Love it. I was a big fan of the other 2 and look forward to the next one. I did feel like the end was rushed and did end as satisfactory. But hey, love these 3

Judith, Suzie, and Becks are at it again! Returning to Marlow, even under the shadow of a murder, is a delight. In "The Queen of Poisons," the town's beloved mayor suddenly dies during a Town Council meeting, leaving everyone wondering who could have hated such a likeable man. This installment is my favorite in the series so far. Alongside solving the crime, the ladies embark on personal journeys of self-discovery. I especially enjoyed watching Becks deal with her selfish, money-grubbing mother-in-law. I'll be waiting for the Marlow Murder Club #4!

I can't imagine the audio without the narration by Nicolette McKenzie. Perfection!

My thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a fun mystery! Not all the jokes landed but it was fun and a quick read. And I loved learning more about the victim.

I always enjoy seeing what the Marlow Murder Club is up to. Judith's ability to never back down from a challenge and put herself in harms way for the betterment of the community never ceases to amaze me. I can't wait to see what the group gets into next.

I found The Queen of Poisons, by Robert Thorogood to be a super fun, quick mystery. Although this is book 3 of a series, I found it to be just fine as a stand-alone.

Despite the whole "civilian advisor" freedom our girls are granted being implausible, you have to let go of the disbelief and submerge yourself in the fun and exciting whodunnit caper of three spunky, whip-smart, and utterly irreverent ladies. I appreciate that we are given a little deeper glimpse into Becks' relationship with her stodgy husband and his outdated ideas. I look forward to more in the series and more info on the backgrounds of all three amateur detectives, as well as our favorite DI, Tanika. As a woman, poisons are the way to go. Guns and knives are just too visceral. Aconite has been used in other murder mysteries, to be sure, but it's always interesting in each storyline how it's used and what the effects are. As much as anyone who is not a murderer can safely say, I find poisons fascinating. This story is good, clean fun and I look forward to more in the series.

Robert Thorogood's three lovely ladies are back to solve (another?!) murder in Marlow. I truly enjoy these books. They are fun, engaging and have the best characters! If you enjoy Thursday Murder Club or The Maid series you should absolutely check out The Marlow Murder Club ladies.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in advance of publication.

I have been anticipating this one since last years release, Death Comes to Marlow.

In The Queen of Poisons we are once again following Judith (my favorite of the bunch), Suzie & Becks as they put their sleuthing skills to work with D.I Tanika to try to figure out who poisoned the Mayor. Watching these three very different women (both in age and character) come together is always a delight & amusing and somehow just works with their rapport.

While I enjoyed this book overall, the pacing wasn't as smooth as I was used to from the other two books and overall I feel like there were just some subplots that were just thrown in there that either didn't need to be-or, what I really was hoping for, more exploration of them. There was opportunity to give more oomph to the characters or story in that regard, particularly with things surrounding Becks. Some other aspects seemed a little too convenient in regards to the mystery, but I didn't mind that (just mentioning it since I know some do) and had a good time reading it.

This one didn't quite hit the mark for me the way the first one did (that was one of my tippy top favorites from the year it came out) but I still enjoyed the mystery & humor. Overall it came in as a 3.5 for me.

I am still rooting for the trio (plus Tanika- who has definitely grown within the series & that is a huge plus for me) and will still be looking forward to picking up more in the series to see where Robert Thorogood takes it.

While I personally don't think you need to read the other two to pick this one up, I do recommend doing so because you'll appreciate the characters much more that way. Also if you're in the mood for an audiobook this one was great on audio- the narrator truly bought the characters to life and added the emotion needed throughout.

Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for the Advanced Audio Copy! All thoughts are entirely my own.

This was a fun one! Great for a cozy, light read. Smart plot, witty characters. I definitely recommend!

I wasn’t certain if The Queen of Poisons would be fast paced enough for my taste. I struggled with the first book in the series. However, I am glad I gave I didn’t let that deter me. The Queen of Poison was a slow but steady plot build. Starting with the death of the mayor during a council meeting, of course the obvious suspects are the town council members. However, who else could have killed the mayor? If you’re looking for a fun and quirky mystery, this is right up your alley!

Queen of Poisons is Book three of the Marlow Murder Club. It is interesting that two series of seniors solving murders and helping out the police should come out around the same time. The other series being the Thursday Murder Club.
I discovered this series because of Robert Thorogood's name. He writes the Death in Paradise Television series which I have enjoyed for years. So I picked up the second book when I saw his name. I have now read all three thanks to Netgalley!
The narrator, Nicolette McKenzie, is wonderful. She is straightforward and doesn't do the horrible dramatic antics that some narrators do. She can change her voice just enough to distinguish between the characters. Her Judith is a winner..
The plot of the Queen of Poisons is a murder of a Marlow councilman who died after drinking a cup of coffee at a council meeting. Judith and her two best friends, Becks and Susie, set about trying to solve the mystery. They now have the full support of the Marlow police department and have badges identifying them as civilian consultants. Judith, who writes crossword puzzle among other difficult games, is the brains of the bunch but they work as a team.
The books are fun and give someone like me, a reader over 70, a lot of hope and joy for what we seniors can do.

The Queen of Poisons by Robert Thorogood
Stars: 4
52 Book Club Summer Reading Challenge Prompt: #11 (Series with an uneven number of books)

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Do you know about my long standing addiction? It’s cozy British murder mysteries. I never get enough of them. Thorogood’s book reminded me of the Thursday Murder Club series, with just a few tweaks; instead of four neighbors, we have three friends and instead of a senior living facility, we have the charming town of Marlow. Judith, Susie, and Becks have been so helpful in solving the murder in town, the police decide to just ask them straight away for their assistance. Plus, Susie happened to be at the town planning council meeting with the town mayor, Geoffrey, was murder. Seems smart that the cops just recognize that the trio is going to poke their noses into all this and give them police credentials (this is a lesson that could be learned by most TV detectives who have meddling town folk, Father Brown anyone?)

The plot was well done, there were just enough red herrings to keep me guessing. Though, to be honest, with a book like this, I don’t always try really hard to figure it out. Part of the joy is being immersed in the fictional world. I know that at the end, one of the characters will lay it out, Agatha Christie-like, and wrap it all up for me.

This book was the third in the series, but the first one I have read. I didn’t quite realize that when I requested it, but I didn't feel like there was much of a barrier to entry, it was pretty easy to pick up on the characters. And since Thorogood is one of the creators of Death in Paradise, a show I adore, I knew I would enjoy the writing regardless. This is the second time I have done this with a mystery series written by a TV screenwriter. I unintentionally started with the second book in Anthony Horowitz’s Hawthorne and Horowitz series!

I listened to the audiobook version and thought the narrator, Nicholette McKenzie, did a wonderful job bringing Marlow and its inhabitants to life. Her inflections and tones were excellent, she imbued Judith with just the right amount of haughtiness, captured Susie’s slightly frenetic energy, and perfectly inhabited Beck’s nervousness. I would highly recommend the audio version of this book.

I can’t quite decide if I just really like or fully love this book. The book is fantastic, the plot wonderful, the pace is just right, it’s almost too perfect. At times, it had me question if it still felt like a true mystery or just a mystery author letting loose a little too much. In the end, yes, it might be 5% “too much,” but that also doesn’t take away from the enjoyment of reading it and not being able to put it down.

As a big fan of the first two Marlow Murder Club books, I eagerly awaited this new installment. Unfortunately, it fell short of my expectations.

While the premise of a poisoned mayor piqued my interest, the execution felt repetitive. The Marlow ladies, whom I previously enjoyed, came across as accusatory, suspecting everyone they interviewed. The constant refrain of "and that's why you must be the killer" grew tiresome.

Another missed opportunity was the reduced role of the police. While I understand Tanika appointed the trio as Civilian Investigators, the police's absence from the investigation was glaring. The witty banter between the ladies and the cops, a highlight of the previous books, was missing entirely.

Overall, The Queen of Poisons lacked the charm and well-balanced investigation of its predecessors. It felt like the author was trying to make things to make the page quota ( if there was one). Apparently it is being made into a show or is already a show so maybe that will be one time that a movie/show is better than the book

I love this series! It's on it's third book and it was funny and light like the previous novels. However, at times I found the story to be a little confusing and the ending wasn't super convincing. Nonetheless, I am looking forward to a fourth book in this series :)

This is a great murder mystery, and while I initially thought this series was of the "cozy mystery" genre, it really had the unexpected twists and turns of a contemporary thriller.
This is 3rd in a series of mystery solving friends, Judith, Susie and Becks. Susie is at a town council meeting when she observes the Mayor drop dead from his cup of coffee. She calls in her crime solving posse and they are quick to track down what type of poison and the main suspects.

The ladies, older and set in their ways are the highlight, and while I have not read the first two in the series, this one has me downloading them already. The story line is little over the top and unbelievable in some areas, but it's in good fun, so worth one having a temporary suspension of belief.

If you loved the flashback scenes in Murder She Wrote episodes- this will be one of your favs.
The narrator, Nicolette McKenzie, is PERFECT. Based on her performance I would rather listen to all of these than read them, so off to find them!

Another fun romp with The Marlow Murder Club! Judith, Suzie, and Becks are brought in to consult on (AKA solve) the murder of a town council member. Many twists and turns finally result in the ladies getting their killer.

Natalie McKenzie once again does a great job narrating.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

The Queen of Poisons- Robert Thorogood
Rating: 4/5

Thank you to Netgalley and RB Media for an advanced copy of this audiobook. I really enjoyed this audiobook! This reminded me of the Thursday Murder Club series, which is one of my favorites. This is the third book in the series so far involving three women sleuths who work with the police to solve murders. Suzy, one of the civilian detectives, attends a town council meeting to get her building plans approved, when suddenly the Mayor of the city collapses and dies after drinking his coffee. On further investigation, aconite - known as the queen of poisons- was found to the cause of death. Join Suzy, Judith, and Becks as they work with the police department to find the killer and bring them to justice.

I enjoyed the narrator who made this book enjoyable through the voice changes and tone changes. I also really liked the writing style of this author. I haven't read his other two novels, but after finishing this one, I will definitely be going back to read it. The author does a great job of balance with the three characters, bringing humor and intelligence in all the right places.

I was disappointed with this third book in the series. I have enjoyed the previous two books, but this book was boring, flat, and linear. Anyone who is a usual reader of mysteries knows who was responsible early on. You might not know the why, but you know the who, and it is a trudge to get to the end.

I would have preferred the subplot of Becks conflict with her mother-in-law being plumped-up since the main storyline was boring. Their conflict was the spark this book could have used more of. Truthfully, I like Becks more than Judith and Suzie and would love to see more of her.

Fans of Robert Thorogood will persevere, but if this is your first visit to Marlow, I suggest you start at the beginning of the series and get to know this trio of crime-solving ladies.

DNF
Unfortunately I will have to dnf this read as I was not aware this was the third in a series. Additionally I found myself unable to get into the plot and annoyed by the narrator at times. Perhaps in the future I will try to first book in the series to get a better perspective on the writing.


DNf rating system
3 stars if in a series or at an early percentage
1/2 stars if the content is simply bad