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.

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this egalley for exchange for an honest review!
I read book 1 and book 2 in the series and was eyeing at picking up the 3rd when I saw it was available for advance reading. Robert Thorogood is the king of cozy mysteries, and his series is similar to The Thursday Murder Club. I am always wondering what Judith, Becks and Suzie will get up to next. Looking forward to the 4th in the series.

I didn't realize this book was part of series and I intend to read the other two. This book was so good. Such a great cozy mystery with wonderful characters, plot twists, and a great story. I would highly recommend this book.
Thank you for allowing me to read the arc of this book.

4.5/5 ⭐️
The third Marlow Murder Club mystery finds Judith, Suzie, and Becks investigating the death of the mayor of Marlow at a city council meeting.

I’m enjoying this series so much! The characters are great and the mystery is always enjoyable. I do think the whodunit was wildly unexpected here. I was fine with the solution but thought there was absolutely no way I would’ve ever guessed it. Judith also accused many people in detail which felt a little strange. Despite that, this was a great mystery, that I just didn’t want to put down!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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 the Marlow Murder Club 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. There can’t be enough of this group of crime solvers. It never gets old and I was sad to finish this book…….i didn’t want it to end! I highly recommend this book and definitely this entire series!

When I requested this book I didn't know that it was the third book in a series, I immediatly added the first two books to my wishlist! I had such a fun time reading this book. I loved the charachters and all the plottwists. The story was easy and quick to read/follow. I highly recommend this book if you're looking for a cozy mystery! I'm excited to read the first two books in this series to get to know more about these characters and their adventures.
Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this arc

I am a self-proclaimed fan of retired folks solving crimes and the Marlow Murder Club series has consistently been one of my favorite series in the genre. I was excited to revisit Judith, Becks, and Suzie once again in "The Queen of Poisons." When Suzie is attending a city planning meeting, the mayor suddenly falls dead and anyone on the city planning council could be guilty of the crime. As the Marlow Murder Club begins to investigate, it becomes clear that each member of the council is keeping secrets, possibly even murderous ones.

Overall, Robert Thorogood was able to deliver another interesting mystery in the sleepy town of Marlow. As the team investigates, they navigate a series of twisting motives and stories, but the overall plot still feels manageable. I found the conclusion to be well-written, even if it is a bit far-fetched and Thorogood always does a nice job of leaving clues throughout. However, I felt as if this installment in the series lacked the character depth from the previous two novels. While the characters have been established by this point, their personal developments felt rushed and surface-level in this book. What makes this series so compelling is the unlikely friendship between the three women, and I would like to still feel invested in their personal relationships in future editions.

Despite this, I am still looking forward to seeing what comes next for the marvelous Marlow crew and will happily revisit the series in the future. Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an advanced copy of this book to review.

This was an enjoyable detective novel. I hadn't read the first two books but was able to follow and enjoy this one nonetheless. I enjoyed following the lives of the different characters in this small town story whilst also trying to guess what the twist was going to be.

First off, kudos to the cover designers for The Queen of Poisons. I would have picked this book up entirely because of that cover had I found it while browsing in a bookstore. I would have been in luck because I have already bonded with the characters inside. You may not be so lucky. So the first thing you need to know is that this is book three in The Marlow Murder Club series.

Second, I know. The title “The Marlow Murder Club” is giving slightly copy-cat vibes. Yes, The Thursday Murder Club came first. Yes, this will never be The Thursday Murder Club. (Although I’d love for a crossover novel? Can that be a thing?) Think of this as The Thursday Murder Club’s little cousin. It totally looks up to and tries to emulate its cooler older cousin, but still has to figure out how to stay in its own lane. (Just so we’re clear: Osman does write the better series.)

In this installment, Judith, Suzie, and Becks have to figure out who poisoned the mayor. They’re brought in as civilian consultants to help work the case—which I actually think took away from the novel. Some of my favorite scenes from the previous books involved the trio trying not to get caught as they poked their nose into police business. Did I still read this in a day? Yes. Did I enjoy it? Sure. Did I think the ending was a bit ridiculous? Far-fetched? Yes. And yes. But I’ll still read the next installment. My hope is that next time there will be a bit more character development. I feel like the author focused on the mystery and trying to make it complex at the expense of deepening our understanding of the characters. That felt much more balanced in the first two novels.

This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The book will be published on June 4.

Another fun mystery solved with The Marlow Murder Club. This series gets better with each new book. I love the town of Marlow situated on the Thames and the three women who make up the Marlow Murder Club. There is nothing scandalous or dark and grim. Just lovely coziness. It’s like an episode of Murder She Wrote. I’ll be waiting for the next book!!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for a honest review. 3.5⭐️

The Queens of Poisons is a Series so i did jump in with this characters but i had no problem falling in love with them. I do feel like i missed out a Iittle with the character development but I did really enjoy the characters and the cozy British mystery. I really adored spending time with the ladies in Marlow. I am going to go back and read the other books in the series. This book was witty, brilliant and well written. I can not wait for more of these books!

Thank you, Net Galley, the author, and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.