The Marlow Murder Club

This review is based on season one. Perhaps after I eventually see the next season, I'll update my review.

"The Marlow Murder Club" is a lovely show...far prettier than you'd expect for a murder mystery show. And so it's obvious the people who made this show REALLY wanted to make it look and sound lovely. This is the best aspect of the show.

As for the rest, it's still good...but is also a bit familiar. It consists of three women who become friends who decide to solve a murder in their village...and soon there are more murders. At first the police tell the ladies to stay OFF the case...but after they keep finding good evidence they are hired by the police to be consultants. The entire first season is about a series of murders where the person with the most reason to have committing them having air-tight alibis to prove they didn't do it.

I generally enjoyed the nice plot. Only two things bothered me. First, the very end when the leader of the group tells her friends to get lost...well, that just didn't make sense. Second, although the viewer sees the murder weapon was a German Luger, the police and investigators had no way of knowing this...but they seemed to know anyway. Their logic...the gun fired a Luger round. But the Luger fires (almost always) a 9mm round...the most common bullet in the world and one which fits many, many different guns and even machine guns. A tiny bit of research would have helped them get this right. Still, despite two instances where the writing could have been better, it's still an enjoyable and worthy show.

A new British TV series premiered in March 2024. It follows a group of older women who form a club to investigate a series of murders in the picturesque town of Marlow, Buckinghamshire. While the premise is intriguing and the cast is talented, the show ultimately falls short of its potential.

The series stars Judith Potts, a retired archaeologist who becomes convinced that a murder has taken place in her neighbour's garden. When the police dismiss her claims, Judith enlists the help of local dog walker Suzie (Jo Martin), vicar's wife Becks (Cara Horgan), and DS Tanika Malik (Natalie Dew) to investigate the crime.

One of the show's strengths is its charming setting. Marlow, a real town along the River Thames, provides a picturesque backdrop for the mystery. The series was filmed on location, showcasing the town's historic streets, boutique shops, and lovely stretches of the river.

The cast delivers mixed performances, with bad the dog walker Suzie and somewhat DS Tanika Malik.

The show's writing and pacing leave something to be desired. The plot, while engaging at first, becomes convoluted and relies heavily on coincidence, especially in boring episode two. The reveal of the killer feels rushed and somewhat unsatisfying. Additionally, the characters, while likeable, lack depth and development throughout the series.

The show also struggles to find its tone, oscillating between cosy mystery and dark crime drama without fully committing to either. The attempts at humour sometimes fall flat, and the darker elements feel out of place in the otherwise lighthearted series.

Despite these shortcomings, The Marlow Murder Club has potential; with some refinement in the writing and a clearer sense of tone, the series could develop into a more compelling and cohesive mystery.

In conclusion, The Marlow Murder Club is a mildly entertaining, cosy mystery series that benefits from its picturesque setting. However, the show's writing and pacing issues prevent it from fully capitalising on its potential. While it may appeal to fans of lighthearted mysteries, it fails to stand out in a crowded genre. With some improvements, the series could become a more engaging and satisfying watch, but for now, it earns a respectable but unremarkable.

Rating: 6.25 out of 10 IMDb stars.

I haven't read the original books but decided to watch the show anyway, especially when I saw Samantha Bond as the main lead - I find her to be a wonderful actress.

At first I struggled a bit to find interest in the plot line as it was quite stagnant and there were constant dead ends that began to put me off of watching it altogether. Majority of the acting was well done though which turned me away from turning off the show! It was all very natural and most of the actors did a wonderful job bringing their characters to life. There were however certain parts where I slightly disliked both the dialogue and mannerisms of a couple of the actors but in the end, it didn't bother me too much.

By the second part of the story I became a lot more interested by the sudden plot twists and the pace that the story was now going. It definitely picked up near the end of the show, as the plot was finally coming together which made the ending very satisfying.

I don't watch modern murder mysteries often (between 2020 and present time) as I find that they can sometimes be very lost in translation from the original books that they're originally based on, so I didn't have high expectations but was pleasantly surprised with The Marlow Murder Club! It's a very good show for both casual murder mystery watchers (like myself) and crime fanatics that like a gripping, intricate storyline.

The first season was pretty good and gave us a 4-part mystery.

Season 2 gives us three 2-part shows that are more annoying than anything. There's no depth to the stories or the characters. The women come off as meddling busybodies more than sleuths.

In a small village like Marlow, the local residents would likely run every time they saw any of these women on the street, let alone answer their doors and answer their questions.

There's a big difference between being eccentric and being annoying and these female characters have crossed the line into being very annoying.

And the backstory about the dead aunt's love story was pathetically stupid.

A nice mystery with an unexpected ending (but aren't they always?). Good acting, good direction, lovely scenes, and classic English small-town setting.

The plot involves three women, ages around 40 - 65, who become involved as amateur sleuths in a series of murders. The leader is Judith, a retired archaeologist who lives in a classic old mansion bequeathed to her by her great aunt. The other two are a vicar's wife and a dog walker.

The police officer in charge of the investigation is also a women, due to a recent retirement or similar change of personnel (frankly I forget exactly). That opens up the well-used plot twist of the new "guy" trying to prove herself. It also makes it slightly more probable that the police would actively enlist the services of the three amateurs. Slightly. But in real life? It's not going to happen. This is one weakness of the plot.

Another is the basic improbability of it all. I won't go into any more detail, as I don't want to reveal any spoilers.

The other big weakness is the heavy-handed "women in charge" aspect. It becomes almost a political tract.

Too bad. The basic idea could have been handled a lot better with these good actors and lovely sets.