User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
2.5 stars
This book was enjoyable, I’m not going to deny that. I liked reading about the quirky characters and their penchant for solving murders. It was an intriguing and funny premise which did in a way deliver. But the problem was it was very slow and even though there were some twists and turns they were quite anticlimactic. There were too many character perspectives during the book that just seemed unnecessary and a bit confusing. In theory the story seems quite captivating, but in reality it never made you sit on the edge of your seat or have to read the next chapter. Unfortunately, I wasn’t that invested in the crime and I wasn’t that curious about who the murderer was which is kind of the whole point of a mystery novel. It was an enjoyable book to cruise along with, but something you could pretty easily put down.
Rating: really liked it
Unpopular opinion alert... but I thought that this book was kind of terrible.
It has a nice concept...sort of. It's partially set in a retirement village, and we are quickly introduced to a lot of quirky characters who have organised themselves into a 'Thursday Murder Club' in order to solve (solve? Discuss? Take a really weird illegal interest in?) crimes that happened a long time ago. So far, reasonably OK. When a real murder takes place adjacent to the community, the gang decide to throw themselves into investigating it for real, and this is what a majority of the plot is taken up with. As a concept, this is all fine. But
this isn't it . Richard Osman then feels the need to introduce us to fifty other characters for, seemingly, no reason whatsoever.
The narrative jumps about so much it's difficult to remember anyone's name, much less become invested in anyone's individual story. I've seen a lot of people saying that actually the murder plot is totally secondary to all of the intricacies of the relationships between the characters in the retirement village: this would have been fine, but not enough time is actually spent exploring any of these relationships. We get that East End Ron now prefers wine to beer, and that there are some sweet moments between Joyce and her daughter, but, honestly? That was about it. It was all very surface-level, and the fact that there's a new chapter every 2 pages from a different character's point of view makes it all feel disjointed, like flicking through the TV channels really quickly without actually getting more than 2 seconds of dialogue every time.
The book is sold as a murder mystery, so let's discuss that, because Richard Osman doesn't really feel the need to. It's a weird and meandering investigation that we get from multiple sides: we get the Murder Club's version of events, then we get a bumbling police detective's version of events, then we get what actually happened. This could have been interesting, but it was left so flat. We get one member of the Murder Club telling us that she's actually definitely worked out who the real killer was and isn't this great? But find out what we do about it in the next book!
The actual resolution of the murder plot is such an afterthought though, and more weight seems to be given to our bumbling cop's newfound romance with (weirdly) his junior police officer's mum. Was this necessary? No. Was it sweet? Not really, it was just yet another character added in incredibly superficially for no particularly purpose other than to say that she's allergic to dogs, and possibly to subvert the expectations of everyone who thought the older cop was going to turn out to be creepily involved with his subordinate. Great.
The whole book felt incredibly gimmicky. Even in the acknowledgements, Richard Osman says that he got the idea by visiting a retirement village and, gasp, discovering that old people are interesting! So that was basically the entire plot: people have secrets, everyone you might like has probably done something awful, the premise isn't important and we'll do a deep character analysis but not
actually go that deeply into anything, and leave everything nicely resolved (or not).
I was basically really glad to finish this book. Wouldn't re-read. Wouldn't recommend. Would struggle to score it higher than a 1/5.
Rating: really liked it
After a certain age, you can pretty much do whatever takes your fancy. No one tells you off, except for your doctors and your children.
The Thursday Murder Club meets every Thursday (hence the name) at Coopers Chase, a peaceful retirement community where nothing much happens. That is, until a murder occurs within its idyllic community, and four of its septuagenarian residents decide to stick their noses in and solve it themselves.
I was immediately taken with the quirky and loveable cast of characters. The senior citizens made me chuckle with their sassy antics and their unapologetic zest for life. The gentle humor strikes just the right balance, without coming across as too flippant or cheesy. I also adored the detectives in here, with their protectiveness of these septuagenarians and their good-natured acceptance of their often questionable behaviors.
