I am an avid fan of Death in Paradise; thus, when I learned that this was Thorogood's next rendering, I knew I had to read it. I was not disappointed. I am not one for needless blood and gore, or explosions and mayhem for no apparent reason, and thankfully, neither is Thorogood. The plot was quick to enter, the characters were distinct with stories of their own, and the action moved at a pace that held my interest. The setting and the mystery within a mystery (the locked door) were skillfully described and added intrigue.

I fell in love with seventy-seven year old Judith Potts immediately! 💗

She was entirely happy with her life-enjoying a job as a crossword compiler, and grateful that she didn’t have to share her life with a man who would be asking where she was going every time she left the house, or what’s for dinner every night. She didn’t have to listen to one moan about the money she spent, or how much whiskey she was drinking in the evening as she assembled her jigsaw puzzles. Yes, life was good!

That is not to say, that she didn’t like men. In fact, when she is convinced that she heard an altercation and a gunshot at her neighbor, Stefan Dunwoody’s house, she goes above and beyond to be sure that he is ok.

Initially, local police don’t take her claims seriously-murders don’t happen in Marlow-but when he does indeed turn up dead-Judith decides to investigate on her own.

During her queries, she meets Becks Starling, a woman trying to be the perfect Vicar’s wife, and Suzie Harris, a local dog Walker with no filter-who unapologetically says whatever she is thinking.

They also become vested in the solving the case.

All three women are TENACIOUS, CREATIVE and BRAVE-and as their friendship grew, their personal confidence and self worth grew too-a lovely thing to witness.

While the mystery itself may have borrowed from a CLASSIC, the strength of a COZY is its characters, and the women of the Marlow Murder Club, are a delightful bunch!

Will I read a sequel? Don’t Mind if I Do!!

And, PROPS to the adorable book cover which initially drew me in!

Scheduled publication is May 3, 2022.

A sincere thank you to Poisoned Pen Press for the gifted copy. It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!

Gosh, I have read some really atrocious books lately and unfortunately now I need to add another one to the pile of "Books I will never go near again." Thinking I was going to have a slight reiteration of Richard Osmans Thursday Murder Club and its sequel, I dug in waiting to enjoy the antics of three older women, Judith, Becks, and Suzie who link up because of a local murder that had occurred. It was definitely a cute idea and one that initially had something going, but then at about the 50% percent mark, it died. (the book I mean ,not the women)

The story became utterly ridiculous and knuckleheaded. From the police who couldn't find their nose on their faces to the three ladies performing feats of daring do, that women of a certain age would certainly not be stupid enough to attempt, this book went downhill faster than the Flash could. (whom I am told by my grandson is the fastest man on the planet!) The writing was off in the author's attempt to pull humor out to try and make one lol. My face went from 😐 to 🙄 to this 🙁 in a "flash".

I think Mr. Thorogood's idea for the story might have been a tad innovative, but the💤 portrayal, left much nonsense in its attempts at frivolous gibberish. So disappointing that I had to push myself before 💤 set in to finish the book.

The dynamite reading team of Jan, Dorie, and I were sadly disheartened, disenchanted and disgruntled, (never a good combination when reading a story). I gave this book a 2 because 1. I could possibly one of the mature women in the story, (I mean seriously, I could have been Suzie!) and 2. the beginning was promising. So, my advice would be as a seasoned, in my prime lady, to give this one a pass, but if you are at all interested in mystery that isn't a mystery than give this one a go.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book due out May 3, 2022

A cutesy fun read, although not on the gripping side!

This was all things cute, funny and feel-good sorts. The kind of book you enjoy reading for a little while and then you put a bookmark in there and do not open it for days without feeling anxious. So while I had a good time reading it and giggled a lot, I didn't find it intriguing at all. It was tedious at times with a lot of conversations going on in an infinite loop with no end. I get the fact that that exceptional slow pacing was to make us believe that our main characters weren't young urban women, but women between the 40-80 age bracket from a small town. It was perhaps realistic, but still quite tiring at times. I loved Judith: a super-cool 77-year-old protagonist with a knack for solving crosswords and murders. She was the best thing about this whole book.

I'll be picking the next book in the series for the sake of Judith.

TW: Murder (that's it - told you it's a cute story).

This is an ok murder mystery. I admit I figured out the solution a ways out, but it was interesting to watch the characters get there. I was interested to watch the relationships between the three friends develop.

The biggest problems I had with this book were that 1) it was far too long. It probably could have been cut in third and tightened up and been more successful for that and 2) the foreshadowing was more like "fore-getting-hit-on-the-head."

