This novel seemed promising to me. I liked a lot of things about Judith Potts, who at 77 still earns money writing crossword puzzles and swims naked in the Thames in the dark of night. I liked that Judith meets and works with two other women from the community to help a female Detective Sergeant solve murders. I liked the town of Marlow and the various houses, the church and the local businesses. Thorogood's writing style was fine. But ultimately, I really thought this was poorly plotted. I can't exactly say why without spoilers, but it's hard to spoil things when you make it so obvious. It's just not sneaky enough because of choices the author made about what could have been a well plotted mystery. I also found the subplot about Judith's marriage in her twenties was unnecessary and stupid and did not move the book anywhere. It actually detracted from it. That frustrated me so much because this could easily have been a better book.

Robert Thorogood’s book The Marlow Murder Club is a delightful mystery. It is loosely classified as a cozy but has a lot more depth to it than many cozies I’ve read in the past. The characters are varied, with unique personalities and foibles, and Judith Potts is the glue that holds the group together. She’s a seventy-something woman who answers to no one, sets crossword puzzles, and enjoys her whisky as well as her swims in the Thames. Meanwhile, the humor is light, the plot is intricate enough to keep a reader involved, and the twists are unexpected.

Overall, this book is a joy to read and I am looking forward to the next adventure of the Marlow Murder Club.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

If you loved The Thursday Murder Club, you will also love The Marlow Murder Club!

Judith constructs crossword puzzles for several major papers and magazines. She is an older adult, and has a naturally inquisitive mind that sometimes gets her into trouble. She lives on the Thames, and one night, while swimming in the river, she hears voices and a gunshot at the house across from hers. She tries to get out and help, but by the time she does, the killer is long gone, and her neighbor is dead.

The police, of course, tell her to stay out of it, but that's not how Judith operates. She connects with Suzie, a local dog walker, and Becks, the vicar's wife, during the investigation and convinces them to help her investigate.

This story is a fun (and frustrating) mystery, but it is also a story of friendship. And, similar to The Thursday Murder Club, it shows how people underestimate older adults, especially women. I look forward to a sequel, which I am sure will be written!

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy of this thrilling mystery!

The Marlow Murder Club brings together what I hope will be a long-lasting trio of crime-solving women in Marlow, one of those quiet English villages along the Thames. Of course, some might say St. Mary Mead was a quiet village, too. The women are the intrepid Judith who hears a murder while she is swimming in the nude in the Thames. Joining her are Suzie, the dog-walker, and Becks, the vicar’s wife.

Judith is certain she witnessed a murder, but the police think she is a silly old woman. However, Suzie, who walks the victim’s dog, agrees with her and the vicar’s wife is suspicious, too. When there is a second shooting, the police start listening, when there is a third, the women are deputized, which seems highly unlikely. It all culminates in a fraught encounter between Judith and the murderer while Becks and Suzie move mountains, hoping to reach her in time.



I liked The Marlow Murder Club though there were a few creaky moments. The least credible was the final confrontation where it seems everything goes wrong. It feels like the end of a James Bond movie where the villain details his entire plan while Bond approaches death in a Goldberg-machine death trap, except in this case, it’s Judith explaining how she solved the crime and Goldberg created the obstacles blocking her rescuers.

I like the characters and hope they get another chance to impress. First novels in a series can be the best when they don’t feel like the beginning of a series. But when it’s clear a series is intended, they are often a bit creaky because they have so much to introduce. This had the growing pains of introduction. I hope in future books in the series, Becks and Suzie get more space and time to become full-fledged characters.

I received an e-galley of The Marlow Murder Club from the publisher through NetGalley.

The Marlow Murder Club at Poisoned Pen Press | Sourcebooks
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Such a fun read! This is a classic murder mystery with dynamic characters and a nice twisty plot. I’m a suspicious person, so the plot was predictable for me (even the last little bit at the end, sorry), but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy reading about how everything was revealed and how the characters grew throughout the story. These characters were written so well - you really are rooting for all of them in the end! A fun classic read - I recommend this book if you’re looking for murder mystery but still want to sleep peacefully at night. :)

4 stars
The Marlow Murder Club is a delightful romp of a book, a cozy murder mystery that leans in to the voyeuristic thrill of being a mystery reader. Judith, our heroine, is iconic from page one. An independent octogenarian, she is a joy to follow around on her madcap busybodying.
The book also includes possibly the best (bumbling) heist scene I’ve ever read, very relatable personal struggles, and moments of tongue-in-cheek authorial commentary sprinkled in (not too liberally) to great effect. For example: “On the one hand, Judith was right, and on the other, she was so very, very wrong.”
This book is just good plain fun. The characters are all charming, enough so that I don’t mind the fact that they’re largely archetypes, and the plot kept me invested through to the bitter end. The Thames also played a role beyond being a mere scenic name-drop, which was a pleasant surprise in a book of this type. I would highly recommend this story to fans of murder mysteries, including those who usually avoid cozies.

