"Death Comes to Marlow" by Robert Thorogood is a captivating addition to the murder mystery genre. Set in the picturesque village of Marlow, the book introduces readers to an intriguing cast of characters, each with their own secrets and motives. Thorogood's writing skillfully navigates the twists and turns of the plot, keeping readers guessing until the very end. The protagonist, often an outsider or newcomer, adds an element of fresh perspective to the investigation, allowing readers to uncover the village's hidden layers alongside the detective. The atmospheric descriptions of Marlow contribute to the immersive experience, making the setting almost a character in itself. While adhering to some classic mystery conventions, the novel also offers unexpected surprises that set it apart. "Death Comes to Marlow" is a compelling whodunit that will keep mystery enthusiasts engaged and entertained, showcasing Thorogood's talent for crafting intricate plots and memorable characters. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced e-reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Death Comes to Marlow is the second book in Robert Thorogood's Marlow murder club amateur sleuth cozy series. Released in the USA 30th May 2023 by Poisoned Pen Press, it's 288 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is an interesting and engaging cozy featuring a 77 year old (but quite young at heart) protagonist and her two unlikely allies, a brash young(ish) professional dog walker radio personality, and the local vicar's wife. The death of a local squire in bizarre circumstances at his own pre-wedding garden party induce Judith and her allies to investigate where the official powers-that-be can't easily go.

The main mystery plot-line has a fair number of parallels with golden age books from yesteryear and I can think of half a dozen which are quite similar. That being said, it *is* a clever plot device and the author does a good turn. There's a central locked room murder with lots of convoluted wealthy family relationships and widening ancillary follow-on crimes to untangle.

I also liked that the main character is a cruciverbalist and there are lots of crossword clues and wordplay throughout. Additionally, she's the type of person who takes daily skinny-dips, is an excellent sculler, and isn't afraid to take chances (although some of them made me shake my head in disbelief).

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 9 hours 28 minutes, and is expertly narrated by Nicolette McKenzie. She has a clear, well modulated, and nuanced voice and does an impressive job with a myriad of local (English) accents, both male and female. Despite having a full cast of varied characters, it's never a problem to keep them sorted during the read.

There's a distinct Agatha Raisin vibe, and fans of MC Beaton, Deanna Raybourn, and Richard Osman will probably like this one as well. The resolution and denouement were as expected, but satisfying nevertheless. This is the second book, there's a third book due out from the same publisher in first quarter 2024, making this one a good candidate for a quick binge/buddy read.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I loved The Marlow Murder Club and was excited to read the second novel in the series. In this novel, Judith, Suzie and Becks (“the Marlow Murder Club”) are back to solve the murder. This time, the police believe there is no way that Sir Peter could have been murdered as he died in a locked room with the only key in his pocket. Judith knows something is amiss and is on the case with her friends.

Like the first novel, this one was quite entertaining. However, I found this to be longer than needed, and some parts dragged on. The “who dun it” was a little predictable, but I love that in cozy mysteries.

Thank you to NetGalley and The publisher for the eARC! I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in this series and was ecstatic to receive an arc of the next installment. This was engaging and fun and I’m excited for the rest of the series!

This is the second book in the Marlow Murder Club series. We are back with Judith, Becks, and Susie. If you have not read the first book, do not worry, you can read this locked room mystery and love it.

When Judith gets a call from Sir Peter Bailey inviting her to his house for a pre-wedding celebration, she cannot say now. She is even more interested in why he would invite her. When Sir Bailey is found dead in a locked room crushed by a cabinet, it seems like a horrible accident or suicide. However, busy-body, skinny-dipping, crossword puzzle author, Judith is not so sure.

I always like a good, locked room mystery and returning to Marlow for another adventure with Judith, Becks and Suzie was a welcome sight on the library hold shelf. Judith receives a phone call from the local big wig, Sir Peter Bailey, and he asks her to attend a pre wedding party at his estate. After a couple of cryptic comments, Judith is intrigued and anxious to attend with her two friends. The upcoming wedding of Sir Peter to his nurse Jenny is the only excitement in town this time of year. The party is underway. There is a rather public argument with Sir Peter and his son. Sir Peter retires to the house and Jenny to her room while the party continues. After a loud crash is heard, everyone runs to the study where they have to break down the door to get inside and find Sir Peter crushed under a very large piece of furniture. Judith and her friends follow many clues to help investigate and inform their new friend with the police department, Tanika, of their findings.