Basically I honestly thought this was a decent first novel. I don't know about it not being a first novel...

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book never captured my interest. A very British murder mystery with a large cast of character with varying degrees of nosiness and propriety. I would recommend for friends who are fans of Murdoch Mysteries, not for fans looking for a fast-paced myster.

The Marlow Murder Club was a cute, cozy mystery centered around Judith Potts, a 77-year old who is unknowingly famous in her little town of Marlow. After believing she witnessed (or heard) her neighbor's murder, Judith takes it upon herself to solve it since the town's police force isn't being helpful. Along the way, Judith makes new friends and also realizes it can be a little less lonely when she lets others in.

As a big Agatha Christie fan, this book gave me major Mrs. Marple vibes. I loved how quirky the main character was and the growth the supporting characters had within themselves. The plot did have me guessing up until the end and with each clue, I was second-guessing what I thought I already knew.

I read this in about 24 hours because I could not put it down. I'm looking forward to reading more by Robert Thorogood!

Judith Potts is the next Ms. Marple, but instead of just one side kick, Judith has two unlikely helpers in Marlow. Susie is a dog walker, and the vicar's wife, Becks completes the trio. While out for a swim, Judith hears a gunshot and calls the police. When the police can find nothing amiss, Judith starts snooping around. A good, clean murder mystery.

Thanks a lot NetGalley! This was a wonderful book. Judith, Becks, and Suzie solve a series of murders in their small town on the Thames. Any book that starts out with a 77 year old woman, Judith, swimming naked in the Thames, which is out her back door, has my vote. Judith sets crossword puzzles, Becks is the local vicar’s wife, and Suzie is a dog walker. Between the three of them they make for a formidable detective group. I sure hope this is the first in the series because I will definitely read more by Robert Throrogood!

This was 100% a cover pick for me - I have been having excellent luck with British murder mysteries in this style of cover art, and I was not misled. It was a thoroughly enjoyable mystery novel, with fun characters and a plot that kept me gripped.

There are elements I think could have been done better - the characters felt a bit cliched as the book progressed for one, but the overall atmosphere and sheer fun of the novel won over. Personally I found this a comparatively easy solve - I hadn’t worked out all the details, but I had a really solid sense of what the resolution would be by about three quarters of the way through the book. I’m not usually very good at that, so if you always guess who did it this might be a bit basic.

Overall a delightful read, and I’ll be looking forward to any possible sequels!

A very entertaining read. The Marlow Murder Club consists of three ladies from very different background. It was an entertaining read because the ways they met and started to investigate the murders were amusing as they are just like your friendly and curious next door neighbour type who has alot of time to spare. You wouldn’t believe how chaotic Judith was in the begining. It made me laugh so much. How she met Becks and Suzie for example. Each of them had unique personalities that helped them to find clues on who was the murderer. It was like a gossip club investigating murders in a small town. They sure love gossips . The way Judith would just blatantly say out to anyone that it were murder cases baffled me sometimes. The three of them would go around Marlow and started to ask questions . Since Suzie knew everyone in Marlow, it made the ‘investigation’ more interesting as they would speculate based on her thoughts about that person.

I like the way the author introduced new characters and also how the mystery of the murders unfolded. It was very subtle. I would recomend this book for those who are new to murder mystery novels as the plot is easy to follow.

“Because as far as I can see , ___ could be our killer,”
“That’s not possible, ___ does yoga!”

P/S : I havent read The Thursday Murder Club so I not able compare like others seem to be doing.

Tq NetGalley for the e-book!

This was an enjoyable cozy mysteries. I really liked the writing and storyline. The characters were cute and fun, great personally. It was a quick reading and the plot kept me going, it was a quick read

Let's just say I'll be ordering the second book!!
Seventy-seven year old Judith Potts lives on her own in her mansion, she designs crosswords, jigsaws and regularly swims naked in the thames.
Whilst out swimming one night she hears a gunshot from the direction of her neighbour stefans direction.
I absolutely loved this story, I hope I am like her at her age.
Check out the Marlow Murder crossword in the link below.
https://www.hqstories.co.uk/2021/07/10/the-marlow-murder-club-cryptic-crossword/
Thank you to Netgalley for a copy for my honest review

Judith is 77 years old. She lives in an inherited mansion, sets crossword puzzles, freewheels her bicycle downhill in the village of Marlow. She also swims naked every day in the river behind her home.
While swimming one evening she hears a shout and gunfire from her neighbor's garden.
The police investigation reveals nothing but Judith knows something terrible has happened.
Two more murders occur and it's up to Judith, her neighbor, Suzie and the vicar's wife, Becca to make connections and find the killer before there's another death.
Murder In Marlow is a delightful read with fun characters and an intriguing mystery. I hope this brave trio returns to solve another puzzle soon!

