The extremely unlikeable and bombastic amateur dramatics director, Oliver has arranged a pleasure boat cruise along the river with selected members of the Marlow Amateur Dramatic Society, his wife Verity and a surprise guest who turns out to be a famous film star. Everything appears to be going swimmingly on the Marlow Belle. Unfortunately, Verity calls Judith Potts the next day to inform her that Oliver has disappeared and is subsequently found murdered.
The book then follows the usual pattern of the other books with Judith, Suzie and Becks deciding to initiate their own investigation. You couldn’t blame any one of the list of suspects bumping Oliver off, but they all have alibis. We are led in one direction and then another and I thought I had the answers all wrapped up, but there was a surprise in store.
Overall, I found this book very entertaining and a good read, but something was missing compared with the other books in the series. It may be that the character of Judith is developing, but Suzie and Becks are not. Maybe a shake-up is needed of the slightly formulaic feel of the books, and this book in particular, was slightly slower. Of course, that may be on its way as this story ended on a bit of a cliffhanger.
Sincere thanks to Netgalley, Robert Thorogood and especially HQ for the much appreciated ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.

By now we should know what to expect from Death in Paradise creator Robert Thorogood – a well-crafted murder-mystery with a great plot and satisfying, often unexpected solution. Whether it’s set in the balmy Caribbean or soggy Buckinghamshire you know you are in for a real treat.

Judith, Suzie and Becks, the three chums we were introduced to back in the first novel of the series, The Marlow Murder Club, find themselves embroiled in a new case alongside their Police Detective friend Tanika when a local Amateur Dramatic Society reunites with a famous Hollywood star.

The chief driving force behind the MADS players is apparently shot to death onboard a glamorous river cruiser called The Marlow Belle and from that moment on the plot, as they say, thickens.

Oliver Beresford – the victim. Leader of the Marlow Amateur Dramatic Society. Bombastic and self absorbed, he isn’t a pleasant man and many have reason to wish him harm, but who actually pulled the trigger?

Lance – the grumpy owner of The Marlow Belle who has a connection with one of the three friends and doesn’t like her digging

Toby – a garage mechanic with dreams of stardom – and a drug habit

Verity – Oliver’s wife. Prim, proper and glad the victim has shuffled off this mortal coil

Lizzie – a Hollywood star with a traumatic upbringing

Duncan – an old friend who lives on a boat and has a hidden axe to grind

Mrs Eddingham – a force of nature who wasn’t invited to the party and clearly resents the omission.

Rebecca – who was at the party in an artistic capacity

Supposedly no-one saw what happened as they’d been told to return to their allotted cabins at a certain time. But someone must!

Clues abound – what was the significance of the white and green gravel found in the tyre-treads of Oliver’s sports-car? Was a certain failure to get into RADA just a red-herring or a reason for murder? How did the run-down Council building used as the society’s first theatre bring the suspects closer together?

The three friends pick up the threads that surround the crime and work their way along them, discovering a back-story that no-one had previously suspected. They brook no dissent as they dig and delve until they gradually discover, deduce and decide who the murderer must be. And at the end Judith reveals the killer in grand Agatha Christie fashion.

A marvellous journey that is full of humour, hidden clues, and well-defined characters in a charming setting.

And at the end, when the case has been solved and Marlow begins to return to normal, there is a knock on Judith’s front door. Her own personal mystery, one that has been simmering under the surface ever since we met her in that first novel – The Marlow Murder Club, comes back to haunt her. When will the secrets from her own past finally be revealed?

Highly recommended.

4.5*

Welcome back Judith, Suzie and Becks and this time our intrepid amateur sleuths (that make up The Marlow Murder Club) are called to help Verity Beresford find her husband Oliver who didn't return home after an evening soiree sailing up and down the Thames.

Unfortunately they quickly find Oliver - dead with 2 bullet holes in him on the banks of the river and as always they can't help but get involved. Reluctantly willing police ally, DI Malik, is under pressure at work and can't been seen to be willingly allowing the team to do what they do best but the team continue to be able to out detect the police and help bring a killer to justice.