I just finished this delightful, cozy whodunit and am already missing Judith and her skeptical, sassy, whisky-drinking ways. This is one of those books that you can really envision on the screen, with witty, quick dialogue and a setting that has as much character as its leading lady and her companions.

I’m VERY pleased that this is the first in a series! The Marlow Murder Club is available wherever you buy books. Just spotted at B&N last week!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the complimentary advance copy of this work! My opinions are my own.

I love a clever pensioner cozy mystery!

The beauty of this book for me was in the characters, especially Judith. She is a Thames-swimming, whisky drinking, crossword setting pensioner. I wouldn’t mind her life! She also inherited a beautiful home on the water with a library (see what I mean).

When Judith teams up with the vicar’s wife and a local dog walker, the Marlow Murder club is formed. I enjoyed the hilarious situations and bonding these women did over the course of the investigation.

This cozy mystery had interesting twists and turns and plenty of clues to help solve the mystery. Apparently, I wasn’t paying attention because I didn’t figure it out until it was revealed to me in the end!

I really enjoyed the first few chapters but felt that it went downhill from there. I do enjoy slight bit of ridiculousness with cozy mysteries but this felt a bit too over the top for me.

Judith Potts at seventy-seven loves her life and her routines such as setting crosswords for The Times newspaper, swimming nude in the Thames, the odd glass of whisky, playing her grand piano when tipsy and riding her bike in town where everyone knows her. When she's swimming in the Thames one hot summer night, she hears yelling and a gunshot from her neighbour, Stefan Dunwoody's pad. The police make a token search but find nothing so Judith takes matters into her own hands and has a hunt around Stefan's property herself, finding his body. She knows he's been murdered but the police aren't taking the death of her neighbour seriously enough. The Marlow Murder Club is formed after Judith recruits Suzie Harris, a dog walker, and Becks Starling, the wife of the local vicar. Each woman brings their own special talents to the forefront and they start uncovering the dirt on the murder victim, then there is another death. Judith is a do-er with a logical mind so with the help of Suzie and Becks, they are going to crack the case.

Jammed with twists, there are so many plausible suspects with strong alibis. Red herrings are ripe and the club press on with their snooping despite the police, in particular DS Tanika Malik, warning them off the investigation, though she later requires their input. A fun read full of great hijinks and humour, I am already looking forward to book #2.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Intricate puzzles with many fair clues highlight this charming Christie-esque traditional mystery set in a small English village. Judith, our 70 something protagonist, is quite happy in her life and village with her routines and construction of crossword puzzles. When her neighbor dies, she begins to using her mental acuity to solve his murder, even though it was first declared an accident. Interesting characters populate the village and book.

I enjoyed this book way more than I anticipated. These characters are so different yet they mesh so well together.

Very entertaining and a cozy mystery. Yes I figured out most of the whodunnit but it didn’t matter one single bit. Usually it’s disappointing to figure it out but I didn’t care with this story because the characters were more important.

One thing that cracked me up was the because Judith mentioned travel sweets so often, I had to go and order a tin to see what they are!

Really liked the idea of this book - smart sassy older woman solving crimes with an eclectic group of sleuths but I felt the pacing was off and I just did not connect with story or characters. Others might really enjoy this - especially if you like the The Thursday Murder Club series - but not feeling this one personally. Thank you to NetGalley!

I thought this had a super cute premise. A cute old lady solving crime? sign me up.

Sadly, it felt super unrealistic to me. The ending was bonkers.

If you don’t mind that, you may like this. But it wasn’t for me.

Thanks to netgalley for a review copy!

The Marlow Murder Club is the first in a new series by Robert Thorogood, best known for A Death in Paradise produced by the BBC. This series is going to be a charming cozy mystery series set in England and features, first and foremost, a 77 year-old author of crossword puzzles. She was unique in many ways: she kept to herself in the huge old house she'd inherited from her great-aunt. Every evening she stripped out of all of her clothing, donned her multi-use, floor-length cape, and made her way to the river for an evening swim. One evening as she swam she heard a shot from the other side of the river at the home of her neighbor, Stefan Dunwoody. She tried to climb ashore but unable to and so returned home to call the police. After waiting 20 minutes someone arrived, gave the place a cursory walk-around, and left. That wouldn't do so the next day she thrust her punt across the water and checked herself. There, in a very unlikely spot, she found the body of Stefan, in the water, with a hole in his forehead. She called the police again. During the course of her investigation, Judith Potts was joined by two others: Becks Starling, the middle-aged, dissatisfied wife of the vicar, and Suzie Harris, a middle-aged dog walker who was all alone in life. Life was changing for the three of them and they bonded over that and the murders; yes, there were several now.

