Death Comes to Marlow by Robert Thorogood

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher HQ in exchange for an honest review.

I love a good cosy mystery and this is a great example of one!

Death Comes to Marlow is the second book in the Marlow Mystery Club series, a vaguely crossword-themed cosy mystery series focused around an elderly woman named Judith and her two friends. On the day before Sir Peter's wedding, Judith is asked to come investigate and things soon take a dark turn when he is crushed by a wardrobe. The police are convinced it was an accident but Judith isn't so sure, and she's determined to find out the truth.

I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would. I'm not a huge fan of cosy mysteries as a rule, but occasionally I do like to read one as they do a better job of capturing the tone of older murder mysteries than the modern thriller. This book is a great example of how to do the formula right. The characters are likeable and intriguing, the set pieces are lovely and picturesque and the plot is engaging enough. I particularly liked the heart this book has. The ending is very strong and it was lovely to get those periodic moments of seeing the characters just unwind or do 'cosy' things.

Overall, I'd definitely recommend this book if you're a fan of the genre. It was a lot of fun and I am excited for the next one!

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Don't Swipe Right by L.M. Chilton

 

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Head of Zeus in exchange for an honest review.

What a fantastic surprise this book was!

Don't Swipe Right is the story of Gwen, a woman who gets caught up in a string of murders when it turns out the men she keeps dating keep on dying. She naturally becomes a suspect and decides to investigate in an attempt to clear her name.

On the surface, I was already sold by the premise. It's a little hard to judge what kind of book this is from the cover, but it is much more cosy mystery/humorous thriller than the typical psychological thrillers. I suspect this might lead to a few disappointed readers, but if you know what you are in for then this book is a breath of life.

For starters, it's actually funny! It's so rare that I laugh at books and this one was genuinely entertaining in a very engaging way. The mystery aspects are fairly weak but the writing and characterisations are so good that I was hooked. I had an absolute blast reading it and I didn't want to put it down as a result.

If you want a tense, intricate thriller then this book isn't for you. But if you want a decent plot with great writing and great characters, then I strongly recommend this book. It is a very fun time and the perfect enjoyable read.

Overall Rating:

.5

The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood

 

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher HQ in exchange for an honest review.

I am somewhat of a novice when it comes to the 'cosy mystery' genre. I'm not even really sure what qualifies something as cosy vs an actual murder mystery, but however you class The Marlow Murder Club, it stands out as a really enjoyable story.

Judith is an elderly woman with a talent for crossword puzzles. When she hears her neighbour shot dead out on the river by their house, she takes it upon herself to investigate. Soon she gains two companions in the form of Becks, the lovely but prim vicar's wife, and Suzie, the rambunctious down to earth dog walker. Together they begin to investigate a crime involving art, rowing, mysterious medals and many intriguing suspects.

I was delighted with how well this book is written. I've not read anything by this author previously and I didn't realise he was behind the Death in Paradise fame until after I'd finished this book, but I can absolutely tell he is a master at a good murder mystery. There is nothing particularly showy here but this is a solid and interesting mystery told at the perfect pace with some wonderful characters serving as our protagonists. I loved the unique dynamics between the three women and how each of them brought something different to the table. Their dialogue and personalities felt very natural and I could believe they would be friends and would be brought together in this way.

There's not much else I can say about this book except for that if you like cosy mysteries, you should definitely give this a go. It reminded me a lot of Agatha Raisin but with a stronger emphasis on the actual plot and a bit less ridiculous characters. I would happily read a whole series about these characters and I sincerely hope that a sequel will be out soon.

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The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

 

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Penguin Books (UK) in exchange for an honest review.

The Thursday Murder Club is essentially about a group of elderly people who get together to try and solve unsolved crimes, but get tangled up in a more recent case when someone is murdered in their community. It's really hard for me to sum up how I feel about this book, mainly because I find its strengths and weaknesses to largely be the same. For this reason, I'm going to deviate from my normal review format and make a list of talking points:

1. Characters-I really liked the characters of this book and I think its one of the features that is a definite strength. At first a lot of them blended together but as the story went on, I really grew attached and began to appreciate them. They are definitely the heart of the story and they're the main reason I would read more in this series.