As always with this series what we get is a fun and twisting mystery with humour, an inventive solution, plenty of red herrings (that I fell for multiple times) and a engaging cast of characters who are well characterised and just large enough to give us plenty of suspects but not so large that you get confused as to who is who.

I see a lot of comparisons made to the Thursday Murder Club and I can see them but I also feel that this series stands on its own feet and is one that I have loved from book one. It just gets better and better with solid cases and I love how our core characters are developing from book to book. Suzie takes a little bit of a back seat in this one and I think her storyline was the weakest but I love seeing Judith developing and and the cliffhanger at the end has me chomping at the bit for book 5!

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for a digital review copy of "Murder on the Marlow Belle" in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.

A cosy mystery set in a small town in England's suburbia, an Am-Dram society and a Hollywood starlet - not things you'd usually lump together. Our trio of amateur sleuths are back in action and Judy has an actual reason to get in on the action this time - she's present when the body is found!

Whilst not a locked room mystery as such, none of our suspects has an alibi, red herrings abound and the person least likely should have been a suspect. Mrs Eddington is the epitome of a small town "big fish" who thinks the world revolves around her and thinks she's ever so important - I loved the way Judy basically gazumped her with the big reveal, lol.

The writing is snappy and witty and the perfect amount of tense. The final few pages have set up the next book well and it looks like Judy may be in trouble...again.

I really enjoy this series and I'm a big fan of Death in Paradise (and all its derivatives) too.

Time to head back to Marlow! When Verity approaches Judith, crossword setter and Marlow’s resident amateur sleuth, about her missing husband, the mystery takes a grim turn as his body is soon discovered on the banks of the Thames. With the help of her unlikely partners-in-crime – Suzie, the dog walker, and Becks, the vicar’s wife – Judith dives headfirst into a new investigation.

The cadaver is Oliver. An integral member of the Marlow amateur dramatics society. And it seems every cast member has something to hide… with a motive to match.

This cosy crime adventure is my favourite in the series so far! The plot is cleverly crafted, full of twists and plenty of possibilities to keep you guessing. Fans of the series will enjoy a particular moment which has been a concurrent point across all the novels. However don’t worry if you haven’t read any of the series previously, you can absolutely dive in here if you wanted to. Although if you are looking for a new cosy crime series then I would absolutely recommend checking out the first three entries into the series, which are expertly written by the creator of the BBC’s Death in Paradise Robert Thorogood.

Thank you HQ Stories for my gifted copy.

A mystifying whodunnit.

When Verity Beresford’s husband, Oliver, fails to return home after a party aboard a private cruiser, she turns to Judith Potts, the local amateur sleuth, for help. Oliver, the founder of the Marlow Amateur Dramatic Society, is later found dead in the Thames with two bullet wounds. Judith and her friends Suzie and Becks, known as the Marlow Murder Club, begin investigating. They uncover secrets within the drama society, but with twists and hidden dangers, solving the case proves more complicated than expected. Will the club catch the killer before they escape?

I really enjoyed reading this instalment in the Marlow murder club series. This was a slow paced mystery which made you believe you knew who done it then twists you around in circles and not knowing left from right. The Trio of sleuths are tasked with solving the mysterious circumstances that of Olivers murder and the connections between all the theatre players.

As this was a slow paced mystery I found myself withdrawing from it a bit and having to reread parts.

I enjoyed the way the murder was solved and I wouldnt have guessed who it was at all!

Another Murder for Marlow..
The fourth outing for the Marlow Murder Club finds the local amateur sleuths with another murder on their hands and as keen as mustard to investigate. Between the local amateur dramatic society and the pleasure cruisers on the Thames, there are plenty of avenues for them to explore. A solid mystery at its heart with a wonderfully affectionate and likeable group of amateur sleuths in a gloriously well described setting and a frothy plot laced with plenty of humour and dry wit. A worthy and entertaining addition to the series.

