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When she is nude swimming in the Thames one hot summer night, she hears a yell and a gunshot from her neighbor's place. For that clue to make sense, there would have had to have been a calendar jam-packed full of things she didn't want to be mixed up with his rowing dinner! Initially, Judith isn’t impressed with Detective Sergeant Tanika Malik, who in the absence of a superior offer is assigned as acting SIO to the case, and decides to engage in her own investigation. Soon, the Marlow Murder Club comes into existence, once Judith recruits Suzie, a dog walker, and Becks, the wife of the local vicar (I couldn't help a real laugh when she saw herself on video). While at Cambridge, he toured with the university's student comedy troupe Footlights in 1993 and was elected President in 1994.
Judith is a 77-year old…a septuagenarian (please don’t ever ask me to pronounce that) who likes to relax in the evening by drinking scotch and swimming naked in the Thames River. When the local police don’t believe her story, Judith and two unlikely friends decide to investigate for themselves.I could possibly be one of the mature women in the story, (I mean seriously, I could have been Suzie! In fact, the opening sequence where she takes her evening skinny dip (also how she hears the murder taking place) was awesome.
We follow the exploits of three ladies: Judith who is 77 and who creates crossword puzzles for a living and who loves to go swimming naked in the Thames; then we have Suzie, a local dog walker; and finally Becks who is the wife of the local vicar.
Realizing the police don’t have the manpower or resources to do the job alone, Judith pulls Becks and Suzie into her sleuthing, much to DS Tanika Malik’s initial dismay. Judith is convinced she knows who the murderer was from the get-go because she thought they seemed shady, and then spends the rest of the book trying to prove they did it. The three women eagerly pursue clues, interview suspects, examine alibis, and realize they have a highly complex puzzle to solve. This was written by the guy who brought the world Death In Paradise which I have enjoyed so I'm not surprised I enjoyed this. Seventy-seven-years-old Judith Potts certainly enjoys her daily dose of whiskey, skinny-dipping in the Thames, and creating crossword puzzles for The Times newspaper.
Will they be successful in solving this important puzzle, or will they be dismissed as irrational/eccentric women? Initially, local police don’t take her claims seriously-murders don’t happen in Marlow-but when he does indeed turn up dead-Judith decides to investigate on her own. Besides DS Tanika Malik, the acting police investigator, they conform a group of absolutely delightful and charming characters. With the police baffled, Judith, Suzie and Becks are determined to follow the clues and unmask a murderer.However, when the single murder turns into a triple homicide, it turns out that a serial killer may be at large. Cozies have been around a long time, with arguably the most famous author of detective fiction / cosy crime being Agatha Christie. DISCLOSURE: I listened to the audiobook of The Marlow Murder Club written by Robert Thorogood, narrated by Nicolette McKenzie and published by HQ Audio. Thorogood brings his own clever voice and writing to this story, and for the most part I really enjoyed the mystery and how things unfolded. Meet the Marlow Murder Club: seventy-seven-year-old force of nature Judith Potts, mild-mannered vicar’s wife, Becks, and salty but lovable dogwalker, Suzie.
Giving the characters backstories in an attempt to make them socially relevant didn’t do the book any favors. I enjoyed each woman here and while they all had growing to do, I cared about it so that made a good read for me. She receives help with her endeavor from her new friend Suzie and together they form the Marlowe Murder club. All three murders have the same signature and the weapon is determined to be an antique German Luger pistol.The story also pointed the finger to some issues that added a layer of depth to the characters, such as loneliness in the old age, being invisible to others when you're past a certain age, being taken for granted by your own family or estrangement from your kids. It was so repetitive (and jarring) that I wondered if this were a regional village quirk or this was the largest collection of people suffering from George Bailey's addled ear (the movie It's A Wonderful Life, if you don't know who that is) ever read in fiction. After all, as someone who creates crossword puzzles for a living, she’s spent a lifetime working with clues.
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