Book Review: Death Comes to Marlow by Robert Thorogood

Sprightly septuagenarian Judith Potts is having a pleasant January of puzzling over crosswords and taking the occasional bracing wild swim in the part of the Thames that runs right past her home. She’s somewhat surprised to have her pleasant routine interrupted by a phone call from local dignitary Sir Peter Bailey, who invites her to his pre-wedding cocktail party that very evening. He says it’s in recognition of her efforts last summer to solve a string of murders plaguing their town, but something about their conversation arouses Judith’s suspicions. 

Concerned that something sinister may be afoot, she brings as her plus one another of the women involved in solving said murders, fifty-something dog-walker and part-time radio host Suzie Harris. The last member of their trio, the perpetually harried vicar’s wife Becks Starling, is too scattered to even have a proper phone conversation when Judith calls in an attempt to invite her, too. The other women are gratified, however, to find Becks already at the party when they arrive, in her capacity as the wife of the reverend who will be marrying Sir Peter to his intended, Jenny Page, the next day.

The party isn’t very long underway when a scene erupts, as handsome young Tristram Bailey shows up in defiance of his father’s express wishes. A very loud argument between Sir Peter, Tristram and Jenny results in Jenny retreating into the mansion in tears with Sir Peter in hot pursuit, while an unmoved Tristram goes to join the rest of the party guests assembled on the lawn of his family’s manor house. He’s actually in conversation with Judith, Suzie, and Becks when a monumental crash from inside the manor startles everyone. Tristram goes to investigate, and the terminally curious Judith follows. In her defense, she isn’t the only one looking for an excuse to nose around the inside of White Lodge, as she’s joined by her friends as well as a not insignificant number of other interested guests.

There is, thus, a fairly large audience when Tristram deduces the noise must have come from his father’s locked study. With no answer to his knocking, he breaks down the door only to discover the very worst: Sir Peter crushed to death by a large mahogany cabinet. Judith, already on high alert for murder, immediately suspects foul play. When called to the scene, Detective Superintendent Tanika Malik would tend to agree.

Unfortunately, their shared suspicion means nothing without hard evidence. While Tanika is wary of civilians interfering in police investigations, she knows that Judith, Becks, and Suzie are surprisingly competent, especially after the trauma-bonding the foursome recently went through while pursuing a murderer together. So when Tanika’s superior unexpectedly returns to work and overrides her authority, declaring the case a clear accident and demoting her to record taking, she knows what to do to ensure justice is served:

By the time she’d returned to her desk, Tanika knew that DI Hoskins’s intransigence left only one option open for her. Because if he wasn’t going to take the case seriously, then she knew three people who already did. As she contemplated what she was about to do, she couldn’t stop herself from smiling. It was time for her–perfect, head girl Tanika Malik, dutiful daughter, wife, and mother–to go rogue.

Judith is more than happy to take point on another investigation, but several things keep getting in the way. First is whatever’s going on with Suzie and her career, such as it is. More scandalously is the possibility of upright Becks having an affair. Judith would never sit in judgment on her friends, but if they need her help, she will certainly offer it. As the three women sort out their lives while sifting through clues, their friendships are tested, even as they find themselves at the mercy of a devious killer.

This second installment of the Marlow Murder Club is even more elegant than the first, as our intrepid heroines join forces to figure out the diabolical locked room puzzle before them. Each woman has her own area of expertise that comes to the fore in often surprising circumstances. In only one example, Judith sniffs out that something unusual has been used to oil the hinges of Sir Peter’s study door. It’s fearless Suzie who ascertains with a taste that the substance is olive oil. Strange then that a reconnaissance of the White Lodge’s kitchen turns up no such item:

“But that’s impossible,” Becks said. “There’s no way a family like this would have no olive oil.”

 

“Well, you’re wrong there,” Suzie said. “We’ve just checked and they don’t.”

 

“In that case, it just means you’ve been looking in the wrong place.”

 

“How can this be the wrong place? It’s the kitchen!”

 

“I bet you can work out where it is,” Judith said slyly to Becks.

 

“Good idea!” Suzie said, instantly divining her friend’s strategy. “If anyone can find the olive oil in this house, it’s you. You’re the most middle-class person I know.”

 

“Thank you,” Becks said, not realizing that Suzie’s words weren’t entirely complimentary.

Robert Thorogood does a terrific job of keeping each sleuth’s personality and voice distinct as they strive to solve the murder together while dealing with the challenges of being a woman in the 21st century. His keen eye for character and dialog is matched only by his finesse in packing so much humor, plot, and mystery into less than three hundred pages. It’s a nice throwback to the Golden Age of detective stories, and one this busy reader deeply appreciates.