A wonderful who-dunit with spins like Thursday Murder Club and turns like any Freida McFadden. The crime is unique and almost so unique, that it is nearly impossible to solve. With several female characters leading the story, the reader truly embraces the mystery and overall intelligence found within the female mind.

(Actual: 3.75⭐, rounded up) I'll be honest to start in saying that I didn't realize this was the third book in the series (I really just found the title, cover, and premise to be really intriguing), but I really enjoyed it all the same and plan to go back and read the previous two also! This was a solid cozy mystery with good pacing, unique twists and reveals (that may or may not have always stuck the landing, but were a fun ride to experience regardless), and very loveable characters.

I initially expected a cozy mystery, this book packed the thrilling twists of a contemporary whodunit. The story kicks off when Susie witnesses the Mayor collapse at a town council meeting, sparking an investigation that sends the trio deep into a puzzling murder mystery filled with poison and unexpected suspects.

I found the plot engaging, keeping me guessing until the very end. Though some aspects felt a bit exaggerated, they only added to the fun, making it easy to suspend disbelief. The humor throughout and the chemistry between the three main characters added charm, with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. The narrator's voice work further enriched the experience, making the characters even more vivid.

Set in modern day Marlow in England, "The Queen of Poisons" is intriguing, gripping, full of twists and turns, oh so cozy mysterious, and interesting. Full of unique characters, questions about whom can and cannot be trusted, and a murder to solve, this novel is so difficult to put down!

When the beloved mayor of Marlow is murdered in a seemingly-impossible-to-solve manner, Judith, Becks, and Suzie once again put on their sleuthing hats, and are brought in my Tanika as civilian advisors to help the police solve the case. With a handful of suspects in the room at the time of the murder, each and every one with a secret they would rather keep hidden, and more suspects found along the way, Judith, Becks, Suzie, and Tanika must put their heads and detective skills together to find out what really happened.

Mr. Thorogood does a phenomenal job of hooking the reader from the first page, revealing both red herrings and clues at the exact moments needed to in order to advance the plot. and the various pieces of the puzzle fall into place brilliantly and seamlessly and everything kept me on the edge of my seat.

I also felt the character development was really strong throughout, and the friendship between Judith, Becks, and Suzie is so special. They really care deeply for one another, and truly want the best for one another.

I highly recommend this book to cozy-mystery lovers! I can't wait to read the next books in the series!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the e-ARC of this book, it is incredible! I even checked out a copy from my library to read some sections again to search for clues I might have missed! All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I tried soooo hard to listen to this one! It just was NOT working for me. I loved the first two books in this series, but this installment in the series fell flat for me. DNF @ 65% :(

Another cozy entry into the older adult detective genre. Several elderly women take on the investigation into a murder in Marlowe. If you enjoy the Thursday Murder Club mysteries, you’ll enjoy this.

The Queen of Poisons is the third title in the Marlow Murder Club series. The 3 amigas are at it again as Judith, Suzie and Becks team up with their police counterpart, Tamika, to figure out who killed the Mayor of Marlow, and particularly, why, as he seems to be the guy that everybody loved.

I tend to describe the Marlow Murder Club as a slightly lower-rent and more believable bunch than that other series about a group of older amateur crime solvers living in a retirement home. Only Becks will probably be able to avoid that kind of option when she ages into it. Judith is the ostensible leader of the crew, although one of the nicest things about this series is that the leadership role moves around between the 3 main characters. She is an unrepentant outsider, who loves to skinny dip in the river and may have a hoarding problem. Suzie will fall for any money-making scheme out there, and Becks is, of course, the vicar's wife, who is starting to not care quite so much about what other people (including her spouse) might think.

In this installment, they're officially seconded to the police department, which gives them a bit more freedom to ask questions, though they push the limits of that as usual.

These are fun characters, and Robert Thorogood is smart enough to let them grow a little in each book. The relationship between the 3 of them grows as well. This story has some unexpected twists, and every time I thought I had it figure out, I didn't. That's exactly the sort of thing I want in my beach bag at the lake. Not a lot of pretention here, or trying to be anything but what it is - a solidly crafted cozy.

When Suzie showed up to a Town Council meeting, she never expected to witness a murder! Now Judith and her friends are on the scent. Who killed Marlow’s very own saint, Geoffrey Lushington, and why? With Tanika on their side, this group of friends are determined to hunt down the killer and find themselves unearthing Town Council drama in the process.

I’ve really been enjoying the series, so I’m a little sad that this one turned out to be a dud. We follow Judith, Becks, and Suzie as they do their thing and hunt down the town’s latest killer. Unfortunately, the group’s interest and involvement in the mystery felt super forced. It seemed like they were going through the motions just to go through them. It didn’t make me feel drawn into the mystery at all. I also had a hard time buying that Judith and co. actually solved the murder. It seemed like they were accusing everyone and their mom before they suddenly knew who it was for a while. We were told this rather than seeing it play out, so I was like… okay, Judith.

That said, I did like getting to know some of the characters a little more. I was hoping that Tanika would be more involved with the mystery solving trio, but at least we did get to learn a little more about her home life. I hope that we get to see Tanika and everyone more involved with each other during the investigations, and that we’ll see everyone more open to hearing what Tanika has to say outside of picking her brain.

I really wanted to like this book because I loved the previous two, but it was just a miss for me. The mystery just didn’t pull me in, it seemed like everyone was just running through the motions, and I’m not sure I buy that they managed to solve the mystery. I kept finding myself more interested in the drama surrounding Becks and her mother-in-law and wishing the mystery involved Becks and her in-laws rather than the Town Council. Plus, the fatphobia that emerges as the story progresses was extremely unnecessary and really soured what good the story had going.

This is the third installment from the Marlow murder series.

I haven't read the first two, so I wasn't familiar with these ladies. It gave me Thursday murder club vibes and I have enjoyed those books. This book mostly has female characters which are senior ladies, with a sass and attitude that will make young women shy away.

I totally enjoyed the reading style, the dialogues were quite entertaining. Overall a very smart read and quite enjoyable. I would have loved it even more if mystery part was that engaging. It was okay but not something which had my attention.

Overall rating :3.5 stars

Thank you Netgalley and poisoned pen press for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.

Our friendly neighborhood amateur sleuths are at it again. Suzie Harris is watching a planning meeting when Mayor Geoffrey Lushington suddenly drops dead. Of course the first thing Suzie does is call the rest of the Marlow Murder Club, her pals Judith Potts and Becks Starling. It seems like the mayor was an affable person with no reason for anyone to want him out of the way. Suzie even describes him as a "jolly gnome with and impish sense of humor. Everyone in the town liked him." But evidently not everyone, since somebody put aconite in his coffee.

The three women are an unlikely group of friends, as well as unlikely detectives. Suzie is always coming up with schemes to make money. Judith sets crossword puzzles. Becks is the vicar's wife. They are different ages, from different backgrounds, and very different personalities. But that is what makes them so useful as civilian advisers. They know people through the various activities they are involved with around town. Judith is a source of obscure facts from her involvement with creating crossword clues. Becks knows parishioners and community members associated with parish programs. And Suzie knows people from her dog-walking business, her radio show, and even her time as part of a home makeover reality TV series. So it makes sense that Tanika Malik, the detective inspector, would want their input. They were helpful in previous investigations and she knows they will be snooping around anyway.

As usual the women speak to everyone who was present at the planning meeting, visiting homes and offices to track down persons of interest. It seems like they should have an easy time of figuring out the culprit since Suzie witnessed the death, but it isn't that simple. They try to find possible motives - bad finances, questionable business deals, love affairs, etc. And they still have their everyday lives to attend to along with their search for clues. Suzie is interested in starting up a pod hotel to make extra cash. Becks is dealing with her mother-in-law, who came to stay with them and doesn't seem to plan on leaving. And Judith has heard from an old school chum who wants to take her on a date, something she hasn't done since her husband died. How is anyone supposed to solve a murder with all these distractions?

This latest case, like the rest of the series, shows how much can go on behind the scenes in a village or small town. What shows on the surface may be far different from what someone is actually like, especially for public figures like council members who are trying to maintain a good reputation. Could the planning committee member who knows all about toxic garden plants have been the murderer? Was it something to do with the publishing industry and all the authors Geoffrey worked with? Is there a blackmailer at work and things got out of hand? The more they talk to people, the more unanswered questions they seem to have and cryptic phone calls from a blocked number aren't helping matters.

Don't worry, things end in a blaze of glory. (No, I can't explain, it would be a spoiler.) And our three main characters stay true to themselves. "None of the three friends were ever likely to change, and that's just how they liked it. They wouldn't have it any other way." For those who haven't heard, the books are now being made into a TV series which will be coming to MASTERPIECE on PBS on October 27, 2024. So read ahead and be prepared to enjoy all the sleuthing fun.

**3.5-stars rounded up **

💙💚🖤💙💚🖤💙💚🖤💙💚🖤💙💚🖤💙

The Queen of Poisons is the 3rd-installment in The Marlow Murder Club Cozy Mystery series. I really enjoyed the first 2-books and have been anticipating this one. This series follows Judith Potts, a septuagenarian crossword setter, and her two best friends, Suzie and Becks, as they nose around their community of Marlow solving mysteries.

This particular story is set amongst the world of local politics, as the Mayor of Marlow, George Lushington, died mysteriously during a town council meeting. After traces of the poison, aconite, are found in his coffee cup, it's clear to all that Mayor Lushington was killed on purpose. Known for a track history of barging in to solve crimes, the police preemptively bring in Judith, Suzie and Becks, from the start as civilian advisors.

The women are allowed to interview suspects and search for clues to their hearts' content. The ladies are excited for their role and dig in with great gusto. This is going to be a tough case to crack though, but aren't they all? Who could have gotten the poison into the mayor's coffee, and for that matter, who could have gotten a hold of the poison in the first place?

This is such a cute Cozy series. I do love this friend group and the dynamics amongst them. IMO, this was a bit of an odd whodonit, like some of the details at the reveal just seemed strange to me, but nevertheless, I enjoyed it a lot. I'm in for the long haul with this series, and am def hoping for more books. I'll admit, my mind wasn't 100% on task with this one, since I'm traveling. With this being said, I still found this engaging and fun.

I would recommend this series to all Cozy Mystery fans, in particular if you enjoy friendship groups solving mysteries together, or elderly amateur sleuths. Thank you to the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I'll be waiting for more Marlow Murder Club!!!

The Queen Of Poisons is the 3rd book of the Marlow Murder club series by Robert Thorogood. This was my first book I had read by Robert Thorogood. It is a good, fun, and exciting who did the crime type of mystery story. It will have you guessing from the beginning until the end. I was surprised by the ending because I had no idea who killed the Mayor of Marlow Mr. George Lushington. The three women Susie, Judith, and Becks add to the story too because they just live in the community while helping the Police department solve crimes and question the suspects involved until they figure out who committed the crime. Thank you to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for giving me the opportunity to read and review a ARC of this book.

It got me biting my nails, couldn't wait to turn the pages to reveal the mystery quickly!
Honestly, I was not a big fan of cozy mystery, but this book has become one of the top cozy mystery that I've read. I love how the writers made me feel like I was part of the characters, even when the pace has less tension yet I got myself giddy to solve the mystery. Tho, I think I have to read the previous book in the series to determine how much I love this story compared to the other two.

If you are looking for a cozy mystery book to read while enjoying your afternoon tea (or at a picnic with probably your book club friends...) then this book is the perfect pick for you!

I loved the latest installment of The Marlow Murder Club series. In this book we are following the ladies as their try to solve the murder of the mayor of Marlow after he drops dead during a town council meeting. This book had a lot of characters and some pretty outlandish twists a turns. This installment is the first one where I feel like I have had to suspend my disbelief a bit. Nonetheless, this story was fast paced and fun and I hope there are more books in this series in the future!

