This was such a cozy mystery. I enjoyed curling up on my couch with some hot tea and binging this book. I characters were so fun and realistic and I hope this turns into a series. I would love to read more.

Heartwarming and engaging cosy murder-mystery for fans of Death in Paradise and Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club.

Septuagenarian Judith lives alone, splitting her time between setting crossword puzzles for The Times, enjoying a whiskey and swimming naked in the river adjoining her property.

On one of her swims, Judith is sure she hears a gun shot but is unable to see what is happening on her neighbour's property. The police are sceptical and soon dismiss her concerns, but Judith cannot let it go and eventually finds herself investigating a murder with some unlikely friends from the same village.

The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood is a fantastic read. Judith Potts is a crossword extraordinaire and a Marlow resident. One night while swimming in the Thames, Judith hears gunshots. Convinced that her neighbour was murdered, she decides to take matters into her own hands by developing her squad (the Vicar's wife and a dog walker) after her words have fallen on deaf ears. As they decipher this mystery, long-buried secrets rise to the surface. Has this trio bitten off more they can chew as they end up on the killer's hit list?

Robert Thorogood delivers not only an excellent and intriguing plot but also presents relatable and flawed characters. The evolution of character development and growth while managing the element of mystery was exceptional. The ending was effective, with so many words left unsaid but enough for the reader to connect the dots. Having a soft corner for the British sense of humour, this book envelops fun, entertainment and humanising moments.

If you're a fan of mysteries, do not skip this one. A big thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an ARC. This honest review is left voluntarily.

Judith is 77 years old with the knack to create crossword puzzles for The Times newspaper. She’s living her happiest, best life as a single woman.
One evening, she hears an altercation and a gunshot at her neighbors’ residence. She takes it upon herself to explore the event, convinced something happened to him. Local police don’t take her seriously.. until he shows up dead.
This is a tale of strong women, filled with tenacity and strength! The cozy mystery elements of this work had a fine balance between character and setting development, to a fast paced rootin-tootin girl gang delight.

Judith, Suzie, and Becks are three very different women living their lives in the village of Marlow. What they have in common is that they do not fit into societies designed roles for them. When Judith sees a murder, then meets the other two women, they come together to solve the crime. It becomes evident a serial killer is on the loose but the police are not on board.

I enjoyed the camaraderie between the women, and I could almost picture this playing out on television akin to the show, "Only Murders In The Building." This is perhaps not too surprising as the book's author created the television mystery show, "Murder In Paradise". This seems like it might be a series, and if so, I would definitely read the next one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for allowing me to read this ARC.

The title of this book reminded me of another mystery series I thoroughly enjoyed by Richard Osman, “A Thursday Murder Club Mystery”. So, naturally I had to read this book.

In “The Marlow Murder Club”, we have three lonely women:
-seventy-seven year old Judith who creates crossword puzzles for publication, enjoys a glass or two of whisky each night, and a swim in the nude in the Thames
-middle-aged Suzie, a kind and plain spoken dog walker
-hyper efficient and particular about cleanliness housewife Rebecca “Becks”.

And we have the murder of Judith’s neighbour that kicks off the action. Judith decides to investigate because she thought her neighbour was a good person, and that the police are idiots. While poking into the life of her first suspect, she meets Becks, and gets to know Suzie after a second man is killed in town, a kindly taxi driver. Judith ropes Suzie and Becks into investigating, and gets to know and even respect the police inspector, Tanika Malik, who’s over worked, committed to solving the crimes, but inexperienced investigating murders. The murder club find and share important leads with Tanika, while getting to know possible suspects and their motives after a third murder occurs.

It’s an enjoyable mix of light humour, interesting dynamics and a growing friendship amongst the four women investigating what ends up being three murders in the town of Marlow. It’s a shockingly high number in what seems like a pleasant, comfortable place to live, but which conceals its share of fraud, and other crimes.

Judith, Suzie and Becks all have their own talents that all come to bear in cracking the case, some of which I figured out despite the author throwing in many twists. This looks like a promising start to a series, and I’m interested in how the Club solves their next case.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC in exchange for my review.

I thoroughly enjoyed the two books in The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman so when I read a description of The Marlow Murder Club, I knew that I would like it, and I did!

Judith Potts is a seventy-seven year old crossword puzzle designer who lives in a run down mansion on the Thames and likes her life just the way it is. She isn’t burdened with a husband to tell her not to drink scotch, wear her cape or swim naked in the Thames River at night. One night as she is swimming, she hears a gun shot at her neighbor’s house. When the police don’t believe her and more murders occur, she takes matters into her own hands. She teams up with Suzi, a dogwalker, and Becks, the prim and proper but bored local vicar’s wife, and they became the Marlow Murder Club.

