‘Such a beacon of pleasure’ KATE ATKINSON’So smart and funny. Deplorably good’ IAN RANKIN’A gripping read’ SUNDAY TIMESTHE FIRST BOOK IN THE #1 BESTSELLING THURSDAY MURDER CLUB SERIES BY TV PRESENTER RICHARD OSMANIn a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet up once a week to investigate unsolved murders.But when a brutal killing takes place on their very doorstep, the Thursday … Murder Club find themselves in the middle of their first live case.Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron might be pushing eighty but they still have a few tricks up their sleeves.Can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer before it’s too late?__________________________________WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB’Thrilling, moving, laugh-out-loud funny’ MARK BILLINGHAM’A great read, I really enjoyed it’ GRAHAM NORTON’As the bodies pile up, and more is revealed of the lives and loves of Joyce, Ibrahim, Ron and Elizabeth, you can’t help cheering them on – and hoping to meet them again soon’ THE TIMES, CRIME BOOK OF THE MONTH’Mystery fans are going to be enthralled’ HARLAN COBEN’Pure escapism’ THE GUARDIAN, BEST CRIME AND THRILLERS OF 2020’One of the most enjoyable books of the year’ DAILY EXPRESS’Smart, compassionate, warm, moving and so VERY funny’ MARIAN KEYES’As gripping as it is funny’ EVENING STANDARD’Funny, clever and achingly British’ ADAM KAY’An exciting new talent in crime fiction’ DAILY MAIL’A warm, wise and witty warning never to underestimate the elderly’ VAL MCDERMID’Delight after delight from first page to last’ RED MAGAZINE’I completely fell in love with it’ SHARI LAPENA’This is properly brilliant. The pages fly and I can’t stop smiling’ STEVE CAVANAGH’Charming, clever debut’ STYLIST’I laughed my arse off’ BELINDA BAUER’A witty and poignant tale’ DAILY TELEGRAPH’Clever, clever plot’ FIONA BARTON’An absolutely delightful read’ PRIMA MAGAZINE’Utterly charming’ SARAH PINBOROUGH’Funny and original’ THE SUN’Properly funny and totally charming… steeped in Agatha Christie joy’ ARAMINTA HALL’This is one of the most delightful novels of the year’ DAILY MIRROR’A bundle of joy’ JANE FALLON
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3.5 stars
The Thursday Murder Club is Richard Osman’s debut novel and for lovers of murder mysteries, this book could be for you.
In the retirement village of Cooper’ s Chase live elderly, former professional, people who try their hands at a bit of amateur sleuthing.
Following a local murder, the Thursday Murder Club is born.
Although slow to start, this is an interesting concept. It turned out to be an enjoyable read that will perhaps be the beginning of something new. Perhaps a series of investigations by these elderly sleuths.
Fans of Christie’s Miss Marple will definitely be a target audience for The Thursday Murder Club and any subsequent novels.
The Cooper Chase Retirement Center in Kent is home to four residents who meet weekly in the Jigsaw Room to discuss and try to solve open cold cases from the files of one of their former members. Together, Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim make up The Thursday Murder Club. Until recently, the best they’d done was develop some potential theories to explore. But when a local developer is found murdered with a significant clue left behind, the group goes into action to help the police identify suspects, especially when another body is found who they had as their primary focus.
On the surface, this motley crew may appear to be simple septuagenarians but dig deeper and you’ll soon realize that before their retirements, every one of them had vibrant careers requiring keen sensibilities. I loved everything about this story and actually relinquished my need to do my own deductions, preferring to just follow the Club members. Each brought a different set of analytical skills, which made them so effective and resourceful. There were many laugh out loud moments, too, as they liked to use their age as deception. Nothing doddering about any of them.
