Some puzzles can be fatal.

From Robert Thorogood (Death in Paradise), The Marlow Murder Club follows Judith Potts, a 77 year old woman who lives in a mansion and designs crosswords for a living. One night whilst out swimming however Judith hears a gunshot from next door and soon discovers her neighbour dead. When the police don't believe her story she sets out to solve the murder herself, only problem is she has no idea where to start. Eventually singling in on her suspect, local gallery owner Elliot, Judith is dismayed to learn he has a rocksolid alibi, or does he? Despite being seen on camera at choir practice Judith can't but help but notice that Elliot has a smug look on his face, almost like he knew he was being watched. Teaming up with two unlikely friends, Susie a dog walker and Becks the vicar's wife, this sluething trio set out to solve the murder and catch a killer. An unlikely murder needs an unlikely hero and Judith is certainly that, but is she smart enough to put everything together before she becomes the next target herself?

The Marlow Murder Club was just absolutely brilliant and I thoroughly loved every single second. The mystery, characters and very witty humour and dialogue made for such an engaging read, an easy five stars. Recently I've been in a bit of reading slump, having read some good but not amazing mysteries meaning I really wanted something to hopk me in and The Marlow Murder Club did just that. Entertaining from the very first page, I loved everything about this book and can't wait for the sequel.

The characters in this book, especially the main trio, were simply brilliant. Judith, Becks and Suzie made quite the sluething team and the most unlikely but eventually closest of friends. As the leader Judith was fiesty and formidable, being able to talk her way out of any situation to get what she needed. Becks was basically a walking Google, knowing anything and everything about people from the village and having a real eye for detail. Closing the group, Suzie had connections all over the village and wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty, together the trio really made the perfect team. Seeing them work together and eventually become genuine friends was great to see and I can't wait to see more from the group.

It's hard not to compare The Marlow Murder Club to The Thursday Murder Club, with both books following similar story lines and characters. In my review of The Thursday Murder Club I talked about how the mystery didn't really grab me but I did love the characters, here though The Marlow Murder club was in my opinion far more successful at hooking me in and I massively preferred it. Straight from the get go the actual murder was a lot more interesting, with the serial killer aspect and medallion trophies left behind. To be perfectly honest I can't remember much about the mystery of The Thursday Murder Club, with it definitely being a book I read more for the characters than actual storyline. Here through Thorogood was able to craft a compelling mystery and brilliant characters resulting in an easy five-star read for me, I absolutely loved it.

I really liked how The Marlow Murder Club was played out like an actual puzzle, working logically through each suspect until they fould be definitively ruled in or out. Initially targeting all her energy on Elliot, Judith and co are soon forced to drop this line of investigation when his alibi comes out rock solid. Moving onto the next person of interest the trip work methodically, really making it easy for readers to follow along the story. I could definitely see hints of Death in Paradise in the writing and liked how everything was so logical and neat.

Overall I absolutely loved The Marlow Murder Club. The storyline, characters and general feel of the book was just perfect. I love how Judith approached the murders logically almost like her and crossword puzzles and how the trio worked through the suspects, eliminating at them as they went, it was very similar to an episode of Death in Paradise in this regard. With a brilliant mystery and some instantly loveable characters, The Marlow Murder Club was an instant favourite for me, I can't wait for the sequel.

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