This is a light, fast read that’s great, great fun. My mum lives in a retirement home, and while she and her friends aren’t quite as sharp, hilarious and gung-ho as Elizabeth and her gang, nor as fond of a tipple, I could relate absolutely to this novel. What a wonderful choice of protagonists – a group of elderly folk living in a luxurious retirement village determined not to let the challenges of old age get in the way of friendship, fun and adventure. Elizabeth is the unspoken leader of the Thursday Murder Club, a group of four friends who meet to solve unsolved murder cases. She has huge chutzpah and is not afraid to wangle herself and her gang into a real, ongoing murder investigation by fair means or foul. Sharp, cunning, clever and seemingly experienced in all things cloak and dagger (just what did she do as a younger woman?), she uncovers truths and secrets that keep the club one step ahead of the police. This is a cosy murder mystery, written with kind, gentle humour. I loved the image of the Waitrose delivery vans clinking with wine and repeat prescriptions each time they drive over the cattle grid into the village. Apart from the members of the Thursday Murder club, the novel is peopled with a range of memorable characters, both good and bad. And many who fall right in the middle. There are several bodies and several suspects, which kept me guessing. Richard Osman (not being English, I had to Google him to find out why he’s famous) writes absolutely delightfully about human foibles, and the challenges of growing old.

The Thursday Murder Club was a release that I was highly anticipating ever since I first heard about it, and whilst reading this book I was pleased to find this is undeniably the work of Richard Osman (this was obvious by the fact that I, at numerous times, had to google some of the words used, just to understand what they meant- haha!).

At first, I thought that the main characters would be the downfall of me being able to enjoy this book- I typically read YA fiction and so a book with pensioners as protagonists seemed like it would be a bit too big of a jump, but let me tell you that I ended up absolutely falling in love with them. Ron, Ibrahim, Joyce and Elizabeth- these characters are, to the untrained eye, unlikely heroes- but they each have their own personality bigger than the last, and to say that their ‘best days’ are behind them would certainly be an injustice.

Some reviewers have called this a ‘cosy murder story’ and as someone who doesn’t typically read ‘who-dunnit’s or gritty crime stories, that suits me just fine. This story has a multi-layered mystery, and whilst I had some suspicions about some of the right people, I never once accurately guessed even one of the number of revelations that make up the final few pages.

With all things considered, I have decided to rate The Thursday Murder Club a solid 4/5 stars

This was a really appealing choice, given the author's clever-guy image. I was expecting something wise and witty, with a smart, game-like feel. In reality, the punctuation error on the first page set the tone for the rest. The head-hopping points of view didn’t help, nor did the wavering narrative voices or stereotypical characters. Of course this wasn’t intended to be high literature but the crime genre has some hugely accomplished exponents. Hopefully, a further edit can tighten it up but clearly to me this wasn’t a very impressive read, even for a debut.

This was a fun read and I certainly enjoyed the various characters. A refreshing read with a great spin on the usual "crime" books. Certainly will be recommending this book for the book club we run and will be ordering it for the library. Thanks for the review copy

There were parts of this novel I enjoyed it was well written, witty and had some very interesting characters, but thought there was a bit of a jump in the different stories and it was quite confusing at times .Think it will appeal to many readers and I liked the actual plots but overall was not really my type of book. I'm sure it will be successful and wish Richard good luck with his writing career.

Loved this. Fans of cosy crime will be in their element - four residents of a retirement village meet weekly to discuss cold cases. Their backgrounds mean that they have an edge over the casual observer. When a murder happens on their doorstep, they can't help but investigate, often staying one step ahead of the police. Easy to read and hard to put down, this will be one of my books of the year.

Provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

I think this has been my favourite book of 2020! It started off really well with the introduction of the Thursday Murder Club and then progressed at a very steady pace.

The book is well written and the characters are amazing. I fell in like with each and everyone of the club members and the police officers.. even some of the auxiliary characters too!

I was drawn in immediately and at so many points in the story I was convinced I knew what’d happened and who the murderer was. I was wrong. It was twisty and turny and it led to the place I hadn’t expected and yet when we got there it was so very clear!

I loved this debut novel and I would most definitely read another by this author.

Well, that was a nice surprise! I usually stay clear of celebrity writers as, in my experience, they tend to be over rated and over hyped but I have to say that this book by Richard Osman was pretty good and had me engaged from start to finish.

The plot is multi-faceted with several murders both recent and historic but rather than this causing confusion, it all seems to flow smoothly and logically despite its complexity although you do have to keep your wits about you to keep up at times. The writing style is easy to read and flows well and although the main subject matter is murder, there are snippets of humour and more tender moments too.