As for the mystery itself, it started out really strong. I was completely bought in during the first half, playing arm chair detective while following along with each clue and red herring. But then it kind of became convoluted and confusing. It seems like the book tried to insinuate guilt on every single character, one by one. It was fun for the first one or two, thinking that I've been duped, but it quickly became tedious. Thankfully, the ending wrapped everything up in a satisfying, if long-winded, way.
Overall, this was a really entertaining read, in large part due to its cast of sweet and funny characters. I'm glad this is the first of what looks to be a series, and I can't wait to read more.
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See also, my thoughts on:#2. The Man Who Died Twice
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Rating: really liked it
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
Four residents of a very nice retirement village enjoy discussing unsolved crimes. They have quite the unofficial paper database because their former fourth of the club was Penny, who is now comatose and has been replaced by Joyce, as the fourth club member. But Penny's dear and devoted friend, Elizabeth, still has access to those files and makes good use of them.
Enter a real live (or maybe the word dead should be used) crime when a developer for nearby properties is found murdered! The foursome had already taken a shine to a young female cop named Donna, who had given them a talk on the fine points of crime (which most of the group already understood). Add in Donna's lonesome, dedicated, boss, Chris and you have two groups, official and unofficial, trying to solve this crime. Pull the thread of one body and more bodies start dropping, present and past. What more fun could a geriatric crime solving club want, although things get personal and sad when it all hits too close to home.
This is a fun story and what I enjoyed the most were the characters. Great subtle and not so subtle British humor and major twists and turns in the murder/murder cases. Since this a labeled as book one, I do hope we have more books about The Thursday Murder Club.
Published September 22, 2020
Rating: really liked it
Laugh out loud funny!
“Always look where the action isn’t, because that’s where the action is.”
The Thursday Murder Club is an intelligent mystery about a group of senior citizens who find themselves in the center of a murder investigation. Every Thursday, Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim, and Ron, residents of Coopers Chase Retirement Village, meet to review cold case murder files. Their former careers provide them with the expertise to solve crimes, but it is not until a current murder takes place that they truly put their skills to the test.
Using their age and backgrounds to their advantage, these characters play against stereotypes to solve the crime. I absolutely loved this book! It was the perfect distraction during Hurricane Zeta. It says a lot when a book can you make you laugh when there is the howling wind, sideways rain, and a very angry looking sky. This book is the perfect contrast-- It’s warm and funny with smart, witty, and lovable characters. The mysteries had my armchair detective skills working overtime, and the motley cast of characters kept me on my toes.
While the mysteries are multilayered and intriguing, the characters are what make this such a wonderful read. Filled with wit, humor, and charm, I hope we get to see this murder- solving crew again soon!
Rating: really liked it
“The sun is up,the skies are blue and murder is in the air.” Very good. VERY clever!
4 elderly friends living in a retirement village have regular meetings where they look at cold cases and see if they can solve them.
When two people are murdered in short succession it seems the friends have a live case fall right into their laps!
Bossy Elizabeth, sweet Joyce, intelligent Ibrahim and feisty but lovable Ron all stick their noses in where they don’t belong and use their years of experience to find information even before the police. Much to the local force’s annoyance!
It was good fun, I loved all the red herrings and the final reveals were very well done.
4 stars βοΈ
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My library just had a load of new books come in.
So excited for this π
Rating: really liked it
There seems to be an abundance of books this year about older folks and I have loved all the ones I’ve read. “Exit” by Belinda Bauer, “The Postscript Murders” by Elly Griffiths, and now this novel, what a run of good reads!!
I did not know that Richard Osman was a BBC announcer and celebrity, but I applaud him for writing this engaging, offbeat British crime novel. I enjoyed the plot of this novel but it’s the characters that make it special!
I thought it started off a bit slowly, having to introduce all of the members and keep us updated as to what is going on behind the scenes at Cooper’s Chase. The pace picked up quickly and I was enjoying it after 30 pages or so.
The members of the club who all live in Cooper’s Chase, are a sprightly and witty group. Cooper’s Chase is an upscale retirement village and the residents want to see it stay that way.
Elizabeth is the organizer of the group, she has a background in crime solving, probably a former spy. She has a wide network of friends in high places who know how to get things done. Her friend Penny is an ex-detective and it is her cold cases that they work to solve every Thursday.
