It always a pleasure to return to Marlow and catch up with the residents and the exploits of Judith, Suzie and Becks. This was fun, an enjoyable cosy crime read.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this book.

I adore this series it's such an easy read and I love Judith, susie and becks and also tanika they solve the murders really wel. Cant wait for the next adventure.

This is one of my favourite new(ish) series. Septuagenarian Judith has a sharp mind, a penchant for Thames swimming in the nude and a secret (except to her friends) hoarding problem. She's been key in helping the Marlowe police solve two previous murders, along with her friends: Becks, the vicar's wife, and Suzie, a local dog walker. The three of them make a very eclectic group of friends.

In this book, they're officially helping the police as civilian advisors solve the murder of Marlowe mayor, Geoffrey Lushington, during a council meeting. By all accounts, Geoffrey was a kind and well-loved mayor, always willing to help one of his constituents resolve a problem and very active in the community. Who would want to kill him?

Becks, Suzie and Judith are on the case, interviewing suspects, turning up clues, asking questions. There's resolutions, not only in the case, but personally, which tie up a few little threads that have followed the series thus far.

I'm a fan of the author's Death in Paradise TV series (and the follow-up, Beyond Paradise), and these have the same clever, cosy feel to them.

Recommended for one of those lazy summer afternoons, or a rainy day. Comfortable, enjoyable and well written. I'm very much looking forward to the next in the series.

Intriguing plot, great location and clever and humourous bunch of lady amateur detectives. Clever plotting.

Another funny and heartwarming crime caper involving Marlow Murder Club! In The Queen of Poisons, I thought that the death during a local council meeting was a brilliant idea - a kind of 'locked-room' / minimal number of potential suspects vibe in a classic Christie style. Becks, Judith and Susie are as insufferable as ever for the local police, to the point where DI Tanika appoints them as 'Civilian Advisors' in an attempt to keep them from constantly getting under her feet. I'm really enjoying this series and thought it was great that we got to know the characters in more depth this time around!

This time the Murder Club take their investigations within the hallowed walls of the local council. The astutely observed minutiae associated with small town power is hilarious but I’m not sure how many more in this series I’m going to continue to read whilst feeling deflated at the reveal…such a shame.

Thank you Netgalley, HQ and Robert Thorogood for the Audio Arc The Queen of Poisons

This is the 3 book in the Marlow Murder Club and came be read as a Stand a lone or as part of the series.
This follows three 60 something elderly ladies that have been solving a few murders, much to the annoyance of DI Tanika. This time though, she gets these ladies, Judith, Susie and Becks on her side to investigate side leads. Make no mistake, these ladies are astute !

I really enjoyed this cosy murder mystery and even though I missed out on reading the first 2 ( im gonna go and read them! ) I bonded with this lovable characters straight away. The pacing of the book was good, I felt engaged and laughed a fair few times. Not too twisty but the plot line has enough going on to keep you guessing. It has a very Agatha Christie feel about these mystery books. Not a bad thing if you ask me



A great 4 stars

This is the third outing for The Marlow Murder Club.
This time the Mayor of Marlow, a generic nice-guy, dies during a typical boring council meeting but this time, Suze is actually a witness.

Before long, Judith and Becks join Suze and for once they're "officially" helping the Police, which of course needs to be taken with a huge pinch of salt.

We get to know each of the three women in a bit more detail now and this is where some of the funnier moments arise.
Obviously I would recommend readers to start with the first book but it really wouldn't matter if this is the first in the series that you pick up.

A pleasant, cosy read. Although I didn't enjoy this book as much as I did the previous two, although I can't put my finger on the reason for this.

Yay! Another installment in the Marlow Murder Club series. Or should I say 'Oh no! Another murder in Marlow?!' sleepy little Marlow-on-Thames is very unfortunate in its share of violent murderous goings on, but very fortunate to have Judith, Suzie and Becks within it's throws.

This time poor Suzie is in the wrong place at the right time, when the mayor is poisoned and killed whilst at a planning committee meeting she herself is attending. The suspects are as finite as the people around the table, with the poison being in the victim's coffee, but who could have done it without being seen? And why? It turns out everyone around the table has secrets, and everyone has a motive rather than noone! The 3 manage to wrangle their way into the investigation as 'civilian advisors to the police' once again and bam, the game is afoot!

With each book, the trio's friendship thickens; their audacity (sorry - read "confidence") grows; their intuition develops and their ability to irk the local police dept heightens. Judith brings the witty, clever, sly sleuthing that rivals Marple. Suzie brings humour, brazeness and willingness to overstep the boundaries in the hunt for clues and Becks brings emotional stability, sensibility and practical advice in this whirlwind of crime solving.

I'm not used to other crime series having three slueths and I feel this is almost unique to this series. Usually a duo - a Sherlock and Watson or a Poirot and Hastings, one lead and one support - but here all 3 women hold their own in their own right.

Compared to the other 2 books, this one spends less time delving into the character's back stories or development and more on the actual solving of the crime. We know our leading ladies by now and so this is just true crime detecting. In the very twee Robert Thorogood way of course! I did feel we went round and round the suspects in turn a little too much towards the end with a fair bit of tooing and froing but I didn't guess the ending and it still took me by surprise!

I have now watched all the episodes of the TV adaption and look forward to anything more Marlow!