The setting of a rather upscale retirement village is unique as are the main characters who are engaging, appealing and, at times, amusing. I really would like to get to know Elizabeth better - she is a very intriguing character and there are teasing morsels of her previous working life which are very interesting and I want to know more.

This book is what I would call a cosy-read that could be enjoyed by anyone and I would recommend it to those who enjoy a classic murder-mystery without the violence and graphic detail.

Thank you to Penguin General UK and NetGalley for my copy in return for an unbiased and unedited review.

I was not expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did. I read a lot of indie books - and this is not one of them. It's published by Penguin and has clearly gone through the full intensive publishing mill, with the highly-polished editing and promotion you would expect. I'm usually wary of such books, because they rarely live up to the hype. Established, reputable publishers turn out an awful lot of crap-for-profit books these days and I'm sick of them.

Despite my misgivings, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Yes, I know the author is funny on TV, but that doesn't necessarily always translate into a good book. It's funny, well written, well structured and very engaging. Not fall-off-your-seat funny, not 'hilarious' situations; rather your typical, understated British-TV-show humour. Casual and clever wit. Very BBC Friday/Saturday night.. You'll know yourself if that's your thing or not.

Maybe it was because I had just finished a very sad literary novel (excellent book also, but not easy reading), but reading The Thursday Murder Club was a very welcome, lighthearted and refreshing reprieve.

It is set in and around an upscale retirement community somewhere in the south of England. The main characters are residents. However, instead of the clichéd <em>old folks</em> one might expect, these guys are well-rounded characters with distinct backstories. Each of them is defined not simply as an old man or woman, but as an older version of their former professional selves. Still mentally active and still with connections to the rest of the world. There's ex-spy chief Elizabeth , former psychiatrist Ibrahim, former trades union leader Ron and former nurse Joyce; all very different and bringing their own qualities, skills - and backgrounds - to the team. On the police side, there's the Chris and Donna duo. The interplay between the two of them and between them as a team and the Murder Club, is very well done and adds to the fun and plot twists.

Noteworthy - Joyce keeps a diary that is interspersed through the story. It's very, very funny as well as providing variety in the narrative structure.

The plot is, like its characters, rather rambling and at times makes no sense, but it all makes sense in the end. Lots of unexpected twists. Sure, you could argue that it is far-fetched... Of course it is! It's a comedic cozy mystery set in a retirement community, for goodness sake! If you're looking for highly accurate social realism, you're reading the wrong book.

What makes this book such a pleasure to read is its warmth and compassion, along with the wit and fun. It's character driven. So it's wonderful to know there's at least one more book in the offing. I want more of this!

<em>My thanks to Netgalley for giving me a free copy of this book. All my reviews are 100% honest and unbiased, regardless of how I acquire the book.</em>

Witty and fun, as to be expected of Richard Osman. Plenty of likeable characters and lots of twists and turns and misdirections.

This is a wonderful book, and hopefully the first of many. I understand the second in the series is due soon, can’t wait. It is well written, with a mixture of funny and poignant situations. I loved the characters and where the story was set. it keeps you guessing right to the very end. A great read and highly recommended.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This story is based around an upscale retirement community, and specifically one of the activities that takes place there - the Thursday Murder Club. This group meet weekly to look through old cold cases to try and solve them. However, soon murders start occurring around them - providing a live case to test their wits on!

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this story- I thought the premise sounded interesting, but I thought it might be a bit staid and predictable. Happily, I was quite surprised!! It’s much funnier than I expected, with very well crafted characters. Each of the characters seem to have a very interesting backstory and it wasn’t overwritten - there were references to their past, but just enough to keep me intrigued, although I would welcome further detail, particularly for Elizabeth, I imagine that she has a very interesting story to tell!! I really enjoyed this - a good plot, with a solid mystery at its heart, and a fairly elegant solution. All the loose ends were nearly tied up to a satisfactory conclusion, and I would definitely be looking for the next in the series! A good 4.5 stars!

I am a big fan of Richard Osman's work, so I was really excited to be given the opportunity to listen to his debut novel to see whether his talents would stretch to writing. It seems that they do, as I loved his writing style. It's gentle with a healthy dose of British humour that meant that a smile rarely left my face as I was listening.

