Throughly enjoyed this book. I have read the first two in the series and they are all a great read. Kept me guessing right till the end.

The Marlow Murder Club makes a triumphant return and so do our beloved Police Civilian Advisors – Judith, Suzie, and Becks. In The Queen of Poisons the third instalment in the series, Suzie attends a Town Council meeting, but it isn’t long before the Mayor of Marlow, Geoffrey Lushington, keels over and dies at the table.

Was it a heart attack, etc? No, it is a meticulously executed act of murder. His coffee has been laced with poison but who would want to do such a thing to an apparent well-respected man, and who has seen the sugar bowl? These are answers the Marlow Murder Club friends need to find out if they want to locate the murderer and bring them to justice.

I love this series. The dynamic trio, Judith, Suzie, and Becks have such contrasting personalities and yet work well together. Their energy and vibrancy bounce off the pages, along with their sarcasm, sneakiness, and boldness. It was also lovely to see Becks having a backbone and her family supporting her (well most of them!).

The thrills and twists of a fine murder mystery novel were weaved throughout and the pages were turned with ease having me flying through the book in no time. I also always love playing along trying to see if I can work out who the killer is before the big reveal.

The Queen of Poisons is a stellar addition to an already outstanding series. It is entertaining and I love how the author manages to captivate his audience the whole way through with a blend of mystery and intrigue alongside fabulous characters. I now look forward to more books in the future and the TV series which is due out soon.

Love the characters, and the character growth is really fun to see from the first book up until here. Solid mystery too. I was left guessing until the very end.

A fabulously written gripping story that was a pleasure to read. I would absolutely recommend this book, it was brilliant

The well-respected Mayor of Marlow is poisoned at the start of a council planning committee meeting. there are only four people in the room at the time so finding the murderer should be easy, shouldn't it. For the members of the Marlow Murder Club this is a mystery to solve, especially as one of them saw the murder happen. The police decide to let them act as civilian assistants and the three are on the case.
I haven't read the previous three books in the series but this is crime writing that is so gently it doesn't really require much thinking! I think the story is clever, the characters suitably eccentric and the humour writ large. It is actually more sophisticated than it appears.

Love this book and author! Definitely one to add to collection! Loved the twists and turns of the cosy mystery.

Just what the doctor ordered, a perfect cosy mystery to snuggle up with. Which is highly entertaining and will have you laughing out loud, an absolute joy. This is the 3rd in The Marlow Murder Club books and if you haven’t already read any of them, why not? You must, you won’t regret it. I always feel sad after reading one of the series knowing I have to wait another year for the next instalment but so excited as the countdown begins when the time is getting near.

Local council procedures have a tendency to suck the joy from most stories and it turns out even Robert Thorogood’s Marlow Murder Club is not immune to this phenomenon.

However, Judith Potts and her friends are not women who can be kept down by dull process, and when Suze witnesses the death of the Mayor of Marlow, they soon find themselves at the centre of another murder investigation.

The solution to the puzzle of who killed the mayor turns out to hinge on disguise and the motive is a little far-fetched for my liking, but Judith’s strength of personality won me over and I loved this book. She’s still someone I’d love to be in thirty years’ time (minus the nude swimming and the newspaper hoarding).

Huge thanks to @netgalley and the publisher (@hqstories) for the eARC.

#ThreeWordReview: all about disguise 🥸

This series fits squarely into the wave of mysteries that have popped up in the wake of the success of the Thursday Murder Club. I mean it’s even got murder club in the title! But what makes the Marlow lot different is that it’s written by Robert Thorogood who is the creator of the TV series Death in Paradise and who had already written four novels based on that series before he started with Judith, Suze and Becks. I think they’re more straight forward cozy crimes than the Osman’s are, but they’re fun and easy to read and not too dark. Plus they’re set in a place that I used to know fairly well and that’s always fun.

I realise that this is more a review of the series in general than the book, but I can’t say much more about the murder plot without giving too much away (although I found the solution this time less satisfying than the previous ones) and I can’t say too much about what’s going on alongside the murder without giving too much away about the previous books in the series. But I do think you could read this without having read any of the others and not feel like you’ve missed out too much.

Oops - entirely unlikely murder mystery - amateurs back up/consult local police in an unaccountable myster of a local councillor. Everyone who’d been involved simply cannot keep quiet. Friends join up with newly promoted police woman, and deploy their talents - Debbie, in, accountancy; the three local women and the police are the ones who make the running -it’s implausible that they’d note such a simple thing, for example, as a missing sugar bowl and that it’s a key to everything … I’d picked this out because I’d heard so much about this author’s work, but I think this is a weak sample!

We’re back in Marlow for the third instalment of the Marlow Murder Club mysteries. When George Lushington, Mayor of Marlow, dies at a council planning meeting, of course Suzie is there to witness it, and of course the first people she calls are Judith and Becks.
Rather than fight the inevitable, newly appointed DI Tamika Kalik appoints the incorrigible trio as civilian advisors to the case and, with their new found officialdom, they begin investigations with gusto. But this case proves hard to crack. George Lushington was the perfect gentleman, squeaky clean and adored by all who knew him. So, what could possibly be the motive? And where did the blonde, averagely built stranger Suzie had seen at the meeting, disappear to?
Another absolute cracker of a novel for cosy crime lovers. Anyone who is a fan of The Thursday Murder Club or Miss Marple is sure to enjoy this.