This is the third book in the Marlow Mystery series and I think it has really hit its stride. The characters and the dynamics between them are fully established so it felt like there was more focus on the mystery.

This starts fast! Suzie is attending a local council meeting and before you know it, the mayor is dead. Poisoned coffee seems to be the culprit but how and why remain a mystery.

The mayor, Geoffrey Lushington, seems to be an upstanding citizen and well-loved, so finding a motive could be a stumbling block.

Becks, Judith and Suzie are soon uncovering more of Marlow’s secrets and solving different elements of an increasingly complex puzzle.

There are lots of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing, and good humour along the way. The characters continue to grow and I especially enjoyed Becks as she has grown in so much confidence since the first book.

The TV series hits the UK screens in March, and I will definitely be watching.

Thank you to HQ for my gifted proof copy of the book which is out now.

Robert Thorogood has done it again! A brilliant storyline, just as good as richard osman. I can't wait for the next one!

This the third book in the Marlow Murder Mystery series but the first I've read in the series, yet it worked well as a standalone book.

The plot is well paced and kept me wanting to turn the pages. I particularly like the way the three protagonists work well together despite having very differing personalities. The book is full of rich detail and I always enjoy a book where there are plenty of twists and turns to keep me interested throughout and I don't guess who dun it!

I will definitely be reading the whole series as this book is so entertaining.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

The brilliant Marlow Murder Club trio make their return in The Queen of Poisons, where they’re determined to find the mayor’s killer after Susie witnesses his death at the town council meeting.

This series is one of my absolute favourites and I am so glad to be back with Judith, Becks and Susie in another incredible instalment. I love different they all are to each other but how well they compliment one another - we truly get to see them in all of their glory, flaws included. I also love all of the descriptions of the town of Marlow, I could picture it all in my head.

I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to devour this book. I tried to savour it as I didn’t want it to be over so fast but I really enjoyed the murder mystery, twists and the conclusion where everything was wrapped up. I felt like a detective trying to piece together everything that happened, which ultimately lead up to the reveal of who the killer was, their means and motive.

Also thanks to the acknowledgements, I now know that this series has been turned into a TV series and I am so excited to watch the adaptation and see the wonderful town of Marlow and the characters brought to life.

⚠️ CWs: murder, alcohol use, animal cruelty/death, fire, Hitler reference, fatphobia; mentions grief and controlling behaviour ⚠️

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a honest review.

This the third book in the Marlow Murder Mystery series and it did not disappoint. the character growth of Judith, Suzie and Becks continued throughout this book, and they have really gelled as Marlow’s civilian advisors and best friends.

Unlike the first 2 books, I had no clue who the murderer was. The layers of misdirection and misinformation resulted in a thrilling and clever who-dunnit. The author kept the killer close to him, only revealing them in the final chapters.

The length of the book was just right. The story was well paced and flowed naturally. There were no lull periods. The author brings us on a journey into the lives of the different potential murderers, and gives us the perfect amount of background information and alibis to throw us off the scent.

Well done 👏🏻

It is easy to see while reading this, why Mr Thorogood has had such success with “Death in Paradise”. His writing is rich with detail, the book has huge amounts of dialogue, and the character’s ‘voices’ are all distinct and recognisable. I also know Marlow fairly well and I enjoyed the local detail and the understanding of people.

The three main characters are funny, sincere, and dogged in their search for truth. But I particularly like Judith and her cryptic crossword mind. I’m looking forward to the television series to see if they do justice to our crime fighters.

I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley.

The Queen of Poisons
Robert Thorogood

No synopsis as book 3 in The Marlow Murder Club series

Review
I really enjoyed it, storyline was good and I like the characters. I didnt guess the ending which was a bit far fetched but worked. Ive seen a tv show is coming to the drama channel on 6th March so am interested to see how the books are adapted.

Rated 4/5

Another great mystery featuring some of my favourite ladies who investigates. Well plotted, witty, it kept me hooked and surprising.
Loved it
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This is the third part of The Murder Club series and is just as good as the first two books.
The book is well written and enjoyable. There are lots of twists and turns which kept me guessing right to the end of the book. This is an excellent read.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for my ARC.

This is the third book on the series and is still just as good!

I love the characters and how they look out for each other.

The plot was fun, with plenty of red herrings. Similar vibe to Richard Osmond's series.

Thank you for the arc.

Marlow Murder Club is a great series of books to get stuck into, more so as I understand the first is to be televised too. This is the third novel to feature three very different quirky women who do love to investigate.

When the mayor dies suddenly in a town council meeting, it happens that Suzie was there to witness it. Poison was the choice of weapon, but who exactly administered it and more importantly how, right in front of everyone. Along with Judith, the crossword setter and Becks the local vicar’s wife they are seconded to the police to add to the investigations.

It was aconite – the Queen of Poison and as for the victim, no one has had a bad word to say about him. Then who would want him dead? Where is the sugar bowl? And what secrets are the rest of the Town Council hiding?

As ever the three women, work well together to come to the truth. I love the acerbic wit of Judith, the almost downtrodden of Becks who doesn’t want to be involved, but somehow always is. And of course Suzie, always trying to make more money and lurches from accusing one person and within a page having a change of mind once she listens to the evidence and most importantly her friends!

Great series and long may it continue.