What a fabulous example of the genre as well as the traditional English mystery. Eventually the police asked for their help as they were making more progress than the inspectors. Only three inexperienced amateurs could solve this one. They each had their own, very divergent personalities but, whether they knew if or not, were each very much in need of a friend. Judith had a very logical, mathematical mind, so she thought everything through; Becks was more emotional and more conservative but was a quick thinker; Suzie knew everyone in Marlow and so had a never-ending stream of resources. They were a fabulous team that succeeded in solving these difficult murders. The police DS, Tanika Malik brought her own sets of talents and issues to the table. This was a terrific book. Well-written with insightful characterizations and a lovely setting. I look forward to more.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of The Marlow Murder Club by the Poisoned Pen Press, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #poisonedpenpress #robertthorogood #themarlowmurderclub

The Marlow Murder Club follows 77-year old Judith Potts, a crossword setter, who lives in a slightly fading mansion on the banks of the river Thames. Judith's mansion lies on the outskirts of the little town of Marlow and one thing her prestigious property offers is plenty of privacy. Therefore, Judith skinny dipping on a hot summer night generally goes unnoticed.

On one particular evening, as Judith is quietly swimming and enjoying the beauty of nature surrounding her, she hears a gunshot and sounds of distress come from her neighbor's property across the river. She's stunned and has no idea how to react. Did someone just murder Stefan Dunwoody? Judith alerts the police and watches their hasty search of the property. Rolling her eyes, Judith knows they'll find nothing.

So, she decides she needs to take matters into her own hands. As you do. Along the way she teams up with the vicar's wife, Becks Starling, as well as a free-wheeling local dog walker, Suzie Harris. Together the trio digs into not just Stefan's murder, but others that pop up along the way. Does Marlow have a real life serial killer on their hands?

The Marlow Murder Club gave me all the Cozy Mystery vibes I cherish, with a charming group of main characters to follow. I had so much fun reading this. This group of characters, Judith, Becks and Suzie, were well fleshed out, relatable and likable as heck. They're the type of people you can root for no matter how crazy their hijinks get. I am so looking forward to more in this series!!

There's not much more I can say about this. It's a ton of fun. It's a book that doesn't take itself too seriously. It's a breath of fresh air. Seriously, when can I expect more?

Thank you so much to the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

I had an absolute blast. Judith Potts is definitely a new favorite heroine for me. I basically want to be her when I grow up; whiskey, skinny dipping, a mansion to herself and amateur murder investigation...sign me up!!!

Unfortunately I had to DNF this book because it was slow for me. I wish it was a bit more fast paced

I received an ARC of The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood, published by Poisoned Pen Press, via Netgalley in exchange for this honest review.

Judith Potts wants for nothing in her independent lifestyle. At seventy-seven years old, Judith loves her job as a crossword setter, busies herself with jigsaw puzzles and swimming in the Thames River, and keeps certain memories in her past well-buried. She’s perfectly happy. That is, until she discovers her neighbor with a bullet in his head. And this is only the beginning.

I absolutely adore this dream team of amateur sleuths made up of a crossword setter, a dog walker, and the vicar’s wife. And D.S. Tanika Malik as an honorary fourth member. These characters are well-developed, diverse in their motivations and backgrounds, and brilliantly supportive of each other. None of this surprises me because the book’s author, Robert Thorogood, is the creator of Death in Paradise, one of my favorite detective TV series. The storylines and characters in this TV series are rich in their complexity, so naturally The Marlow Murder Club would be no different.

The dialogue is sprinkled with clever theories and epiphanies. And the characters are wicked funny throughout. I loved the many positive examples of women supporting women, and their growing friendships feel extremely believable. This is a book to read for the characters as much as it is for the murder mystery.

Speaking of the mystery, Thorogood is certainly no amateur! Each time yet another person is found murdered, the plot thickens and our protagonists are forced to dig a little deeper. Admittedly, I predicted the solution quite early on, but I had no problem reading until the end to be sure I was correct. In 2022, I have read way more mysteries than I have in past years, so I am beginning to wonder if I am simply growing accustomed to the genre’s twists and turns. (1) I already bought my physical copy, (2) I will 100% be recommending this book to fellow mystery lovers, especially those who loved The Thursday Murder Club, and (3) I fully intend to return to Marlow if/when Thorogood invites us with a sequel!

A fantastic feel good thriller, with characters that just warm your heart. It was fast paced, and a relatively easy read. Reminded me very much of The Thursday Murder Club, which I loved.

love old fashioned murder mysteries, murder mysteries along the lines of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot or Ms Marple.
The Maslow Murder Club is one such novel. Our protagonist is a charming septarian, Judith, Who loves to skinny dip in the river behind her old mansion. On one such excursion, Judith witnesses the murder of her neighbour. So when the police doubt her story, she takes it upon herself to find out who committed the crime. Not because she was especially close to the victim, but because she loves a good puzzle. In fact, she creates cryptic crosswords for the newspaper. Judith has a way of finding the tiniest details and piecing them together to form a solution. Judith is joined by a free-spirited dog walker named Suzie and a prim and proper vicar’s wife named Becks. These three ladies find themselves in all sorts of predicaments on their way to solve the crime some of them deathly dangerous.
Thorogood’s novel is a sophisticated “whodunnit” that is charming and funny and thoroughly engaging. A great read to put on your summer reading list!