The Queen of Poisons is the third book in the Marlow Murder Club mystery series by Robert Thorogood.
Title: The Queen of Poisons
Author: Robert Thorogood
First Published: June 4, 2024
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Genres: mystery
Acquired: from the publisher via NetGalley
*** Thank you to the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, for providing me with an eARC for review purposes.
A fantastic new instalment of the Marlow Murder Club
I absolutely love this series and each book that comes out just keeps the series going from strength to strength. The main sleuthing trio of Judith, Suzie & Becks are really coming into their own and this book continues developing each of their unique personalities while solidifying their friendship despite all their differences. Judith, especially, is really set in her ways and you can tell she’s not great with change, but she’s starting to be more flexible and that is definitely due to Suzie and Beck’s influence.
I also like how as soon as DS Tanika Malik was promoted, she immediately hired the trio as civilian consultants, placing her trust and faith in their abilities.
I enjoyed the prominence of poison as the murder weapon in this story and there were so many suspects and motives that it kept things interesting, without making it hard to keep track of everyone.
This was a really enjoyable read that was full of twists & red herrings & I did not see the end coming. This continues to be one of my favourite mystery series – not just for the well-written mystery plot, but for the friendship between the three women.
The Queen of Poisons
Geoffrey Lushington, Mayor of Marlow, dies suddenly during a town council meeting. When traces of aconite—also known as the queen of poisons—are found in his coffee cup, the police realise he was murdered. But who did it? And why?
The police bring Judith, Suzie, and Becks in to investigate the murder as civilian advisors right from the start, so they have free rein to interview suspects and follow the evidence to their heart’s content… which is perfect because Judith has no time for rules and standard procedure. But this case has the Marlow Murder Club stumped. Who would want to kill the affable mayor of Marlow? How did they even get the poison into his coffee? And is anyone else in danger? The Marlow Murder Club is about to face their most difficult case yet.
