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nolan_pastore 's review for:
The Queen of Poisons
by Robert Thorogood
2.5/5
I am a person who thought the Marlow Murder Club was fine, and thought Death Comes to Marlow was AMAZING, so it left me in a weird spot with this book.
And, unfortunately, this doesn’t live nearly up to the quality of the second installment.
This mystery isn’t really centered in a location, but rather jumps around five or six different locations every chapter, and trust me, that gets annoying really fast.
Additionally (and I don’t say this all too often with whodunits), I almost think this has too little suspects to warrant a 350 page book. There are 4 or 5 people you really dive into throughout the book, which gets repetitive really quickly.
And the solution to the mystery, is in my opinion both unsatisfying, and probably the least clever reveal in the series (especially with how the crime was pulled off). I will give it points, however, for motive of the crime. That was somewhat interesting in an otherwise bland reveal.
People are inclined to compare the series to Richard Osmon’s The Thursday Murder Club, but I consider those more crime books and these whodunit books, so I don’t feel weighed down by that comparison. But I will say, the characters seem to be less funny and interesting this go around, and I almost find myself wishing these three ladies had the dynamic of the characters from those series. Once in a while they can hit some form of a dynamic, but it certainly isn’t consistent.
Overall, this book felt rushed. I know Death Comes to Marlow was loved by a lot of people, but this felt like a very quick turnaround for another book, and it certainly shows in the final product. Rest assured, I will be here for a fourth book (which hopefully they give Thorogood more time to work on) and I’ll be watching the TV series!
Thank you to Netgalley and HQ for an ARC!
I am a person who thought the Marlow Murder Club was fine, and thought Death Comes to Marlow was AMAZING, so it left me in a weird spot with this book.
And, unfortunately, this doesn’t live nearly up to the quality of the second installment.
This mystery isn’t really centered in a location, but rather jumps around five or six different locations every chapter, and trust me, that gets annoying really fast.
Additionally (and I don’t say this all too often with whodunits), I almost think this has too little suspects to warrant a 350 page book. There are 4 or 5 people you really dive into throughout the book, which gets repetitive really quickly.
And the solution to the mystery, is in my opinion both unsatisfying, and probably the least clever reveal in the series (especially with how the crime was pulled off). I will give it points, however, for motive of the crime. That was somewhat interesting in an otherwise bland reveal.
People are inclined to compare the series to Richard Osmon’s The Thursday Murder Club, but I consider those more crime books and these whodunit books, so I don’t feel weighed down by that comparison. But I will say, the characters seem to be less funny and interesting this go around, and I almost find myself wishing these three ladies had the dynamic of the characters from those series. Once in a while they can hit some form of a dynamic, but it certainly isn’t consistent.
Overall, this book felt rushed. I know Death Comes to Marlow was loved by a lot of people, but this felt like a very quick turnaround for another book, and it certainly shows in the final product. Rest assured, I will be here for a fourth book (which hopefully they give Thorogood more time to work on) and I’ll be watching the TV series!
Thank you to Netgalley and HQ for an ARC!