What is The Marlow Murder Club?
The Marlow Murder Club is a lighthearted cozy mystery from Robert Thorogood, creator of the hit TV series Death in Paradise, and it’s coming to MASTERPIECE on PBS! An amateur trio of female sleuths and a determined policewoman are at the heart of this brand-new British TV crime show and the cast is led by a familiar face from MASTERPIECE’s Downton Abbey and Home Fires. Learn what The Marlow Murder Club is all about, who stars, and whether the incredibly picturesque town of Marlow on the River Thames is even a real place!
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The Marlow Murder Club is Adapted for TV by the Author
By Robert Thorogood. HQ (2021) Robert Thorogood’s The Marlow Murder Club is the first of three cozy crime novels set in the small but affluent British town of Marlow. In 2023, the title was nominated for the Mystery Writers of America’s prestigious Edgar Awards, which honor the best in mystery fiction, non-fiction, television, film, and theater. The book series in order includes: The Marlow Murder Club, Death Comes to Marlow, and The Queen of Poisons.
Thorogood is also the creator of the hit TV show Death in Paradise, a syndicated series carried by many PBS stations in the US. After the comedic crime drama’s success on the small screen, Thorogood wrote a series of four books with the same Caribbean setting and characters.
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What is The Marlow Murder Club About?
Author/screenwriter Robert Thorogood with lead actor Samantha Bond Murder visits the quiet riverside town of Marlow and, as the crime involves her neighbor, retired archaeologist Judith Potts (Samantha Bond) is compelled to solve the whodunnit. As Potts uncovers a series of clues—and sidesteps red herrings—she comes to rely on the help of two other local women; the respective strengths of all three might just possibly bring a killer to justice. In fact, the local police detective sergeant eventually consents to using the amateurs as consultants.
Strong women are at this story’s center and the trio of wannabe detectives ultimately develop an unlikely but abiding friendship. Keeping up with the minds and instincts of these women is fun and entertaining escapism. There are plenty of suspects to consider and audiences will relish solving the addictive puzzle of who is the killer?
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Who’s in The Marlow Murder Club Cast?
Samantha Bond, Cara Horgan and Natalie Dew at The Marlow Murder Club script read-through The TV murder mystery stars Samantha Bond as the 70-something retired archaeologist Judith Potts. MASTERPIECE audiences will recognize the actor from her roles as Lady Rosamund in Downton Abbey and as Frances Barden in Home Fires. Bond seems to have a knack for portraying strong female characters and we can’t wait to see what she does with this unexpected heroine!
Bond is joined by Jo Martin (Doctor Who, Back to Life) as empty-nester Suzie Harris who walks dogs for a living, Cara Horgan (The Sandman, Traitors) as the unassuming vicar’s wife Becks Starling, and Natalie Dew (Sandylands, The Capture) as DS Tanika Malik, who has stepped into a new role in Marlow’s police department.
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When is The Marlow Murder Club Airdate?
Read-through script from The Marlow Murder Club While it’s been announced that the new cozy mystery series will air in four parts in 2024, a premiere date has yet to be shared. Know what that means? You’ve got time to enjoy the 2021 book that Kirkus Reviews calls “genuinely brainy,” with Publishers Weekly adding, “How these women of a certain age unite to solve the crime is as entertaining and intriguing as the fair play mystery itself. The way the characters evolve as their relationships grow sets this light mystery above the pack.”
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Marlow is a Real English Town
Town of Marlow on the River Thames in Buckinghamshire, England Marlow is an actual town in the English county of Buckinghamshire, about an hour’s drive west of London. It’s a luxurious spot appreciated by tourists and residents alike for its location on a lovely stretch of the Thames, its Georgian and Victorian architecture, gardens, and parks. Marlow’s historic streets now offer boutique shops, wine bars, coffee shops, and literally 30 restaurants recommended by the Michelin Guide!
The charming town is known as a fashionable place to live and has attracted famous people for over a century. The Marlow Murder Club author and screenwriter Robert Thorogood is a local. He’s tweeted, “I really hope the TV show can do the town proud.”
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