It is the characters in The Thursday Murder Club that are the star of this show. Although it seemed at first that there would be little for me to relate to in these geriatric detectives, I quickly grew to love them and their foibles, wanting to become involved in their lives in the retirement village. This is enhanced by the entries from Joyce's diary which allow us to see events from her point of view. However, it is not just the older people who gave me reason to enjoy this novel. The police officers working the case, Chris and Donna, are also well developed and I was able to warm to them too.

The Thursday Murder Club may not be the gory novel I would usually read, but nevertheless it is very well plotted and it kept me intrigued throughout as I wondered who was responsible for the crime. There are a few twists as the mystery is resolved and this meant the ending was not the simple ending I had predicted, but rather a poignant one which left me with some things to think about.

The audio version of The Thursday Murder Club is narrated by Lesley Manville. I love her work and she narrates the novel as brilliantly as I thought she would. She adds inflection and expression in all the right places so that she can bring Osman's wonderful characters to life.

Released just last week, The Thursday Murder Club is the first novel from TV personality Richard Osman, best known for co-hosting the popular gameshow Pointless, as well as (one of my favourites) Richard Osman’s House of Games.

Set in a small retirement village in Kent, The Thursday Murder Club is a cosy crime mystery focussed on a group of residents who have formed a club to review unsolved crime cases. Whilst previously they haven’t been able to do much with the findings of their investigations, a local murder leads them to become involved with trying to help catch a killer.

The book switches between the general story featuring all of the characters and diary entries from new Thursday Murder Club member Joyce. Whilst it did take me a few chapters to get used to the writing style, the addition of the diary entries was interesting and added an extra layer to the story, helping the reader to keep on track with the investigation.

One of the things I enjoyed most was the small village setting of Coopers Chase, and the little details, such as the fact that the room for the club was booked under a code name in order to stay secret, were a fun addition. The main characters were generally likeable, although there were quite a few other different characters to keep track of as the story progressed.

The Thursday Murder Club isn’t an action-packed crime thriller, but it could be the perfect Autumn read for fans of a cosier mystery to pick up this season. It’s also set to be the first in a series, so it looks like we’ll being seeing more from Elizabeth, Ibrahim, Ron and Joyce in future.

I really wanted to love this book but whilst I enjoyed it I didn’t love it unfortunately.
I liked the older characters and some of the story telling made me laugh but I struggled to follow the plot at times and lost track of who everyone was.
Overall I think I’d recommend it for a nice light hearted read.

This was a good little afternoon read. The characters were fun to read about, the murder was a little obvious but still managed to have a good twist at the end and the plot progression was steady enough that I didn't lose interest. There was a very slight lag around the 40% mark where nothing was really happening, but the humour in the writing was enough to keep the reading experience still enjoyable. Although it wasn't a particularly memorable novel, it was still an entertaining read.

At the Coopers Chase Retirement Village in Kent, four of the residents meet up every Thursday night in the Jigsaw Room, booked under the guise of a Japanese opera discussion group, to talk about unsolved police crimes (cold cases).

Calling themselves The Thursday Murder Club, the group consists of Elizabeth, whose former occupation is mysteriously only alluded to, Joyce Meadowcroft (79), who was a nurse, Ibrahim Arif (80), a former psychiatrist, and Ron ‘Red Ron’ Ritchie (75), a famous ex-trade union leader who ‘never believes a single word anyone ever tells him’.

Joyce is the newest member, invited to join after Penny Gray, a former detective inspector in the Kent Police, has to move into the on-site nursing home, Willows. Penny used to supply the group with the unsolved murder case files that they study carefully – reading all the evidence and every witness statement and poring over photos, trying to find anything that might have been missed.

The retirement village sounds wonderful! It’s for over 65 year olds and currently has around 300 residents. It was built 10 years ago on the now-extended site, which used to be a convent and voluntary hospital (later a care home and now Willows). The village has numerous facilities: swimming pool, gym, exercise studio, bowling green, library, lounge and ‘contemporary upscale restaurant’. The development has a chapel, which is the original and unchanged, and it is set in 12 acres of woodland and hillside with two small lakes and there are sheep and llamas on the hills.

There are plans to carry out a new development at Coopers Chase, and this has caused a furore with the occupants. There’s talk of trees being felled, the graveyard being moved and wind turbines installed, so a consultation meeting between the owner, Ian Ventham, and the residents is held.

The following day, after a rather heated discussion between Ventham and his builder, Tony Curran, who has a shady past, one of the men is found dead in the kitchen by his wife – he’d been bludgeoned with a heavy object.