A very gentle slow paced murder mystery . The unlikely sleuthing trio crack the case again . There are twists and turns then you think you have found the culprit when it dives off again through intuition to the final unexpected denouement . Can foresee it televising well

Murder on the Marlow Belle is the fourth outing for amateur detectives Judith, Becks and Susie, and finds them plunged into the world of local amateur dramatics (a perfect setting for a murder mystery - as The Appeal demonstrated - due to the big personalities involved). The book rattles along at a fast pace as always, although I did think the subplot involving Becks' daughter could have been developed a little more. An entertaining read for fans of cosy crime.

I am very excited to be back with the Marlow Murder Club, as with the other books I loved the twists and turns and I cannot wait to follow on for more.

The Marlow Amateur Dramatic Society hold an exclusive party on the Marlow Belle but one of the party disappears sometime after the boat sets sail, this is the story that the missing man’s wife tells Judith Potts the next day when she discovers that he never made it home, while she is talking to Judith his body is found and it is discovered that he was murdered but by who? Everyone who was on the boat had reason to kill him. For me this is the weakest book in the series, without giving anything away there are things that neither the murder club or the police pick up on, and the murderer was obvious as soon as they appeared.

This is the fourth book in the series, although they can be read as standalones.
Oliver Beresford is a larger than life character whose life comes to an end very early on.
He has hired the Marlow Belle for the committee of MADS ( Marlow amateur dramatics society), and there is a special guest, the actress Lizzie Jenkins. Who would want to kill Oliver?
There are plenty of suspects for amateur sleuths Judith, susie, and Becks to investigate.
There are plenty of red herrings as the three women try to work out who has a grudge against Oliver. It seems they all had their reasons.
Having visited Marlow twice in the last few months, I loved that I could picture the high street as well as the suspension bridge. It is such a lovely place.
A great read.
Thanks to Netgalley and HQ for the ARC in return for an honest review.

'Murder on the Marlow Belle' is the hugely enjoyable fourth book in the Marlow series by acclaimed author and screenwriter Robert Thorogood. As usual, the book is filled with multi-dimensional, witty and sometimes sardonic characters that I've come to love. The plot is equally complex as the previous three, with twists, turns and double crosses aplenty. I found the pace (especially in the first half) a little slower than previous books, but not in a way that spoiled my enjoyment while reading. I look forward to seeing these books continue to be adapted for television, and to the next book in the series!

Judith, Becks and Suzie are drawn into another local murder mystery whilst also being warned off by DI Tanika Malik from trying to assist in the police enquiries. The committee members of the Marlow Amateur Dramatics Society set off on a luxury river boat, the Marlow Belle, for an afternoon cruise with a celebrity guest. Six people set out on the cruise but only five return.

The plot does not disappoint, it is well paced and has a nice blend of intrigue and humour with some delightfully witty dialogue. As the story unfolds it emerges that no one on the boat appears to have an alibi and there is evidence pointing the finger of suspicion at all of them. The murder has been meticulously planned and executed with precision.

Each of the main suspects has an interesting story and a secret to be discovered. The main characters continue to develop with Judith’s foray into acting adding an interesting dimension.

A thoroughly enjoyable read, masterfully crafted and I eagerly look forward to reading the next adventure of Judith and her friends.

As the series progresses, it’s hard not to have a soft spot for each of the main characters. In this fourth book, we see even more of their tangled personal lives, which I loved. There is also the matter of a mysterious murder, which I genuinely had no idea ‘whodunit.’ The plot does a fantastic job of leading you off in different directions to finish with a stylish build-up at the end.

The suspects had very solid reasons for murder which added to the shock ability of this book. I also thought that this book took on a traditional ‘whodunit’ and added its own unique spin. For me, all the elements of the plot slotted into place at the right time. Oh, and that ending? I can’t wait to see where the books go next.

