Geoffrey Lushington, Mayor of Marlow, dies suddenly during a town council meeting. When traces of aconite—also known as the queen of poisons—are found in his coffee cup, the police realize he was murdered. But who did it? And why? The police bring Judith, Suzie, and Becks in to investigate the murder as civilian advisors right from the start, so they have free rein to interview suspects and follow the evidence to their heart's content… which is perfect because Judith has no time for rules and standard procedure. But this case has them stumped. Who would want to kill the affable mayor of Marlow? How did they even get the poison into his coffee? And is anyone else in danger? The Marlow Murder Club is about to face their most difficult case yet...

This is a great series with wonderful, quirky characters. I like Thorogood's descriptions and character development. His does use some English words, though, that I had to try and figure out by context if he did not explain. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting my request to read the latest in a delightful series.

This was a little too british for me. It was extremely difficult to get into, and wasn't as attention grabbing as I had hoped for. I love a mystery thriller, but this was too slow and i just didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. I love the cover! It just wasn't for me.

The Queen Of Poisons is the third book in the A Marlow Murder Club Mystery series by Rober Thorogood.

I would love to visit the Marlow Murder Club and its members. Judith, Suzie and Becks.

Suzie finds herself amid a mysterious meeting of the local planning council. As the members start to gather, Mayor Lushington's actions add an intriguing twist to the scene. Mayor Lushington heads to the coffee maker to make a cup of coffee before the meeting starts. He takes a sip, collapses and dies. It will be learned later that he had been poisoned. Recently promoted Detective Inspector Tankia Malik arrives and begins her investigation. She notices Suzie and knows she will tell Judith and Becks what happened at the meeting. Having worked with the ladies before, Malik knows they will start their own investigation, so she decides to make them Civilian Advisors.

Judith, Suzie, and Becks, with their unique personalities and shared determination, form a formidable team. They quickly identify several potential suspects, setting the stage for a gripping investigation.

I love this series. The Marlow Murder Club ladies are pretty interesting. Judith's home abuts the Thames, and she likes to swim naked in the Thames. Suzie is a dog-walker who produces an occasional podcast, and Becks is a vicar's wife.

The book is well-written and plotted. The characters are well-developed, engaging, and believable. Judith, Suzie, and Becks will put a smile on your face. There were enough red herrings that I kept guessing till the end who the killer was.

I’m looking forward to the next book in this delightful series.

I loved this book. It was so much fun. I hadn’t read the first two in the series, but was able to jump right into the storyline. The characters were endearing and the twist ending was great.

The third installment in Robert Thorogood’s The Marlow Murder Club series, begins with the death of Geoffrey Lushington, the mayor of Marlow, during a town council planning meeting in which Suzie Harris was one of the attendees. She is quick to summon her friends, Judith Potts and Becks Starling to the crime scene. It quickly becomes evident that the mayor was poisoned and as local law enforcement embarks on their investigation, DI Tanika Malik, well aware that no amount of warning would deter them from pursuing the case, engages the Marlow Murder Club as “civilian advisors” which allows them to conduct their investigation in collaboration with local law enforcement.

The narrative follows our amateur sleuths as they go about finding the killer. The suspect list is long and finding the culprit won’t be easy but our motivated ladies leave no stone turned as they delve into the lives of the deceased mayor who appeared to have been well-liked by those who knew him, his associates and anyone who might have held a grudge.

Having enjoyed the previous books in this series, I was looking forward to reading The Queen of Poisons. Though there are a few aspects of the story that implausible, I didn't mind having to suspend disbelief and chose to go with the flow. I do like these characters and have enjoyed following their antics in the past, but I struggled to finish this book. The premise was intriguing and while I usually enjoy investigations that involve multiple suspects, in this case, the plot becomes too convoluted as the narrative progresses. The pacing was uneven and I found the writing a tad repetitive with subplots that served no purpose other than to distract us from the primary narrative. Though I found the final reveal interesting, plot development was weak and the motive behind the murder wasn’t quite convincing.

I do appreciate the humor that the author injects into these stories and though I didn’t dislike the book in its entirety, this installment is the weakest among the three novels in the series. However, I won’t give up on the series yet and will await the next installment.

For those who are new to the series and the characters, I would recommend reading the preceding books before you read this one.

Many thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This one started with a bang (well, a cough and choke)☠️

With the murder in the first 5% of the book, this was a fast-paced, fun addition to the Marlow Murder Club mystery series. Judith, Suzie and Becks are formally hired by the police (which, if I’m honest, made their investigation a little less fun. I like a bit of sneaking around and undermining of the officials 😆) to help solve the murder of the mayor of Marlow.

Everyone had something to hide, but nobody seemed to have a good reason to kill the beloved mayor, so there were lots of red herrings and false gotcha! moments.

It was a little less character-driven than previous books in the series, which was a bummer for me as I’ve enjoyed getting to know the characters - especially fiercely independent, naked swimming Judith.

Overall, not my favorite of the series, but a solid addition nonetheless. Thank you @netgalley for the #arc just out last Tuesday!

Mayor Geoffrey was beloved by everyone in the English small town of Marlow. Well, by everyone but his killer. It seems that The Queen of Poisons, aconite, had somehow made it into his coffee at a local town council planning committee meeting, of which he was a member. Luckily, Suzie, a member of the amateur detective Marlow Murder Club, was in attendance. She and the other Club members, Judith and Becks, are asked to officially help the investigation as consultants. As they investigate the other planning committee members, secrets are exposed that give everyone a motive. But who actually killed poor Geoffrey?

The antics of go-for-it Suzie, nude Thames swimmer and puzzle maker Judith, and vicar’s wife Becks, are as fun as usual. Becks gets a larger part than usual as she battles with her mother-in-law, who has moved in and is working through Becks recent crypto trading windfall. I did think the middle of the book was a bit of a muddle compared to previous books in the series. If the gals didn’t have people confessing their sins, I’m not sure how their detecting would have worked out. However, the conclusion of The Queen of Poisons was great as always. 4 stars!

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

This is the third book in the Marlow Murder Club series and while the mystery aspect was great there wasn’t as much about the three main characters. This instalment was much more plot focused than the first two. The setting, tone and writing were all great, and the mystery kept me guessing until the very end. I also listened to the audiobook, and as always the narration was fantastic. Judith had the most going on for her besides the mystery, but I felt like Susie was just there for investigation. This time the gang is involved in the murder investigation from the very start and they were able to run amok as they pleased, I kind of missed the pushback that they used to get from the police investigator. Almost every character introduced had a motive for the murder so it was a bit hard to narrow it down as a reader. I would still continue the series (and I’ve heard there’s a tv show out there too) as I’ve really enjoyed it as a whole. This addition was just as fun, I just wanted to see a little more out of the characters.

Thanks to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press and Robert Thorogood for this e-ARC/ALC

Robert Thorogood is the creator of the popular TV series Death in Paradise. Here is the third of his Marlow Murder Club mysteries. (They are also going to be coming to TV.) It will appeal to those who enjoy Richard Osman’s series.

Here too are a group of friends who play amateur detective (and busybody). Judith, Becks and Susie have distinct personalities and are only to eager to use them to advantage as they poke their noses in.

When the Mayor of Marlow is murdered by the Queen of Poisons (do you know what poison this is?) the stage is set. Follow along with the team as they solve this cozy village mystery. It is perfect for when you need to be pleasantly distracted.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this title. All opinions are my own.

'Marlow Murder Club' series, by Robert Thorogood. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can’t wait for book four. The Marlow Murder Club is on the hunt for a killer...

I was delighted to return to the charming village of Marlow, England, and reunite with the quirky trio of Judith, Suzie, and Becks. While I found Suzie's impulsive accusations slightly off-putting this time around, the engaging plot and skillful character development kept me invested in their journey.

The author's masterful pacing and twists and turns had me guessing until the very end. I appreciated the satisfying conclusion and eagerly anticipate the next installment in the series. If you're a fan of cozy mysteries and amateur sleuth stories, I highly recommend 'The Marlow Murder Club'!"

Overall, I am excited to continue following this series and seeing where the author takes these intriguing characters next."

I requested and received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my OWN.

THE QUEEN OF POISONS by Robert Thorogood is a cozy mystery (third in the series) set in Marlow, England. It features three older women who are good friends: Judith Potts, Suzie Harris, and Becks Starling. Based on past exploits, they are hired as advisors on yet another local murder case. This time the mayor has succumbed – poisoned apparently at a local council planning meeting. The trio initially focus their investigation on other council members and, to me, the presence of an obvious suspect slowed the pace of the book. But Thorogood added a few twists and surprises to an ultimately involved solution for readers who stay engaged. Closed room and local village mystery fans (who favor stories like The Thursday Murder Club series from Richard Osman, Nosy Neighbors by Freya Sampson, or Katy Watson's The Three Dahlias) will especially enjoy THE QUEEN OF POISONS. 3.5 stars

The small town of Marlow has experienced another murder. The mayor dies suddenly in the middle of a city meeting, and traces of aconite (“the queen of poisons”) are found in his coffee cup. The police start investigating, but one detective knows that amateur sleuths Judith, Becks and Suzie will get involved, so she brings them on as civilian advisers. (Smart move.) As it so happens, Suzie was present at the meeting, observing as a citizen, so she got a head start on the case.

When the women talk to any potential suspects, and, indeed, anyone who just knew the mayor, they’re befuddled because it seems that he was a saint. He was kind and generous and helped many people. Who could possibly have had a reason to kill him?

But the fact remains he was in fact murdered. So the women leave no stone unturned as they search through clues and finally are able to pinpoint one person who had a motive that led to the mayor’s death.

I’ve enjoyed this series so far, and this third installment was a worthy entry. If you enjoy cozy mysteries and amateur sleuths who are insistent about investigating, the Marlow Murder Club is a nice escape.

In this third book in the Marlow Murder Club series, the mayor of Marlow keels over and dies during a town council meeting. And Judith, Becks, and Susie are on the case - and officially this time. In the first book they were strangers who became unlikely friends solving a murder, in the second book they solved another one - and both times they were sort of thorns in the police’s side even though they were actually more effective at solving the mysteries. Well, this go round the police invite them to help as civilian consultants though of course they’re always doing things they shouldn’t - but they do solve a fun, quasi-locked room mystery.

This is such a fun series, I really enjoy reading it. If you like cozy-ish murder mysteries, mysteries set in the UK countryside, or mysteries featuring unlikely amateur sleuths (aka, you’ve finished Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club series and are looking for something in the same vein), check this one out. You could definitely read it as a standalone, but if you want to understand more about the characters of the three women sleuths, definitely start from the beginning of the series.

When the Mayor of Marlow drops dead at the beginning of a town council meeting and aconite, known as the Queen of poisons, is discovered in his system, the police invite Suzie, Becks, and Judith aka the Marlow Mystery Club to assist the investigation as citizen advisors. Of course, the three interpret ‘citizen advisor’ to mean they are free to do their own investigation without restrictions. There were only four other people at the council meeting including Susie so uncovering the culprit should be easy. Trouble is the mayor was both well-liked and respected by everyone and none of the suspects seem to have had any motive or opportunity to kill him. Turns out too few suspects can be just as daunting as too many but soon our three intrepid amateurs are knee-deep in secrets and hidden conflicts.

The Queen of Poisons is the third entry in The Marlow Mystery Club cozy mystery series by Robert Thorogood and it is great fun with a nice strain of tongue-in-cheek humour running throughout. The three main protagonists are all likeable and quirky but with distinct personalities and their interactions are entertaining. The mystery is clever and interesting and kept me guessing. There is also a side story in which Beck’s greedy and manipulative mother-in-law has decided to move in with the family and the three friends must find a way to get rid of her…legally of course. Altogether, a perfect anytime read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Publishers for the opportunity toread this novel in exchange for an honest review

This is a great series (and an excellent TV show as well!)

The Marlow Murder Club aka three good friends, Judith, Susie and Becks are on the case again. This time it is the Mayor who drops down dead at a Town Council meeting apparently poisoned by his coffee. D.I. Tanika Malik coopts the three friends onto the investigation as Civilian Advisors.

Having now watched some of the TV episodes I read this book with mental pictures of the extremely well selected cast playing their parts - Judith with her brains and her love of wild swimming, Suzie with her dog walking and Becks trying too hard to be everything to everybody. It is all great entertainment.

All very enjoyable and I look forward to the next book.

The Marlow Murder Club is back in their third exciting adventure! Suzie Harris, one third of their official trio, has a new harebrained business scheme that requires her to scope out a Marlow town council planning meeting. She’s hoping that doing so will help her identify which of the council members will be easiest for her to influence in her favor. Her observations throughout the meeting lead her to believe that the affable Mayor Geoffrey Lushington would likely be the most receptive to her ideas. Alas for her plans, then, that he abruptly keels over, the victim of an apparent poisoning.

The first thing she does, after ascertaining that someone else is already calling emergency services, is alert the rest of the Marlow Murder Club. To the chagrin of police detective Tanika Mailk, all three club members are already on the scene when Tanika arrives. Becks Starling, wife of the town vicar and the most conciliatory member of the group, immediately tries to assure Tanika that they won’t be getting involved:

QUOTE
[“]This murder’s none of our business.”

“None of our business?” Suzie said, outraged.

“Well, you know what I mean,” Becks said, not wanting to start a fight. “We all got pulled into those first murders very much against our will, didn’t we?”

“And I can’t help noticing that here, once again, you are,” Tanika said.

“I didn’t know Geoffrey was about to die, did I?” Suzie said. “I was here to try and bribe him into looking on my planning application favorably.” Suzie only belatedly remembered she was talking to a police officer. “I mean, not ‘bribe’--that would be illegal,” she added in a rush.
END QUOTE

Judith Potts, the oldest member of the group and undoubtedly their ringleader, would tend to side with Suzie in arguing that this murder is very much their business. To their surprise and pleasure, Tanika agrees, hiring them on once more as civilian advisors. Tanika is quick, however, to lay down terms that only Becks has any intention of doing anything more than pay lip service to. As the three women careen around Marlow, asking questions and investigating scenes, will Tanika come to regret championing them, especially if it might come at the cost of her own career?

The Queen Of Poisons is a beautifully laid out conundrum of a murder mystery, with motives presented and debunked in an elegant configuration reminiscent of nesting dolls. The real puzzle lies in who could have possibly hated Geoffrey enough to want to murder him, when the man was a veritable saint much beloved by his fellow townsfolk.

I especially loved the subplots regarding each of our three main heroines, and how they rely on each other to help figure out their personal woes. Suzie can’t stop hustling, Becks is dealing with a nightmare of a mother-in-law, and Judith is shying away from meeting a male acquaintance, under the conviction that letting a man into her life once more will ruin its perfect balance. Becks asks her:

QUOTE
“Are you sure that’s actually what he wants?”

“Oh yes. I mean, he doesn’t couch it in those terms. He just said it would be nice to catch up over a cup of tea.”

“Then what are you worrying about?” Suzie asked.

“There’s no such thing as ‘just a cup of tea,’” Judith said darkly. “Especially at my age. You know how it will go. He’ll be nice and charming, and then the moment he gets through my front door, he’ll want someone to cook his meals, do his washing, and generally run around being a maid of all works, and I really don’t want that in my life, thank you very much.”
END QUOTE

Robert Thorogood’s understanding of human nature and keen eye for hilarious dialog permeate this clever mystery novel, as the Marlow Murder Club once again set out to trap a cunning killer while solving their own far less life-and-death – but just as personally important – problems. The sisterly solidarity between these three very different women, as well as the mutual affection and respect they share with the long-suffering Tanika, put this series head and shoulders above many of its contemporaries. Series fans will love it, and newer readers will feel right at home even if they’re only just jumping into these terrific books with this entertaining latest installment.

The quirky trio of middle aged civilian detectives, Judith, Suzie and Becks, is back to untangle the mystery around the death of universally liked Mayor of Marlow. Well, obviously, *everyone* didn't like him; someone hated him enough to put poison in his coffee cup. There are motives galore, with all of the politics of small towns.
I've listened to the audio of the first two Marlow Murder Club books, so reading the ebook was a bit of a different experience for me. I think I'll return to the audio in the anticipated next in the series. Something about hearing the interchange between Judith, Suzie and Becks makes the stories even more fun.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 ⭐️ Happy Publication Day!! 🎉 Judith Potts, Becks Starling, and Suzie Harris are back for the third installment of the Marlow Murder Club series.

When Suzie attended a council planning meeting, she just so happened witness a crime when the Mayor of Marlow, Geoffrey Lushington, was murdered. Unlike in previous stories, the police bring them on as civilian advisors right from the start; so they could investigate with free rein.

The trio quickly find that the mayor’s coffee had been laced with poison. Who would want to kill him? He was well liked and respected. Judith, Becks, and Suzie set out to answer this question and bring the killer to justice…But this case just might have them stumped.

I love the Marlow Murder club! Since reading the first two books in the series, I have grown emotionally attached to our main characters, and I’m always rooting for their success. The mystery was fun to try and figure out! I didn’t guess who the culprit was, but then again, I generally don’t!

Overall, they can never make me hate this series. I feel like Judith, Becks, and Suzie are my friends at this point. If you like cozy English mysteries, you will love this book! I would recommend starting at the beginning of the series, but you won’t be too lost if you pick this one up first. 5 stars!

Okay so to be honest I had no clue this was a series I was sold on Poisons. I love reading books about poisons. I also didn’t read the synopsis lol, so I didn’t realize this was a cozy murder mystery, but I’m not mad about it I was actually happy about that. The story was fine it just wasn’t the most interest g thing I’ve ever read. There were no real shock factors playing out, you know what happened from a mile away. The characters were all fine but none made m really like them or want to know them better. I’m not sure if I had the chance that I would read more in the series or not. I just need more excitement from my books.
The characters were all there lol. Like I liked that our three main characters got to be unofficial witnesses and try and help out the case but like that’s not believable all at for real life. And I mean if I would have read the first two books I probably would have had more info on them as well. The ending didn’t make sense to me for that reason about paperwork getting burned but you probably read that in the other books.
I would recommend this book to those starting out reading and with cozy mysteries.

Thank you to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the copy to review.

4 stars

The third installment in the Marlow murder club series is a definite improvement on the last. This mystery felt tighter and more coherent, with a small cast of suspects who all have secrets to hide. It felt much more plausible than the last case, and yet I loved how the most important clues were details that only Judith would notice.

I especially appreciated that, while the three members of the Marlow murder club continue to grow through their personal character arcs, they all treated one another much more kindly than they did in the last book. There’s a moment where Becks lifts Suzie up emotionally that is genuinely wholesome.

I did feel sorry for poor Tanika, who again got short shrift on the page and served more as a “opening bureaucratic doors for Judith and friends” plot device than a proper character; I certainly hope she gets more to do in an upcoming mystery!

A satisfying continuation of the series that kept me invested and was better than its predecessor, with interesting suspects and a strong sense of fun.