This clever, cozy mystery kept me interested and I really enjoyed the quirky characters in it, especially Judith. There were some farfetched things like the detective Tankia who gives them access to all of the files because she is struggling with the case and the ending is a bit over the top. I didn’t like this book as much as I did the two books in The Thursday Murder Club but I did enjoy it. There is a second book in the series coming and I will also read it to see what further adventures Judith, Suzi and Becks encounter.

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest review.

Judith Potts is seventy something, happy to continue to make crosswords for the paper as she ages. She keeps a punt at her riverside home and goes out often. One night, she witnesses what may be a murder. There's art history, a possible serial killer and a couple of fine sidekicks for Judith to get to know. This seems a bit more like a traditional crime novel (think Christie) and a bit less cozy than I found the Osman books. The two series are definitely different, but it is interesting to note that both authors have backgrounds in British TV. It was a good read and I am excited to hear there will be another book about with this trio.

4.25 stars!

The Marlow Murder Club follows 77 year-old Judith Potts who likes to do her own thing and be independent, as she creates crosswords for The Times newspaper. This changes when she hears her next door neighbor getting shot and she decides to take the investigation into her own hands as more people in her quaint, English town get murdered.

The Marlow Murder Club was everything I wanted in this cozy-ish, Englishtown murder! I really enjoyed the three main characters, and how they were all. very different from each other. I thought the clues were really well thought out and even though I could kinda see where it was going I still really liked the ending.

I kinda hope this becomes a series because I was definitely intrigued!

This book was very enjoyable! I love Judy and her friends. The relationship between the three women cracked me up! This book was perfect for this moment in my life, Thank you for this ARC! Looking forward to the second installment!

Seventy-seven-year-old Judith Potts, crossword setter extraordinaire, hears what very much sounds like her neighbor being murdered while she's taking her nightly au naturel swim in the Thames. When the police brush her off, she recruits the vicar's wife and a local dog walker to help her solve the crime.

The Marlow Murder Club announces the arrival of a delightful new cozy mystery series featuring a septuagenarian heroine that I couldn't get enough of. The mystery is clever, with plenty of red herrings and motives and alibis to puzzle through, but it's really the characters that carry this story. Judith and her sidekicks Becks and Suzie are fascinating and fun, with interesting back stories I'm eager to learn more about in subsequent books.

Some parts of the book feel repetitive as the women talk through various suspects, and the killer's motive is a bit over-explained, but overall I enjoyed this clever and cinematic mystery. I'm raising my glass of scotch to the Marlow Murder Club and looking forward to the next entry in the series.

The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood is a brilliantly crafted novel starring an elderly woman as the main inquisitive character. The main character is crafted so uniquely and fully and the reader will be enthralled from the very first pages. Is something amiss in her neighborhood? I highly recommend this novel to anyone who loves a good mystery with quirky characters. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

It took me a bit of time to get into the story, but once I did, I was completely hooked! The character development was superb (particularly Judith Potts), engaging twists and misdirection abound, and the author infused humor throughout. A fantastic cozy mystery with a sequel coming this winter.

This book is a great read! I thought that the cover and the book's details were interesting, and decided to try out this book. I found that addition of an older protagonist in her 70's is a wonderful idea. Mrs. Judith Potts brought wisdom, fun, and experience to the mystery. Judith's personality helped to make the book a pleasant read for me along with the story and cast of characters.

My thanks to Poisioned Pen Press and NetGallery for a digital copy of this book for my review!

I love an amateur sleuth novel where the main character is not twenty, recently returned to her hometown, has an above-average pet, and is not dating the local small-town detective. Robert Thorogood makes it a pleasure to meet Judith Potts and the members of her murder club.

Following new friends, Judith, a creator of word puzzles, Suzie the dogwalker, and Becks, the vicar’s wife, is adventurous fun. The plot is a bit twisty, but the right kind of twisty. Before you know it, the person you thought was the killer turns out to be so far from correct you are embarrassed to admit it.

By the final chapter, you realize the author has brought you three new favorite characters and a who-done-it that is familiar, and, if you are like me, you didn’t catch on until the end. Thank you, Robert Thorogood, for the surprise and an enjoyable read.

Judith Potts is a 77 year old crossword puzzle creator for local newspaper. She also live on the Thames in a village called Marlow. She enjoys multiple glasses of whiskey a day and nude swims in the Thames.

