Well, wasn’t this a brilliant cosy mystery?!

I was intrigued by this given the connection to Death in Paradise which I’ve ended up watching many times courtesy of my parents, and the comparisons to Richard Osman!

I wasn’t too sure what to expect but I ended up thoroughly enjoying this and I’m excited to dive into the sequel!

The narrator did an excellent job and kept me hooked and I KNEW I was going to love Judith from her opening lines!

The cast of characters were vibrant and intriguing and Judith, Suzie and Becks were a sort of unlikely trio but they fit quite well together and made a great team! I was rooting for Becks as well to come out of her shell, in a way!

The mystery was so well done, I was hooked in trying to figure out who was behind it and I kept changing my mind and then it all came together perfectly at which point I kicked myself for not figuring it out sooner! The clues were there but I was too easily led by the direction the author was pointing you in!

As cosy crime goes, this could have been formulaic. It has the dubious pleasure of being published alongside a slew of other cosy crime novels such as The Thursday Murder Club and the bingo hall detectives. The market as it stands right now is saturated with these sorts of books - and honestly, I can't quite tell if this does enough to stand out?

It was okay - the crime itself was interesting and there were layers to keep uncovering as we went through the plot, and the three protagonists were variable in personality, but I can't say they were memorable enough to stick out to me as a character I'd revisit or think of fondly months after reading.

The audiobook WAS narrated well and I think that is where one of the strengths in this edition lay, as if I were reading the print book instead I think it may have been a DNF.

🧓Book review: The Marlow murder club by @robertthorogoodwriter🧓

⭐⭐⭐⭐

📃Blurb: To solve an impossible murder, you need an impossible hero…
Judith Potts is seventy-seven years old and blissfully happy. She lives on her own in a faded mansion just outside Marlow, there’s no man in her life to tell her what to do or how much whisky to drink, and to keep herself busy she sets crosswords for The Times newspaper.
One evening, while out swimming in the Thames, Judith witnesses a brutal murder. The local police don’t believe her story, so she decides to investigate for herself, and is soon joined in her quest by Suzie, a salt-of-the-earth dog-walker, and Becks, the prim and proper wife of the local Vicar.
Together, they are the Marlow Murder Club.
When another body turns up, they realise they have a real-life serial killer on their hands. And the puzzle they set out to solve has become a trap from which they might never escape…

🖋️Review:
I personally really liked this novel. The protagonist is quite fun and her friends are too. I liked the progression of the story and how the characters piece together the clues. I saw in other reviews that people criticized the fact that there is the feeling that the main character has towards the culprits and honestly I did not mind it, as so many times it is what starts the investigations in one direction and leads them to a conclusion. It is true that the clues to the solution might seem forced but it is in my opinion not the case. As a consumer of true crime podcasts and stories there is a huge deal of unexpected places and moments when clues pop up. Overall I found the read refreshing and the characters fun. The secondary characters had a nice personality and the women in the story were supportive of each other through and through. I personally found the ending somewhat surprising and the twist on top of the solution very fitting for our main character.

I would suggest this as a feel good read😍

It too me a while to get around to this book but I thought the narration was great. Made you feel like your granny was telling you the story. Good voices with lots if twists and turn

I was given this book as an audio copy on Netgalley in return for an honest review.

I was as usual drawn to the book by its cover. Then it held my interests when it turned out to be a murder mystery .

I really liked getting to know Judith, Suzie and Bexs. Three very diffrent women who prove that you can be friends with someone outside your normal social set.

All in all a brilliant mystery and a very well chosen reader. I look forward to chatching up with these ladies again.

Some of you may have realised by now that I am rather a fan of Agatha Christie and her wonderful murder mystery tales. I am currently binging on David Suchet’s wonderful Poirot courtesy of Britbox and am slowly working my way through Agatha’s book. I also adore the TV series Death in Paradise and very much enjoyed listening to the audiobooks of all four books DIP written by Robert Thorogood. Therefore I jumped at the chance to listen to the audiobook for the first in his new mystery series… and oh what a joy it was.

Judith Potts is, to my mind, a modern day Marple. She is clever, independent, courageous and mostly unflappable. She is also a seventy-seven year old lady who creates crossword puzzles and regularly swims in the river Thames at the bottom of her garden. I warmed to her immediately and for me she was the absolute star of the show. Robert is very good at creating characters, especially ones that are slightly bonkers (in the nicest possible way). I love that he focuses on the strange foibles that inhabit us and makes us so wonderfully unique. It is a great strength in his storytelling.

