The Marlow Murder Club is back for round two!
Judith Potts, skinny-dipping, crossword setting, whiskey-drinking septuagenarian, is joining forces again with buttoned-up Becks, the vicar’s wife, and Susie, the free-spirited dogwalker, this time for a locked-room mystery (one of my favourite tropes).
The blurb: 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…
DS Tanika Malik, having been demoted, is no longer in charge of the police investigation. However, she still plays a part in the shenanigans and remains one of my favourite characters. Again, it’s a refreshing change to see amateur sleuths working alongside the police rather than constantly just clashing with them.
“Tell me—how do you think it happened?”
The women looked at each other, surprised by the question.
“Is this a trick question?” Suzie asked.
“No.”
“Okay, let me take this,” she said before turning back to Tanika. “Someone pushed a bloody great cabinet onto him.”
The characters are companionable, the dialogue is witty and at times humorous, and it’s good fun getting to know everyone better and seeing a bit of growth. I find the antisocial senior sleuth Judith and her unconventional interview techniques particularly enjoyable.
“Judith knew January belonged to her. It was almost her favourite month of the year. No one asked her to do anything in January. Or go anywhere. She could fully recharge her batteries and take stock.
And go wild swimming, of course.”
There really is nothing like a British murder mystery, and Robert Thorogood is a master of the genre. This one is classic-feeling, reminiscent of a Miss Marple story. The whodunit is fleshed out with a couple of side plots about a code hidden in some crossword puzzle clues and Becks sneaking around with a mysterious man.
“Interfere?” Judith said in mock outrage. “Interfering is for amateurs.”
Suzie laughed.
“We Investigate.”
As in Marlow Murder Club, the dynamics between the three women are what make this novel really shine. The trio both challenge and complement each other. This second installment wasn’t quite as memorable as the first, but it was still entertaining enough to make me look forward to continuing the series.
“She also guessed there’d be something unedifying about a completely naked seventy-eight-year-old woman wrestling with a swan.”
If you love Agatha Christie-style puzzles with a contemporary twist, or you’re a fan of classic British murder mysteries with a bit of heart and humour, Death Comes to Marlow is a charming addition to your TBR.
Aly Writes 