# How do you plot the perfect murder mystery? with Kate Atkinson

An episode of [Ask Penguin](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/89411073), 31 Oct 2024, 25 min.

Audio: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/acast/s/thepenguinpodcast/e/6720bdcb8c8e0138f0c41421/media.mp3

Can a country house whodunnit still surprise us? What can Agatha Christie teach a us about crime? Does every great detective need a partner? And what is it exactly that makes a murder mystery “cosy”? This week on Ask Penguin, Rhianna is joined by bestselling, award-winning novelist Kate Atkinson to talk about Death at the Sign of the Rook, her playful reinvention of the classic Golden Age murder mystery. Together they explore the stop-start rhythms of the writing process, why some stories need to wait for their moment, and the frustration involved in putting an intricate novel together. Plus, Kate is joined by her Penguin publicist and Alison Barrow to answer your questions with a reading list packed with crimes, mysteries and psychological thrills. For the full list of books and transcript visit: Episode 5: Crime and Mysteries Send us a question: penguinpodcast@penguinrandomhouse.co.uk. Website: www.penguin.co.uk/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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