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 .

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

This is the third in the Marlow Murder Club series. Now it could very easily be read as a standalone, however, I actually bought the first two before I read this one. I've read one after the other in the last few days and I'm quite sorry I'm no longer in the company of Judith, Becks and Suzie!

Can't wait for the next instalment.

Have you met the Marlow Murder Club yet ?

3 answers possible, but only one is acceptable!
A) Yes
B) No
C) Of course!

Judith, Becks and Suzie are back in this third instalment which came out yesterday!

And this time straight away in the very special capacity of “Civilian Advisers” having proven their fine sleuthing skills previously! The Mayor of Marlow has been poisoned during a committee meeting, and only someone who was present in the room at the time could have done it…

The victim was perfect according to everyone - the best, the kindest, none was more altruistic than he was..

So who could have wanted him dead?
Debbie the gloomy accountant?
Jeremy the temperamental architect?
Sophia, the lonely housewife and podcaster?
Marcus the over friendly estate agent?

And who is the anonymous caller telling Judith to follow the money?

I won’t say more as I don’t want to spoil anything and I want to leave you the pleasure to discover the twists and turns yourselves when you pick up your copy!

If you’ve not read the previous 2 books in the series, fear not! You can remedy asap or you can stick to this one, you won’t be lost!

Thank you so much HQ and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

All round nice guy and mayor Geoffrey Lushington is murdered during a town council meeting, attended by none other than dog walker Suzie. So yet again the Marlow Murder Club is back in business.

Who would possibly want to kill a man who everyone says is nice and goes out of his way to help people in any way he can? Well it turns out quite a lot, the list of suspects quickly rising on the murder board and motives becoming apparent.

Suzie bringing her chaos to the fray, Judith her sharp intellect and Becks just trying to keep them on the right side of the law. Not helped by the lanyards stating they are civilian advisors which Judith has interpreted as she is now the police.

This was another enjoyable instalment, it is wickedly clever and in my opinion unguessable for all the armchair detectives out there. The usual humour is there especially surrounding a visit from a mother in law intent on moving in and how to stop it happening.

One statement mentioned throughout the book certainly struck a chord and all I have to say is
‘ 𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒐𝒘𝒏, 𝑰’𝒗𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒕 𝒂 𝒄𝒂𝒕 ’

Happy Publication Day. This is book three in the Marlow Murder Club series. It is best read in order, but they also work well as standalones. I have enjoyed the previous two from this series and was delighted I got the chance to read this one. It was so good to be back in the town of Marlow and with the three ladies Judith, Suzie, and Becks. Straight away in chapter one, there's a murder/death, so if that doesn't get you hooked, I don't know what will. From there on is the investigation with plenty of secrets, stealings, and crimes of others that come to light along the way. Anyone could be the killer with the secrets they bare. Who did it? Why? It's a very cleverly written story that had me invested until the last page. Playing detective myself. Highly recommend. I hope there's a book four coming in the future. A well-deserved four stars from me.

I've tried the Marlow Murder club series before and thought it was okay and this book cemented that for me. I found the plot and characters to be fine but this didn't keep me as gripped as it could've done. It's not a bad book but i think there are better cosy mysteries out there that i would pick up first. The drama was done well and the plot and reasoning all seemed to make sense.