I just couldn't get into this book. I felt like the writing style was switching up a lot over the course of the book. I couldn't get a grip of the character and just didn't care what was happening.

Move over Miss Marple, there's a new detective in town!

Fans of MC Beaton's work are going to fall in love with Judith Potts. The seventy-two year old detective in Robert Thorogood's new series, The Marlow Murder Club. Along with Detective Sergeant Tanika Malik, Rebecca “Becks” Starling, the dutiful, proper wife of the local Vicar, and mother of two and straight-shooting dog walker, Suzie Harris, this group of lively and interesting characters form the Marlow Murder Club.

With persistence, humor, and an unwavering resolve, this group sets out to solve a series of murders in their hometown of Marlow that will leave readers wanting more. Fast paced, with loads of twists and turns, you'll be up into the wee hours finishing this book and if close to Marlow, can alway dip into the Thames if you need a quick pick me up.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I loved everything about this book. I'd classify it as a cozy as the sleuths were amateurs, and I loved them. A motley crew thrown together through circumstances that become friends - one of my favorite tropes. The characters were really well rounded and lived in a great little town. Add to all that a pretty well done mystery and this read was definitely a winner for me!

Judith Potts is seventy-seven years old and blissfully happy. She lives on her own in a faded mansion just outside Marlow, there's no man in her life to tell her what to do or how much whisky to drink, and to keep herself busy she sets crosswords for The Times newspaper. One evening, while out swimming in the Thames, Judith witnesses a brutal murder. The local police don't believe her story, so she decides to investigate for herself, and is soon joined in her quest by Suzie, a salt-of-the-earth dog-walker, and Becks, the prim and proper wife of the local vicar. Together, they are the Marlow Murder Club. Then there are two more murders, and they realize they have a serial killer on their hands. As they try to solve the puzzle, they put themselves in danger.

The description of this book caught my attention as I am also a "senior". I have never read anything by this author, and thoroughly enjoyed his writing, character development and descriptions of the English countryside surrounding Marlow. I eagerly await Part 2 with these delightful characters. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to get introduced to a new author. I recommend it for anyone who loves a good mystery.

I’m usually not a big fan of cozy mysteries. But I love books with older characters. And I loved Judith Potts. Seventy seven years, she lives alone, designs crossword puzzles and has her whiskey every night. While swimming nude in the Thames, she hears a gunshot coming from her neighbor’s property. When the police insist it could have been a suicide or an accident (despite the man being shot in the middle of his forehead) she decides she will need to be the one to investigate. And soon thereafter, another man is killed in the same manner.
The book has a great sense of humor to go with its fabulous main character. Judith is soon joined in her murder investigation by two other women, the vicar’s wife and a local dog walker. All three women warmed my heart and kept me engaged. The plot was ingenious in keeping me off balance but unfortunately, it’s been used before. But the strength of this book is the characters and because of them, I will gladly check out the upcoming sequel.
Robert Thorogood is the creator of the tv series, Death in Paradise. If you are a fan of that show, you will enjoy this book.
My thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an advance copy of this book.

This book was really enjoyable and cozy. Judith was great and it’s always good to read a book where you like the MC! I love a bit of a mystery so this book completely ticked that box for me.

77 year old Judith Potts is out for an evening swim in the Thames when she hears shooting and the unmistakeable sound of a gunshot. Unable to convince the police that a crime has been committed, she investigates herself and discovers her neighbor's body. And so begins the Marlow Murder Club. Local eccentric Judith is the founder of the club and she soon enlists Becks, the vicar's wife, and dog walker Suzy to help with her investigations.

The book is fast paced and light but it requires much suspension of disbelief to accept that Judith is able to barge in and interview suspects who actually give her information and the overworked police detective willingly accepts her help and provides all the case files. The final confrontation with the murder suspect was completely unbelievable to me.

The book is cleverly plotted and the solution to the mystery is ingenious, but I found too many of the characters and events to be unbelievable to really enjoy this book.

The Marlow Murder Club #1 is a cosy British murder mystery starring mature age amateur sleuths in a chocolate box village setting and has a forward-thinking senior investigating officer (SIO) who, of course, needs some help solving a spate of murders on her patch. What’s not to enjoy? Judith Potts is the main protagonist, a seventy-seven-year-old eccentric window who loves her whisky and still works, setting cryptic crosswords, and lives in a mansion just outside of small-town Marlow. When she overhears the murder of her neighbour, she feels compelled to investigate. Along the way, she makes two new friends: robust dog-walker Suzie, and outwardly-prim-and-proper-vicar’s wife Becks. When the body count rises, they become the Marlow Murder Club and because they are making more headway than the police, they are enlisted by the SIO. Of course, danger turns personal as the sleuths close in on the truth, with it all coming to quite a dramatic climax. If you are in the mood for a fun cosy with eccentric amateur sleuths, The Marlow Murder Club could be for you!