2. Writing-Overall, I think I did like the writing of this book. I have several features I will talk about in more detail but the writing style itself was enjoyable and reasonably engaging. The plot was less so and I didn't really care for the mystery which was a bit of a shame. I just can't get very invested in criminal organisations and financial scandals, and I wish the mystery had had more of a personal element as the characters were the best part of the book and it would have been a much stronger drive in my opinion.

3. Punchlines-Speaking of writing, this book had a very weird feature whereby a 'punchline' would occur in the middle of a paragraph. For example, at one point the young female detective is on a date she isn't enjoying. You get a long list of reasons why the man is awful, and then a sentence begins with (paraphrased) 'she got out of his bed and got dressed', implying she slept with him anyway. I assume this was done for humour but it doesn't occur at the end of a scene or paragraph, but is instead just dropped in the middle. This happens a lot and sometimes it seems like it might be trying to be character development, but these punchlines were rarely brought up again and they just fell a bit flat for me. They could have been good ways to end scenes but in the middle of them, they just felt distracting.

4. Names-This is the thing that annoyed me the most about the whole book. Every single character will constantly end a sentence with the name of the person they are speaking to. For example:

A: Did you see the body B?

B: Yes I did A

A: Awful isn't it B?

Etc. My partner suggested this was to replicate how older people talk but I swear the younger characters did it too and I just found it incredibly annoying. I eventually got used to it but it was very distracting at first.

5. Ending-Highlight for spoilers. So at the end of the book, we have three bodies. These three bodies have all been murdered by different people. Two other people also pretend to have killed one of the bodies and confess to it. The problem is that all of these reveals follow each other (in different scenes but presented narratively after each other) which makes for an exhausting experience. I have already said I struggled to care about the mystery but I genuinely switched off by the third confession and had lost all interest in what actually happened. This section I do feel could have worked and was let down by bad writing/plotting/execution.

Overall, this review might appear quite negative but I do actually have fond memories of this book. I would definitely read more of these characters and I think it has real promise as a series, I just wish some little niggles could be ironed out. With a strong mystery plot though, this book would 100% be one of my favourites. It's a shame this one fell a bit flat but I am cautiously optimistic for more.

Overall Rating:

.5

In the Winter Woods by Isabelle Adler

 I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher NineStar Press, LLC in exchange for an honest review.

This is definitely on the cosier side of cosy mystery. In the Winter Woods is the story of Declan, a mystery writer who gets caught up in a real murder investigation when he goes to a wintery cabin in an attempt to write a new book. Soon he also starts to fall for the local commissioner but must clear his own name before they can date.

This book was a very easy and quick read, with some nice winter scenes and some good characters. I think its main flaw is that it commits to neither the mystery aspect nor the romance aspect. I would not mind at all if one ended up being neglected for the other, but unfortunately in this case neither is really developed and the book suffers for it. I never really had a sense of fear or tension, nor did I swoon over the characters getting to know each other. It's a shame because this has such potential and I loved the idea of it. But it was hard for me to see why the characters were actually falling for each other at all beyond initial attraction.

Having said that, if you're looking for some easy-going and queer to read over the holidays, this isn't a bad option. I would love to see more books like this and I did enjoy reading it, even if it might not stay in my mind for very long.

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Hot to Trot by M.C. Beaton & R.W. Green

 

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Blackstone Audiobooks in exchange for an honest review.

I am a little behind on the Agatha Raisin series but the good thing about these books is you can usually jump in and there isn't much of an ongoing story. As per usual Agatha is between men, with the potential rekindling of her relationship with James being interrupted by Charles' impending wedding to a rather horrible woman. When said horrible woman is murdered, Agatha finds herself a suspect and is forced to investigate to clear her name,

What I like about these books is you always know what to expect. They make for easy reading and even easier listening, and I really enjoyed experiencing an Agatha mystery as an audiobook. It has inspired me to go back and relisten to the whole series.

As for Hot to Trot itself, it is an enjoyable romp. These mysteries are never very complex or deep, but I always enjoy going along with Agatha for the ride. This one has a lot of travelling and a cast of interesting characters, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you're a fan of Agatha, this installment won't disappoint.

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