With a real-life crime to get their teeth into, The Thursday Murder Club investigates the murder with the help of PC Donna De Freitas, 26, who they first met when she visited Coopers Chase to do a talk about home security tips, which the group rather hijacked! Donna transferred from the Metropolitan Police in London to Fairhaven and is rather bored by the lack of action in the seaside town. The group cunningly persuade Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) Chris Hudson (51) to allow Donna to join the squad investigating the murder and from then on manage to exchange information with the officers without them really realising what’s going on! The pensioners always seem to be a couple of steps ahead of the police by using their clever minds and some handy contacts!

This was an excellent cosy murder mystery with numerous twists and turns, secrets and startling revelations, as well as lots of wry humour and some amusing and witty observations, which really made me chuckle at times. The main protagonists of the murder club are brilliantly drawn: feisty and eccentric but enthusiastic characters who make funny little asides and carry out some impressive detecting work. Despite the subject matter, this is a heart-warming tale with some poignant and touching moments and I found it really delightful and intriguing.

The short chapters work well and definitely made me fly through the book, thinking ‘Just one more chapter …’! It’s written in an engaging conversational style and Joyce’s diary entries add another angle to the story and are a nice little interlude.

Overall, I really enjoyed this cleverly written book; it was entertaining, action packed and gripping. I had to suspend disbelief at times but that was all part of the fun! I’m excited to hear that there’s going to be a book two out in September 2021 – I can’t wait!

I am not a fan of “celebrity” books, in fact I would even go as far as to say I actively avoid books written by celebrities… however there is something about Richard Osman. Maybe it’s because he always seems so nice and down-to-earth on TV and having begged him for a quick selfie at Harrogate in 2018 I can confirm that he is as nice and down-to-earth in real life and he is also very, very funny having watched him take part in the Two Crime Writers panel event.

So when I heard he had written a book I was eager to get my hands on a copy and see what all the fuss was about.

Set in a luxury retirement village called Coopers Chase, the 300 residents aren’t interested in spending their twilight years watching TV and staring out a window, instead they enjoy a busy itinerary from Conversational French to Cryptic Crossword, eating in a fine upscale restaurant, using the swimming pool, jacuzzi and sauna, taking a Zumba class or using the gym. Surrounded by twelve acres of woodland and beautiful open hillside, plus a herd of llamas.

Every Thursday a select group of octogenarian’s meet in the Jigsaw Room to try and solve old cases and call themselves The Thursday Murder Club. Initially run by Penny, an ex-police officer, the group have access to old police files and use their combined skills and expertise to crack cold cases. Now run by Elizabeth, when a murder occurs with links to Coopers Chase the group eagerly jump at the chance to get involved and try to catch the killer before the police.

This book has so many wonderful characters, from our “diariest” Joyce, an ex-nurse and widow to Elizabeth, the no-nonsense leader of the group with a very secretive past and connections in all the high places, Donna the new police officer who has moved to the area to escape her past. It was difficult to find a favourite because each and every character brought some humour and depth to the story.

The Thursday Murder Club would be classed as a “cosy murder mystery” – but it is so much more. It’s fun, it’s quirky, it’s enjoyable, it’s clever, it’s amusing and above all it’s a delightful escape from reality and I can’t wait for book 2.

As a best seller in new releases I was really looking forward to read the book. I absolutely love thrillers and I had really high expectations of this book. However, the book was more of a cozy mystery reading rather than gripping thrillers that I would have preferred.

The four retired pensioners from Kent form Thursday Murder Club. They solve mystery murders from old days which are not solved yet until they have real murders in their town.

The writing is quite different than I am used to normally and sometimes being complicated some of the time. There are so many characters so it was quite hard to remember who is who and I had to keep going back to identify them. Initially I was totally into the book but found it rather slow and lengthy towards the end. The author uses a light hearted sarcasm so the characters do not make us laugh aloud but there are some decent humor enough to make one smile.

It could just be me but I didn’t understand the Peter Mercy and John’s confession. I even read it twice! As in I got the idea but I didn’t really get the whole picture. So if anyone could explain that would be great!

So if you want a cozy thrillers then this is definitely for you!

A highly entertaining and gripping story, I loved what I read and I hope it is the first in a series featuring this great senior.
It's very funny and heartbreaking at time, the senior characters are fleshed out, realistic and likable. I loved them and I love how well they were developed.
The mystery is solid, full of twists and red herring, and the solution came as a surprise.
The author is a talented storyteller and I couldn't put down this story laughing, rooting for the characters and being moved reading some parts.
I can't wait to read the next book by this author as I loved this one.
Gripping, entertaining and brilliant, it's strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine.