Robert Thorogood is fun. I enjoy his TV series (which I watch on BritBox). My favorite episodes are the ones he wrote in the first season. And I like his Marlow series, of which The Queen of Poisons is the third entry. In my opinion, it's the best of the series so far.

Judith is an almost-80 year old woman who, as a part-time job, creates crossword puzzles for newspapers. She is sharp, smart, drinks a little too much whiskey, and likes to swim nude in the Thames. And in her spare time, she solves murders (of which the village of Marlow seems to have more than its fair share. But why quibble?).

In the first book of the series, Judith and her best friend, Suzie Harris, a dogwalker embrace Becks Starling, the vicar's wife, as a kind of partner in crime solving. Judith is the leader--as good at solving a murder puzzle as she is at crosswords, Suzie is her emotional support friend--always willing to take a risk for the sake of an adventure, and Becks is a somewhat reluctant yet fascinated follower who emerges over time out of the shadow of her role of wife and mother to show her own brand of feistiness.

Suzie has thoughts of building a hotel of sorts in her back yard (yes, that's what I wrote). She attends a town council meeting to get a sense of how she might best approach the council successfully. Of course, there is a suspicious death, almost immediately.

Tanika, a rising star in the Marlow police force, has "worked" (not always willingly) with the triumvirate before. Although they constantly break rules and protocol, they (spearheaded by Judith) always solve the mystery (of course). So Taniika has accepted her fate--and her unofficial squad

Thorogood has a warm, humorous tone to his writing. The story moves along quickly.. Although I had suspicions about the identity of the killer, in the end, Thorogood did manage to surprise me.

The Marlow series are very light. As I began this review by saying, Thorogood is fun and so is this book.

This was a Great read. Had me hooked in the first chapter. I will definitely be checking this author out on their other books published. This really sets the scene and has great details for your imagination to place you there in the story.

The Queen of Poisons by Robert Thorogood is an absolutely delightful contemporary cozy of silver sleuthing! Oh my goodness, I need to catch up with this series as the FMCs Judith, Suzie and Becks (and the Bengal cat Daniel) are a fabulous group of silver sleuths in the little village of Marlow

The plotline itself could not be more out of the peace and quiet of small town life in the English countryside, when the Mayor keels over during a town council meeting after sipping his coffee (every time the girls refer to the coffee pods just makes me howl! (I don't know why, it just does.) Tanika the police DI has been promoted and calls in our vintage sleuths to help with the investigations, to burrow down deep and see what they can find out

(This book was so much fun that I also got the audiobook to listen to and both are an absolute delight!
Nicolette McKenzie is an incredible narrator and she really makes the characters her own! Fabulous!)

The writing is well paced, the humour subtle but impactful and a great mystery to boot! Straight on to my to buy list and my Cozy Authors to follow list!

Thank you to Netgalley, Poisoned Pen Press and the awesome author Robert Thorogood for this brilliant ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

Like the previous book in this series I read, this is a slow-moving traditional mystery with three unconventional amateur sleuths. The local DC has finally agreed to let them into the case of the mayor's murder, and they dig through clue after clue. A bit too slow for me, though the characters are all well-drawn and the setting and plot are good.

The gang’s together again — crossword-puzzle creator and semi-recluse Judith Potts, ditzy dogwalker Suzie Harris and vicar’s wife Becks Starling — and I am definitely here for it! In this third entry in the Marlow Murder Club series, the women — for once with Detective Inspector Tanika Malik’s blessing — investigate the death of the beloved mayor of Marlow. Right before Suzie’s eyes at a planning council meeting, Mayor Geoffrey Lushington died after a sip of coffee. How was he poisoned in plain sight? Judith, Suzie and Becks are sure to find out, while uncovering some other crimes in the effort.

Longtime fans will love catching up with the Marlow Murder Club, but those new to the series will not feel lost. Author Robert Thorogood has not lost his touch, as The Queen of Poisons proves just as stellar as the first two books in the series, The Marlow Murder Club and Death Comes to Marlow .

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press in exchange for an honest review.

What a fun trip back to Marlow!

The story was captivating from the start and, as usual, there was no guessing who the murderer was until Judith tells you. And where would Judith be without her hilarious and loyal sidekicks Becks and Suzie? You're constantly cheering for these women as if they were your own real-life friends.