The Marlow Murder Club is at it again. After solving a murder last year, Judith, Suzie, and Becks have been enjoying some much needed down time. That is until the richest man in Marlow ends up dead, locked in his study alone, with the sole key in his pocket. Their friend, Detective Tannika, agrees that his death is suspicious, but unfortunately the rest of the police don't seem to agree. The list of suspects is long, and it's up to the Marlow Murder Club to solve this mystery before the killer claims another victim.

This is such a fun cozy mystery, just like the previous installment. I adore Judith and her friends. She is so insanely intelligent, much like Sherlock Holmes, she sees the connections in everything. And if there's a bit of insight she's missing, you can bet her friends will provide it. These amateur sleuths are top notch. The mystery completely kept me guessing; I wasn't able to solve it on my own. The story is engrossing and entertaining. Strong five stars from me.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I received an advanced copy of Death Comes to Marlow by Robert Thorogood from the publisher Poisoned Pen Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What It’s About: After solving their huge case, Judith, Suzie, and Becks (also known as the Marlow Murder Club), things have been rather quiet. The biggest event in Marlow is the upcoming wedding of Sir Peter Bailey to his nurse, Jenny Page and the Murder Club is invited to a party at the grand mansion on the Thames. But suddenly there’s a crash and once they open the locked room, they find the groom-to-be crushed by a cabinet in his study.

What I Loved: This book is a really fun cozy mystery and I am so looking forward to the adaption. I love the characters of this book and getting to reunite with them again was fun. The book is an excellent cozy mystery and I thought the mystery was really unique and I liked that there were red herrings and I didn’t see the ending coming! It was a fun read.

What I Didn’t Like: The secondary stories surrounding our characters (Becks and Susie) were not super intriguing and there was bit less character building this story.

Who Should Read It: People who love cozy mysteries. People who love locked room mysteries. People who love British murder shows.

Summary: A new mystery that occurs in a locked room is the next case for the Marlow Murder Club.

For a quaint little English town, Marlow has a lot of murders that get left to old ladies to solve. So basically it’s everything you want and expect out of a cozy British mystery. The whole story was quite entertaining and perfectly picked up where the first book left of. That being said, it is not a book or smart crime solving that will stick with me - I was a little bit disappointed to figure out the locked room case in the first 75 pages. But, still an enjoyable read. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

This was a great story with murder mystery and mayhem. It was pure enjoyment trying to figure out who did it. There was spots that the characters lacked some details so it got hard to keep going. I powered through and end d up loving it. Looking forward to more to come

I think I gave this a real try but, after some dark nights of the soul, I have to admit that I just really don't like Judith, Becks, and Suzie AT ALL. All amateur sleuth stories have that vein of "wouldn't the police just arrest (our her0) for interference in an investigation?" which we all ignore, but I wanted the detectives to tell these ladies to f**k right off. Man, they are beyond irritating. The mystery is neither here nor there and I would wager the author is writing with an eye to on a limited series adaption for Netflix or some similar service. It would probably be a nice watch but the novel is not for me.

I really liked the first book in this series and that just amped up with the second edition - this was a doozy of a story [with some fun side stories that will make you laugh, scratch your head and swoon a little with the idea of a love that last for a lifetime] and watching Judith, Susie, Becks, and Tamika solve the mystery, each using their unique way of seeing things, was just so fun and even though I knew who the killer was before them, it didn't take away from the story or the way it all unfolds. Really well done and I CANNOT wait for book 3; there will be a book 3 right????

Thank you to NetGalley, Robert Thorogood, and Poisoned Pen Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I cannot tell what year this book takes place. One aspect seems to be an old-fashioned 1950s mystery, but at the same time, they have cell phones and talk cryptocurrency. Then they talk extortion, but the number mentioned seems correct for the 50s but is missing a few zeros for the current day.

Once you get past that confusion, next up is a mansion without staff that conveniently, because that is what the plot needed, allowed people to wander unnoticed. That brings me to another quirk. How does a man on a boat hear a display case fall in a house quite a distance away?

Granted, I read an ARC, and I hope the editors caught onto the glaring issues in this 2nd book in the Marlow Murder Club series.

The book was slow-paced, repetitive, had problems with consistency, and lacked the same energy that the women brought to the first installment.

Another great mystery with Judith, Suzie and Becks! This one, 'a locked door' challenge. Definitely didn't figure this one out. Also a fun crossword challenge to solve. Lots of excitement for these ladies and looking forward to another installment by Robert Thorogood.

This series is just delightful. I was so eager to get my hands on the second book in the Marlow series and it did not disappoint. The series is just a little bit short of what I would call a cozy mystery, but perfectly fun. The characters are each unique and amusing. The sweet little hamlet of Marlow reminds me of Cabot Cove, of the Murder She Wrote TV series; a lot of murder happening for such a quaint small town. Judith, Suzie, and Becks are back together solving another mystery the local police don't seem capable of solving. This time, Detective Malik knows better than to discount the ladies' opinions. I love how each of the three main "club members" brings a personal strength highlighted that in other circumstances would normally be perceived as a weakness. I love the supportive relationships portrayed, women supporting women, husbands supporting wives, communities getting involved, etc. Judith, of course is the character that is the most over-the-top eccentric, but the series hinges on her quirkiness. She is a stubborn, nosy, instigator, that in normal society would be overlooked or dismissed. The two Marlow mysteries turn her weaknesses to strengths and her friendships with Suzie and Becks are often used to make her more relatable. The mysteries of the series are fun and I struggled to solve them, but they are just perfect as the device that brings many unique, funny, and realistic characters and circumstances together.

Crossword setting Judith, dog walker and radio show host Suzie and mother and vicar's wife Becks are back in a new mystery in Marlow.

Judith is peremptorily invited by local Baronet Philip Bailey to a party the day before his wedding; he's concerned something may happen, and wants Judith there. She takes it upon herself to bring Suzie along, and they find Becks there already, as Becks' husband Colin is marrying the Philip and Jenny, Philip's much younger fiancé (and former nurse).

Philip's son Tristram and daughter Rosanna are there too, though Tristram is unwelcome, and father and son have a public argument before Philip goes into the house, and minutes later is dead, crushed under a heavy wardrobe.

Judith feels something is weird immediately, and she and Suzie are eager to investigate what they think is a murder; Becks is unwilling to believe Philip was murdered, but is willing to help her friends.

Detective Tanika Malik shows up, and despite what she feels, states that this was likely an accident, as Philip died within a locked room, with the key in his pocket.

The three friends stumble to a solution, eventually, while Becks wrestles with a moral quandary, Suzie seeks fame at the expense of paid work, and Judith continues to decide for her friends what they should all do. Oddly enough, their dynamics and Becks' knowledge and Judith's smarts play into revealing the identiy of the killer, but not before another body appears.

The dynamics are what make this book, and its predecessor, so good. None of the women has their lives all sorted out, and their varying levels of dysfunction work well together, but also get in the way and support their efforts.

The dialogue amongst the trio is often amusing, and though their methods send their investigation off into unusual directions, frequently away from whom I figured was the killer, their instincts kept revealing more evidence that helped Tanika build her case.

I ended up enjoying this book even more than book one, and hope there are more books in this series.

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

Sequels, especially ones that follow a great series-starter, are always hit-or-miss. They often have a lot to live up to and I must say that Death Comes to Marlow was brilliant and just as fun to read as the first book in the series, The Marlow Murder Club.

Judith, Suzie, and Becks face a locked-room conundrum complete with lots of family drama on the side. The mystery had lots of fun twists and turns, red herrings and even a second body later on in the story.

The pacing is perfect and it was great to continue getting to know the three women, who have very distinctive (and often contrasting) personalities. The action and dialogue held my attention and it definitely was a book I couldn’t put down. These are rare for me so I enjoyed every minute. Every time I thought I had things figured out, a new clue would appear or a new twist would be added that had me thinking in a whole new direction.