But then there is also the wonderful plots he creates too. There really is no hanging around as the book kicks of off with Judith witnessing a brutal murder of which at first she is not taken seriously. However its not long before an actual dead body turns up. With a stretched, overworked police force struggling to find resources Judith decides to take matters in to her own hands and begins to investigate the murder herself. In the course of her investigation Judith discovers new friends – in the form of Suzie and Becks – and dark secrets and wrongdoings that go back years. It’s not long until the body count begins to rise.

Robert does a brilliant job of drip feeding the clues with a few red herrings thrown in for good measure and the list of suspicious characters grows. The climax brings it all to a thrilling and satisfying conclusion and I must say I romped through this in lightning speed. it was an absolute delight and a very welcome piece of escapism. The Audiobook is wonderful and brilliantly narrated by Nicolette Mckenzie.

If you love a good old cosy crime story with plenty of humour and engaging characters then I think you will be thrilled with this. I can’t wait for the next in the series, Death Comes To Marlow which is due to be published in January 2023..

I have been meaning to read The Marlow Murder Club for some time, but having the opportunity to listen to it on audio proved ideal, with the excellent narrator Nicolette McKenzie skilfully bringing the entertaining cast of characters to life in this cosy mystery. Eccentric septuagenerian Judith decided to take matters into her own hands when one of her neighbours is murdered - enlisting the help of two other women she meets in the process, vicar's wife Becks and dog walker Suzie, the three of them turn amateur detective as the body count starts to mount in the normally peaceful riverside town of Marlow.

This is a fun easy read - I loved the feisty Judith and her relationship with her two sidekicks, there is plenty of humour and a clever plot with some unexpected twists. I look forward to the next book in the series and seeing what they get up to next.

Review - The Marlow Murder Club
Audiobook

Genre: Cosy Crime
Duration: 9hr 49m

With the second book in this series out in January, I thought it was about time I read the first book. It took me a little while to get into this book, in fact I had started listening to it earlier this year. But my mind wasn't on an audiobook so I returned it to the library. But with a big sewing session planned, I was in need of an audiobook and spotted this on netgalley.

I got on much better this time round. It did take me an hour to settle into the book, but I persisted and I'm glad I did. A modern day cosy crime read, with a few surprises. I've never been to Marlow but pictured it like Henley-on-Thames, where I had a lovely short break. The characters were likeable, none of them really stood out to me. Judith's life is a bit of a mystery, but we do get some surprising insights into her past towards the end. 

A book that hovers around the 3.5 stars out of 5 for me.  

Have you read this one? Are you looking forward to the second book?

Synopsis ⤵️
Seventy-seven-year-old Judith Potts is blissfully happy. She lives alone in a faded mansion in Marlow, sets crosswords for The Times, and there’s no man in her life to tell her what to do or how much whisky to drink.

One evening, while out swimming in the Thames, Judith witnesses a brutal murder. When the local police don’t believe her story, Judith and two unlikely friends decide to investigate for themselves. Together, they are the Marlow Murder Club.

Thank you to @netgalley & @hqstories for a review copy

With thanks to the author, publishers HarperCollins UK Audio, and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

This was a really enjoyable, funny, and cosy murder mystery, that put me in mind of Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club series, which to my mind is high praise indeed. The plot was expertly-woven by the author, and had so many suspects with apparently iron-clad alibis that I was kept guessing right until the end of the story as to what the "big reveal" would uncover.

The three amateur sleuths, ably led by 77 year-old Judith, each came from a different type of background and had their own demons to deal with, but together they became a formidable team and, particularly as the story evolved, their individual strengths came shining through as each of them played a key role in solving the mystery.

It was a constant source of amusement to me how Judith was repeatedly underestimated by the people she encountered throughout the story, allowing her to combine her problem-solving skills, her trusty tin of icing sugar-coated sweets, and the element of surprise to get the most out of every situation she encountered!

Really looking forward now to the next installment of the series, which is due out next year.

Thank you to Netgalley, Robert Thorogood, Nicolette McKenzie, and HarperCollins UK Audio, HQ for providing me with a free copy for an honest review!

The main selling point of this audiobook for me was the lovely, immediately likable main character Judith Potts and the interaction between the women of Marlow. The character of the women was perfectly embodied by the narrator. It was a cozy and fun experience with an interesting yet not surprising mystery to be solved.

I cannot wait to read the sequel looking forward to more character growth and fun interactions.

