"Death Comes to Marlow" by Robert Thorogood

I finished my previous book a week ago Friday (Aug. 22nd). That Sunday night (the 24th), PBS aired the first episode of the second season of  "The Marlow Murder Club," based in part on "Death Comes to Marlow" by Robert Thorogood, a sequel to "The Marlow Murder Club,"  which I read almost exactly a year ago and reviewed here. (He adapted the book for the first two episodes;  the remaining four episodes will feature two new storylines by other writers, featuring the same characters, but not based on the books -- we'll see how that goes...!)

I didn't think I'd have time to read the entire book before last Sunday night (and I didn't), but I figured I could at least read enough to cover the events of episode 1.  :)  Not quite, but I did get up to chapter 17 (36%), and (after a busy week) finished it this morning.    

The plot:  cryptic crossword maven Judith receives a call from Sir Peter Bailey -- a neighbour whom she barely knows -- inviting her to the party he's giving the day before his wedding -- a second marriage to his caregiver, Jenny Page.  He hints to Judith that he's heard about her murder-solving prowess and has something he wants to discuss with her. 

Accompanied by Suzie (dogwalker, now a radio host, and another member of the Marlow Murder Club), Judith attends the party -- where third MMC member Becks and her vicar husband are also in attendance, as well as Sir Peter's two adult children, both of whom disapprove of the marriage. But before Judith can speak with Sir Peter, there's a loud crash from inside the house. Sir Peter is nowhere to be found and the door to his study is locked from the inside;  when the door is broken down, the groom-to-be is found dead -- crushed below a heavy bookcase that has toppled over.  

The incorrigible Judith, of course, immediately suspects murder -- but all the potential suspects have solid alibis, so the police don’t consider the death suspicious. Once again, it's up to the Marlow Murder Club to figure out whodunnit...  

Like the original book, this was a fast and easy read -- light, entertaining, and quite funny in some parts, especially near the beginning.  

However, the same criticisms I had of the original book still apply here.  While it's great to see a strong older (childless) female lead character, Judith can be annoying at times (no wonder poor Tanika, the young police officer, gets exasperated with her). The writing style is rather basic: sometimes it seems like every little detail gets spelled out in full, and the book is probably longer than it needs to be. Case in point: like the original, Judith confronts the killer near the end and -- in a lengthy near-monologue, spanning TWO ENTIRE CHAPTERS and 46 pages!!! (on my e-reader, in a generous type size) -- explains how and why they did it. It's all rather twisty and convoluted and highly improbable.  

As for the TV version: as usual, there are some deviations/compressions/omissions from the original text -- particularly since there are only two hour-long episodes to cover the whole book in. Suzie and Becks's domestic situations/family relationships are played up more than they are in the book. Other details have been added, and some scenes are clearly played for laughs. A scene from the book, where the trio shadow Sir Peter's son, has morphed into a wild chase sequence where all three hop aboard a borrowed senior's motor scooter, with Judith and Becks hanging on for dear life as Suzie drives, roaring around corners and over speed bumps (!).  And once again, Rita Tushingham provides a brief moment of comic relief in a blink-and-you'll-miss her cameo role as the bane of Becks's existence, irritating parishoner Mrs. Eddingham, a character who doesn't appear in the books (the first two that I've read, anyway). As I said about the first season, while it's nice to see her in front of the camera again, and despite receiving prominent billing in the cast list, she's given little to do (has nothing to do with the plot itself), and is essentially wasted here. 

I gave "The Marlow Murder Club" 3 stars on both Goodreads and StoryGraph, and I'm sticking with that rating for this sequel as well.  

This was Book #25 read to date in 2025 (and Book #4 finished in August), bringing me to 56% of  my 2025 Goodreads Reading Challenge goal of 45 books. I am (for the moment, anyway...!) 4 books behind  schedule to meet my goal.  :)  You can find reviews of all my books read to date in 2025 tagged as "2025 books."