
Member Reviews

Loved this second instalment of the Marlow Murder Club! As the gang solves yet another mystery, you cannot help but be gripped and dragged into the story. Funny, quirky and unputdownable!

I really enjoyed being back with these characters and seeing how they have changed since the first book.
Following the three amateur sleuths as they investigate a locked door mystery was fun and interesting. I love the cozy feel of this series and can't wait to read the next book.

This is the second book in the Marlow Murder Club series. If you love cosy “who done it” mysteries you will really enjoy this series. I couldn’t wait to read about Judith, Suzie and Becks‘ next murder investigation and it didn’t disappoint, they are all great, individual characters. I did guess early on but I then kept changing my mind as there were lots of red herrings, but the ‘how’ really surprised me. I hope there will be another book in this series as I can’t wait to meet up with the girls again. Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for letting me read and review this book.

Becks, Judith and Suzie just make me laugh. Brilliant, funny, clever and just a little bit silly. I live very close to Marlow and these ladies feel like old Marlovians, although I couldn't imagine swimming in the river. A light hearted bit of escapism for all.

Judith, Suzie and Becks are a formidable trio, now with the confidence of a previously solved murder case. Set in a rural village and Georgian mansion, it has all the necessary components of an English country novel. I highly recommend this book, and can’t wait for the next in the series. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you're looking for an easy read with an undemanding mystery plot, this book is for you. For myself though, I would have hoped for more.
This series can't help but be compared to Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club series and it doesn't fare well by comparison. Both were published around the same time, drawing inspiration from their names from the same Agatha Christie story. Whereas Osman a complex and gripping plot full of well-rounded characters, the central trio of Death Comes to Marlowe fail to make much of an impact as they investigate a relatively unengaging mystery. I struggled to remember which character was which for a large chunk of the novel and found that I wasn't all that interested in the solution to the crime. Everything seemed to happen in a very straightforward manner.
As cosy crime goes, it's acceptable, but stuck in the shadows of other series.

A really enjoyable sequel to a new series which sees us reunited with Thames swimming Judith and the rest of the Marlow Murder Club.
There is an abundance of suspects as they try to solve the murder of local bigwig Sir Peter Bailey.
I have to admit, this one completely stumped me and I was stunned with the final reveal.
Very enjoyable!

Death Comes to Marlow - Robert Thorogood
A great sequel, another easy read that provides the perfect escapism. Judith, Suzie and Becks are back again to give the reader a cosy "who done it" - in a picture perfect setting. All very cleverly worked out, and keeps the reader guessing. I do enjoy how the writer sets the scenes so well, it is very easy to picture the entire story as it plays out. I look forward to more!
Thank you very much Netgalley and HQ for the advance copy in return for my honest views.

Death comes to Marlow - again! It was great to join these three amateur sleuths in another story of murder and intrigue. Whilst I did enjoy the book, I listened to the first and I think it is the preferable way to enjoy a cosy mystery such as this.

Following the success of the Marlow Murder Club, Judith, Susie and Becks and unlikely trio are back and this time they are right in the thick of the action.
Judith receives a phone call to attend a party to celebrate the forthcoming wedding of Sir Peter Bailey to his nurse Jenny Page. A marriage that has upset many. Judith cannot understand why she has been invited, but can only assume it is her notoriety. Perhaps something is going to happen, Judith with Susie and Becks all attend, if anything to just be nosy.
A loud crash is heard from inside the house and the three women all rushing to find the prospective groom, crushed to death under a large cabinet.
There cannot be anything suspicious about this death, as the room was locked and the key was in the pocket of the deceased. The only key.
But for Judith she knows something is not quite right, there is too many mysteries. All the potential killers have strong alibis, in fact the three women were alibis for the most obvious of the killer – Peter’s son, Tristan who had been arguing with his father and step mother to be on more than one occasion.
Add to this; daughters hidden in wardrobes, gardeners with a long family feud, a bitter ex wife, a glass jar not smashed and the plot thickens.
Of course amongst all of this intrigue, Judith is busy trying to work out the mystery clues she has picked up in the cryptic crossword. She discovers something that she wasn’t really meant to but at the same time, the author uses this as a vehicle to explain the structure and logic of all things cryptic. It is one of my greatest wishes that I could solve cryptic crosswords. I have yet to reach one clue correct.
Susie, the local dog walker is now hiring dog walkers to look after her own clients as she has found fame on the local radio station. In fact it proves a useful tool in solving some questions for the murder club. However fame comes at a price for Susie and it seems she will need to go back to what she is good at if she wants any chance of solving her financial woes.
Becks, the devoted wife of Colin the local priest seems to be up to something which is intriguing both Susie and Judith. Surely they can’t think someone like Becks would commit that sin. Sometimes all the detecting in the world and you can jump to the wrong conclusions.
But when it comes to the death of Sir Peter and catching the killer the Marlow Murder Club will not be fooled.
The book builds on the characters and setting of the first book and is fast paced and plotted, with plenty of clues and red herrings. Smugly I want to say I had worked out the perpetrator but actually it was a guess and I certainly could not work out how they did it. A great example of crime fiction in a bucolic setting with some characters who you can adore. Perfect for all fans of that cosy crime fiction that has boomed in recent years.

