Book Review: The Queen Of Poisons by Robert Thorogood

The Marlow Murder Club is back in their third exciting adventure! Suzie Harris, one third of their official trio, has a new harebrained business scheme that requires her to scope out a Marlow town council planning meeting. She’s hoping that doing so will help her identify which of the council members will be easiest for her to influence in her favor. Her observations throughout the meeting lead her to believe that the affable Mayor Geoffrey Lushington would likely be the most receptive to her ideas. Alas for her plans, then, that he abruptly keels over, the victim of an apparent poisoning.

The first thing she does, after ascertaining that someone else is already calling emergency services, is alert the rest of the Marlow Murder Club. To the chagrin of police detective Tanika Mailk, all three club members are already on the scene when Tanika arrives. Becks Starling, wife of the town vicar and the most conciliatory member of the group, immediately tries to assure Tanika that they won’t be getting involved:

[“]This murder’s none of our business.”

 

“None of our business?” Suzie said, outraged.

 

“Well, you know what I mean,” Becks said, not wanting to start a fight. “We all got pulled into those first murders very much against our will, didn’t we?”

 

“And I can’t help noticing that here, once again, you are,” Tanika said.

 

“I didn’t know Geoffrey was about to die, did I?” Suzie said. “I was here to try and bribe him into looking on my planning application favorably.” Suzie only belatedly remembered she was talking to a police officer. “I mean, not ‘bribe’—that would be illegal,” she added in a rush.

Judith Potts, the oldest member of the group and undoubtedly their ringleader, would tend to side with Suzie in arguing that this murder is very much their business. To their surprise and pleasure, Tanika agrees, hiring them on once more as civilian advisors. Tanika is quick, however, to lay down terms that only Becks has any intention of doing anything more than pay lip service to. As the three women careen around Marlow, asking questions and investigating scenes, will Tanika come to regret championing them, especially if it might come at the cost of her own career? 

The Queen Of Poisons is a beautifully laid out conundrum of a murder mystery, with motives presented and debunked in an elegant configuration reminiscent of nesting dolls. The real puzzle lies in who could have possibly hated Geoffrey enough to want to murder him, when the man was a veritable saint much beloved by his fellow townsfolk.

I especially loved the subplots regarding each of our three main heroines, and how they rely on each other to help figure out their personal woes. Suzie can’t stop hustling, Becks is dealing with a nightmare of a mother-in-law, and Judith is shying away from meeting a male acquaintance, under the conviction that letting a man into her life once more will ruin its perfect balance. Becks asks her:

“Are you sure that’s actually what he wants?”

 

“Oh yes. I mean, he doesn’t couch it in those terms. He just said it would be nice to catch up over a cup of tea.”

 

“Then what are you worrying about?” Suzie asked.

 

“There’s no such thing as ‘just a cup of tea,’” Judith said darkly. “Especially at my age. You know how it will go. He’ll be nice and charming, and then the moment he gets through my front door, he’ll want someone to cook his meals, do his washing, and generally run around being a maid of all works, and I really don’t want that in my life, thank you very much.”

Robert Thorogood’s understanding of human nature and keen eye for hilarious dialog permeate this clever mystery novel, as the Marlow Murder Club once again set out to trap a cunning killer while solving their own far less life-and-death—but just as personally important—problems. The sisterly solidarity between these three very different women, as well as the mutual affection and respect they share with the long-suffering Tanika, put this series head and shoulders above many of its contemporaries. Series fans will love it, and newer readers will feel right at home even if they’re only just jumping into these terrific books with this entertaining latest installment.