The setting, the murder, the characters, the prose, the strong female leads - there's nothing about this book that I didn't like!

Sharp, funny, and engaging throughout - mystery fans don't want to miss this book (or complete series for that matter)!

Please don't stop putting out these stories. I'm hooked and I want more!

there is something so metal about Robert Thorogood initially wanting to write a “The Marlow Murder Club” TV series which everyone rejected, only to decide to publish the story as a novel, which then became so successful it was turned into a TV series after all. First and foremost, you have to respect the hustle.

Naturally, I was curious to see how the series’ first book that I enjoyed so much would play out on screen and while the series is entertaining, though unremarkable, I now cannot help but view the books through an entirely new lens. Once you know this story was originally created and written for TV, you cannot help but notice all the signs pointing towards it, no more so than in Thorogood’s newest entry into the Marlow verse, The Queen of Poisons.

This time, Marlow’s idyllic peace is disturbed by a murder no one can explain. It’s not only the how, but the why that puzzles Judith, Suzie and Becks. After all, who would have wanted to kill Geoffrey Lushington, Marlow’s affable mayor who was beloved by all and hated by none? When traces of aconite – also known as the queen of poisons – are found in his coffee cup, they and the police realise they’re dealing with a stone-cold killer who will do anything to avoid being found.

The crime is set, the team is back together, and I was primed to enjoy the heck out of this murder mystery and yet… everywhere I looked I stumbled over signs just how much better this would have worked as a TV script and how much this was written as one. There’s a scene in here in which Judith and Suzie are facetiming each other when Judith accidentally uses one of those animal filters which leads to half a page of banter about how hilarious Suzie finds Judith talking to her whilst wearing giraffe face.

This scene SCREAMS television so much so that it made it into the TV adaptation of the first book, making me question just how invested the author still is in writing these novels rather than just developing his stories for the screen and afterwards putting the same scenes into his books, killing two birds with one stone whilst only putting the work in once. There’s rather a lot of telling instead of showing going on, and I can imagine much of the humour would translate so much better on screen than it does here.

The overall plot is unfortunately a bit draggy, with many of the characters’ decisions feeling like plot devices. The story lacked a natural flow, especially since 90% of it is the trio running around Marlow, going from interviewing one suspect to the next, then regrouping, finding out a fact that sheds new light on one of the suspects they had previously discounted. Then Judith says something like: “There’s one way to find out. We should ask her, don’t you think?” or “I think we need to talk to him, don’t you?” at the end of a chapter and off the women are to interview one of their previous suspects. It’s a pity the story essentially isn’t more than that because the three women could not be more different and it’s their character dynamic that really brings these stories to life.

While I think that Tanika’s decision to bring on the team as civil instigators served to make the narrative of three women sticking their noses into everybody’s business and running around questioning suspects a bit more believable, it also led to some of the spice missing that in previous books was so wonderfully created by the ladies’ continuous run-ins with the police.

Running parallel to the murder plot are several minor side plots that are concerned with further developing the main trio to a lesser success than I would have liked. Suzie is given another side hustle so utterly ridiculous, that it begs to question whether it does anything at all for Suzie’s character development. It does, however, provide the beginning of her turning over a new leaf so that’s that. Similarly, Becks does not only have to deal with the murder case but with an entitled and posh mother-in-law, a side plot that brought neither responsible for laughs nor good storytelling, merely serving to pad out the murder plot, while also “making it a bit about the people in it”.

I found the story lacking in much of what I had previously enjoyed in the series’ first two instalments and I would be content not to get another Marlow Murder Club for a while if that means Thorogood putting all his focus on getting a second series of the TV adaptation off the ground.

I absolutely love the Marlow Murder Club series! This one did not disappoint. Judith, Becks, and Suzie are such lovely friends and they're constantly making me laugh. The friends were allowed to investigate the murder of Marlow's mayor right from the start as civilian advisors to the police. That eliminated some of the humor in Judith's disregard for protocol and her ability to "get away" with her tactics because she's not official, but it did add some humor in Suzie telling everyone that they are police. All in all, loved it, and hope there will be more murders in Marlow!

First off, I should say that if you haven’t read the previous two books in the Marlow Murder Club series, that’s OK; this book works as a standalone. Ideally you’d start at the beginning, but you won’t be disadvantaged if you don’t.

Primary characters in the series are three older women who poke their noses into local murder cases. Judith Potts is widowed (and glad of it), lives in a big house by the Thames where she daily takes a nude swim, writes cryptic crosswords for several major newspapers, and has assertiveness as her leading characteristic. Suzie always has an idea for how to make money. At the moment she’s got her dog-walking business, but she’s considering building a pod hotel in her garden and making money from tourists visiting Marlow. Suzie is blunt and ready for anything. Becks, a vicar’s wife, is much more reticent than either of her friends, but she is so nice that she can get people to talk when the others’ style rubs them the wrong way.

One evening, Suzie goes to a town planning committee meeting to suss out the committee’s members and procedures, so she’ll be prepared when it comes time to get her pod hotel permit. Not long after all the committee members arrive, chair and local mayor Geoffrey Lushington drops dead after drinking a cup of coffee from the Nespresso machine. But who would kill Geoffrey, the ultimate nice guy?

Tanika Malik, a local police detective, is assigned to the case, as she has been in the prior books. But she has now been elevated and runs the investigative team, no longer needing to get permission from her sexist and none-too-bright bosses. From prior experience, Tanika knows it’s best to have the women involved, so she authorizes them as civilian consultants. I’m happy that this novel loses that aspect of most amateur detective novels where the detective is constantly having to battle the official investigators.

There were enough people in the room when Geoffrey died that there are plenty of people for the trio of amateurs to interview and investigate. It soon becomes clear from their digging that nice as Geoffrey was, several people had motives to kill him. The murder has been cleverly and carefully planned, but Judith has as devious a mind as any villain, and the trio work together with Tanika to spring a trap for the killer.

Lots of people compare this series to Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club, since both involve senior-citizen amateur detectives in English village settings. To me, they don’t read as much alike, though. Osman has such a distinctive style that I doubt he could be mimicked even if another author wanted to, and I don’t think Thorogood wants to. These are entertaining books on their own; not quite as good as Osman’s, but they offer a pleasant way to pass a few hours.

I dunno. I've read the previous Marlow Murder Club books and enjoyed them as light palate cleansers between weightier or darker books, but this one kept missing its mark for me.

I like how Becks and Suzie are developing. I like that Judith is reexamining aspects of her life that maybe aren't so productive. But the story felt frenetic so it's hard to say if any of that will stick or if those things were just plot devices. And that's my gripe about this book; everything that happened felt like a plot device, not a natural flow of thought and decision making, and so felt forced and often hard to imagine. And really, the women just ran around interviewing the same people over and over, those people all allowed themselves to be interviewed, and Tanika just rolled her eyes and went along with whatever Judith wanted.

I get that cozies are supposed to be fun and light, but this really wasn't terribly fun. It was light, but possibly too light. I found it unsatisfying, like eating stale salt water taffy when what you're craving is a morsel of premium chocolate truffle.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of Queen of Poisons.

Another Murder in Marlow!

The third instalment of Robert Thorogood's cosy murder mystery series does not disappoint.

The Marlow Murder Club trio of Judith, Suzie and Becks are back with their wit, charm and cantankerous ways.

The Queen of Poisons sees the ladies on the trail of the the murderer of the Mayor of Marlow, a well liked gent who was poisoned whilst at a council meeting.

The sleuthing trio weave their way through secrets and lies, introduce multiple suspects and take you on twists and turns throughout the story.

The author has created some wonderful, fun and charming characters in this series and clever storylines. This was my favourite book in the series.

Keep them coming.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for this ARC.

I enjoy Becks, Suzie and Judith as a team, and I've read the previous two books in the Marlowe series. I like the locked-room elements of this story, but at times it felt very frenetic. It came off as a play , where all they did was run around town and talk to the same 5 people (and it was some awkward dialogue too, like why are the suspects allowing themselves to be badgered by these women?). I missed some of the hijinks of the first two books and felt like some of the personal elements were padding (like the Marian storyline was painful, the pods hotel idea was ridiculous and then I was confused about the correspondence between Judith and her classmate until the very end). The resolution was fine with me but it felt too clever for its own good, and I was left feeling underwhelmed. There was a point in the first third where I stalled out a bit, before I picked it back up and finished it in a couple of days. The setup was good, although I'm still not totally clear on how the murderer set up the poison, I will definitely read more of this series, though, and hope the somewhat slow pace of this mystery isn't the standard.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review!

Robert Thorogood has done it again. I love the dynamics of the relationship between Suzie, Judith, and Becks and love following their thought processes as they navigate the twists and turns of solving the mystery. I also really appreciate the ladies being hired as "civilian advisors," especially as they are going to do it anyways. :)

When Suzie attends a Council planning meeting she hopes to identify the member most likely to support her building application. The last thing she expects is to witness the murder of Major Lushington who drops dead after his first sip of coffee.
Susie quickly calls her crime solving partners, Judith and Becks. DI Tanika, having given up trying to stop the three from getting involved in police investigations, makes them official civilian advisors.
The trio launch their usual in-your-face investigation, confronting suspects to demand alibis and present theoretical scenarios.
When Judith ultimately identifies the killer, the three set a dangerous trap to force a confession.
This third Marlow Muder Club mystery tried my patience at times but rewarded me in the end by deftly pulling together the clues. As usual, suspension of disbelief is required for this latest fun romp.
Thanks to Poison Pen Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

In this installment of the Marlow Murder Club series, the three protagonists really seem to have established their relationships and roles. It could be read as a stand alone, but reading the books in order (as I did) would help to see the progression and the progress each character makes. There are some references to past books/cases/circumstances, but nothing that isn't explained enough to make reading it as a stand alone possible.

There is also a new character introduced as a fun villain (not the actual murderer, just annoying and inconsiderate!). The mystery itself is complicated, but nothing the reader couldn't figure out on their own as there are no clues left out or surprise twists that we couldn't have known about. Suzie is actually a witness to the first murder, which feels both like too much of a coincidence, but also true to her character.

My one criticism is that it feels like Judith is encouraged to let go of her hoard (she refers to it as her archive) and then she just does, even though she has been hoarding newspapers for years in response to past trauma. It feels unrealistic and a little as the message is that you can get over things if you try hard enough? But it's also true that this is something Judith has been working on and is encouraged and supported by her friends as well as spurred into action by her potential similarity to an isolated individual they cross paths with as they are sleuthing.

Overall, another fun read with excellent plotting of the mystery and enjoyable characters.

I absolutely loved this book. I am so grateful that my first ARC was a 5 star read! I had a feeling it would be, as I loved the first two in this series, as well. There is just something special about these characters and the cozy mysteries they find themselves in. If you are a fan of the Thursday Murder Club books, you will probably like these, too! I truly love Judith Potts, and I also love that this series really focuses on female friendship and how these very different women enrich each others' lives.

Another fun installment of the Marlow Murder Club series! I really enjoy following the work of Judith, Suzie, and Becks. As with the other novels in the series, the plotting is fast-paced, and we meet a host of characters along the way. I appreciate the focus on smart women—inside and outside law enforcement—solving the crimes in all of these novels.

I've read (and enjoyed) the other two books in the series but this one was just okay. It felt rushed, certain things that had happened to the characters since the last book were never really explained and it felt like the book constantly jumped between the three main women without much extension of their characters. Because of this, I feel like Suzie and Judith cross into mean territory that isn't played off as well as it is in the first few books. The story/mystery is well done, but the characters and surrounding backstory felt shallow and rushed.

The Queen of Poisons in the third book in Robert Thorogood's Marlow Murder Club series. Suzie Harris decides to attend a planning council meeting for the first time. As the meeting begins Geoffrey Lushington the beloved Mayor of Marlow suddenly dies after sipping his coffee. It is quickly discovered that he was murdered. Suzie, Becks and Judith are brought in as police consultants to help investigate this crime. This was enjoyable but my least favorite of the series so far. I didn't love the conclusion but won't go to deep into details to avoid spoilers. But I do still love the characters and the setting and will jump to read the next book when it comes out.

Thank you to Net Galley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Robert Thorogood and team for this ARC. Queen of Poisons is the third book in the Marlow Murder Club series although it can be read as a standalone book, which is how I read it. I did not know what to expect from Thorogood, as I have never read one of his books before. I was not a big fan of this book and found myself dragging my feet to finish it.

This is written by an English author and takes place in the UK and I think there were some phrases, as an American, that were either poorly written/grammatical errors or English sayings that sounded off to me and made me pause to think about it. The actual story line was good just not very entertaining to me. Overall, I give it a 2.5/5. The best way I can describe it is The Golden Girls meets Nancy Drew. If that sounds fun to you then you might like it.