Ibrahim is a retired psychiatrist and his skills at reading human behavior and being a detail oriented man are his strong points.
Ron is a retired union boss who is a “get things done” kind of guy, he was known during his career as Red Ron, because of his red hair and fiery personality. He always roots for the underdog!
Joyce is an ex- nurse and our narrator. She is a recently arrived resident who was quickly recruited into the group. It is her entries into her daily Journal that keep us updated as to what is going on throughout the novel.
PC Donna de Freitas meets the Thursday Murder Club members while she is set to deliver a boring speech to them about security. They make her an offer to join them in being able to actually solve murders. It doesn’t take much for her to join and help the group.
The Club is intrigued and excited when there are two real murders in Cooper’s Chase to investigate and solve! It’s great fun to read along as they all use their skills to solve these murders. I thoroughly enjoyed the British humor in this book, it certainly added to my enjoyment.
I will leave you to enjoy the mysteries and all of these unique characters without any spoilers.
This novel has already been published, so this is a great book to put on your Christmas list!!!
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley.
Rating: really liked it
What a totally engaging and entertaining read. I guess it is the so called baby boomers causing this recent influx of books about old folks in the last stages of their lives and still living it to the full. I totally approve and found this particular example, The Thursday Murder Club, to be inspiring and completely captivating.
There are murders and mysteries but the characters are the all absorbing factor. There is the wonderful Elizabeth with her mysterious past and her access to government information and people in the know. There is Penny, now in a coma in the nursing wing, but previously a Detective Inspector who kept the records of all her cold cases which caused the Thursday Murder Club to be formed. Joyce is fascinating and a bit of an enigma. She tells parts of the story in the form of a diary and it is very apparent that she is on the lookout for a man to keep her company!
I instantly felt at home in this book. The setting is perfect and it is beautifully written. The humour is often laugh aloud funny and there were many passages I wanted to read aloud and share with whoever was around. At the same time there were heart rending moments that brought tears to my eyes. Best of all when I got to the end I saw that the next book is nearly ready! I cannot wait to see what the Thursday Murder Club is going to get up to next.
Rating: really liked it
This book turned out to be a perfect weekend read for me. A multi-layered mystery which despite several murders, including cold cases, refrains from being graphic.
Senior citizens, who live together on an estate built for rather well-off retirees try to keep their 'grey cells' working, set up a Murder Club which meets every Thursday. The Club focuses of old cases mainly but when a murder is committed just round the corner, they cannot refuse the challenge.
There are many dynamic characters, each with their secrets, habits and weaknesses. There is a sense of humor, a good subdued humour, and I found myself chuckling occasionally.
*Many thanks to Richard Osman, Penguin Books UK, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
Rating: really liked it
This fun book gave off tons of joy as I made myself an honorary member of The Thursday Murder Club while reading it. π΅οΈβοΈ
Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron, and Ibrahim are four friends who live in a quiet retirement community...well, mostly quiet with the exception of the four of them. They have a weekly get together, The Thursday Murder Club, where they try to solve old murder cases. You can imagine their utter delight when a current murder occurs, with ties to their retirement community. Now, they are on their first live case. Working with the police, they will all need to have their wits about them to catch the killer.
One word for this book, along with the four main characters: Charming.
I had a blast reading it, and laughed out loud at some of the witty and hilarious dialogue from these beloved characters. I also really loved the cops on the case, and their humorous and warm interactions with the Four Musketeers. The plot got a bit convoluted towards the end, but I let it go and just had fun with it. I am now eagerly awaiting the sequel.
4.5 stars.
This review is also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com
Rating: really liked it
Adored everything about it!! Late to the party though....
I wanted to read this one in anticipation of the author's newest,
The Man Who Died Twice, which I've already pre-ordered and can't wait to read in September.
What is not to love?
A cast of charming, witty, loveable and unforgettable characters. They meet every Thursday in the Jigsaw Room at their posh retirement community. Four septuagenarians who work on cold cases until they luck out and get a "live case". This is what they live for, these smart birds of a feather.
So much more than a murder mystery, it was all about the colorful characters, the love between them, the life lessons and wisdom. I was 100% invested early on and didn't want to part with the new friends. Lots of humor adds some more charm.
Fun, humorous, thoughtful with a layered mystery. It has an old-fashioned feel, but still modern and fresh. You will need to suspend some belief, but its worth the worry.
Book Two Please! I'm patiently waiting......
Library loan / Read in July 2021 p.s. Thanks to all my GR friends who wrote the wonderful reviews that led me to this series!
Rating: really liked it
I’m kinda bummed as I write this review - not because this book, which I listened to on audiobook, is anything less than charming and delightfully well-written, because it is those things and Richard Osman deserves all the praise he’s getting for it. The narration by Lesley Manville is truly absolute perfection as well. Really. I can’t recommend it highly enough!
It’s just: why did my mind decide to pick this particular book that I’ve so been looking forward to, to behave like a distractible hyperactive toddler in a candy store? It took me way too long to get through this book and those constant interruptions broke the flow of the story more than I would’ve liked. It didn’t ruin it, but I definitely plan a re-read in the future to catch all the nuances I undoubtedly missed. All-in-all, I still really enjoyed it and am so impressed with Osman’s debut effort.
This story of four septuagenarians - Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim, and Ron - living in Cooper’s Chase, an upscale retirement village, who band together to solve murder cases as part of the Thursday Murder Club is uplifting, warm-hearted, humorous, melancholy and heart-breaking at times, but full of life and spirit, and is well worth the effort of reading or listening to it.
The story intersperses third person narrative with sweet, man-crazy Joyce’s first person POV, as told through her diary entries, which I liked because she’s so irresistibly lovable. Elizabeth is a firecracker - astute, fearless and fun. No-nonsense Ron and intellectual Ibrahim complete this fab four with loads of personality as well. I won’t do a deep dive on the other characters because there are way too many, but suffice it to say the others are every bit as well thought-out and realized as our four main protagonists. My personal fave of these is Bogdan the Polish handyman. He’s a hoot.
The story has red herrings galore, mysterious backstories, twists, turns and fantastic plotting wrapped in a lovely, feel-good package that is perfect for those who enjoy a more relaxed, cozy mystery.
Final note: There’s a 47 minute interview at the end between author Marian Keyes interviewing Richard Osman, that is really insightful into his thought-processes in writing this and where he drew inspiration from for the characters. It also gives some sneak peeks into which characters will be in the next installment, so I’m thrilled to know that a number of favorites are returning. If you have the audio version, give this a listen!
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I've included some highlights from the audio interview which has at least one
major spoiler for this book and potential spoilers for the next one. PLEASE DON'T READ THIS IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE FIRST BOOK (unless you don't mind spoilers):
(view spoiler)
[Insights on this book and Osman himself:
He only writes what he has personal experience with, and he personally reads and loves crime and true crime stories, so that’s what he was inspired to write.
Osman went to a place very like Cooper’s Chase and was inspired by the setting and elderly people he met there. The place was out in the country with no Wi-fi and he thought it would be the perfect place for a murder to go unnoticed. He looked at these people and felt like they’d be the people who would solve the crime if it happened.
Osman says of Joyce: “Her head is my head.” Joyce encapsulates Osman’s thoughts. When Osman goes on thought tangents, Joyce was able to put those in her diary because that fits her scattered personality.
Osman had originally only written the initial scene with Bogdan, but he loved the character so much he wanted to keep writing him, eventually making him the killer half-way through the book. He refers to him as a “kind wise terminator”.
He didn’t want a relationship to develop between Donna and Chris due to the age difference.
He didn’t want to write a comedy book. He wanted to write a crime book in which humor was an element. The humor comes from how the characters behave, rather than jokes.
A lot of his writing has to do with class and class differences, because that’s how he grew up. Social justice issues are also important to him.
He’s a slow reader because he has bad eyesight, so he loves audiobooks.
Some of Osman’s favorite authors: John Le Carré, Ben Macintyre, Ian Rankin, Martin Amis, Val McDermid, Mark Billingham
He alternates fiction and non-fiction back and forth.
Insights into the next book:
The book doesn’t have a name yet, so it’s just The Thursday Murder Club 2 at the moment.
