The Mysterious Affair of Judith Potts: Robert Thorogood and the Marlow Murders
The fourth book in the series about the amateur detectives in the Marlow Murder Club
Quick Facts
What is the book about?
The Mysterious Affair of Judith Potts (HQ, 2026) is the fourth installment in Robert Thorogood's popular series about the amateur detectives in the English town of Marlow. The story centers around the charismatic Judith Potts, a crossword constructor, who along with her friends Suzie and Becks forms the core of the Marlow Murder Club. In this edition, the idyllic setting of Buckinghamshire is disrupted by two shocking murders of local celebrities: footballer Gary Wise and thriller author Tony Sexton. Both men are found shot, which sends the town into a wave of speculation about blackmail and hidden scandals.
Alongside the current murder cases, Robert Thorogood introduces a personal and historical thread that threatens to ruin Judith Potts' own reputation. A woman named Eleni Paphides appears in Marlow claiming to be the daughter of Judith's late husband, Philippos Demetriou. She accuses Judith of having murdered him decades earlier during their stay in Cyprus. With their regular contact at the police, DI Tanika Malik, suspended, the trio must operate on their own to clear Judith's name and find the real murderer behind the new killings.
The real case
Although the book draws on classic true crime elements and police procedures, The Mysterious Affair of Judith Potts is a work of pure fiction. The characters, victims, and specific events in Marlow are conceived by Robert Thorogood. The author is known for creating atmospheric mysteries in the 'cosy mystery' style, where the focus is on deduction and character relationships rather than explicit violence. While the geographical locations like Marlow in Buckinghamshire exist in reality, the criminal actions are not based on specific historical cases from the area. However, the series has gained such popularity that it has inspired a TV adaptation, which often leads to renewed interest in the fictional cases in the books.
