The Marlow Murder Club

A deuteragonist and a foil to Becks, Suzie Harris is a pragmatic and earthy dog walker with a cynical worldview but a deeply loyal nature. Her character is defined by a blunt, no-nonsense attitude that contrasts sharply with Becks’s anxiety and Judith’s intellectualism. As a longtime Marlow resident, her profession provides her with an extensive, informal network of local knowledge and gossip, which proves invaluable to the investigation. Her unpretentious, working-class identity is established through her practical attire, her van with a screwdriver for an ignition key, and her habit of smoking hand-rolled cigarettes.

Suzie’s tough exterior is a product of her past as a single mother who raised two daughters alone, a history that has instilled in her a profound resilience but also left her with a sense of loneliness and familial estrangement. She is a dynamic character who evolves from an isolated individual to a committed member of a team. Initially drawn to the case by the thrill of the mystery and her loyalty to the victim Iqbal Kassam, she discovers a renewed sense of purpose and community. Her defining moment comes when she attempts to swim the storm-swollen Thames to save Judith, despite being unable to swim. This act of reckless bravery demonstrates the depth of her loyalty and solidifies her transformation into a selfless friend.

As a deuteragonist, Becks Starling is a round and dynamic character who undergoes the most significant personal transformation in the novel. She is introduced as the anxious and proper wife of the local vicar, a woman consumed by appearances and a deep-seated desire to avoid conflict. This is encapsulated by the opening scene where she is found hiding in a vestry cupboard to avoid a social encounter. Trapped by the societal expectations of her role, she feels her identity has been subsumed by her domestic duties as a wife and mother. Her journey is one of finding agency and courage outside of this confining sphere.

Her transformation begins with small, anonymous acts of rebellion, such as posting on a local forum under a pseudonym to gather information on Elliot Howard. As she becomes more embroiled in the investigation, she discovers her own untapped strengths. Her meticulous nature and surprising knowledge of the local property market prove to be crucial assets, subverting the “silly housewife” stereotype she fears she embodies. Her evolution culminates in a series of heroic acts: She masterfully creates a diversion by setting off a fire alarm, rallies the town to help the police by ringing the church bell, and uses a sword to cut the rope needed to move a fallen tree. These climactic moments emphasize her complete emergence as a confident, resourceful, and courageous individual who has forged her own identity.

An antagonist in the murder conspiracy, Danny Curtis is driven by a deep-seated resentment and a profound sense of failure. He feels perpetually overshadowed by his wife, Liz, a former Olympic rower whose athletic success he could never match. This insecurity is compounded by the financial strain of their perpetually flooding rowing center, a business he views as a mark of their shared failure. His primary motivation is greed; he conspires to have Liz killed so he can inherit the valuable riverfront land, sell it to developers, and finally achieve the wealth and status he believes he deserves.

Danny functions as the “muscle” in the trio of killers, carrying out the murder of Stefan Dunwoody, a man with whom he has no personal connection. This act demonstrates his cold-blooded detachment and his view of murder as a mere transaction. He is also manipulative, presenting a facade of a grieving husband while subtly attempting to frame Liz for the other murders by fabricating connections between her and the victims. His simmering rage and insecurity ultimately make him reckless, leading to his confrontation with Judith, where his violent nature is fully exposed.

Functioning as the primary antagonist Elliot Howard is characterized by his patrician arrogance and smug demeanor. His actions are driven by a decades-old grudge against Stefan Dunwoody, who he believes cheated him out of a valuable Rothko painting inherited from his father. This betrayal is not merely financial; it is deeply personal, tied to his own thwarted artistic ambitions, which were quashed by his dismissive father. This backstory provides his character with psychological depth, portraying him as a man haunted by artistic and familial failure.

Elliot is the intellectual planner of the murder plot. Fueled by his rage after a confrontation with Stefan, he devises the scheme and sources the antique Luger pistol used in all three killings. He personally murders Iqbal Kassam for Andy Bishop while establishing meticulous alibis for himself at the time of the killings. His inability to resist a triumphant glance at a CCTV camera after Stefan’s murder is a moment of pure hubris, a small crack in his carefully constructed facade that reveals his complicity and deep-seated pride in his own cleverness.

An antagonist, Andy Bishop exemplifies the theme of The Deceptiveness of Appearances. He is a seemingly respectable and professional solicitor who is, in reality, deeply corrupt, greedy, and lecherous. His motivation is entirely financial; he forges the will of his dying client, Ezra Harrington, to steal an inheritance worth over half a million pounds. He willingly joins the murder plot to have Iqbal Kassam silenced after Iqbal uncovers his fraud. His role as the former cox of his school rowing team—the small, cunning navigator—is a fitting metaphor for his position as a lawyer who expertly manipulates the law for his own gain. Andy commits the third murder, killing Liz Curtis for Danny, while creating his own alibi by being away on business in Plymouth. His condescending and predatory behavior toward Becks reveals his repulsive true nature, which lies just beneath his polished professional veneer.

DS Tanika Malik represents the official, institutional arm of the law. As the acting Senior Investigating Officer, she is diligent, professional, and strictly adheres to procedure, initially serving as a foil to Judith’s more intuitive and imaginative methods. Her early dismissal of Judith’s eyewitness account, based on logic rather than instinct, is the catalyst that launches the amateur investigation. While a competent officer, she is constrained by the rules and regulations of formal police work, often failing to make the creative leaps that Judith does. “We must let the evidence lead us, not our assumptions” (15), she insists, highlighting this methodical approach. The narrative provides her with personal depth by exploring the immense professional pressures she faces, balanced against a demanding family life. Her character develops as she learns to respect and ultimately rely on the Marlow Murder Club’s unorthodox but effective techniques, culminating in her pragmatic decision to officially bring the three women into the investigation as civilian advisers.

The first murder victim, Stefan Dunwoody serves as the catalyst for the novel’s entire plot. He embodies the theme of The Deceptiveness of Appearances, initially presented as a charming and respectable art dealer living an idyllic life by the Thames. It is later revealed, however, that he was a “fraud and a crook” (27) who, decades earlier, swindled Elliot Howard out of a valuable Rothko painting. This past transgression provides the motive for Elliot’s long-festering revenge and sets the deadly conspiracy in motion.

The second victim, Iqbal Kassam, is an archetypal innocent man tragically caught in a criminal plot he does not understand. He is characterized by his unwavering kindness, honesty, and diligence, saving his earnings from his taxi service with the dream of one day buying a boat. He is murdered by Elliot Howard for no other reason than to silence him after he uncovers Andy Bishop’s fraudulent forgery of Ezra Harrington’s will. His death underscores the killers’ absolute ruthlessness and the devastating consequences of their greed.