This book starts the day after the ending of the first book. It starts due to something that happens in the first book that comes back to “bites them on the bum”. He didn’t want the next book to start with fresh murders.
All the major characters are back, including Donna’s mom Patrice who will be Chris’ love interest.
Bogdan will be even more present in the next book (yay!), and Stephen and Bogdan will play more chess.
Ron’s 8-year old grandson from his slightly errant daughter will be in the next book and will develop a friendship with Ibrahim. (hide spoiler)]
Rating: really liked it
Oh no, unpopular review. Sorry to be the negative nancy here, I think this book just wasn’t for me. I really need a exciting and edge of my seat book after this one.
You will like this if you want: • A very light read
• Some humour
• Fun characters with a side of mystery
What I didn’t like:• Overall it was boring, snail pace and not much actually happened in between the few major events. In fact 90% of the novel felt like meandering fillers.
• I was never immersed, had zero interest in the case which was hard to follow and had to re-read passages because I lost focus.
• There were too many characters and I lost track. This alternated between first person point view of Joyce and in third person point of view with airtime for the 4 members of the Thursday Murder Club, the 2 detectives, suspects and other side characters. There wasn’t any deep dive into any of them so I didn’t connect with anyone.
Review Website | Bookstagram
Rating: really liked it
So, do you need a fun read? Let me recommend The Thursday Murder Club. Four septuagenarians meet weekly to review unsolved murders. Until a real live murder lands in their laps. Helping them in their cause is a young PC helping with her first murder investigation and the DS who is actually in charge of the investigation .
This is a character rich story. We hear mostly from Elizabeth, with an unspecified, but rich, background and Joyce, a retired nurse. Ibrahim, a psychologist and Ron, a labor organizer, round out the foursome. Everyone has a story, not just the foursome, but the two police officers involved and the many possible suspects. As the investigation goes along, we learn everyone’s background which allows the story to advance.
Osman reminds me of Anthony Horowitz- that lovely mix of humor, tight plotting, charm and intelligence. As an American, I was unaware of his status as a tv presenter in England. But again like Horowitz, his book reads like it will easily translate to the screen.
This was an easy, entertaining book to listen to. Chapters are short and punchy. Osman throws lots of curveballs at you and Every time I thought I knew the killer, I was proved wrong. He also does a great job of tying up every single loose end. Initially, I wasn’t overly impressed by Lesley Manville, but she grew on me as the book went along and by the end, I was enchanted by her delivery.
Rating: really liked it
TV presenter Richard Osman's debut novel is a charming and delightful cosy mystery composed of interesting characters and infused with wit and a sense of fun.
Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibriham all live in a swanky up-market retirement village in Kent, with it's own 'contemporary upscale restaurant' and a full range of sporting and recreational activities including numerous clubs and interest groups. The four retirees all belong to the Thursday Murder Club, originally set up by Elizabeth (an ex spy/intelligence officer) and her very good friend Penny (an ex detective inspector) to take a second look at some of Penny's unsolved cases. Now that Penny is lying in the nursing home waiting for the final act in her life, ex-psychiatrist Ibrahim, ex-nurse Joyce and ex-trade union leader Ron (known as 'Red Ron' in his time) all join Elizabeth for two hours every Thursday to continue working through Penny's files. When a real life murder happens at the village the Thursday Murder club set about trying to solve the crime, feeding timely information to a young PC bored with the local petty crime, Donna de Freitas, and her boss DCI Chris Hudson.
Richard Osman has an easy writing style and his characters are all delightful, warts and all, particularly Elizabeth who seems to have had quite a past and possesses a shrewdness that has not been diminished by time. Part of the narration is in the form of a diary kept by Joyce, the newest member of the club, and gives a different perspective on life in the village and what is happening. Donna, who finds herself adopted by the murder club, is delighted to find herself somehow recruited to the investigating team with Elizabeth's assistance. The plot does become quite complex (perhaps more than needed) with a lot of red herrings and revelations, but it was nevertheless good fun and all is neatly resolved. 4.5β
With many thanks to Penguin Books UK and Netgalley for a digital copy to read.
