Death Comes to Marlow by Robert Thorogood
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
**3.5-stars rounded up**
Death Comes to Marlow is the second book in Robert Thorogood’s Marlow Murder Club Cozy Mystery series.
I had so much fun with the first book, The Marlow Murder Club, so I was anxious to get my hands on this one. I felt the cast of characters was very fun and I was anxious to embark on another case with them.
This mystery kicks off when Judith, along with her best friends Suzie and Becks, attend the pre-wedding festivities for Sir Peter Bailey at his stately-mansion on the Thames.
Sir Peter called and invited Judith himself and even though they aren’t technically friends, or even acquaintances for that matter, the way he frames his invitation…well, she just can’t say no. Gathering her troops, Judith is sure that the night will be one to remember.
As it turns out, Sir Peter is marrying his nurse, Jenny, and not everyone in the family is happy about it. There’s even a bit of a scene made by Sir Peter’s son, Tristram, voicing his opinions. Oh, the drama!
That little spat pales in comparison to the what happens next. A large crash from inside the house, draws party-goers to investigate. Shockingly, they find the groom-to-be crushed by a giant wooden cabinet in his office.
Sir Peter doesn’t survive. The police are notified, and since Sir Peter was discovered in his locked office, they do not suspect foul play. It was a horrific accident, pure and simple.
Judith disagrees. She refuses to believe their accident theory. Something doesn’t feel right and she’s determined to get to the bottom of it. Judith, along with Becks and Suzie, begin their own investigation.
It’s clear the police won’t get it right without them.
I did appreciate how quickly Thorogood kicked off this story. There’s not a lot of filler in the beginning. Before you know it the ladies are at the party and the juice is being squeezed.
I loved that we had a classic locked-room mystery on our hands; one of my favorite tropes. I also liked the drama surrounding Sir Peter’s family and the issue of a large inheritance being at stake.
For me, I did find that it dragged a bit around the halfway point. I felt like their investigation was slowing down and there was a little too much focus on side-plots involving the ladies than I necessarily cared for.
I wasn’t really engaged with those aspects and was always just wanting to get back to the mystery of Sir Peter’s death. Because of this, the pace was off for me.
With this being said, I still enjoyed the characters and the cozy feel. I also really enjoyed all the classic-feeling mystery elements, like the detective denouement at the conclusion. That was really fun!
In short, even though this wasn’t quite as fun and engrossing for me as the first book of the series, I will absolutely be picking up the next book when it releases.
Thank you to the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I look forward to reuniting with these ladies soon for another case!