As cozy as the mystery seemed, there were some interesting twists and circumstances for serious contemplation. I listened to the story and enjoyed the narrator. As much as I would have preferred a separate narrator for each of the members, she delivered a fine performance with distinctive voices for them all. I’m so glad this is now a series as this will be my comfort zone for delightful and intriguing escapades by a group of senior citizens who still have game. 4.5 stars
This is a book about four older people living in a retirement community who enjoy solving cold case murders until a real murder happens right in front of them. Reading about older people in retirement communities is not my go-to-choice in books. I’m old enough to be living in one myself and rather critical of such stories. I don’t enjoy books that portray seniors as blissfully happy athletes with wrinkles or lonely, bitter, soulless shadows of their younger selves. Osman hits it just right. Real characters with complex life stories. So real that when one finds herself in mortal danger I recoiled, physically and emotionally. “Not Elizabeth,” I said to myself. Or perhaps I said it out loud. Old age is a mix of good, sometimes very good, and bad. Something Osman clearly understands. Intricately plotted, comic throughout, the ending is a satisfying mix of wisely and intricately defined justice. Highly recommended. If you like Alexander McCall Smith’s books (and I do) you’ll enjoy this series. I just bought his second book The Man Who Died Twice.
What happens when the residents of a bucolic senior living community in England get together to investigate a murder? For starters, one murder becomes . . . many. A sure-fire reader favorite as featured in the Mystery Ahead newsletter.
The highlight was the character development. By the end of the book, I knew them well. The plot was complicated enough to keep me guessing. If I have a criticism it’s that I felt Elizabeth was a bit too clever. But I would like to think there are people out there somewhere who are just like her.
I guess I’m late to the party on this one, as it’s so very popular, but I was so glad to see how far above the usual cut of “cozy village” mysteries this one is! Kudos to the author for daring to have his starring characters be the “elders” (UK) or “seniors” (US) in their 70’s, 80’s and even 90’s! Their surprising backgrounds, former occupations and professions are a real treat when revealed in interesting ways, but they are truly “background” to the solid, realistic, sometimes crabby and nosy yet good-hearted people we meet at the country retirement home they’ve all landed in. The mystery itself is well-done, complex and dutifully solved by the Thursday Murder Club members–but everything “criminal” isn’t necessarily so cut-and-dried, and ethical humanism meets common sense as these not-so-amateur sleuths unravel the history and mysteries of their fellows and neighbors. The trials and joys of aging are humorously, tenderly yet realistically handled (spouses with dementia, adult children with issues, feeling ‘invisible’ to the rest of society). Not just for old people either! ‘Youngsters’ below the age of 65 will find it entertaing as well. I am on the waiting list for the second book!
The Thursday Murder Club, does that name sound quite sinister to you? Well, no worries, you are in for a treat reading the first in the series of this stellar work by Richard Osman. Amidst all those crime thrillers which have you biting your nails, The Thursday Murder Club is like a breath of fresh air. The retirement village as such offers a contented picturesque feel, the quintessentially British charm on full display.
The story with the four septuagenarians keeping themselves mentally fit by taking up unsolved murders and teaching the police force a thing or two was a riot to read. Elizabeth is of course the terrifying master of the club, she sounds so diminutive but the mysterious background of her work has given her a network of people to call upon all sorts of favors which she uses brilliantly, Ron was a famous protester in his prime and the man who was never far from media lights, Ibrahim is the psychiatrist who discerns details and presents them with hard data and of course Joyce; an ex-nurse who is mostly an observer, a quiet mouse often ignored but is always the problem-solver in a crisis.
It is thru Joyce’s journal entries that we begin to understand the activities of the Thursday Murder Club and when murder strikes close to home, the 4 of them take it upon themselves to find the culprit. DCI Chris and PC Donna are the police presence investigating the crime, honestly, it was so much fun seeing these retired pensioners making them jump hoops at their command. The club has a quid pro quo rule, so for every fact they present to the police, they demand an equal exchange of information.
The author has characterized his characters so wonderfully that for a time even the murders take a backseat. I was so engrossed to know the workings of the club that the actual fact of murder committed completely slipped my mind, and there was in fact not one but more murders being revealed. The foursome does create obstruction and crime scene destruction and it requires a suspension of belief with the way the police handle it but presenting everything in a lighten vein keeps the reader engaged and interested. It was marvelous to be involved with the club and hopefully, the series will continue for a long time, coz these lovable oldies are people who anyone would be happy to look up to.
Glorious 5 stars. Highly recommended to all!