The Marlow Murder Club is a perfectly serviceable cozy mystery. If you enjoy the Death in Paradise TV show and aren’t unduly attached to the tropical setting, you will enjoy this book.

I loved this book, the characters are interesting and the story is very nicely written which makes it a pleasure to read. There is just enough suspense and just enough character back story to keep the reader invested and not infuriated.
The book wraps the mystery up at the end with all ends tied in a logical manner!
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed ‘The Thursday Murder Club’ by Richard Osman.

What a deliciously fun murder mystery! I really enjoyed this one overall – a great balance of suspense, character development and intrigue.

We follow Judith, an elderly widow brimming with spunk and charisma. She happens upon the murder of her neighbor, driven by her curiosity she must determine who committed the crime (and subsequent murders – gasp!) Along the way, she forms a motley and devoted crime-solving crew.

I loved the way Thorogood wove his character development together – we got to really know the personality, strengths and weaknesses, of the character. Judith’s crew seemed to develop strong relationships that were colorful and downright feisty at times. There were several ill-begotten attempts at rooting out clues that had me laughing out loud.

That being said, there were times in which the reader must suspend disbelief, as some of the pieces coming together seem to defy reason, but that’s what all good murder mysteries ask, I suppose!

Many thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for this title in exchange for my honest review.

Miss Marple wishes she had a group of friends like these. Three women of disparate ages and from differing walks of life all find themselves solving a trio of murders that, on the surface, appear to have nothing at all in common. In all fairness, Suzie and Becks are more or less roped into mystery solving by Judith, the seventy-seven-year-old crossword creator who overhears the first murder, but before long they're proving themselves adept crime solvers, each bringing her own unique flair to the cases at hand...however reluctantly. (And Becks is quite reluctant at first.)

The mystery is sufficiently interesting to make solving it a fun puzzle for readers, although familiarity with Thorogood's work on the TV show <i>Death in Paradise</i> may make it easier for some readers to figure out before the detectives; the fact that the case involves interconnected murders adds a bit of spice on that front, however. (Dog lovers may also figure things out a bit sooner.) The backdrop of an English village along the Thames is expertly realized as well, and the characters are a delight; you could almost picture them having a drink with Maud from Helene Tursten's short stories. Simply put, this is a delightful mix of cozy and fair play mystery, and if you enjoy either of those genres, I highly recommend picking it up.

What a fun adventure this book is! Mr. Thorogod has created a world that pulls you in, and characters that you can't help but cheer for. Speaking of the chracters, it was so refreshing to read a story about older, flawed, and quirky people-turned-detectives, and not simply the cookie-cutter "normal gumshoe" found in some books.

The story is such a twisty-turny ride. I will admit to staying up until 2am to finish the book - I literally couldn't put it down. The details and suspense were everything I love in a good mystery read.

If you love mysteries, please read this book. There's no way you will guess the ending!

A disparate trio — a bibulous recluse (Judith Potts), a free-spirited dogwalker (Suzie Harris) and a neurotic vicar’s wife (Becks Starling) — join forces to investigate the murder of a seemingly innocuous art dealer. The title and the set-up might seem a bit too reminiscent of the hit mystery novel The Thursday Murder Club, but the similarity mostly ends there.

What a wild ride The Marlow Murder Club proved — literally in some passages as well as figuratively! So many twists and turns! Equal parts suspenseful and humorous, this perfect book kept me turning pages, even on my birthday, at a time when I should have been sleeping. Author Robert Thorogood crafted such a wonderful mystery and such delightful characters that I can only hope he’s working on a sequel right now! Highly recommended.

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

Not what I was expecting.

Dragged on a little. I enjoyed the spoof parts - the 3 unlikely women solving a crime. But it was very unrealistic.

However an enjoyable read if very slow paced.

If you enjoyed Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club, you’ll want to try Robert Thorogood’s The Marlow Murder Club. They’re nothing at all alike. The connection comes with the amateur sleuths who are often overlooked by other people. Then there’s the subtle humor. I’ll admit when you’ve read numerous mysteries, you might see the solution of the story long before the sleuths do, but the finale is so good.