She hears gunshots a a neighbor across the river and decides to start investigating the case herself. In doing so she pick two other ladies who decide to help her.

The characters are all lovely and funny and caring for one another. I loved the writing in this book. It was calming and cozy. If you want a great cozy mystery this is the one. I can’t wait to real the next book and I’m going to try some of the other series this author has out.

Thanks to Net galley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

Overall rating: 4.5 rounded down

This was such a fun and delightful cozy mystery! Plus if you like British humor, which I really do, it is quite funny as well! Recommended for lovers of cozy mysteries, especially if you appreciate the journey as much as the destination.

I will definitely be reading the future books in this series!

While this was a mystery first and foremost, I really loved all the protagonists. There's Judith Potts the 77 year old cryptic crossword creator, Suzie the blunt dog walker, Becks the too proper wife of a Vicar and Tanika the by-the-books detective. They were flawed but loveable. I really enjoyed their found family/murder club. I loved how they pushed each other outside their comfort zones and empowered one another to take control of their lives.

I especially loved the main character Judith Potts. She was so independent, brilliant, and quite an introvert too. And just like the other members of the murder club I liked that she wasn't static, she changed throughout the book and started to let other people in.

Overall I appreciated the focus on women being brilliant, strong and empowered. I always worry about men writing women but this one I thought was done very well.

Now, onto the mystery, while I did figure out who dun it, too early on, I still enjoyed the journey very much, and the book still managed to give me a bunch of edge-of-my-seat moments. And I enjoyed the path our intrepid amateur sleuths took to solving it.

Possibly because the author is from the world of the TV, there were a lot of scenes that I could easily picture, especially the climax. I can imagine this being turned into a movie/TV series and I'd be more than happy to watch it.

Thank you so much to Poisoned Pen Press and NEtGalley for the eARC!

While swimming in the Thames, Judith, 77, hears gunshots at her neighbour’s house across the river. When she can’t convince the police a murder has been committed, she decides to investigate on her own. She is aided by Susie, local dog walker and Becks, the vicars wife. As their investigation continues and as the murder count rises to three, the clues seem to point in several directions, all of which lead to dead ends. Still they refuse to give up which leads them into ever more perilous positions. Can they solve the crime before one of them becomes the fourth victim?

The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood was just a whole lot of fun. The story kept me entertained throughout and, if at times it put a strain on my willing suspension of disbelief, it made up for it with three of the most likeable amateur sleuths I’ve ever come across in the genre. I don’t know if this is the beginning of a new series but I hope so because I am so looking forward to see what shenanigans Judith, Susie, and Becks get up to in the future.

<i>Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review</i>

The Marlow Murder Club follows Judith Potts, crossword puzzle creator, who is swimming in the River Thames one evening and hears her neighbor arguing with someone and being shot. When she decides to investigate herself, she meets Suzie, a local dog walker, and Becks, the vicars wife. This eclectic trio learns there are more murders to be solved and takes it upon themselves to investigate, much to the horror of Tanika Malik, the local detective in charge. Eventually Tanika sees that the women are much more valuable than they first seemed, solving lots of clues before her police can. The women in this story are diverse and extremely likable. This was a great story with great characters. I think I saw there was another Marlow Murder Club coming and I will for sure be reading it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy of the book.

Thank you to the author, Netgalley and my partners at Poisoned Pen Press for a copy of this title. After discovering the cozy mystery genre through the popular Finlay Donovan series, I’ve been on the hunt for more, and this one provided a similar type of story with a different set of quirky characters and plot.

Judith Potts is the eccentric protagonist who hears suspicious noises in her neighborhood one late night, leading her to believe that a murder may have occurred. A septuagenarian whose hobbies include regularly swimming naked in the River Thames and setting crosswords for newspapers, Judith is a delightful character whose sense of justice (and likely a desire for adventure) drives her to pursue the truth behind the death of a neighbor.

Thorogood excels at writing characters with engaging personalities. I was pulled into this story not only by the central mystery of the plot, but largely by a desire to discover more about the lives of its intriguing heroes. I enjoyed the group of ‘neighborhood detectives’ that Judith ends up forming with other female characters, and the journey that their friendship takes throughout the investigation. The alternating focus of the story between the mystery of the murders and the lives of these women and their budding friendship was a solid balance in storytelling and character development.

There’s a good amount of moving parts and I didn’t always follow the progression of the mystery-solving aspect, but I got enough to understand the ending and get a satisfying resolution to the story. The subtle sense of humor injected into the writing style subdued the serious moments and ensured that this cozy mystery focused more on the cozy aspect and stayed a fun and relatively lighthearted read.