The Marlow Murders by Biba Pearce #TheMarlowMurders @BibaPearce @JoffeBooks #DCIRobMiller #BookReview

 

Debby Morris, mother of two, goes to a Christmas party at historic Hollyhock Manor in Marlow, and never comes home.

A MISSING MOTHER.

Her phone, handbag and Santa’s elf hat are found in a park near the River Thames. The police issue a nationwide search, but Debby is nowhere to be found.

Three weeks later, Debby’s body, still in her elf costume, is discovered five miles downstream from where she disappeared.

A DETECTIVE ON THE BRINK.

Detective Rob Miller is pulled from compassionate leave and put in charge. He’s still reeling from his last botched case, and he knows all eyes are on him — waiting to see if he’ll crack.

Meanwhile, another body is found with their throat slashed . . . and a link is discovered between the two cases that changes everything.

A RACE AGAINST TIME TO STOP A KILLER.

Rob and his team will need to pull out all the stops to catch a twisted killer before anyone else dies.

AN UNSTOPPABLE CRIME MYSTERY THAT YOU WON’T BE ABLE TO PUT DOWN.

This gripping page-turner is perfect for fans of Helen H. Durrant, Mick Herron, Joy Ellis, Angela Marsons, Rachel McLean, Alex Smith and J.M. Dalgliesh.

The Marlow Murders by Biba Pearce was published on 24 October 2023 by Joffe Books. My thanks to the author who sent my copy for review. 

The Marlow Murders is book seven in the Detective Rob Miller series. I haven't read any of the previous books and am usually loathe to begin a series part way through, but by the time I'd read the first couple of chapters, I was hooked and there was no turning back. 

Biba Pearce expertly provides some of Rob Miller's back story, especially throughout the beginning of the story. It wasn't laboured and it didn't feel as though she was going over old ground, she merely let the reader know a little about his past, just as one would expect in a standalone story. The joy of a Detective series is that it is the current investigation that is central to the plot, and whilst Miller and his team are a leading part, it's the mysterious discovery of the body of young mother Debby Morris that really intrigues. 

Miller arrives in Marlow, tasked with taking on the case of Debby Morris. A few noses are put out of joint as it's really not the Met's area, but people in high places are eager to get this solved quickly.  For Rob it's a difficult task, he and his team have been suspended for months due to serious issues that arose with their last case. It has affected him deeply, especially as his family were involved. However, he's a good cop and is determined to see this case through to the end. 

It's a fascinating plot line, with echoes of recent real-life events that were featured heavily in our media. As Rob and his team, accompanied by young PC Victor Trent from the Marlow station begin to dig deeply into Debby's movements on the night that she went to a Christmas party and didn't return home, they uncover many things. Debby's husband, Ian is central to the investigation, and they also discover that there are important people who may be hiding things. 

Biba Pearce has produced an authentic and very atmospheric crime story. The cold, dark setting, along a river bank with the piercing cold and frozen ground are so well described and the characterisation is superb.  I enjoyed this one very much and will certainly look out for more by this author 

Biba Pearce is a British crime writer and author of the DCI Rob Miller series.

Biba grew up in post-apartheid Southern Africa. 

As a child, she lived on the wild eastern coast and explored the sub-tropical forests and surfed in shark-infested waters.

Now a full-time writer with more than twenty-five novels under her belt, Biba lives in leafy Surrey and when she isn't writing, can be found walking through the countryside or kayaking on the river Thames.

www.bibapearce.com

X/Twitter @BibaPearce

Instagram @author_bibapearce