Welcome to the Marlow Book Club! And welcome myself, to a potential new series I could follow. Time will tell, but fingers crossed.

A superb sequel to The Marlow Murder Club. We get to know the 3 lady sleuths even better amongst a cast of very colourful characters which kept me turning the pages from start to finish.
This is a brilliant series.

I’d not read the first book in this series and struggled to get into the this one when I discovered the first in my TBR pile. I read the first and loved it and this one fell into place. A great locked room mystery with a cast of engaging characters. I throughly enjoyed it.

Death comes to Marlow / Robert Thorogood
Review
This is the second book in the series, I thought the storyline was stronger than the first book and the ending was brilliant.
However, I was so disapointed to find the word ‘poppycock’ not used once, this word is a firm favourite of mine (and my mother’s) and it appeared in the first book but sadly was replaced with ‘balderdash’ , which wasnt the same. (I have had to take a point off).
Rated 4/5

I enjoyed the first Marlow Murders mystery and the second was even better.
Judith, Becks and Suzie are at it again helping Acting DI Tanika to solve the murder of Sir Peter Bailey. This is a locked room mystery and the returning DI side lines Tanika insisting the murder was an accident and there was to be no further investigating. This does not stop the intrepid three. Everyone seems to have a water tight alibi but then we get a second murder.
There is a cast of colourful characters many with the motive for murder. We get to know Judith, Suzie and Becks more and there are a couple of sub plots around cryptic crosswords (which I can never work out) and Becks mysterious behaviour that add to the main narrative.
I did work out early on who did it although by the time I had got to the end I had changed my mind several times and I never worked out how it was done it was really cleverly worked out.
Very clever, easy to read with a lot of humour I can't wait for the next one.

I am really enjoying this series, and this book lived up to expectations. Judith, Suzie and Becks our investigating trio join forces with DS Malik to find the answer to Sir Peter’s death inside a locked room The twists and turns throughout this story keeps the reader involved. Very well written.

We meet Judith, Suzie, and Becks six months or so after the events of the first book in this marvellous series. Following an invite to the pre-wedding party of the wealthy Sir Peter Bailey, the three friends find themselves witness to his death on the eve of his second marriage.
Despite the fact that he died in a locked room, and that those who stand to benefit most from his death all appear to have watertight alibis, the friends immediately suspect foul play in Sir Peter’s death. With the help of their friend DS Tanika Malik, who has her own struggles now that her boss has returned to work – effectively leading to her demotion – the friends conduct their investigation into the murder, in their own unique style.
The main characters are as fun and heart-warming as in the previous book in the series, and the supporting characters – including Sir Peter’s children, ex-wife, fiancée, and employees – are all intriguing as potential suspects. Marlow itself is also a great character in its own right, and I could really picture the scenes described by the author. All in all, another enjoyable read from this series.
My thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for the arc to review.

I had not come across this series of books before, but this sounded interesting. However I was not blown away by the 3 ladies intent on solving the murder. It all felt just too slow and parochial. I am not a fan, sorry.
Review published with Waterstones

Death Comes to Marlow by Robert Thorogood
I thoroughly enjoyed the first Marlow Murder Club mystery but I must admit to finding its follow up a little too much of the same and very slow, almost with a consciousness of following a tried and tested recipe. Nevertheless, an entertaining cosy crime mystery with a likeable bunch of amateur and professional detectives.

I liked this book as it was a fun light read that put me in mind of Agatha Raisin.
I think it would have been better as an audio book - and maybe this is what the author had in mind - as I felt there was a LOT of repetition of clues and summarising the finds so far which I feel isn't necessary in a book. The book could have been 1/3 shorter.
I haven't read the first one but don't feel this was a problem, as the characters were all developed within the book and there were a few reminders of what happened last time.
The plot in itself wasn't believable - police handing the case over to three potential suspects, tramping over a crime scene, and why hadn't Jenny cleaned up the study after the police left? But take the book for what it is, a fun piece of escapism.