When I found "The Marlow Murder Club" I immediately thought of another popular murder club currently in fashion, the "Thursday Murder Club". Having loved "Thursday", I wanted to check out this book too, as other interesting coincidences in book names have led to diverging results for me - see the Evelyn's of "7 Husbands" and "7 deaths".

Centered around the clues to solve a murder, instead of on the murder itself, the book's premise made the story a bit slow to unravel. For me, it started picking up pace around chapter 10 (20%), but only managed to fully grab my attention at around chapter 27 (65% mark), which was when I decided to finish the book on that day because I had gotten me really curious.

The premise of having an elderly woman who loves solitude appealed to me instantly, and I liked Judith at the start. As a protagonist, she was witty and feisty, swimming naked and loving her messy house, but also meddling individual who just couldn't hear no and accept it. My feelings for her swung like a pendulum, sometimes very positive and others not so much. In my opinion, this shows how deep her character was, so a positive. As for the three side characters, Becks, Suzie and DS Tanika Malik, I appreciated the author's effort to bring them to life with a background and their own wishes and expectations.

I wish the author had explored more Judith's work as a crosswords writer and added more famous clues as context. The book's name, also, mentions Judith, Becks and Suzie as the "Marlow Murder Club", but in no moment they refer to themselves as such - I'd wager that Becks would be very very against it, to be honest - so it felt disconnected from the story.

The plot in itself was a tremendous surprise and I loved how intelligently the author placed the clues on the murders. I had started to guess the murderer, but reading Judith's thought process was very interesting.

Overall, this book was a pleasant read, even if a bit slower at first. I'd recommend it to readers looking for a cozy mystery, as it is full of quirky personality and has a well-rounded plot.

Thanks NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC!

Little old ladies and murder - just about my favorite combo 👵🏻☠️❤️

Thank you to #netgalley @poisonedpenpress and @robertthorogoodwriter for this gem!

Synopsis - Judith Potts is seventy-seven years old and blissfully happy. She lives on her own in a faded mansion just outside Marlow, there's no man in her life to tell her what to do or how much whisky to drink, and to keep herself busy she sets crosswords for The Times newspaper.

One evening, while out swimming in the Thames, Judith witnesses a brutal murder. The local police don't believe her story, so she decides to investigate for herself, and is soon joined in her quest by Suzie, a salt-of-the-earth dog-walker, and Becks, the prim and proper wife of the local vicar.

Together, they are the Marlow Murder Club.

When another body turns up, they realize they have a real-life serial killer on their hands. And the puzzle they set out to solve has become a trap from which they might never escape...

My thoughts - This was such a fun read. It was substantial enough to be a standalone (I HATE when books feel like they're just a setup for the next book), but also had characters that I can't wait to read more about in future books.

I did like the Marlow Murder Club overall, but it wasn't quite the cozy murder mystery that I thought it would be. I feel like the setting of the small British town could have been utilized a bit more.
Plus, if the story follows a civillian investigating a murder there should be a bit more conflict with the police than ended up being in this story. It just ended up feeling a little unrealistic.

Delightfully cozy with more than a touch of humor and eccentricity. You know you’re in for a treat when the book starts off with your seventy seven year old main character swimming naked in the Thames! The Marlow Murder Club was full of twists and turns that had me devouring page after page. The trio of Judith, Becks, and Suzie had me laughing out loud and face palming all at the same time. Overall, a quick, loveable cozy mystery read!

This gave me Thursday murder club and good girls guide to murder vibe in the way it written and the plot line. It was easy to read and I wanted to read more.

If you have not already purchased this book, you do not even have a fraction of an idea of what you are missing out on. This may be my favorite book of the year. The Marlow Murder Club, deserves the highest level of achievement award out there.

Do you get the picture? No, okay, fine, I will continue...

This is a cast of "older" more eccentric characters and a once cozy small town that is now plagued by a string of murders and a cop who is unable to solve them.

When the group of elders decide to step in and help the clueless detective, Tanika, you not only get a great story line but some great humor too.

The twists were on point and well done, nothing felt forced or dragged out. My attention was easily captivated early on and I was hooked from start to finish.

I know I say this often, but this book is just made for television.

Five stars, ten stars if I could. Do you get the picture now?