Mrs. Judith Potts is totally satisfied with her life. At seventy-seven, she lives in a mansion in Marlow, England, right on the Thames. She has a job she loves, but works at it from home. She has no man in her life to try to control it. And, when she wants to go swimming, she skinny dips in the Thames. In fact, she’s swimming one night when she hears her neighbor, Stefan Dunwoody, cry out in protest, and then a gunshot.

Detective Sergeant Tanika Malik responded to Judith’s phone call. Normally, Tanika wouldn’t be the investigating officer, but three weeks earlier, her boss signed out with a stress-related issue.She’s not really prepared for a murder investigation, and she won’t admit Stefan was murdered. But, that only makes Judith determined to investigate. If the police won’t believe her when she says he was murdered, she’ll look into it herself.

Judith heads off to the local church to check on a suspect’s alibi. She doesn’t expect to find the vicar’s wife, Becks Stirling, hiding. But, she’s quick to recognize a woman who is unhappy with her life as a vicar’s wife. And, Judith ropes her in as a reluctant assistant. It doesn’t take as much to rope in the third member of their little group. Suzie Harris is a dog walker who takes in Emma, the Doberman who belonged to Marlow’s second murder victim. Suzie is willing to look for the person who killed Emma’s master.

While the police think there’s never a murder in Marlow, it’s hard to deny when the third victim turns up, killed in the same way, with the same weapon. But D.S. Malik realizes her police officers aren’t turning up the clues while the Marlow Murder Club seem to find suspects.

If you read for character, you’ll discover an unusual trio of amateur sleuths in The Marlow Murder Club. And, yes, I saw the solution. But, the finale is grand, and that trio comes through in unexpected ways. And, Judith Potts learns her philosophy isn’t always accurate. “Neve let people get too close. Things always work out better if yo did everything on your own.” Not quite right, even if you’re a brilliant amateur sleuth.

This is a great cozy mystery that looks to be the beginning of a good series! Three women, one more elderly than the other two, cross paths when the elder begins investigating the death of her neighbor. Interestingly enough, Judith creates crosswords for her livelihood and uses the same skills for her investigations as she does with her crossword creation. Becks and Suzie, who need a distraction from their own not-so-interesting lives, creating the an investigative trio unlike no other. It was a solid mystery that kept me intrigued to the end.
Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the eARC.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy of The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood in exchange for an honest review. Judith Potts lives very happily alone in an old mansion in Marlow on the River Thames. Every night she takes off her clothes, wrap a cape around herself and go skinny dipping. From across the river, she hears a gun shot. She swims over and then remembers she's nude, now what? The police can't find her neighbor, Stephen, so she takes a boat to find him. This story took me awhile to get into and had a lot of layers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an early digital review copy of this book. The opinions given are my own. "The Marlow Murder Club" is a cozy mystery featuring 77-year-old Judith Potts. Judith lives in the small town of Marlow in Buckinghamshire (UK). Her job is to create crossword puzzles for the newspaper, she loves jigsaw puzzles, and she enjoys a glass of whiskey every night. Oh, and she likes to swim nude in the river whenever she pleases. One night while on one of her swims she witnesses the murder of her neighbor. Marlow is a quiet town with a small police department and not very well equipped to handle such things as murders. Much to the dismay of the detective in charge, one murder turns into 3. Now there is a serial killer in Marlow. Judith quickly enlists the vicar's wife, Becks, and a local dog walker, Suzie, to help her solve the crimes. These amateur sleuths are quirky and fun and the mystery moves at a quick pace. The story is full of twists and turns and a few red herrings to keep the reader guessing. If you like a light murder mystery, with lovely characters, this is for you! Looking forward to the next in the series.

Ever since I saw my first episode of Murder, She Wrote, I've been in love with cozy mysteries and smart, sassy older woman sleuths, and Thorogood brilliantly delivers a story and protagonist in Judith that hooked me from the first page. What follows is a charming yet twisty narrative and compelling mystery with an immersive sense of place, perfect pacing, and clever writing. I'll admit - I judged this book at first glance by its mystery manor meets crossword themed cover; I anticipated an absorbing puzzle - and this book exceeded my expectations. Highly recommended for fans of The Thursday Murder Club, and so excited to learn The Marlow Murder Club will be back later this year with a new mystery to solve. As Thorogood is also a TV writer, I'm hoping we'll get a small screen series treatment for these characters as well.

I received a digital pre-publication copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, and I'll be including it in a TBR round-up of "Club" books in the spring. I also added a UK print edition to my permanent collection. The U.S. release will be available on 3 May.