Title: The Thursday Murder Club
Author: Richard Osman
Published: 3rd September 2020, Viking UK
Status: Read September 2020 courtesy PenguinUK/Netgalley}
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My Thoughts:
“A few glasses of wine and a mystery. Very social, but also gory. It is good fun.”
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman is a delightful mystery debut from UK TV host, Richard Osman.
Set in a luxury retirement village in the south-east region of England, new resident Joyce is quietly thrilled when Elizabeth asks for her professional opinion about a knife wound, and then extends an invitation to join The Thursday Murder Club. The club, so named because it meets on Thursday’s, studies cold cases from the files of a retired Detective Inspector (who is now too ill to participate), and includes Elizabeth, a former intelligence operative; Ibrahim, a mostly retired psychiatrist; and Ron, once a union boss, who enjoys playing devil’s advocate. The group enjoy the intellectual challenge of their investigations, but when the part owner/builder of The Coopers Chase Retirement Village, is found bludgeoned to death, the foursome are determined to have a hand in solving the case.
The Thursday Murder Club is a cosy mystery, rather than a thriller, but if one death isn’t enough to satisfy your lust for murder, you are in luck, because Curran is only the first to die. The builder is barely in his grave, when his pompous partner, Ian, keels over dead, and then the bones of another murder victim are found in a graveyard. Osman offers an engaging plot that provides plenty of red herrings as the Club members, and police, try to determine what, if any, connection exists between the three deaths, searching for motive, piecing together clues and chasing leads, even all the way to Greece. I thought the story was well paced, and just unpredictable enough to keep me guessing.
Honestly though it’s the quirky, shrewd and lively protagonists of this novel, who despite their advanced age, or perhaps because of it, aren’t shy about insinuating themselves into the case, much to the exasperation and eventual grudging respect of local police officers, PC Donna de Freitas, and DCI Chris Hudson, that are the winning ingredient. I was absolutely charmed by the personalities of the foursome as they inveigled, manipulated, coerced, and traded favours in their race to solve the murders. Joyce, Elizabeth and Donna in particular are spirited characters who tend to steal the limelight.
Though there is plenty of humour to be found in The Thursday Murder Club, much of it dry in the way that only British humour can be, there are some poignant moments too, which gives the story some depth. Osman touches on some of the disadvantages of ageing, such as failing physical and cognitive abilities, the illness and loss of a spouse, and loneliness, but also reminds us that old age doesn’t have to mean giving up on passion or excitement.
Charming, witty and entertaining, I sincerely hope that we’ll be enjoying the antics of the The Thursday Murder Club again soon.
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Available from Penguin UK
Or from your preferred retailer via Booko I Book Depository I HiveUK I Indiebound
Sep 04, 2020 @ 05:49:17
This sounds like a very fun read. It has been a while since I read a mystery. This makes me want to start reading one ASAP. 😀
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Sep 04, 2020 @ 07:20:26
I’ve seen this promoted heavily here in UK right now. It does sound good fun …
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Sep 04, 2020 @ 14:10:59
I believe the author is a TV quiz show host In the UK which probably explains the promotion.
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Sep 04, 2020 @ 13:33:17
I like the idea of humor and travel in a murder mystery. This sounds like a good one.
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Sep 04, 2020 @ 18:54:12
It looks nice and I’m always on the look out for new cozy.
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Sep 05, 2020 @ 01:54:02
I have seen this about and have resisted requesting, It does sound good, thanks for sharing your thoughts!
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Sep 05, 2020 @ 02:34:34
As luck would have it, Richard is doing his stuff on the TV as I type! I was feeling all sniffy that a blooming presenter had managed to get his amateurish scribble published – but your excellent review puts to bed any concerns that I might have had about the quality of the writing:)). Thank you for sharing – I will be adding this to my TBR…
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Sep 05, 2020 @ 03:22:05
Lol, well hopefully you will agree it’s a great read 🙂
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Sep 05, 2020 @ 23:21:49
I’ll let you know when I get hold of a copy:))
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Sep 05, 2020 @ 08:26:25
This sounds excellent and it looks like I can get it here too. Thanks for sharing.
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Sep 07, 2020 @ 04:33:34
This book has been making the rounds. I do hope to get my hands on it soon. Especially after reading your great review!
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