“‘We’re like bad pennies,’ Becks explained. ‘Always turning up when there’s a murder.’”

My thanks to HQ for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Queen of Poisons’ by Robert Thorogood.

This is Book 3 in the Marlow Murder Club,his highly popular series of cosy mysteries.

Suzie Harris is attending a meeting of the Town Council planning committee. She’s there to get a feel for its members and procedures before submitting her own plans for a new business venture. As the meeting gets underway Geoffrey Lushington, the Mayor of Marlow, takes a sip of his coffee - then collapses and dies. Traces of aconite, known as the queen of poisons, are found in his coffee cup. It clearly is murder. Yet who did it? And why?

Given their help on the previous cases, newly promoted Detective Inspector Tanika Malik officially brings in Judith, Suzie and Becks, the Marlow Murder Club, as Civilian Advisors giving them free rein to interview suspects and follow the evidence to their heart’s content. And indeed they do!

It was refreshing having the DI in charge of the investigation welcoming the assistance of amateur sleuths rather than dismissing their input. Having read the previous two books in the series I enjoyed the antics of the MMC.

As always Thorogood creates the kind of cosy mystery that is perfect for curling up with. There’s plenty of witty dialogue and side plots, such as Becks contending with an intrusive visit from her mother-in-law.

Overall, I found ‘The Queen of Poisons’ an engaging cosy mystery that proved a quick, easy read with warmth and gentle humour.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Another great read from Robert. I love this series and hope he does more as they are such a joy to read. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

We are back in Marlow for the next murder., this time secrets are revealed, and deception runs amok around County Council.

Judith, Suzie and Becks are back with this the police involving them from the start for a change, there's enough twists to keep.it interesting and devoured it quickly.

Another great addition to the series.

This is another book in the cosy crime genre that fits the vibe first created by Agatha Christie and is the first Robert Thorogood book that I have read. But having seen that he is the creator of the BBC’s ‘Death in Paradise’ series, which I enjoy, I was eager to get stuck in.
This is the third book in the ‘Marlow Murder Club’ series, but I don’t think it mattered not having read the other two, I quickly got to grips with the three main characters of Judith, Suzie and Becks. The story revolves around the death of Geoffrey Lushington the Mayor of Marlow during a town planning meeting and we soon discover that he had been poisoned. The police bring in the three ladies as Civilian Advisors (best not to ask why) and they are soon chasing down suspects and solving the case.
The story is full of red herrings, twists and turns and is a thoroughly enjoyable read.

The gang are back and this time the mayor is murdered in plain sight at a council planning meeting. I think Robert Thorogood is a great writer and I love his work, particularly the Death in Paradise series. However for me the kitchen sink was thrown at this one. Pretty much everyone except the mayor himself were suspected. Way too many red herrings so much so that after a while I didn’t engage with the many theories as I knew minutes later they would be dismissed. Such a shame. The premise was good and the three friends are nice characters but you’ll be screaming ‘blue gloves’ out from the first few pages. If you’re anything like me get fed up of the apparent stupidity of all of the characters - particularly the police who don’t wonder why there isn’t a sugar bowl at a tea table. This book left me irritated and disappointed in equal measure I’m afraid.

Love the characters, love the setting, love the writing style. This is the 3rd book in the Marlow Murder Club series and it does not disappoint. Would recommend to anyone who enjoys cosy mysteries. If it wasn't for the high death rate I would absolutely move to Marlow after reading this! Judith Potts is an icon.
Thanks to Robert Thorogood, HQ and NetGalley for the ARC.

This is the third book in Robert Thorogood’s ‘Marlow murder club’ series. I had previously read the second book in the series ‘Death comes to Marlow’ but either book could be read as a standalone. “The Queen of Poisons” covers the sudden death of Mayor Geoffrey Lushington, who is poisoned by aconite, known as the queen of poisons, in his coffee cup.

The police call on Judith, Suzie, and Becks as Civilian Advisors from the outset and the stage is set for another book from the series. I would list these books as cosy crime novels with a similar style to the successful series by Richard Osman. I have read both and prefer this series with the unconventional investigators and will be interested to see how they are portrayed in the forthcoming series based on the novels.

The Marlow Murder Club are faced with trying to discover how the Mayor’s murder was carried out and why. The plot is well though out and executed with a great group of characters all with their own skills and traits which only add to the enjoyment.

This is another good read and an enjoyable addition to the series that I am sure will only get better.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and HQ for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Did you know that they’re making a TV production of the first Marlow Murder Club read? I’m so looking forward to seeing this come to the screen. Having Judith, Suzie and Becks back together in The Queen of Poisons is great - their different strengths so useful in aiding the police in this latest murder case to hit Marlow. Judith’s analytical skills, Suzie’s nose for trouble and Becks’ humanity and caring nature all add up to a brilliant group of crime investigators again. With twists a plenty and lots of potential suspects, this is another great read from Robert Thorogood.

The sleuthing trio of Judith , Becks and Suzie are back in a tale that doesn’t disappoint.
The Mayor of Marlow is poisoned during a council meeting , Suzie looking for her next side hustle is also at the same meeting .
So of course the Marlow murder club reconvenes in order to track down the killer .
The Mayor was a lovely man , so who would have a motive for his murder?
As always the writing is excellent and very clever . It kept me guessing right until the end .
I’m looking forward to the next in the series.
A great cosy mystery read , highly recommended!
Thanks to NetGalley and HQ .