I enjoyed this cosy crime read. It’s funny, lighthearted and engaging
The characters are likeable and relatable
The plot is easy to work out but it’s still a fun read

I must firstly apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to provide a review of this book, my health was rather bad for quite some time, something that had me in hospital on numerous occasions and simply didnt leave me with the time I once had to do what I love most.

Unfortunately that does mean I have missed the archive date for many of these books, so It would feel unjust throwing any review together without being able to pay attention to each novel properly.

However, I am now back to reading as before and look forward to sharing my honest reviews as always going forward. I thank you f0r the patience and understanding throughout x

Absolutely adored the Marlow gang!
Murderous mischief & lots of laughter.
Unlikely sleuths & a tormented detective made this a joy to read.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience

This review has been a long time coming, but after several quite dark reads I needed something slightly more light-hearted to break it up. The overwhelming feeling that I had was that it was a delight to read. There was just enough of the 'crime' element to keep this die hard fan happy, but at the same time it was just a lot of fun which is really refreshing. I was a big fan of Judith, I felt like she was much more representative of the older females in my life - she was feisty, determined and definitely didn't take any nonsense from anyone trying to tell her she was wrong. The plot was clever and the clues were expertly planted throughout for the reader to join in with the other members of the club.

Who doesn't love a good cosy mystery?! This was fantastic. Such an easy read, loved the writing style and the characters. Had a lot of fun with this one

Not usually the type of thriller/murder mystery I read but it was a fun book.
I would recommend if you want something light and easy to read.

I maintain that women over 40 are inch; redibly innnteresting and fertile subjects for fiction, and this new cosy murder mystery series bears that statement out. I found the situation Judith finds herself in very plausible, she is enjoying a rather idyllic retirement in a lovely mansion and is paid for writing crosswords for the Times. She is a woman with attitude, putting her happiness down to not having a husband - there’s no one to tell, her what to do and how much whiskey she can drink. One evening, Judith is wild swimming in the Thames and believes she’s witnessed a murder,. The police dismiss her so there’s only one thing she can do - she must investigate this herself. So she teams up with Becks and Suzie, but it soon seems they have a serial killed on their hands.

I loved these female characters, along with the rather harassed detective sergeant who is perhaps out of her depth and a little infuriated by these amateurs playing detective. I found the story strangely humorous for a murder mystery, and I loved the main characters who I’m sure will develop further in future novels. Everyone has their own secrets and experience that they can bring to bear on the case - another bonus of having lived a little. There were enough twists and turns to keep me intrigued, and after a few really tense thrillers this was a welcome change of pace and was more of an old -fashioned, Agatha Christie style Murder mystery. I look forward to spending more time with these characters in the future.

This was such good fun! I loved Judith and Suzie, I’m still not too sure about Becks she was a bit too wimpy for me although she came into her own by the end of the book. The mystery was good with lots of red herrings. I loved the setting of Marlow as I have a friend who lives there so I kept looking at Google Street View when particular places were mentioned. I ended up listening to the audiobook read by Nicolette Mackenzie., her narration was perfect, she brought the wide range of characters to life brilliantly. Definitely recommend this on audio and can’t wait for the next one in the series!

What I thought of the eBook

I think one of the things that impressed me most about this eBook was the fact that it was an all-female lead. Not that I need to have women as lead characters of books, and not that there aren’t other books that have females in including those of Agatha Christie which I can tell have been an inspiration for the way this story moves along.

It is a classic case of who-dun-nit, and whether it is at the theatre or whilst I am sat watching alibi (a TV channel dedicated to murder mystery series), I absolutely love this genre and would say that I am usually pretty good at working out the culprit, perhaps not always though when it comes to this eBook and perhaps the odd Agatha Christie!

This novel delivers on every aspect, I was instantly attached to the somewhat dysfunctional/functional character of Judith, and equally interested in the two other members of the Marlow Murder Club, one of which included Susie the local slightly quirky dog walker, Becks the Vicars wife, and the reluctant working mum, DS Tanika Malik who heads up the official investigation, and dips in and out of the club members activities. All of these characters are pulled together by the murder that has taken place in their quiet and quaint little town of Marlow.

The way the narrative moves through the story is great. I could really visualise how each scene was set, and whilst reading I actually hadn’t checked who the author was, so I had no idea of his background but now I know why it was so easy to visualise the eBook, especially when I found out that Thorogood has previously written for TV. Whilst reading, I was actually thinking about who would play each person and how much fun it would be to see this acted out in a TV series.

Again like with all my reviews I don’t like to give too much away on the story, but the caper of this tale is so fun at the same time as being so heartwarming. I love how you don’t initially learn everything about the characters, and how you told new things about them as the story goes along intertwined with them all trying to figure out who has carried out the crime!

I also enjoyed how many laugh out loud moments I had, one particular moment, where Judith and Susie are trying to climb through someone’s window to steal what they think might be evidence (you’ll have to check out the eBook to find out what I am talking about), I could really visualise this happening. But equally, to balance out some of the lighthearted moments, you also get a good fill of suspense, especially as the story heats up towards the end of the novel.

It was brilliant. I adored it. Devoured it. Loved it. Set in a cute cosy town of Marlow comes an unexpected murder…

Nosey neighbour Judith is witness. Now at her old age she doesn’t have much better to do than ofcourse solve it herself. She’s a determined. Clever. Strong and independent character and I absolutely fell in love with her character. She won’t give up till she has the answers. But with more murders on the horizon will she be able to piece it all together? Or will she put herself in harms way.

Such a clever story. Had me turning the pages for fun looking for answers and following these ladies with their investigation who become great friends. Would highly recommend. A well deserved five stars from me. I’m so looking forward to book two next year. A strong contender to squeeze into my top reads of the year. Murder. Mystery. Suspense.

Thank you to @hqstories and @harpercollinsuk for letting me take part in this book tour. I bloody loved it! Judith Potts is witty, scrappy and I think she’d be a lot of fun to be around. For anyone who loves true crime, I think we’d all like to find ourselves in Judith’s shoes, to be able to dig deeper to try and help solve a crime, and she brings in two other ladies who have the same amount of gumption as she does to help her. I love the way this novel is written and the short chapters really do leave me wanting to read more. I ate this book up in 2 days, couldn’t put it down!

The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood

I would like to extend my gratitude to the author, publisher and NetGalley for sending this advanced reader's copy in return for a fair and honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. Judith Potts is now my favourite human ever in a book. I am not usually a fan of funny and comedic books, but this has changed my views. I laughed most of the way through it. Judith is definitely a character I would love to meet in real life. She was reminiscent of Angela Lansbury in Murder she Wrote. It was a fantastic story, and I cannot wait to read more.

I love Thorogood's writing. I'm a fan of his Caribbean series, and the detective character he created there. I enjoyed this book as much. These are cozy mysteries, not taking things so seriously. So entertaining, and good mysteries.
Thanks a lot to NT and the publisher for this copy.

This is the easiest mystery to read. The plot is so straight forward and there aren't a million different characters to follow. The plot is pretty tried and tested and there were elements I expected but some really clever details I missed. If you like Agatha Christie and enjoyed Thursday Murder Club, I'd say this is a good one for you. It took me just over a day, you will glide through it seemlessly.

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher HQ in exchange for an honest review.

I am somewhat of a novice when it comes to the 'cosy mystery' genre. I'm not even really sure what qualifies something as cosy vs an actual murder mystery, but however you class The Marlow Murder Club, it stands out as a really enjoyable story.

Judith is an elderly woman with a talent for crossword puzzles. When she hears her neighbour shot dead out on the river by their house, she takes it upon herself to investigate. Soon she gains two companions in the form of Becks, the lovely but prim vicar's wife, and Suzie, the rambunctious down to earth dog walker. Together they begin to investigate a crime involving art, rowing, mysterious medals and many intriguing suspects.

I was delighted with how well this book is written. I've not read anything by this author previously and I didn't realise he was behind the Death in Paradise fame until after I'd finished this book, but I can absolutely tell he is a master at a good murder mystery. There is nothing particularly showy here but this is a solid and interesting mystery told at the perfect pace with some wonderful characters serving as our protagonists. I loved the unique dynamics between the three women and how each of them brought something different to the table. Their dialogue and personalities felt very natural and I could believe they would be friends and would be brought together in this way.

There's not much else I can say about this book except for that if you like cosy mysteries, you should definitely give this a go. It reminded me a lot of Agatha Raisin but with a stronger emphasis on the actual plot and a bit less ridiculous characters. I would happily read a whole series about these characters and I sincerely hope that a sequel will be out soon.

Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

The first in the series and really solid start.

Loved the main character, a sort drinking Miss Marple who likes to go skinny dipping late at night!

Good mystery alongside an interesting collection of characters.

Really enjoyed!

I was late to The Marlow Murder Club party but so enjoyed the brash and bold Judith Potts and her band of rather reluctant co-detectives. I love an amateur sleuth, and it was easy to get swept up in the intrigue and excitement of this glorious book. I can't wait for the next instalment and to get lost in their further exploits!

From the creator of the TV series, Death in Paradise, this is a quintessentially British mystery featuring an unlikely bunch of ladies who try to figure out whodunnit. A very engaging read that kept me guessing. Will be keeping an eye out for future books about the Marlow Murder Club.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Set in the village of Marlow in Buckinghamshire, I was first attracted to THE MARLOW MURDER CLUB by the location. I am fairly local to the area myself and Marlow really is a charming location for a novel - a beautiful and lively (pre-2020 pandemic!) historic village on the edge of the River Thames.

The three amateur 'detectives' are an absolute hoot! Septuagenarian Judith Potts is a wonderful character. Marlow's equivalent to Miss Marple, she lives alone in a run-down mansion on the banks of the Thames where she passes her time writing crossword puzzles and swimming in the river. Intelligent, determined and seemingly fearless, there is no doubt that Judith is a formidable woman and certainly someone I would want as an ally rather than an opponent. There really is no stopping her when she has an idea in mind and a murderer in her sights! Dog-walker Suzie and vicar's wife Becks, are the perfect side-kicks and the three of them make a pretty formidable team. The dialogue between the ladies is witty and fun, and they really are a  quirky and very appealing crime-fighting trio.

The book has all the elements I expect from a good whodunnit - deftly plotted with an interesting cast of suspects, some good clues, a number of red herrings and a tenacious detective. The story progresses at a good pace, with enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing until the very last. I also loved the dark humour running throughout, this book really is great fun.

THE MARLOW MURDER CLUB is witty, well-plotted and hugely entertaining.  The book really is an absolutely delight and one that I would happily recommend.