Murder on the Marlow Belle

The Marlow Murder Club, Book 4

De: Robert Thorogood

Narrado por: Nicolette McKenzie

The new cozy crime novel from the bestselling author of The Marlow Murder Club, soon to be a major TV series on PBS Masterpiece

Verity Beresford is worried about her husband. Oliver didn't come home last night, so of course Verity goes straight to Judith Potts, Marlow's resident amateur sleuth, for help. Oliver, founder of the Marlow Amateur Dramatic Society, had hired The Marlow Belle, a private pleasure cruiser, for an exclusive party with the MADS committee but no one remembers seeing him disembark. And then Oliver's body washes up on the Thames with two bullet holes in him. It's time for the Marlow Murder Club to leap into action.

Oliver was, by all accounts, a rather complicated chap with a reputation for bullying children during nativity play rehearsals, and he wasn't short of enemies. Judith, Suzie, and Becks are convinced they'll find his killer in no time. But things are not as they seem in the Marlow Amateur Dramatic Society, and this case is not so clear-cut after all. The gang will need to keep their wits about them to solve this case—otherwise a killer will walk free …

"Fans of the book series and the TV adaptation (The Marlow Murder Club) will enjoy this new adventure, which ends with a shocking accusation connected to Judith's past."—Booklist

©2025 Robert Thorogood (P)2025 HarperCollinsPublishers

Better than Book Three!

I was worried that I’d be disappointed once again with Book Four of the series, but I was pleasantly surprised to have enjoyed it almost as much as I had the first two books of the series. Looking forward to Book Five!

A tad unhinged

Big fan of the Marlow Murder Club. This was definitely a fun listen, but it wasn’t my favorite of the series for a few reasons: 1. The side plot around Becks’s daughter’s boyfriend could’ve been so integral to the story - but in the end, the connection was tenuous at best and just felt like a loose thread. 2. It seemed like there was less interplay between the three women than in previous installments. This one felt more like The Judith Show than a team effort to solve the case (plus, let’s be honest, we always want more Susie!). 3. The way the actual murder went down was extremely complicated and convoluted. I do appreciate the author’s ability to construct intricate and unexpected murders/solutions, but this one really pushed the bounds of believability. 4. (Spoiler alert!) In a locked room murder (or a boat murder in this case), you know there’s always an outside chance that someone outside the room committed the crime. But when that happens, it’s much more satisfying when it’s a central character! We met the murderer for all of 30 seconds prior to the denouement, and although they are referred to elsewhere in the story, it just felt rather unsatisfying. 4.5. Also, while i believe the killer would’ve felt guilty for what they did earlier in life, i find it highly implausible that they would’ve been willing to kill to right their mistake. Wouldn’t they have been more likely to seek medical attention for the victim and then testify that the incident was self defense..? The motivation just felt.. rather unlikely.
All that said, still a really fun installment in the series, and I’m definitely on the edge of my seat waiting to find out what happens next!!

The narrator is fabulous

The description of the setting and the character development in this series is wonderful. There’s a narrator’s voice is perfect for the characters.

Best.Ever.Mystery series

Complex story. 3 brilliant ladies. No needless swearing or sex. This is just an amazing, gripping, can’t-put-it down series. And perfect match by the narrator.

Definition of characters

These are such wonderful characters. The author must have such fun writing about them!
This is a great story in an interesting place. What a fantastic author. I hope he writes about real people who he actually knows. I feel like I would know them if I sat next to them on a plane or a Tube ride.
Great read.

I just really enjoy these characters and how they interact together

I always like that there’s a twist, I think it could’ve tied it together a little more with all the characters instead of always just Judith figuring it out
But I did really like the book

Rather long winded...preferred the first 3

This one was just a tad too long and, at times, a bit too twisty to keep my attention. Lots of characters! I skimmed through some of the last chapters to get to the end which was clever, however, this won't be a book I'd recommend to my book pals.

A little disappointing

I think the best part of this recording was the interview with the author at the end. Sadly, I was not as impressed with the story or even the narration as I had been with previous books in the series. I kept wondering if this was the same author, or if it had been pulled together too hastily? Just too many things/clues strained credulity, and it jumped around, with characters seeming weak in development to me and clues appearing too fortuitously just in some miraculous manner. I will probably listen to the next one but I just was not very impressed with this one.

Disappointed

This is my last preorder of the Marlow Murder Club, I will wait for reviews to see if I want to continue the series. The story seemed to be all over the place. It ended with a "cliffhanger" a huge turnoff for me personally.