Reviews

The Queen of Poisons by Robert Thorogood

catatonixs's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

brighetti's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

A good light read, as always from this series

lesleygaisford's review against another edition

adventurous relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

vickywoodburn's review against another edition

funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I am a self-proclaimed fan of retired folks solving crimes and the Marlow Murder Club series has consistently been one of my favorite series in the genre. I was excited to revisit Judith, Becks, and Suzie once again in "The Queen of Poisons." When Suzie is attending a city planning meeting, the mayor suddenly falls dead and anyone on the city planning council could be guilty of the crime. As the Marlow Murder Club begins to investigate, it becomes clear that each member of the council is keeping secrets, possibly even murderous ones. 

Overall, Robert Thorogood was able to deliver another interesting mystery in the sleepy town of Marlow. As the team investigates, they navigate a series of twisting motives and stories, but the overall plot still feels manageable. I found the conclusion to be well-written, even if it is a bit far-fetched and Thorogood always does a nice job of leaving clues throughout. However, I felt as if this installment in the series lacked the character depth from the previous two novels. While the characters have been established by this point, their personal developments felt rushed and surface-level in this book. What makes this series so compelling is the unlikely friendship between the three women, and I would like to still feel invested in their personal relationships in future editions. 

Despite this, I am still looking forward to seeing what comes next for the marvelous Marlow crew and will happily revisit the series in the future. Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an advanced copy of this book to review. 

mbt1963's review against another edition

funny lighthearted mysterious relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

jacks_bookshelf's review against another edition

lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

christinesreads's review

lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

julia_c74's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

4.25

book_nook_bliss's review

funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

5.0

miratio's review against another edition

funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5