Book Club

Since I did my Masters I’ve got out of the habit of reading actual books. I listen to them for hours on end on Audible, even at work where I always used to read.
I get the newsletter from Coles Bookshop in Bicester every week and I always see the Book Club information and think to myself that I really should try it. The author’s of the books go too so it’s a bit different to some book clubs.
This month was Robert Thorogood - creator of Death in Paradise and The Marlow Murder mysteries and when I saw it I messaged my mum and said we should take the plunge and go.
You have to buy the book - in this case the first Marlow mystery, The Marlow Murder Club - and that’s your ticket for the evening and gets you a glass of wine or elderflower presse. Luckily they let you buy any other book if there are two of you going together. We bought the first two in the series.
We got there quite early and got good seats - back row, middle. Robert Thorogood sat in the big leather chair.
I did enjoy the book but not as much as The Thursday Murder Club, and I struggled a bit with differences between the book and the TV programme. Ideally I would always read something before watching it on TV.
I was a bit stressed about thinking of something to say to the author’s face - especially I was right in front of him! - but I needn’t have worried!
He was such an interesting speaker, talking at length about his experience creating Death in Paradise and then filming it for so many years. Then how he wrote the Marlow Murder Club. A couple of years before Richard Osman wrote the Thursday Murder Club but as bad luck would have it, it came out three months afterwards!!
He said he met Richard Osman who was lovely. Well he’s sold seventeen squillion copies so why wouldn’t he be?!!
He talked about his influences and writing process, and loads about the TV production side of it. Loads of fascinating behind-the-scenes secrets!
He stepped away a few years ago to concentrate on writing the Marlow books and scripts and kept batting away people telling him the new series is rubbish, badly cast etc. One woman kept on and on about it which got about annoying.
He did admit he wished he hadn’t killed Richard off!!!
I left determined to get on with my book. He made it sound so easy!!!
It was straight home with me and straight up to bed. After my half hour of sleep last night I was feeling more than a little sleepy!