I had the chance to read an advanced reader's copy of "The Queen of Poison" by Robert Thorogood, thanks to NetGalley, and I must say, it was a remarkable read. The story features multiple arcs that are seamlessly woven together, making them easy to follow. The characters are vividly portrayed, enriching the experience immensely.

This was my first encounter with Thorogood's work, and it has certainly inspired me to include him in my growing list of favored authors. Although this book isn't typically what I'd pick up, I'm thrilled that I did. The narrative blends elements reminiscent of the Thursday Murder Club and Sherlock Holmes, but with even deeper character development.

The twists and turns were thoroughly engaging, even without having read the first two books in the series. I strongly recommend "The Queen of Poison" to both newcomers and fans of Thorogood. It's a compelling addition to any reading list.

Thank you Netgalley, RB Media and Robert Thorogood for the Audio Arc The Queen of Poisons
Narrated by Nicolette McKenzie.

This is the 3 book in the Marlow Murder Club and came be read as a Stand a lone or as part of the series.
This follows three 60 something elderly ladies that have been solving a few murders, much to the annoyance of DI Tanika. This time though, she gets these ladies, Judith, Susie and Becks on her side to investigate side leads. Make no mistake, these ladies are astute !

I really enjoyed this cosy murder mystery and even though I missed out on reading the first 2 ( im gonna go and read them! ) I bonded with this lovable characters straight away. The pacing of the book was good, I felt engaged and laughed a fair few times. Not too twisty but the plot line has enough going on to keep you guessing. It has a very Agatha Christie feel about these mystery books. Not a bad thing if you ask me

Nicolette McKenzie has a wonderful storytelling voice for this sort of book. She kept the MC with all the little quirks alive and 3D so I throughly enjoyed listening to her.

A great 4 stars

Firstly, gratitude sent to Robert Thorogood and NetGalley for sending me this book. I have not been able to get the same feeling as I had when I was younger reading mysteries with my grandmother before this book. I am immediately taken to a mixture of Murder She Wrote and Golden Girls. There is such an incredible mixture of personalities, mystery and well thought deduction, and drama. This is such a rarity in mystery books that not one, not two, but three characters you adore, plus the detective. I have never read any of the previous books, but I will absolutely read them immediately. This is what you may consider as brain floss, in that it does not create anxiety listening to, there is no real harm, similar to cozy mysteries, but there is so much more intellectual elements. I adore cozy mysteries, but this particular book looks into discussing possible key elements as there are multiple characters. It was so well written and I will reread it at least twice. I plan on heavily recommending both the audio, which was excellent, and the physical book. The audio narrator did such a great job though it was only slightly hard to tell difference between the different characters at times. I really loved it and think it is a great audio book.

Read if you want:
See how mystery is solved
Women over 30's
Enjoy detective shows
Want to like the main characters
Enjoy different characters
Not done in Multiple POV

Despite someone having been murdered, The Queen of Poisons is a delightful, lighthearted whodunit mystery. A Marlow Murder Book (#3), written by Robert Thorogood, it is the latest in the series that was also a TV show. The three good friends, Becks Starling, Susie Harris and Judith Potts, having helped solve a previous murder and more than ready to meddle in another case, are asked to be civilian advisers for the police by recently promoted Detective Inspector Tanika Malik. Geoffrey Lushington, Marlow’s mayor, has died during a town council meeting. It seems that Susie was a witness to the death.
Examination of the coffee cup the mayor used during the meeting shows traces of aconite, known as the queen of poisons as it is so toxic. Geoffrey was murdered but how did the killer get the poison in his coffee? Suspects, motives, and means add up as Susie, dog walker, Judith, crossword puzzle author, and Becks, the Vicar’s wife, have free rein to do interviews and follow the evidence. The women, whose life situations and personalities are quite different, are supportive of one another, quite capable, and independent in their own right.
Who could be the killer? Someone from the planning committee? The blonde haired guy in the kitchen preparing the refreshments? Everyone is a suspect and the ladies, not always strictly following procedure, have questions for several residents of the town.
All of the characters in Marlowe are, well, characters. Judith swims naked in the Thames below her old mansion of a home. Susie has a podcast, and Becks is not happy with her mother-in-law living with her and the Vicar. All of the suspects are quirky and interesting but relatable. There are plenty of twists and turns. Just when you think the murder has been solved, new facts prove otherwise. When the murderer is revealed, it is made clear how the case has been resolved.
I was able to listen to the audio version of this book thanks to the publisher and Net Galley and thought the narrator was excellent. The voices of each character was distinct and despite the English accent, totally and easily understandable. Whether you choose to read or to listen to The Queen of Poisons and the rest of the Marlow Murder Club series, you will find it an enjoyable visit to a town you might like to visit with endearing characters that you might like as friends.

The Marlow Murder Club is back and are given free reign to act as "civilian advisors" in the investigation into the murder of Geoffrey Lushington, the mayor of Marlow.

I really wanted to like this book. I really did. But I found the murder club members so incredibly grating, that it distracted me from enjoying the story. There were a lot of logic leaps, incredibly implausible scenarios, and a lot of red herrings. Maybe I'll try the next one, but I probably won't seek it out.

I received a free audiobook from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

I love this series -- and this title was so much fun. I realize that older detectives are having a bit of a moment right now. That's fine.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Welcome to Marlowe, where murderers lurk around every corner!

Another day, another murder! Judith, Becks, and Suzie, the members of the Marlowe Murder Club, team up once again as Civilian Advisors to help the incompetent police solve the latest murder in Marlowe. This time, the Mayor’s coffee has been poisoned during a town council meeting. Who slipped the poison into his coffee pod? The ladies are on the case!

Once again, Thorogood delivers a super clever plot filled with red herrings and sprinkled with humor. Judith, Becks, and Suzie have developed a wonderful rapport over the course of the three mysteries. While the series has become slightly formulaic, the mysteries always keep me guessing until the very end.

I listened to the audiobook which is read once again by the terrific Nicolette McKenzie. I always listen to the books instead of reading the hard copies as she really embodies Judith. I highly recommend this format!

4/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for the ARC of The Queen of Poisons in exchange for an honest review.

The three musketeers are back at it. In this third installment the Marlow Murder Club have been invited by the local police to help solve the poisoning of the local mayor, Geoffrey Lushington. But as Judith, Becks and Suzie conduct their own investigation they are baffled as to who would murder the seemingly beloved mayor. The trio must find out who had the means, motive and opportunity to slip Geoffrey the “queen of poisons” also known as wolfsbane.
Overall rating 3/5
For fans of Agatha Raisin, minus the humor. I did enjoy the dynamic between the three older ladies and how they bring out each other’s best characteristics. However, a book written by a male explaining that a woman who commits theft is because she is menopausal, is absolutely absurd. And the fat shaming done in this book is beyond despicable. If these are not touchy topics for you then I would recommend this book as it is well written beyond these issues.

*Thank you to Robert Thorogood, Netgalley and Recorded Books for the audio copy. I am freely leaving my honest review.

Judith, Becks, and Susan are at it again. I love this trio, now working on a case with the permission of the police. The mayor of Marlow was murdered by poison right in front of a small group of people, including Susan. The journey to the who, why, and how was amusing, as always. Judith is aggressive and intelligent. Becks is reserved, but brave. Susan is eccentric and often hilarious. While I didn't love this third entry as much as I did the first two in the Marlow series, I did enjoy it. I laughed out loud often, and I was kept guessing until the very end.

This is the next installment in the Marlow Murder Club series and I absolutely loved everything about it! Judith, Suzie, and Becks are some of my favorite characters and I've loved seeing them grow throughout the series. The author does a great job in giving them new goals and realistic growth that results from their unbreakable friendship. (Side note, I love how much more badass Becks is now, her husband was a complete tool in the first couple books).

Judith once again uses her intelligence, Suzie her brashness, and Becks her charm to solve the latest murder to take place in Marlow. Overall, I thought the book was well-plotted and devoured it in just a day. I listened to this one on audio, and while the narrator didn't do as much differentiation of voices as I would have liked, I was able to keep all the characters straight throughout the story. Definitely read this one if you're looking for a fun cozy that also has a well thought out mystery!

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this early audiobook copy!

This series is my top recommendation for patrons who like The Thursday Murder Club series, but want something cozier that doesn't get into difficult topics like dementia, etc. I was really looking forward to this third book in the series, but the way bodyweight was discussed prevented me from liking this book as much as the previous books in the series.

Whatever you expect from a cozy mystery is there, with 3 irritating nosey old women snooping around and solving a murder case in a jiffy, when the police are unable to make any kind of contribution. This doesn’t inspire me to read the other books by Robert Thorogood. Though this is better than Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club.
Thanks to NetGalley, Author and the Publisher for the audio version of this book narrated by Nicolette McKenzie.

More like 4.25. I just enjoy the writing and storylines Robert Thorogood. These characters live in my mind long after I listen/read. Thanks NetGalley for one of the most enjoyable books this year.

Thank you Netgalley, RB Media and Robert Thorogood for the Audio Arc The Queen of Poisons
Narrated by Nicolette McKenzie.

This is the 3 book in the Marlow Murder Club and came be read as a Stand a lone or as part of the series.
This follows three 60 something elderly ladies that have been solving a few murders, much to the annoyance of DI Tanika. This time though, she gets these ladies, Judith, Susie and Becks on her side to investigate side leads. Make no mistake, these ladies are astute !

I really enjoyed this cosy murder mystery and even though I missed out on reading the first 2 ( im gonna go and read them! ) I bonded with this lovable characters straight away. The pacing of the book was good, I felt engaged and laughed a fair few times. Not too twisty but the plot line has enough going on to keep you guessing. It has a very Agatha Christie feel about these mystery books. Not a bad thing if you ask me

Nicolette McKenzie has a wonderful storytelling voice for this sort of book. She kept the MC with all the little quirks alive and 3D so I throughly enjoyed listening to her.

A great 4 stars

This is a fun cozy mystery about a group of elderly women solving a mystery. It stands alone pretty well, I didn’t realize it was a part of a series until later on. You could definitely jump straight into this one if you wanted to. The audiobook narration is lovely! I really like the narrator, she has a nice calming voice perfect for this kind of small town murder mystery.

THE QUEEN OF POISONS is Robert Thorogood's next installment of the Marlow Murder Club Mysteries and the narration by Nicollette McKenzie was a joy!

I have enjoyed this Marlow crew and I was curious how Judith, Suzie, & Becks would solve Mayor Geoffrey's murder. It was full of witty banter that made me smile, clever clues that led to red herrings, and a denouement that surprised me!

I have enjoyed getting to know these ladies more in each novel. I wish I lived in their neighborhood. I'd love a shot of bourbon with Judith. Ok, mine would have to be in an Old Fashioned, but still.

Thank you to @recordedbooks and @netgalley for this fantastically fun whodunit! It published on June 4th, so grab it from your audiobook source and enjoy this next chapter. It really is a great audio choice!

This is a great series and I learned it is also a TV show (I can't wait to see it)!

The Queen of Poison is the third book in the series and I think it is better to read them in order. This story had a bit of a twist but I enjoyed it and didn't find it unbelievable. I may even reread this one since I have learned who the cast is in the main roles. Very entertaining and I look forward to the next one.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen and review this book.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6586956902

Thank you to the author, publisher, narrator and Net Galley for providing a free e-audio version of this title in exchange for my review.

Third book in the Marlow Murder Club series, and I've read the pervious books. I enjoyed the first, disliked the 2nd, and I'm still not sure how I feel about this one. Though, overall, I disliked this one. The narration was ok, and I understand that this takes place in a small British town, but the author seemed to over-do the accents and it really got on my nerves after a while. I had to keep taking a break just to avoid that.

Then there's the fat-shaming. That turned me off RIGHT away, and I very nearly turned off the book then and there. I kind of wish I had. I understand that the main characters are older ladies, and to them it might be perfectly fine to criticize a character based on their food or eating or appearance - but that doesn't mean I have to enjoy it or like it. It was rather disgusting to hear some of the the comments these ladies made about others.

The mystery was - ok? I guess? Maybe? There were so many side tracks describing how a person makes a cup of coffee and endless details about things that do not matter (!!) I found myself forgetting that there was a mystery there. Far too much filler in this book and the editor should have another go at this one. Though I suppose that helps the word count.

Then let's complain - endlessly!! - about the mother in law.

I honestly can't think of a thing I enjoyed about this book. Big disappointment.

2 stars - generously given - for a 1 or 1.5 star book. And somewhere between "it was ok" and "did not like it"

I was so excited to see that there was a new book in this series! These ladies are amateur crime fighters, but unlike so many of these kinds of stories, they're quite clever. The theme in this one is reminiscent of Agatha Christie, as is the small-town British setting. The narrator's accent made this that much more enjoyable. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this.

With this being the newest book in a series, I can’t wait to go back and read the rest of the series. The author brings the wonderful characters to life and one feels like you’re apart of the town that it’s set in. The reader was fantastic and had an amazing way of making sure each character is its own unique identity.