This is the fourth book in the Marlow Murder Club cosy mystery series and how delightful it was to be back with our old friends Judith, Suzie and Becks, who’s humour we have come to expect from this trio. There were certainly lots of people in the frame for ‘whodunnit’ in this book and it kept me guessing to the end, where I was completely wrong! Great twist too. And then the ending! How could you do that to us Mr Thorogood? You’d better start writing super quick because I for one am not sure I can wait too long. You could read this book as a stand-alone but I would recommend starting the series from the beginning, it would make much more sense. Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for letting me read and review this book.

This is book four of this brilliant series and, although the main story is self-contained, you could do yourself a favour and go back and play catch-up if you haven't already read the previous three books. If nothing else, they are all cracking reads and you will get to know the main characters better if you do!
So in this book, we start with Verity Beresford who is worried that her husband Oliver hadn't returned home after a night out. Based on notoriety and reputation, she takes her concerns straight to Judith Potts. There was a bit of a do the previous evening. The local Marlow AmDram society held a party onboard a pleasure boat - The Marlow Belle - and, after asking around, no one else attending remembers seeing him disembark. Long story short and his body eventually washes up, dead, complete with two bullet holes.
And so begins a rather convoluted and interconnected tale that takes Judith and her sidekicks, Suzie and Becks, all round the houses as they interview and research and speculate they whys and wherefores. As they cut through the secrets and lies, and, eventually expose the truth!
I love this series. I am a bit of a fan of this author, especially his Death in Paradise series of books which (the other way round than you'd expect) was born FROM the TV series! When I read book one of this series I knew it would be adapted for TV, and it was, and very well too, as the way the books are written do lend themselves to the small screen nicely.
Boy does this guy know how to plot mysteries. His powers of obfuscation are second to none and always keep me guessing. But the main thing is that when the truth does come out, instead of feeling cheated as a reader, I always just sit back in awe and respect the way he had cleverly pulled the wool over my eyes. I read a LOT of this genre book and hardly ever guess his denouement early which is no mean feat for an author. I can even forgive the way he ended the book... bit cheeky!
All in all, a cracking addition to an already well impressive series, book five now please! My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Once again Robert Thorogood gives us another fabulous murder mystery in Marlow. I was so excited to read this book and read it over one weekend. Yet again Judith, Suzy and Becks combine together to find out who killed Oliver Beresford. Lots of twists and turns and fun along the way. I felt an intense nfluence from Agatha Christie with this murder and it was very intriguing. There were good side stories as well within the characters. I’m sure this will be another smash hit. I will definitely be rereading this and recommending this book to others. Thank you Netgalley and HQ

Known for his TV work such as Death in Paradise, Robert Thorogood has an excellent command of the murder mystery. Set in less exotic climes, the Marlow Murder Club returns for its fourth outing, Murder on The Marlow Belle.

A body is found, after an outing on river cruiser The Marlow Belle, which had been hired out for an event. Marlow's Amateur Dramatic Society took to the river to honour the return of one of their early members and now Hollywood Star Lizzie Jenkins. There were 6 people that boarded the boat. 5 disembarked. When the Marlow Murder Club - Judith, Suze and Becks - get involved, the suspect pool is limited.

But that doesn't make it an easy case. Victim Oliver Beresford isn't the most popular person, and with the other suspects being involved in the Dramatic Society, theatrics abound.

Crossword-setter Judith is not one to shy away from a puzzle, despite promising to keep out of the way of the Police. With friends Suze and vicar's wife Becks trying to rein her in, she is determined to shine the spotlight on all the suspects and bring their motives to light to reveal the killer.

I love this series, as the Murder Club characters are flawed and human, and you find yourself rooting for them. Murder on the Marlow Belle sees the series really finding its feet, and it's an enjoyable, warm novel that keeps you guessing until the very end. It's probably my favourite in the series so far, and I can't wait to see what the gang get up to next.

Thank you to the author, HQ Books and Netgalley for an advance copy.

Murder on the Marlow Belle is out on January 16, and can be preordered

i just love this series so much and could never take any criticisms for it. i adored being back with judith, suzie, and becks, and the ending has me so excited for another book!
thank you netgalley for the early copy!!!