Judith, Suzie, and Becks are an unusual crime-solving trio. I enjoyed the first book and didn't realize when I got this that I've missed the second one. There are a lot of things that make this series stand out, but these are the most important for me: 1. The characters have different levels of experience and expertise but they're all smart and they aren't just bumbling around to find the answer and 2. everything about these books makes you feel like part of the community (and I want to live there).
Someone has died during a town council meeting, and it must be poison This guy was so nice -- who on earth would want to kill him? Our curious trio go beyond what they're really allowed as they search out the answers (the police said they could help, but there were limits!).
The ladies are so likeable -- an older lady who enjoys swimming naked and working crosswords, a dog walker, and a vicar's wife. They were an unlikely group to become friends but they work well together. I'm excited because I need to go back and read number 2 while I wait for number 4. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this.

Judith, Suzie, and Becks are back again. When the mayor is mysteriously poisoned during a town council meeting, everyone is a suspect. The police bring in the ladies as civilian advisors to assist with the investigation. Who did, why, how and what else will be revealed. A fun, rollicking good time!

In this third installment of the Marlow Murder Club Suzie, Becks, and Judith find themselves front and center to the action. Suzie is an eyewitness to the Mayor of Marlow’s death. The Mayor is the nicest guy ever so why would someone murder him?? DI Tanika Malik decides to recruit the three friends as civilian consultants from the beginning in order to keep them under control.

I gave this one 5 stars. I feel like this series just gets better and better. I highly recommend this one, although I would not jump in with this one since part of the charm of this series are the quibbles of the main three characters. I found the history of the poison garden which plays a factor in the crime fascinating. Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the free advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is a fun mystery book, I enjoyed it very much. I did not read previous books and felt that I was not left questioning anything even though I read it as a stand alone.

Thank you to the author, Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. My apologies for the delay in posting this review, I am well behind and trying to catch up!

This is the third in a series - I also read the first and second, and again found the three women at the center of the "club" a great team. I enjoy seeing the characters develop over time, and the author has done a great job of that here. Of course there are the usual elements of obvious suspects who are innocent, too quickly jumping to conclusions which turn out to be wrong, and being enmeshed in small town life. Another enjoyable read, with humor and enough action and twists to keep you involved until the end. I look forward to reading more from this author.

The three women making up the Marlow Murder Club are back.

Susie is present at a Town Council meeting when Mayor Geoffrey Lushington dies immediately after drinking a cup of coffee. Susie tells her compatriots immediately, and Judith and Becks arrive while the police are closing off the meeting room and beginning to investigate. When traces of a deadly poison, aconite, are found after the autopsy, the trio are pulled into the police investigation by Detective Inspector Tankika Malik as official assistants to the police, because Tanika knows that the women will investigate regardless of what the she says.

With official police sanction, the three tackle each town councillor's backgrounds, delving into their relationships with Geoffrey, and the way the Council may have dealt with their businesses.

Judith begins receiving tips from an anonymous caller, and the three use these tips to scrutinise the Council's finances also. Through the course of their investigation, the women uncover poisonous jealousy, embezzling, inappropriate behaviour and other salacious details, and feed their clues, and often erroneous conclusions, to Tanika.

Though I knew that the Murder Club would solve this twisty and complicated case, I do not think that the author provided enough clues this time to point to the murderer. The reveal came as a bit of a surprise.

Judith continues to be a frustrating character. Though intelligent and analytical, she remains arrogant, unwilling to examine her own biases, dismissive of others' feelings and ideas, and often refusing to inform Tanika of critical information. This was disappointing as Judith seemed more collaborative with Tanika in the previous book, and I dearly hope that any further books in this series has Judith more respectful of Tanika's position and skills, particularly as Tanika had gone out on a limb officially for the trio in this novel.

This book was not as good as the previous two, and I hope the author returns to form if he continues this series.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC in exchange for my review.