Review by Linda Kay Hardie
Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of the book and a link to purchase it.
Judith Potts and her mystery-solving friends Suzie Harris and Becks Starling return in Robert Thorogood’s fifth book in his Marlow Murder Club series. Except... has Judith really returned at all? What’s up with her? Suzie and Becks can’t get their clever, clear-thinking, and wrongs-righting friend to even follow them in poking their noses into the newest murder in their small British village. Judith’s not eager to return to sleuthing. Or much of anything, to be honest. The Mysterious Affair of Judith Potts is aptly named.
This murder is a splashy one. A dodgy but posh footballer (translation for Americans: a shady but rich soccer player) has been shot to death near his home, and detective inspector Tanika Malik has asked the ladies to help her find the killer. Was he turning his life around, as his widow says? Or did he have secrets worse than his incessant bar-fight headlines? Suzie and Becks take a stab at the investigation alone, hoping to uncover juicy details to entice Judith out of whatever funk she’s in. |
| Image Source Poisoned Pen Press |
Bad things keep happening to good people. Tanika is suspended based on false charges made by a jealous co-worker. Detective sergeant Brendan Perry takes over the case and bulldozes through the amateur sleuths, witnesses, and grieving family members. Judith summons up some visible interest but appears to be training her friends to take over for her as though she’s not going to be able to finish the investigation. Judith denies there’s any problem as she continues secret plans for how she can leave Marlow undetected.
Another local celebrity gunshot murder muddies the waters further. The stakes soar, with Suzie and Becks finding themselves in someone’s sights – gunsights, perhaps? Is Judith all right? What is she actually running from? Are Suzie and Becks following the correct trail or are they walking into a trap?
Even more urgent: will this be the final installment of The Marlow Murder Club? (Spoiler: probably not. And whew.) For me, The Mysterious Affair of Judith Potts is absolutely another highly recommended read.
To enter to win a copy of The Mysterious Affair of Judith Potts, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line "Judith Potts,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen August 1, 2026 US residents only and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win. If entering via comment please include your email address so we can contact you. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section in Kings River Life and in our mystery category here on KRL News & Reviews. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. And check out our new mystery podcast which features mystery short stories and first chapters read by local actors!
You can click here to purchase this book.
Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.Linda Kay Hardie is now editor of Picarones Press, the children’s imprint of Misti Media Publishing. She’s also an award-winning writer of short stories for adults and children in various genres, including crime, horror, and SF/fantasy (often with humor). She also writes essays (usually about cats but sometimes baseball) and poetry. Her stories appear in many anthologies, including Lunatic Fringe, Gag Me With a Spoon, A Killing at the Copa and The Perp Wore Pumpkin from White City Press.In addition, Linda Kay is the vice president of Short Mystery Fiction Society, as well as a member of Horror Writers Association, Queer Crime Writers, Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators, and Cat Writers Association. She’s an Abyssinian Rescue Ranger, a volunteer foster mom in purebred cat rescue, and a professional teddy bear builder. Tune in to the podcast Misti Media Live! on the first and third Tuesdays of each month at 5 p.m. Pacific time/8 p.m. Eastern, where Linda Kay Hardie joins Misti Media editor-in-chief Jay Hartman to talk, argue, and rant about writing and publishing. See more at youtube.com/watch?v=7JLJLrvP-5s
Comments
Post a Comment