I had this book on my wishlist forever – I love amateur sleuth mysteries, and the combo of a cozy British retirement community and a club of crime-solving-obsessed octogenarians was just right up my ally. And there were a lot of things I did really like. Joyce was such a lovely narrative add (I adored her journal entries), and I absolutely LOVED Elizabeth, with her mysterious, kick-ass past and her penchant for being two steps ahead of everyone. The story was warm and shot through with kindness, despite the murders, and the best part was for sure the first 20% where Donna got to know the Thursday Murder Club. And while I did enjoy part of this book, it was just such a slow a read! There were so many different threads that I found really difficult to follow, and somehow, despite all the people dying unexpectedly, the suspense just wasn’t there. I was never quite sure what was supposed to be a red herring or what was a cleverly placed clue, and I feel like we got so many confessions and I’m still not clear who was the bad guy and who wasn’t.
All of the above
Combine four feisty septuagenarians with two dedicated police officers, two murders, and a retirement village built on the grounds of an old convent and you have the recipe for a fun-filled mystery. Joyce, a retired nurse, is invited to join the Thursday Murder Club, a quartet of retirees who meet weekly to use their widely disparate skills to try to solve cold cases. There she meets Ibraham, former psychiatrist; Ron, retired union activist; and Elizabeth, a retired covert operator. Cold cases are soon forgotten as Cooper’s Chase becomes the locus for two murders only days apart. Elizabeth heads the group as they begin their own investigation that is not restrained by the rules of police practice, and meet with a female constable and her DCI boss to share information and see justice served.
Osman, a British television host, producer, and writer has created amazing characters and an intriguing plot in this debut novel which has already spawned a sequel due in bookstores in September. I can hardly wait!
After a slow start, the story picked up & became a roller coaster of events and possible suspects, everything gets wrapped up in an unexpected ending!
I thoroughly enjoyed The Thursday Murder Club. The twists kept me guessing, the zingy one-liners made me laugh and the characters’ zest for life had me rooting for them to the very last page.
Four unlikely friends in a retirement village meet every week to discuss murder and try to solve old cold cases. When a local developer is murdered, the four seventysomethings decide they can solve the murder. Things get complicated and more bodies turn up. Can they solve the crime(s) before the police?
The premise of this book sounded interesting and I really wanted to like it. However, I found it hard to like the members of the group. Even the two police officers weren’t overly impressive – though Donna did grow on me a bit as the story went on.
Joyce’s diary entries – As someone who is visually impaired, switching sizes and styles of fonts is torture to the eyes. Add in long, rambling, disjointed entries and I just got more and more annoyed trying to read them. I realize that “Joyce’s style of writing” is common for some people but I just wanted her to get to the point and move on. Better yet, skip the diary entries entirely and just write a decent book.
Though there were some slightly amusing segments, I didn’t find the book that funny or overly creative. At over 350 pages, this book could have used some serious editing. The end results of solving the murders was not a surprise to me as I’d sorted out much of the situations long before the Thursday Murder Club put it all together.
This book and the series had great potential, but with the changing of fonts, long winded diary entries and characters I couldn’t seem to find reasons to really like or cheer for, I can’t give this book more than 2 stars.
As I write this, the second in the series is almost 2 months from being released and currently listing for just over $15USD. I’d bought the first in Kindle at a deep discount but won’t be spending full for the second. Will wait for a deep discount if I decide to read further books in the series. JMO
Great characters, interesting setting, many mysteries
Amazing can’t wait for this authors next book!!
Interesting, but hard to follow at times
I found this book to be a fun read. As I live in an over 55 community it’s even more comical to me. Saw the author on the Graham Norton show and he’s so charming. They were raving about this book so I’ve wanted to read it since then. It’s very nice to read an original , non police procedural mystery. It lived up to the hype and I look forward to the next one. The characters are great.
A fun read and a mild mannered British mystery.
Read 5.21.2021
This was just so awesome. I loved every second of this book and CANNOT wait for book 2!!
Witty and wise, full of poignancy, life lessons, twists, and turns. A joy to read, especially for me, with my fondness for senior sleuths.