The Marlow Murder Club

Simply delightful, a great read!!

Actual Rating - 3.5I'll be honest- what made me want to read The Marlow Murder Club as soon as I read the synopsis on NetGalley isa) the inclusion of the word Club in the book titleb)the main protagonist is a female, seventy seven years old, living alone and working from home as a professional crossword compiler andc)she is on a mission to find out who murdered her neighbor on a hot summer night while she was swimming nude in the Thames.The plot sounds familiar to the Thursday Murder Club(which I love extremely) and it made me request for the book. Judith Potts is very happy with her single existence, living in her great aunt Betty's mansion, drinking whisky and going for a swim in the evening. But when her neighbor across the river is murdered, she is determined to decipher the clues, fit all the jumbled pieces of the puzzle and solve the mystery. But it isn't such an easy task, as Judith finds out herself. Along with Suzie, the undiplomatic but loyal dog walker and Becks, the local Vicar's wife and the reluctant detective with an OCD, they form the Marlow Murder Club. The three women have vastly differing personalities but together they form a formidable team.When another dead body is discovered, the sleepy and picturesque town of Marlow becomes a dangerous place with talks of a serial-killer on a rampage. Are the victims connected and what could be the motive of the killer? Judith, Suzie and Becks are about to embark on a most exciting and dangerous adventure of their lives.I loved the camaraderie shared between the three women despite the undercurrents flowing beneath the surface of their friendship. The mystery was a little slow for my liking and there were too many red herrings. I guess it was an enjoyable read but at this point of time I am not sure if I'll pick up a sequel to it.Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an advanced copy of this book

Mrs Judith Potts, a 77 years old woman who works for Observer of making crossword puzzles heard a gunshot in the house next to hers while she was swimming in a river. The police didn't believe her so she took it on herself to find what had happened there.Actually the book was so long that in midway I lost the interest who the killer is.Although the characters were ok, plot is ok but I didn't feel connect with the Judith character. Who's she? A superman? She's interested more than the police in the investigation.Sorry it didn't work for me.

Robert Thorogood's "The Marlow Murder Club," is a rollicking good read. It took me awhile to warm up to the main character of 77-year-old Judith Potts, but once Thorogood helped me to know her better, it was game on! When pondering the composition of this review, I was reminded of the beginning of old jokes that start with something like," An art gallery owner, a taxi driver, and a rowing center owner walk into a bar....." I also thought of writing, "A crossword puzzle writer, a vicar's wife, and a professional dog walker go into a bar....." Please indulge my poor attempts at humor, but in this novel, the first three wouldn't walk out of the bar at all, because they would be killed, and the last three would be searching for the murderer. Technically, this is a cozy mystery because three lady amateurs assist a local police detective who tells them to but out, until she actually makes them "civilian advisors" to assist in the investigation as bodies continue to pile up. All victims were shot by an antique gun and were found with a medallion saying, in order of the killings, "Faith," "Hope," and "Charity." It's the most sophisticated cozy mystery I've ever read. There are some Hitchcockian themes at play, suspects have ironclad alibis, while motives are very elusive. I'm avoiding the biggest spoilers at all costs, but the most enthralling skeleton comes out of the closet during the denouement. I look forward to the next installment of the Marlow Murder Club.

Bem escrito!

This book, even when I was just a few chapters in, made me regret that there are only two in the series thus far. The false leads and clues built up and wove together like a crossword puzzle. The characters grew vivid throughout the book, driving me to cheer for the budding friendships, and the personal growth of each woman as she discovered she didn't have to be limited by the way she'd come to see herself. It's such fun to read about underestimated women working together, challenging each other to grow and see their own strengths, and achieving surprising results. I purchased the Kindle version and finished it within 24 hours, and now must wait for the second book!

An old lady, a vicar's wife and a dog walker come together to solve one murder and then find out it's three. What secrets will they find in this perfect little hamlet and how will it cement their friendship

I can only say I was drawn into this (quite quirky) story right from the beginning. The main character is anold lady but, wow, what a lady... Strong for her age, both physically and mentally, somewhat of an eccentricbut nevertheless likeable. As she stumbles across a murder victim by pure chance, she doggedly pursuesall possible leads and finds a couple of new friends - both very different from each other - helping herinvestigate. The characters all come across as very believable, the story evolves steadily but never dulland the end is pure drama!The background, the lovely town of Marlos, provides an extra interest (I'll soon be going there as friendsof mine have just purchase a house there which aroused my interest in the first place).Well done...