This was an enjoyable detective novel. I hadn't read the first two books but was able to follow and enjoy this one nonetheless. I enjoyed following the lives of the different characters in this small town story whilst also trying to guess what the twist was going to be.

First off, kudos to the cover designers for The Queen of Poisons. I would have picked this book up entirely because of that cover had I found it while browsing in a bookstore. I would have been in luck because I have already bonded with the characters inside. You may not be so lucky. So the first thing you need to know is that this is book three in The Marlow Murder Club series.

Second, I know. The title “The Marlow Murder Club” is giving slightly copy-cat vibes. Yes, The Thursday Murder Club came first. Yes, this will never be The Thursday Murder Club. (Although I’d love for a crossover novel? Can that be a thing?) Think of this as The Thursday Murder Club’s little cousin. It totally looks up to and tries to emulate its cooler older cousin, but still has to figure out how to stay in its own lane. (Just so we’re clear: Osman does write the better series.)

In this installment, Judith, Suzie, and Becks have to figure out who poisoned the mayor. They’re brought in as civilian consultants to help work the case—which I actually think took away from the novel. Some of my favorite scenes from the previous books involved the trio trying not to get caught as they poked their nose into police business. Did I still read this in a day? Yes. Did I enjoy it? Sure. Did I think the ending was a bit ridiculous? Far-fetched? Yes. And yes. But I’ll still read the next installment. My hope is that next time there will be a bit more character development. I feel like the author focused on the mystery and trying to make it complex at the expense of deepening our understanding of the characters. That felt much more balanced in the first two novels.

This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The book will be published on June 4.

Another fun mystery solved with The Marlow Murder Club. This series gets better with each new book. I love the town of Marlow situated on the Thames and the three women who make up the Marlow Murder Club. There is nothing scandalous or dark and grim. Just lovely coziness. It’s like an episode of Murder She Wrote. I’ll be waiting for the next book!!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for a honest review. 3.5⭐️

The Queens of Poisons is a Series so i did jump in with this characters but i had no problem falling in love with them. I do feel like i missed out a Iittle with the character development but I did really enjoy the characters and the cozy British mystery. I really adored spending time with the ladies in Marlow. I am going to go back and read the other books in the series. This book was witty, brilliant and well written. I can not wait for more of these books!

Thank you, Net Galley, the author, and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another fun read in the Marlow Murder Club series.

Once more we follow our three amateur investigators: Judith, Becks, and Suzie. I've said it before, but all three are fascinating and so different from each other in the books. I do like that the characters have unique personalities and histories. And once more, they grow more as characters in this book.

Thorogood has a knack in this series for making the slightly off-beat perfectly everyday, and I think that's part of the success of this series. Add that with a knack for serving up a mysterious crime, and the book practically writes itself. I'm sure there's more effort involved, but it does feel quite effortless in the read.

The murder mystery feels almost like a classic Christie plot, one where a family member drops dead in a house full of relatives. Although, in this book, it's the mayor drops dead at a council meeting and the councilors find themselves suspects. Who could possibly poison a cup of coffee in a room full of people?

Discovering the truth is one fun and exciting ride. And Thorogood does not forget to add the cosy elements in this books especially when the three main characters are concerned. I thought the sub-plots for all three were wonderful and cleverly written to show more depth and growth in the characters.

Link to video review will be added soon.

I adore spending time with the ladies in Marlow. You KNOW it’s always going to be a good read with a solid mystery. This is why I adore British cozies! Witty, brilliant and oh so well written.

Rating: 4 stars!

We're back baby! Another whirlwind adventure with Judith, Suzie and Becks.

These little ladies and their crazy adventures are my favorite to read about! I didn't feel like there was as much character development with them in this installment, but fantastic nonetheless!

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wonderful book. I read the first two and they are such great cozy mysteries. Will certainly be recommending this title to my library for purchase.

Someone didn't like Mayor Lushington-but who would poison his coffee? Judith, Suzie, and Becks find themselves investigating in this third of the lively cozy series each of which can be read as a standalone (but admittedly will be more fun for fans). This is standard cozy stuff in many ways, with lots of potential villains, a few twists, an interesting relationship with law enforcement and so on. There's a lot of dialogue and you, like me, might not guess who did it. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Looking forward to the next one.

** “We’re like bad pennies. Always turning up when there’s a murder.” **

Robert Thorogood once again delivers another fun Marlow Murder Club mystery with “The Queen of Poisons,” a tale with a plethora of suspects.

When dog walker Suzie is a witness to a murder at a planning committee meeting, she joins forces with her friends, plucky and eccentric Judith Potts and the vicar’s wife Becks, to assist Detective Inspector Tanika Malik to try to figure out who’s guilty of killing Marlow’s mayor, Geoffrey Lushington.

The murder weapon? A cup of coffee laced with aconite, considered the queen of poisons.

Using their astute perception and their ability to notice the smallest details, the dynamic trio try to wade through all the suspects to figure out who killed Geoffrey and why.

As usual, what follows is a delightfully quirky tale with lots of laughs but also plenty of suspenseful moments that will leave readers guessing. Thorogood does a great job of developing some clever characters, and reminds us of the importance of friendship and the need to let go of baggage all while creating a masterful plot.

Fans of Agatha Christie, Richard Osmond’s Thursday Murder Club series and Peter Boland’s Charity Shop Detective Agency Mysteries will love “The Queen of Poisons,” which is due out June 4.

Five stars out of five.

Poisoned Pen Press provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.

The 3rd installment of "The Marlow Murder Club". In this story, Geoffrey Lushington, the Mayor of Marlow, dies suddenly during a Town Council meeting, with traces of the deadly poison called aconite which was found in his coffee cup. The police enlist the help of Judith, Suzie, and Becks as Civilian Advisors, giving them the freedom to investigate without the constraints of standard procedures. Despite their efforts, the Marlow Murder Club struggles to understand who would want to kill the popular mayor, how the poison was administered, and whether others might be at risk. This case proves to be their most challenging yet.

Alright, can I just say that there's something about this trio that irked me? Them pointing at everyone as the killer makes me wanna slap them in the face to make them think straight. Just kept on reading the book because I'm already invested and wanted to know the killer as well. While this is a quick and cozy read (you can devour this in a day or less) but I felt that the ending was lacking, and was different from what I expected.

Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Pub Date: June 4, 2024

Robert Thorogood knows how to write a mystery series, whether for television, Death in Paradise” , or the past few years as he has written the first three novels in his “ Marlow Murder Club” series. If you enjoy your cozy mystery, with a dash of contemporary flavor, and topped by a bit of sassy middle ( or somewhat older ) lady sleuths, then you will thoroughly enjoy these stories. This 3rd book in the series centers on the mysterious poisoning of the local Mayor of Marlow with a classic list of possible suspects. The three leading ladies are improbably enlisted as informal agents of the local police. Once you get past this set-up the three amateur sleuths go around town interviewing the suspects.
For those folks that have enjoyed the books by Richard Osman and his Thursday Murder Club go on out and secure the first two books in this series: then, of course, enjoy “The Queen of Poisons.”
By the way, for those of us living in the States, I just read yesterday that PBS will be broadcasting ( or streaming! ) the first televised productions of The Marlow Murder Club this autumn (2024.). Thanks as ever to the publisher and to NetGalley for the joy of reading an advance copy of this book.

So, silly me… I didn’t know this was book three in a series, so I feel like I missed a bit of back story within the characters and their capacity… With that aside, I really enjoyed this. The case itself is isolated enough that I found my footing within the story rather quickly.

When the town mayor dies of poisoning during a town council meeting, Judith, Suzie and Becks investigate as Civilian Advisors to the police, alongside DI Tanika Malik. The clues take them all over town in such a fun way. This book mixes searing mystery with a silly, goofy time and I had a great time.

These characters are FABULOUS and I need to IMMEDIATELY go back and read the first two books in this series.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Robert Thorogood for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for The Queen of Poisons coming out June 4, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I loved the first two books in the series, so I was excited to receive this one. I enjoyed the story and liked it, but I didn’t feel the same way I felt about the first two books. It felt a little too different. I think there was a lot of explaining things, but not necessarily a flow of dialogue. There were some Agatha Christie vibes. Poison is definitely a main choice when it comes to murder. I wasn’t too keen on the ending. There was some monologuing that I didn’t quite understand. Overall, I enjoyed it though. I love this author, so I’ll definitely read other books by him!

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.

My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. These are an entertaining series of books where a group of three overlooked women in an English community solve murders. You don’t ever get too deep with any of the main characters throughout the series, keeps it more in the cozy category for me but entertaining all the same.

I love this series. The three characters are eclectic & unique. They’re completely different from one another, but that only seems to work in their favour, for both their friendship & when it comes to solving murders. They truly are the gem of this series.

I loved the small town politics & secrets that are adeptly revealed. A murder occurring involving a council meeting is perfect for having a group of people from different walks of life & their motivations. The ending is a great twist/surprise, one I think will please readers.

If you’re a fan of things like Father Brown, Agatha Raisin or even Midsomer Murders, I feel this is a perfect series to get into. The town of Marlow is an integral part of the books, described so well, you will feel just like you’re taking a stroll through it for yourself.

☠️

Read if you like:
* Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
* Hawthorne & Horowitz series by Anthony Horowitz
* Maid series by Nita Prose

Fabulous! Robert Thorogood cannot write a bad book in my opinion, the characters are consistent and witty and thoroughly human.
There are an alarming amount of murders in Marlow but with Judith, Becks and Susie around, there will always be a solution and usually an unexpected one.

The lovely murder solving Trio is back with yet another wonderful murder mystery.

Judith as always being so extremely smart and funny that she will solve <i>anyones</i> murder before the week ends.

Becks being as kind and lovely and loyal to everyone but her horrible mother in law, which fair I wouldn’t be loyal to that monster either.

Suzie being the funniest human in the world and honest to a fault, my lovely friend.

I have as so happy when I got the ARC because I just love this trio so much, and I think that Robert made this murder mystery even more unexpected than the previous ones.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this third entry in the Marlow Murder Club series! As a huge fan of Robert Thorogood, his plots are intricate and satisfy that British mystery itch. In The Queen of Poisons, Suzie is attending a planning meeting, when the mayor is poisoned and dies. She immediately calls Becks and Judith, the other 2/3 of the club to help solve the mystery. This time, the ladies are official with the police as advisors! Thorogood usually is big on locked room mysteries (as Death in Paradise shows) and this is no exception or is it? The ladies investigate all the relationships and secrets of the meeting attendees to figure out the culprit. I also loved the compassion and growth he gave to Judith in this book. Highly recommend for fans of all mysteries, especially British! I also can't wait to see the three later this year on PBS!