What a lovely book. The title had caught my eye as I don't live far from Marlow and have been there a few times.
The main character is a fiesty septuagenarian, Judith, who is swimming in the river when she hears a gunshot coming from the direction of her neighbours house. She calls the police as soon as she is able and initially nothing is found. However she is nothing but persistant and discovers the body with a bullet hole in it's head. Initally the Police say it was an accident, but when someone else is killed in the same manner, they concede that it was murder. Judith is bothered by the murders in the quiet little town of Marlow and along with her new friends, Suzie and Becks, proceeds to investigate the murders.
I really enjoyed reading this, if you liked the Thursday Murder Club, then you will in all likelihood like this. The characters develop nicely throughout the book and I hope to see more of them in the future.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. A really nice easy "who done it" read, good storyline, good characters. I enjoyed it.

Three very different women, all with a secret of some sort they're hiding, are brought together to solve a trio of murders in their home town. Judith, Suzie and Becks make for an intriguing trio of amateur sleuths, helped by having DCI Tanika Malik on their side, even allowing them join her case team! Whilst the mystery is fairly easy to solve and the denouement a little cliched, it's the strength of the relationship that develops between the four women that keeps you wanting to read more.

I enjoyed this much than I expected to. The storyline moves along well, keeping the reader engaged and the characters are very realistic, it draws you in from the beginning. There is plenty of humour mixed into a mystery with plenty of red herrings and some dark twists. Intrigue, suspense and very enjoyable.

Introducing The Marlow Murder Club....
The first in a new series of mysteries and introducing The Marlow Murder Club and the unflappable, happy in her own skin Judith Potts. When Judith witnesses a brutal murder and with the police unbelieving, the Club is born with the help of some additional would be amateur sleuths. Worryingly, when another body appears, the Club realise that they may be chasing a serial killer. From the author of the wonderful Death In Paradise series of mysteries (all first class reads), comes this wholly entertaining, engaging and thoroughly enjoyable romp with a glorious protagonist and a colourful cast of supporting characters. Wonderful escapism.

The Marlow Murder Club is a new novel from world-famous author and script-writer Robert Thorogood. It is a departure from his previous projects: the long running "Death in Paradise" television series which he originally created and continues to write for, the parallel series of DIP novelisations featuring his first detective character, Richard Poole, and his work on the South African television thriller series "Trackers". Now he's firmly back in England, the home-counties in fact, and following the adventures of three women and a police detective as they come together from different backgrounds to solve a series of baffling murders in the usually peaceful town of Marlow.

Unlike his previous work, this story is seen entirely from a female viewpoint. It must have been tricky for the author because he now has to put his mind inside the heads of four different women, never mind all the sundry extra characters dotted around the place. He has to understand and communicate and interact without stomping a man's muddy size 10s all over the place. And happily he does this admirably, never sounding condescending or patronising and never offending, with his innate skill to bring characters to life.

As a murder mystery you would categorise this as a "Cosy", certainly it is ripe for a television dramatisation and Sunday-night viewing. There are murders, obviously, and the reality could easily have been gruesome, but there's no overt revelling in the gore here, most of the detail being left to the reader's imagination. Which is just as it should be.

The three friends are a Vicar's wife, a somewhat lonely dog-walker with a larger-than-life character, and an adventurous old lady well into her seventies, who sees no problem in swimming in the Thames or punting across it. Luckily for us she is happy to stick her nose in places others might quail to do so, fearlessly challenging any barriers she faces.

Reading a book like this I often find myself superimposing characters or actors I already know onto the ones in front of me on the page. For example, at odds with the description we are given I still couldn't shake the images of actress Anna Massey as Judith Potts, then Clarissa Dickson-Wright, famous chef and countrywoman as Suzie, and actress Camille Coduri as Becks. These three characters become firm friends during the course of the story and form the Marlow Murder Club, along with DCI Tanika Malik who also got the superimposition process in the form of actress Amber Aga. This is just a foible of mine and no reflection on Mr Thorogood's ability to describe his characters, which he does perfectly. Please insert your own images when you read.

The story is incredibly well crafted and even includes a locked-room mystery of sorts, but that only becomes relevant near the end when Judith finally has a series of revelations that points her towards the guilty party. I won't give any spoilers but there are red-herrings a-plenty in the plot with connections to antiques, sport, inheritance and Free Masonry, just to keep you on your toes. When the case is finally solved and the clues are being explained, one of our ladies finds herself in serious peril and the others mount parallel rescue attempts so audacious that they will have you on the edge of your seat, and of course, finally cheering their efforts.

As you would expect from such an experienced author, the storylines wrap themselves up neatly, and all is explained. There's a shock too which has nothing to do with the case. But you'll have to read the book to find out what the resolution to the locked-room mystery actually is.

This superb story is ideal for a television production, and I hope one is pursued. But until then, buy yourself a copy and immerse yourselves in a cosy world with a mystery to solve. And as you will discover, not everything is as it seems!

Very much a recommended read.

A very good read in which the 3 main characters work well together to solve 3 murders. As enjoyable as the Death in Paradise books but this time in a setting we are all familiar with. Really looking forward to the next installment hopefully.

I absolutely loved this! This is such a funny, cosy murder mystery that keeps you turning the pages!

The three main characters, Judith, Suzie and Becks are just superb! I loved all three of them, their antics had me laughing throughout!

If you loved The Thursday Murder Club, you will love this too! I will be honest, they are very alike but I'm not complaining! Can't wait for a sequel!!

Pensioner Judith swims naked in the Thames. Dog walker Suzie's house is the victim of a missing builder. And vicar's wife Becks is feeling unappreciated.

This is the Marlow Murder Club.

When Judith hears her neighbour being murdered, the local police don't believe her. But they soon will when another body with identical injuries turns up a couple of days later....

Brilliant, funny, lovable characters - you really don't want it to end badly for them.

A fantastic book - more please!

Great plot and characters. I really enjoy an odd assortment of people coming together to solve crime. Not entirely sure that the police would have called them in as special consultants and a little too much coincidence at the end to make it truly exciting. (fallen tree, choir practice, sword). However I enjoyed it.

Oh my goodness! I loved Robert Thorogoods other books on Death In Paradise but this was truly superb! Every page was enjoyable and deserves a place in the best of crime fiction. It had the best elements from Agatha Christie, humour and a delightful dark twist. Pretty much everything you need for the perfect crime book to read in winter evenings - I ended up staying up till 4 in the morning as each page is so enchanting! A totally wonderful book from a superb author!

This reminded me of Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club and it is so good, and such a worthwhile read. Judith is 77 and lives her life by her own set of rules: crossword compiling, naked swimming when it’s hot and drinking whisky. But when she witnesses a murder and no one in the police wants to believe her, she knows that investigation is necessary. Thankfully, she won’t be going it alone, teaming up with the vicar’s wife Becks and dog walker Suzie. It’s an unusual trio but each bring the best out in each other. It’s not long until another body is discovered and Becks, Judith and Suzie know they have to step up their investigation to find the culprit. Not only is this a delightful read, the denouement is so satisfactory. I really hope this is the start of a new series.