Death Comes to Marlow

by Robert Thorogood

TBA (Narrator), to be announced (Narrator), and Nicolette McKenzie (Narrator)

Judith, Suzie and Becks return in the brilliant second crime novel in the Marlow Murder Club series, from the creator of the hit TV series, Death in Paradise.

‘I love Robert Thorogood’s writing’ Peter James
‘Lots of laughs, a quick pace and an easy read to escape into’ Glamour

‘A perfect locked room mystery’ My Weekly
‘Cosy crime at its best’ Crime Monthly
‘Satisfying locked-room mystery’ Saga
‘Cleverly plotted and laugh-out-loud funny’ Yours magazine
‘The perfect cosy crime to curl up with’ Heat

* * *

It’s been an enjoyable and murder-free time for Judith, Suzie and Becks – AKA the Marlow Murder Club – since the events of last year. The most exciting thing on the horizon is the upcoming wedding of Marlow grandee, Sir Peter Bailey, to his nurse, Jenny Page. Sir Peter is having a party at his grand mansion on the river Thames the day before the wedding, and Judith and Co. are looking forward to a bit of free champagne.

But during the soiree, there’s a crash from inside the house, and when the Marlow Murder Club rush to investigate, they are shocked to find the groom-to-be crushed to death in his study.

The study was locked from the inside, so the police don’t consider the death suspicious. But Judith disagrees. As far as she's concerned, Peter was murdered! And it’s up to the Marlow Murder Club to find the killer before he or she strikes again…

* * *

Readers are GRIPPED by Death Comes to Marlow:

‘Thoroughly enjoyable locked-room murder mystery. Judith, Suzie and Becks are a formidable trio . . . . I highly recommend this book, and can’t wait for the next in the series’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Cozy crime at its best’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Brilliant, brilliant book. Catchy, funny, witty, well written . . . this was one of the best books I’ve read in a long time’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘[A] wholly entertaining, engaging and thoroughly enjoyable romp in Marlow, with a glorious protagonist and a colourful cast of supporting characters. Wonderful escapism’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Never a dull moment, lots of red herrings, plenty of humour and a plot worthy of Agatha!!!’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

• ISBN13: 9780008238322
• Publish Date: 5 January 2023
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: HQ
• Edition: Unabridged edition
• Format: Audiobook (WAV)
• Duration: 9 hours and 29 minutes
• Language: English
• URL: http://harpercollins.co.uk

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Death Comes to Marlow is the second book in Robert Thorogood's Marlow murder club amateur sleuth cozy series. Released in the USA 30th May 2023 by Nonstop ReaderPoisoned Pen Press, it's 288 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) protagonist and her two unlikely allies, a brash young(ish) professional dog walker radio personality, and the local vicar's wife. The death of a local squire in bizarre circumstances at his own pre-wedding garden party induce Judith and her allies to investigate where the official powers-that-be can't easily go.

The main mystery plot-line has a fair number of parallels with golden age books 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. There's a central locked room murder with lots of convoluted wealthy family relationships and widening ancillary follow-on crimes to untangle.

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). 

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 9 hours 28 minutes, and is expertly narrated by Nicolette McKenzie. She has a clear, well modulated, and nuanced voice and does an impressive job with a myriad of local (English) accents, both male and female. Despite having a full cast of varied characters, it's never a problem to keep them sorted during the read.

There's a distinct Agatha Raisin vibe, and fans of MC Beaton, Deanna Raybourn, and Richard Osman will probably like this one as well. The resolution and denouement were as expected, but satisfying nevertheless. This is the second book, there's a third book due out from the same publisher in first quarter 2024, making this one a good candidate for a quick binge/buddy read.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.