BA picks Thorogood mystery for Fiction Book of the Month

The Booksellers Association has named The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood (HQ) as its first Fiction Book of the Month for 2021.

Thorogood, the writer of BBC One drama “Death in Paradise”, tells the story of Judith Potts, a 77-year-old crossword setter who witnesses a brutal murder while swimming in the Thames near her faded mansion outside Marlow. With police investigations falling short and another body turning up, Judith joins forces with a local dogwalker and the vicar’s wife to form the Marlow Murder Club and investigate the puzzle themselves.

The author said: “When I was growing up, as soon as I was old enough to afford the bus fare, I lived almost entirely in independent bookshops. It was always such a thrill crossing their thresholds. Each one different, each one its own magical kingdom. The sheer personality of the places, staffed by knowledgeable and passionate booksellers. And there was always a whiff of danger as well: because I might find the book I’d come in for, but it could well be sitting on a shelf next to a far more interesting and seditious fringe book. That sense of discovery and surprise is something you only get in independent bookshops. Long may they live."

Sharon Benton, marketing and groups manager at the BA, added: “We are delighted that The Marlow Murder Club is the Fiction Book of the Month for January. A fabulous and entertaining story with which to kick off a brand-new year.”