No More Cozy Mysteries Methinks

Murder on the Marlow Belle by Robert Thorogood

Pages: 241 Genre: mystery

Rating: 2.5 Star

Goodreads Giveaway

(Note: This is the fourth book in the series following "The Marlow Murder Club.")

Judith Potts is greeted one morning by Verity Beresford, the wife of Oliver Beresford, the head of the Marlow Amateur Dramatic Society. After a party on a boat the previous night, he hasn't returned home. Of course she was going to Judith for help, after her and her friends have solved so many local murders. And when he husband is found dead, the Marlow Murder Club jumps at the chance to investigate. And as they dig into Oliver, they discover he's a much more complicated victim than anyone previously expected.

Full disclosure on a couple things before I start my review. First: I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. I had been meaning to read the series for a while and decided that if I won the giveaway, I'd finally be pushed to start. And then I did not love the first book. So I did my best to find summaries of the middle two to justify skipping them. So I may have missed some character development (although I doubt it) and I went into this book knowing it just wasn't my taste.

These books are remarkably Fine to me. They're quick books to read but lack any genuine substance. It skirts around any sort of depth by playing every character and situation off as a gimmick.

I think the characters are meant to carry the book, and unfortunately I just don't care about any of them enough for this to work out. They all just feel present enough to get counted for attendance rather than actually being engaged in the story. Judith, the main character, was a lot better in this book than in the first one. Her quirks were dimmed down enough that she seemed like something of a real person, and while she wasn't perfect, I could usually get behind her. Suzie and Becks, her primary partners, were barely relevant. Suzie could've been replaced by a moody cat and it would've barely affected the plot; it seemed like she was mostly there for comedic effect. Becks actually did have some impact on the story, although barely.

The other "main" (strong word) character is the detective, Tanika. She has the backbone of a wet noodle and the personality to match, but I also find her and Becks very hard to read. They're both married to the most useless men you've ever seen. Neither husband has done anything outright evil, but someone desperately needs to free their wives. Especially Tanika. I find it exhausting that both situations are played off as generally unfortunate when, in fact, these women are being taken advantage by their husbands. I might've missed some of the story between the first and fourth book, but they act the exact same. It's disappointing to me that within four books there's been no development for these women who are doomed into lives with men who do not respect them but are portrayed as supportive because they have one kind moment. It's misogynistic, plain and simple.

In a similar vein, I found the broader implications of the mystery disappointing. Without spoiling it, the author managed to tell a story with a lot of real and tragic elements that are just totally ignored. It could've been an emotionally-impactful and timely story, but we rushed by every one of those moments to make it just a boring whodunnit. I don't want to condemn every Cozy Mystery, but I do think this is a potential downfall of this subgenre. If you don't want to acknowledge issues of class, misogyny, homophobia, and more because it doesn't fit the vibe of your story, that's fine! But then you shouldn't write a story that uses them so flippantly. Ultimately, it makes the characters read as Clue characters that aren't worth carrying about in any deep way.

The actual mystery was fine, and I actually was pretty invested. It's super predictable, though. What bothers me more than that is the way the "investigation" is played out. It's really just a series of conversations that the Murder Club has with suspects who are all too willing to give a fully honest account of whatever they're wanting to know. Meanwhile, the police are unable to solve anything without their help, even though it's apparently as easy as just talking. More detective work and less monologues would make these books a lot more interesting.

Ultimately, this series isn't for me. I don't think it literally is, but it's hard to not view it as a disappointing spiritual copy of The Thursday Murder Club, which executes this subgenre significantly better. I plan to move on from this series, but if you're looking for a super straightforward, shallow, and quick mystery to read, maybe this one will satisfy you.