun, fast and very grammatical read.

Well written with characters you love and also others you love to hate. So much historical information about Oxford I enjoyed this book immensely

This novel had everything I require in an excellent read. A setting that evokes atmosphere in spades, a protagonist with a secretive past, and a dysfunctional family that seem to have a hidden agenda.The Oxford University Master's Lodging house was an ancient gothic pile with creepy vibes. A house steeped in history - it even had a priest's hole.The nanny, Dee, was an eccentric and enigmatic woman. The allusions to her past evoked an aura of mystery and earlier trauma. Her brilliant mathematical mind lent her personality a certain gravitas. While she seemed a quirky, aloof person, she seemed very loving toward her small charge Felicity.Felicity herself was an extremely troubled little girl with whom you couldn't help but have empathy for.The plot was clever and expertly executed. It was a cut above the typical 'missing child' thriller. The ending was perfect - somewhat ambiguous, but perfectly fitting for the book.This psychological novel kept me captivated throughout. I have added all of Lucy Atkins previous novels to my TBR. Highly recommended!

I’ve got to admit that I bought this book when I discovered that the author is a lecturer of creative writing at Oxford University and I wanted a book that was well written.You can absolutely tell that she is at the top of the creative writing tree. The sentences are beautifully constructed and are to be admired. I just love finding books that are good stories but also literary works of art. This is one.I would suggest that you put Magpie Lane on your wish list immediately.

I was first of all drawn to this book by the style of writing, so clear and unelaborate right from the first page, a bit surprising at first, but totally in keeping with the narrator, a rather mysterious person who only reveals small parts of her history as the novel progresses. The characters are lively, interesting and unusual portraying a "who done it" atmosphere almost from the beginning even though it's not what one would call a detective story. Well done Lucy Atkins.

Sort of knew it was coming but not sure. Loved this book, a real page turner, great imagery, great relationships, am waiting for a few months to pass and then to read it again! Yep I'm that sort of a reader.Brilliant storyline!!!!!!!!

A beautifully balanced and intriguing story with just enough suspense and a hint of sinister to keep the reader guessing. It is a narrative with two parallel plots which draws you in. The author's ability to describe deep and complex human emotion is extraordinary. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel.