Murder & Intrigue with Lavish Views: First Episode of 'Moonflower Murders' Kills It

Following her near-death in the finale of Magpie Murders, editor-turned-amateur detective Susan Ryeland (Lesley Manville) has left London for the gorgeous vistas of Crete in Moonflower Murders, where she is running a hotel with her longtime boyfriend Andreas (Alexandros Logothetis). But there’s trouble in paradise: running a hotel is hard work, especially when the kitchen is flooding, the roof is damaged, and the rooms have roaches. Andreas takes everything in stride, but Susan is miserable long before a new mystery comes calling in the form of an English couple, the Trehernes (Adrian Rawlins and Pooky Quesnel), who arrive at the hotel, seeking out Susan specifically. Their daughter Cecily (Amy Griffiths) disappeared, and they’re convinced that Susan’s the only person to help. 

Cecily’s disappearance may be related to a murder that happened at their English countryside hotel eight years ago, a mystery that deceased novelist Alan Conway (Conleth Hill) used as the basis for one of his best sellers, with their hotel as the setting; Susan was the editor. After reading the book, Atticus Pünd Takes the Case, which features the Treherne family members as characters, Cecily became convinced the wrong person was jailed for the hotel murder just before she disappeared, telling her father the book names the real killer. The Trehernes still run the hotel, with Cecily and her sister, Lisa (Rosalie Craig, who also plays Melissa James), and their son-in-law Aiden (Will Tudor, playing the dual role of Algernon). The murder victim, Frank Parris (Mark Gatiss, who also plays Oscar Berlin), was a persnickety guest who happened to be there on the weekend of Cecily and Aiden’s wedding. 

As the cold open already revealed, the bride and groom’s speeches during the reception are interrupted by a maid, her hands covered in blood, who found Parris in his room bludgeoned to death by a hammer. The police are called, and it’s our old friend D.I. Locke (Daniel Mays), the subpar detective Conway wrote into his books as the hapless Inspector Chubb. Lisa places suspicion for the murder on a recently fired employee with a criminal record, in whose room they find blood stains and money stolen from Parris’ wallet. Of note: Parris' "persnickety-ness" was complaining his room was too small with no view. (Aidan placated him by swapping him into Room 12 in the Moonflower Wing, initially reserved for a different guest who had yet to arrive. Perhaps Parris was not the intended target. Let’s put a pin in that and see what future episodes bring.) As with Alan Conway’s supposed suicide, which turned out to be murder, Locke sees an open and shut case. 

The Trehernes offer Susan £10,000 to stay in their hotel for a week, read Conway’s book, and try to solve the mystery of their missing daughter. She begins almost immediately.

In Conway’s novel, set in the 1950s, Melissa James is the murder victim, and as the proxy of sister Lisa, it’s quite an unflattering portrait. Melissa is a famous Hollywood star whose career stalled after an on-set accident left her with a facial scar. She is glamorous but harsh, dropping in unannounced on the Moonflower Hotel, bought with her insurance money, and surprises the caretakers, the Gardners (played by the same actors who play the Trehernes). Melissa’s been scrutinizing the books and wants a full financial audit; it appears someone is skimming. The Gardners look frightened. Next, Melissa is cornered by filmmaker Oscar Berlin, who pressures her to sign the contract for his upcoming film, which she agreed to star in. But she’s decided not to do it. Berlin is livid, saying this will ruin him. Melissa is flippant; there are plenty of other actresses.

At her opulent estate, Melissa has a contentious relationship with her housekeeper, Phyllis (Joanna Bacon), and immediately picks a fight with her husband, John Spencer (Rupert Evans), who’s waiting to take her to the opera. She says Spencer doesn’t understand money worries, and they’re cash-poor. He reminds her he was cut off from family money upon marrying her. She claims to hate opera and is bored silly of his upper-class family and their political chatter. She’s staying home to meet her financial adviser, Algernon, and tells Spencer to sleep in the guest room when he gets back.

Elsewhere, the town doctor (Liam Garrigan) is excited after receiving a letter that his wife Samantha (Jeany Spark) has just inherited £980,000. Her brother Algernon won’t be happy he’s been disinherited; they decide not to tell him. Meanwhile, Algernon manages to hit a pedestrian with his car on a nearly deserted road as he’s heading to Melissa. He’s smoking and drinking from a flask while driving, and when he stops, the pedestrian is not moving. Algernon flees the scene after he’s sure no one has seen him.

Algernon arrives at Melissa’s estate as Phyllis is heading out. Melissa angrily demands that Phyllis and her other employee, Eric, speak with her before they leave. Melissa then has a meeting with Algernon; she wants to sell her shares of Days Inn stock and discuss the entirety of her finances. She feels bled dry between the house, the hotel, and her marriage. Algernon looks worried. In the real world, Susan deduces that the shares are worthless and Melissa is being ripped off. Later that night, Melissa is murdered – strangled to death with a phone cord and found, eyes open, in her own bed. The bedroom is trashed, showing signs of struggle.

Even before Susan begins reading the book, she’s already seen Atticus Pünd (Tim McMullan), Conway’s fictional detective, pop up again in her real life. So it’s no real surprise when she suddenly converses with him after reading several chapters. She’s agitated, intrigued by the book’s mystery but unsure how it relates to an 8-year-old murder or how she can use it to untangle Cecily’s disappearance. “I should leave this alone,” Susan says. “But you won’t,” retorts Atticus. Susan heads in to tell Andreas she's taking the case. She loves him, but the hotel world is not for her. She wants to return to London and be an editor, but for now, she will try to solve the Trehernes’ mystery. He starts to protest, but she tells him to think of the money. Things don’t bode well for their relationship.

Moonflower Murders airs on Sundays on most local PBS channels at 9 p.m. ET and will be available to stream on PBS.org and the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel. All six episodes are available on PBS Passport for members to stream as a binge.