Beware of old ladies swimming naked.

Synopsis

To solve an impossible murder, you need an impossible hero…

Judith Potts is seventy-seven years old and blissfully happy. She lives on her own in a faded mansion just outside Marlow, there’s no man in her life to tell her what to do or how much whisky to drink, and to keep herself busy she sets crosswords for The Times newspaper.

One evening, while out swimming in the Thames, Judith witnesses a brutal murder. The local police don’t believe her story, so she decides to investigate for herself, and is soon joined in her quest by Suzie, a salt-of-the-earth dog-walker, and Becks, the prim and proper wife of the local Vicar.

Together, they are the Marlow Murder Club.

When another body turns up, they realise they have a real-life serial killer on their hands. And the puzzle they set out to solve has become a trap from which they might never escape…

Audiobook review

4 solid stars

This is another deliciously cozy but devilishly smart mystery/crime story!

I always love stories with unexpected heroes and Judith and her gang certainly fit the bill! I had a grand time listening to The Marlow Murder Club and wondering how Judith, seventy seven old lady, Suzie “salt-of-the-earth” (I love that expression) dog walker and Becks the respectable Vicar wife would solve these murders!

But never underestimate someone who is making crosswords for a living! They have a splendid brain! And dog walkers can be surprisingly observant too.

The odd wheel in that friends trio was Becks as I wondered how she would fare in solving the clues but she proved to be surprisingly resourceful and very brave when the time came!

“We’ve got one thing going for us, haven’t we?” “What’s that?” “We’re invisible.” “How do you mean?” “It’s like I said. We’re ‘older’ women, aren’t we? No one notices women over the age of about forty.”

I loved the writing and the women of our Marlow club were a delight to read about and root for! The author wrote their characters with finesse, giving us vivid and astute portrait of seemingly innocuous oldish ladies when really they were tenacious, smart and brave.

Kudos for the plot too as I would never have been able to solve these murders! This was like a jigsaw puzzle, where you had all the pieces but I couldn’t figure out how to fit them all together!

I already have the sequel waiting for my on my audiobook wishlist!

Thanks for reading.

Sophie