I would have enjoyed it immensely if the author had the creativity to plan a huge plot twist that I couldn't see coming! Judith looks Stefan up online and finds he was in a “bust up” at the Henley Regatta. He got into a fight with Elliot Howard, the owner of an auction house. I'd have though a likely murder (which is uncharacteristic for the small town) would have seen the local constabulary jump at the chance to solve...

This was a charming cosy mystery with delightful characters. Mrs Judith Potts, 77 year old cruciverbalist, was having her customary nude evening swim in the Thames when she heard a call and a shot from her neighbour, Stefan’s, place across the river. She couldn’t actually climb ashore there so swam home and called the police. Stefan had been shot dead right between the eyes. The very next day though the local Marlow taxi driver, Iqbal Kassam, is also shot dead in the same manner. June 5, 2023) MASTERPIECE and UKTV announce the co-commissioning of the TV adaptation of Robert Thorogood’s novel The Marlow Murder Club. From the creator of global hit Death in Paradise, and the producers of award-winning show Ghosts, the series will star Samantha Bond who is joined by Jo Martin, Cara Horgan and Natalie Dew. Airing in four parts on MASTERPIECE in the US, the series is a UKTV co-production with MASTERPIECE on PBS, produced by Monumental Television in association with ITV Studios.

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Detective Malik learns that the gun used to kill Stefan was an old WW2 gun. It hasn’t been found yet. In 2008, Robert entered the inaugural Red Planet Prize and was a chosen finalist, where he was able to pitch his 'Copper in the Caribbean' idea to Tony Jordan. By 2011, when the show was finally broadcast - making it Robert's first TV broadcast credit at the age of 39 - Robert had become something of a poster boy for 'never giving up on the dream'. The dynamite reading team of Jan, Dorie, and I were sadly disheartened, disenchanted and disgruntled, (never a good combination when reading a story). I gave this book a 2 because 1. I could possibly be one of the mature women in the story, (I mean seriously, I could have been Suzie!) and 2. the beginning was promising. So, my advice would be as a seasoned, in my prime lady, to give this one a pass, but if you are at all interested in mystery that isn't a mystery than give this one a go.

I’ll just get to the point – the ending was so over the top that I almost couldn’t finish it. The ending broke my cardinal rule of SHOW ME, DON’T TELL ME when we listen to Judith reciting exactly how she solved the mystery. Thorogood is also the creator of the hit TV show Death in Paradise, a syndicated series carried by many PBS stations in the US. After the comedic crime drama’s success on the small screen, Thorogood wrote a series of four books with the same Caribbean setting and characters. They spot someone breaking into Stefan’s house and they go running – or, rather, punting – over. Judith stops the intruder but doesn’t see who it is before they run off. The police arrive and ask some questions. Judith tells them about the garden woman.

Even if the denouement is a bit contrived and OTT, the book is a hoot, and I can’t wait to read the sequel…which will be out towards the end of the year. You know your in for something quirky when the main amateur detective is a seventy-seven year old lady who enjoys swimming naked in the Thames each night. Woohoo! After waiting on hold for the audiobook for six months, I finally got to listen to this little gem! I am not really a Cozy Mystery reader, but have enjoyed books about octogenarians in the past, so I couldn’t wait to read this one.

Seventy-seven years old Judith Potts loves her life and being totally in charge of it. It consists of her routine of setting crosswords for the The Times newspaper, swimming nude in the Thames, drinking, lots of drinking, and riding her bike in town where everyone seems to know her, to her constant surprise. She's not big on keeping her mansion tidy, there might be a bra hanging from something in the living room, but she is happy with her way of life. When she is nude swimming in the Thames one hot summer night, she hears a yell and a gunshot from her neighbor's place. When the police do a lousy investigation, Judith takes matters into her own hands and investigates her neighbor's property herself and finds his body. She knows he's been murdered even though the police, which seems to be mostly just one beleaguered police woman, aren't taking the death of her neighbor seriously. The main characters sympathetic enough but indifferent as personalities and didn't manage to captivate me! The police of course think she’s a meddlesome old woman who should mind her business. They don’t take her seriously at all. So she takes it upon herself to solve the murder. She receives help with her endeavor from her new friend Suzie and together they form the Marlowe Murder club. When another body appears, they believe there is a serial killer on the loose. Will the murder club be able to solve the case?The trio are off on a madcap adventure of false clues and twists and turns. Will they be successful in solving this important puzzle, or will they be dismissed as irrational/eccentric women?

They head to the solicitor’s office and make up a story to get info out of him. They don’t get much out of him but he seems cagey. They think he has shredded some documents. The Marlow Murder Clubwill air in 2 parts, each 2 hours long on UKTV’s free-to-air channel, Dramaand streaming service UKTV Play. The show is a co-commission with co-producer and US broadcaster MASTERPIECE, and produced by Monumental Television in association with ITV Studios. Judith figures that Danny has wanted Liz dead for ages because she didn’t want to sell her family’s land, which is worth millions. Danny killed Stefan.Funding for MASTERPIECE is provided by Viking and Raymond James, with additional support from public television viewers and contributors to The Masterpiece Trust, created to help ensure the series' future. The film crew stop for ice creams at Amorino as they scout locations…. and the orange signs used by film crews have popped up! The main cast members have been confirmed, with Samantha Bond (Downton Abbey, Home Fires)taking the lead as Judith Potts – photographed with Robert Thorogood in our main photo, above.