A thoroughly enjoyable audiobook, the kind that brightens up a dull winter evening, I will definitely be seeking out more by this author, definitely recommend

In the 'cosy murder mystery' genre a la Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club. Well written and told story, set in a quaint village on the banks of the Thames river. Likeable characters and the story was easy to engage in as we follow the adventures of Judith and friends trying to solve the murders with the expected hiccups and humor along the way.
Somewhat predictable in parts, the ending was a little weaker than the overall story. Narrator was a perfect fit and I enjoyed listening to this. Recommend especially if you like this genre ... 3.5/5

A quaint murder mystery set in Marlow. If you enjoy Midsomer Murders and the likes, then this is for you.

Judith is essentially a loveable, yet nosy old lady who lives in a Marlow mansion. When she hears a gunshot from a neighbours house and feels the police aren’t taking her seriously, she decides to take matters into her own hands…

I love Judith, Suzie and Becks and their unconventional methods of solving mysteries. This unconventional friendship between the three women was so fun to watch develop and I loved all of our side characters too.

The way the clues fit together right up to the final reveal was intriguing and fun and I couldn't put the book down.

I would highly recommend this book and can't wait to read book 2.

The Marlow Murder Club - Robert Thorogood

Firstly I need to say how much I adored Judith, she gave me everything I could have wanted from a main character. The book has a good storyline which keeps you guessing and suspecting and the I thought the Narrator did an amazing job with the different characters. It was the perfect old skool whodunnit with fun and humour sprinkled within. Thank you so much NetGalley and HarperCollins UK Audio for the audio in return for my honest opinion.

A perfect cosy crime... just enough hints and tips that I could put two and two together but not quite enough for me to make four! I thoroughly enjoyed the adventures of the unlikely trio and would love to read more by this author. I've already recommended it to a friend!

The Marlow Murder Club is a typical cosy murder story but I'm afraid I'm in the minority with my review as it just didn't gel with me, the plot was implausible as how many police officers would tell members of the public as much as they do in this novel, parts of the plot have been done many times before and I found it distracting. The narrator was okay but I don't think I'd rush to read any more of these.

A perfectly entertaining and cosy Murder mystery with Thursday murder club vibes. I’ve read most of Robert Thorogoods Death in paradise books as I’m a huge fan of the show and he really is a great writer. He really does murder mystery well and it certainly translates over to this read.

I loved the cast of characters and was quick to warm up to them and follow their adventures. I was invested and eager to know what was going to happen and how it was going to wrap up so it certainly kept me listening. The audiobook I had was fab and well narrated enough for me to absolutely lose myself into the story and I loved it!

Definitely a series I’m now invested in and adding the second one onto my wish list is my sure fire next step! If you love a murder mystery, you can’t go much wrong with this one.

I had seen this book pop up numerous times on various media platforms with very good reviews so when I got the chance to listen to the audiobook I was keen to take it. I knew straight away that this was going to be an entertaining read, Judith is a character that really draws you in with every little detail, so I knew that it was going to be a fun journey.

I loved the setting, a quaint and mostly quiet village, Judith’s dusty mansion on the banks of the Thames, Marlow seems the kind of place where people feel out of their depth when things go wrong because it rarely happens. It was great that Judith caused such a stir with her accusations of murder, and then led others into the fray, all with a good dose of humour and gossip, of course.

Judith is a brilliant character, knows her own mind and is determined, I liked that she always found the measure of people fairly easily and kind of bamboozles people into giving her what she wants. Which is kind of what happens with Suzie and Becks, two other women from Marlow who team up with her to solve the murders. It was great that all three women brought something different to the table, it caused some tension but a lot more hilarity.

The storyline was enjoyable, it gives you lots of obvious targets to follow but still kept me guessing. I have to say I wasn’t sure about the ending, I feel like there could have been a better way to discover what happened rather than through Judith monologuing, I thought the explanation was clever just the delivery didn’t quite do it for me.

The narrator Nicolette McKenzie was great and had the perfect voice for Judith whilst still having very clear voices for the other characters too. It certainly made me happy to get back to the story whenever I could.

I am certainly looking forward to meeting up with these ladies again and seeing what mischief they can stir up.

Who said there was no murder in Marlow?

A gunshot has been fired at Judith’s neighbour’s property…But the police doesn’t seem to think there’s more to it.

And if they’re not going to investigate, why shouldn’t Judith? Their suicide theory doesn’t sit with her and she’s determined to prove it!

As she starts asking questions, she is forced to break free from her image of recluse, enlisting the most improbable women along in her quest for the truth, with the added bonus of making friends in the process!

Appearances are deceiving, the most obvious suspect with the best motive has a rock solid alibi… what are they all missing?

Really great cosy Murder mystery, fab to listen to and one to devour! It’s quirky, with endearing and funny protagonists, a clever plot which will hook you in and once you start you can’t stop.