Death Comes to Marlow

The winsome women of The Marlow Murder Club are back in a second installment, determined to solve another suspicious slaying over trays of tea and biscuits. Judith, Becks, and Susie are guests at a pre-wedding dinner where the groom turns up dead inside a locked room; while that would normally yield an open-and-shut case, Judith was specifically invited because the groom feared for his life. Wading through a web of extortion, inheritance, and intrigue, the women leave no stone unturned, though everyone, from the authorities to the assassin, are out to end their meddling. Thorogood (“Death in Paradise Mysteries” series) crafts an intricate and engaging cozy mystery. This fun, fast-paced story of friends and fiends is absolutely enchanting. Nicolette McKenzie returns as narrator, her dignified diction belying the rowdy antics within. Though she offers minimal variation between the many women leads, McKenzie’s expressive articulation captures their wit and wiles.