annieb123
Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.
The Marlow Murder Club is the first book in an amateur sleuth village cozy mystery series by Robert Thorogood. Released in the USA 3rd May 2022 by Poisoned Pen Press, it's 304 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
This is an interesting and engaging cozy featuring a 77 year old (but quite young at heart) woman and her two unlikely allies, a young dog walker mom, and the local vicar's wife. A series of bizarre murders has stumped the local woefully underqualified police inspectors and Judith and her allies go boldly forward where the official investigative powers-that-be can't easily go.
The book is surprisingly full of misandry and I can't think of one single positively portrayed male character who actually made it to the end of the book alive. The mystery and main plot-line has a fair number of parallels with golden age plots from yesteryear and I can think of half a dozen which are quite similar. That being said, it *is* a clever plot device and the author does a good turn.
I also liked that the main character is a cruciverbalist and there are lots of crossword clues and wordplay throughout. Additionally, she's the type of person who takes daily skinny-dips, is an excellent sculler, and isn't afraid to take chances (although some of them made me shake my head in disbelief).
There's a bit of and Agatha Raisin vibe, and fans of MC Beaton, Deanna Raybourn, and Richard Osman will probably like this one as well.
Three and a half stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.