What makes this book (and series) one of my current favourites are the characters. I loved getting to know everyone better, from Beck’s secret (why is she wearing new, expensive jewellery and sneaking around with a man who’s NOT her husband?), to Suzie’s blossoming career as a radio celebrity, to Judith’s growing reputation as a mystery solver – the trio continue to make me laugh.

Judith herself is just a fantastic main character. She’s feisty, smart, and incredibly interesting. I hope I have just a fraction of her energy and quick-thinking when I’m her age!

Their growing respect and partnership with DS Tanika Malik is also very enjoyable for me as I dislike books where the amateur sleuth is always clashing with the police. While we don’t know Tanika as well as the other three, I’m hoping for more of her backstory in future books.

There are several new characters introduced specifically for this story, including Sir Peter, his fiancee, his two grown children, and several other new faces. While that sounds like a lot of new characters to meet, I found it really easy to keep track of everyone and their personalities and motives were well developed considering it was all during the span of one book.

As I mentioned above, this is currently one of my favourite mystery series and I’m already looking forward to the next one!

*** Thank you to the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

Content warnings: murder, poisoning, physical assault

I really enjoyed the first book in The Marlow Murder Club series and felt that Thorogood gave readers an interesting Scooby gang of sorts with Judith, Suzie, and Becks as an unlikely trio solving murders in a small English town. Unfortunately, in DEATH COMES TO MARLOW, I felt that the characterizations were uncomfortably stereotypical... Suzie is constantly being portrayed as not intelligent enough to be able to follow the conversation happening around her and Becks is hinted at being an unsatisfied housewife stepping out on her husband. The awkward banter and friendship between the three women from the first book is gone and a lot of the dialogue felt formulaic and basic.

The resolution of the murders wasn't surprising at all (I had most of it figured out long before it was revealed to readers), nor did it feel interesting or imaginative. The only part of the plot I found clever was the clues being left in the weekly crossword puzzle.

For me, there are better cozy mystery series out there, I don't think I'll revisit this one again.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy for review. This book solidify Robert as one of my favorite mystery writers. I been a fan of Death in Paradise for years and this book gives a nod to the very first episode of the show. I was scared that it would be solved the same way but it wasn't.
The friendship and puzzle element of this series makes it truly feel like you are reading a modern Agatha Christie book. This one was better than the first one. You can see the development within each characters. It's overall a good read and a great listen if you can get the audiobook.
Im very excited about the next installment of this series. This is one that I think is perfect for people that like to solve mysteries and for those that love to just sit and watch the story develop.

Crossword puzzle author Judith, vicar's wife Becks, and dog-sitter Suzie are at it once again. When they attend the garden party of Sir Peter Bailey and he is killed during the course of the afternoon, the women are involved from the start of the murder investigation. D.S. Tanika Malik is familiar with the ladies and even appreciates their rather unorthodox help in solving a case last summer, so she isn't too surprised when they insert themselves into this latest tragedy. It seems to have been a terrible accident; a large cabinet had fallen over on Sir Peter and no one else was in the room. But Judith isn't so sure and she convinces the others to help her look into the lives of everyone close to the deceased.

This case (and story) have plenty to keep mystery-lovers turning the pages and puzzling over clues. There is an ex-wife, the almost bride who would have married Sir Peter the next day, the adult son and daughter of the family, rumors of an altered will, and odd physical evidence at the scene. Just to keep things interesting, add in mysterious behavior from Becks, newfound radio celebrity for Suzie, and Judith's curiosity over anomalies she has noticed in puzzles created by another crossword author. Does any of it connect with the death of Sir Peter? Was it an accident or a locked room murder? What will these three friends find out?

Fans who enjoyed the first book in the series will be glad to have the gang back in action and find them just as entertaining in this new outing. Readers new to the series will want to quickly backtrack and read <i>The Marlow Murder Club</i> to find out how the group came together and began their careers as amateur sleuths. Everyone will be satisfied with the ending and eager for the next installment.