Marked for Death: Clever, quirky and irresistibly fun - the most entertaining murder mystery of 2026

by R. O. Thorp

Reader love R. O. Thorp's murder
'Think Christie but funnier, with more heart.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Fast-paced, funny and full of intrigue. Loved every minute of it and can't wait for the next one!' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Scientist Finn Blanchard is trying not to think about murder. The university administrator Nina Hussar may have fallen to her death down stairs she'd used for years, but the only mystery Finn wants to investigate is whether there's a shark in the local lake.

But when a professor's sudden death unearths cryptic clues to a missing Shakespeare play, Finn is forced to admit his research isn't the fishiest part of university life. After all, as his detective ex-boyfriend says, there's nothing more suspicious than a fall down some stairs.

And if Finn can't figure out who the killer is soon, the next blood in the water might be his own . . .

Praise for the Blanchard twins
'Brilliant.' Ian Moore
'Fun ahoy!' Orlando Murrin
'Clever, quirky and irresistibly fun.' Jessica Bull

378 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 6, 2026

Reviews

[Dez Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an engaging murder mystery with multiple strands running alongside the central case. There is a fairly large cast, which feels typical for the genre, and several red herrings woven throughout. Both the misdirection and the ending were resolved in a way that felt logical and cohesive.
As this is the second book in a series, I went in without having read the first. It didn’t detract from my experience. References to earlier events were light enough to be intriguing without becoming confusing or spoiler-heavy. It works well as a standalone, while still offering something extra for returning readers.

That said, some of the characterisation felt a little thin, which may be a side effect of the size of the cast. The main character is likeable and endearing, though, and carries the novel well. There were also LGBTQ+ elements introduced around halfway through that hadn’t been set up earlier, so some moments felt slightly abrupt.

The POV shift later on also took a bit of getting used to. It felt slightly awkward at first, especially being so far into the book, but it did start to work as it settled. There were a few moments where the narration dipped into what another character might think or feel in response to something they couldn’t possibly know, which felt like a slightly odd choice and pulled me out of the story at times.

At times, the writing didn’t quite land for me either, with some similes coming across as a bit forced or cheesy, which added to that slightly clunky feeling in places.

Overall, if you enjoy cosy mysteries with a slightly playful tone, this is still worth picking up.

[Keturah Sergeant · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging, twisting mystery, with a chaotic bunch of suspects and allies surrounding the overly-curious marine biologist who finds himself investigating a potential murder. A missing Shakespeare Quarto, an obsessed, even crazed, professor insisting he has proof of it, a dead administrator and a hidden past. All the while the MC is searching for potentially mythological sharks and pining for the partner he left after deciding it would be better for both of them that they break up, he is in contact with his twin sister but far from her, and finding trust-worthy friends in a fraught academic setting packed with competition and rumour and haunted by a recent death is difficult... Thankfully, this book works well as a stand alone, I haven't read the first book but was able to get a full picture of the MC's character, his quirks and his relationships, familial and romantic.

The investigation was well-paced, slow building tension rising as the MC realises this death that happened soon before his arrival might be suspicious, especially in the light of a second death, blackmail plots and a quest for evidence of the Quarto and it's depositing in the historic monastery that later became the school. Add to this potential affairs, hidden identities, death threats and break ins, the investigation heats up. The ex-boyfriend investigator is summoned, the police are subtly kept informed, and everything comes together in a dramatic, satisfying conclusion.

Easy to read, engaging and intriguing throughout!

[Sifa Poulton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an eARC from the publishers in exchange for an honest review. It has not affected my opinions.

MARKED FOR DEATH was another compelling mystery (I am writing this way too late having stayed up to finish it!). I didn't guess the perpetrator, but it didn't feel like it came out of nowhere. It has a measured pace and there are several threads that were fun to following, letting different parts take focus to allow for changes in intensity at times.

It was really nice to see Finn's perspective. He's not a narrator in DEATH ON ICE - his now-ex Tom and twin Rose are - so I liked getting a glimpse into his head. There's more going on under the surface than his gentle exterior would show.

I appreciated that the university drama was over funding and tenure. So many university-set books focus on less mundane things (like stealing research and/or romantic liaisons). Those sort of happen in this book, but are very minor - instead the more realistic faculty politics plays out around Finn.

It was also nice to see two adults handle a break up so maturely. There was no big drama and they talked it through during the book. It felt like a pleasant change to see a book handle the ups and downs of a relationship after its been established rather than the build up to starting on.

[A.K. Adler · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the writing style - which is surprising, since I generally find omniscient narrators dull. But in this case, the author uses that distance to provide commentary on how other people view the rather un-self-aware protagonist, which is both amusing and adorable.

Finn is, in fact, quite adorable. Most of the cast are, which ended up being a problem for the plot, as I just couldn't believe the final revelation of the murderer. I enjoyed the mystery until about 80% of the way through, but it wrapped up with a lot of exposition, explaining clues which weren't convincing enough.

[bookedupnurse]

Unfortunately I was unable to finish this book.

I really did not enjoy the writing style and found it difficult to imagine what was going on due to the language used. It did not feel there was much flow to the writing and sentences/descriptions would have landed much better, with much less words. Too wordy in my opinion!

I do see other really positive reviews on GoodReads however.

Thanks to NetGallery, Faber and R O Thorpe for the opportunity to read the ARC of this book.

[Sophia Terry]

I do not think this book is right for me.

It’s very wordy and not nearly as quirky as I had hoped it would be.

I was struggling to build any connections to the characters and it was all feeling very flat.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc