The Seemingly Serene Retirement Village....
In a seemingly peaceful, seemingly quiet and seemingly serene retirement village four friends, together by circumstance, host meetings to consider unsolved murders. It beggars belief that one day these four have a very real murder on their hands and their meetings soon take a very different turn. Engaging mystery with likeable protagonists and a colourful supporting cast of characters. An enjoyable, escapist read.

Well this book was just an absolute delight! It’s the first book in a new crime series written by the brilliant Richard Osman - yes of Pointless fame and who doesn’t love that show.😍

In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet up once a week to investigate unsolved murders. But when a brutal killing takes place, the Murder Club find themselves in the middle of their first live case. Oh my gosh, I loved Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron. What a fantastic bunch of characters! They are all pushing eighty yet they keep everyone on their toes. 👏🏻 The writing was so charming, witty, laugh out loud funny and utterly British. One minute they are talking about a gruesome murder and then chatting about having a biscuit. 😂 And parts were so touching and sad, and I loved how the four all came together to support one another. Do you know what it made me think of? This may make you laugh...do you remember that programme NEW TRICKS? 🤣 It reminded me of both NEW TRICKS and MIDSOMER MURDERS. 🙋🏼‍♀️ Such a fun debut and an pleasure to read. I can’t wait for the next book in the series! 💃🏼

Highly recommend THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB if you love a good old ‘whodunnit’ and fancy some joyful escapism. Grab yourself a copy, and relax with a cuppa and a hobnob. Fabulous 🥳.

I tried, I really did but in the end this defeated me. I got about half way through and I just could not bring myself to finish it. I found the plot a bit slow and cumbersome.

The story centers around four pensioners (Ron, Ibrahim, Elizabeth & Joyce) who all live at Coppers Chase Retirement Village. They are all members of the Thursday Murder Club where they try to solve cold cases. But now, they have a live murder case to investigate.
The story us told from multiple points if view.
I would describe this book as a cosy mystery with some humour.
Thanks to the publishers & netgalley for this read.

For the residents of a luxury retirement village life is one long round of clubs, wine and socialising but when the developer of their complex puts forward plans for expansion things start to go wrong. Firstly his business associate is murdered and then so is he. This is all grist to the mill of the Thursday Murder Club, a small group of octogenarians who meet to mull over old cases, who team up with the local police to solve the crimes.
Normally I would shy clear of 'celebrity' novels on the basis that actually there is a ghostwriter and the stories are puerile. However this was a pleasant surprise. Despite the very twee approach to murder and the not very convincing solution to the plot there is some real substance here. The treatment of the problems of old age a both funny and sad and there is also an undercurrent around racism and the attitudes towards immigrants. It's definitely at the gentle end of crime fiction but also very readable.

What a fun read! Full of the expected twists and turns but with a group of unusual, creative and diverse characters. The age of the amateur detectives gives a fun and usual advantage their approach, as they delve into old crime cases as a retirement activity!
To get the most fun out of this book, you have to have suspension of disbelief and go with the fictional world. It's enjoyable, charming, witty and creative. I enjoyed it, and would definitely read more,

I found this an extremely enjoyable read. The gentle humour running through it made me smile (even in a book about murder). The leading characters are quirky but still believable. A great read.

I absolutely loved The Thursday Murder Club.

Joyce, Elizabeth, Ibrahim and Ron are residents of Coopers Chase Retirement Village. They are the ‘Thursday Murder Club’. They’ve been working on unsolved murder cases for a while, but then find themselves investigating two recent killings. They manage to stay one step ahead of the police team, PC Donna De Freitas and DCI Chris Hudson.

The plot and whodunnit aspect of the book makes it a page turner, and I was gripped until the end on the storyline. However what I enjoyed most about this book were the characters. The dialogue and timings of the conversations between Joyce, Elizabeth, Ibrahim and Ron is brilliant and laugh out loud funny at times. By the end of the book I felt like I really knew them. The criminal characters are also brilliantly written. I had a soft spot for DCI Hudson, an old timer detective struggling with the ‘extra timber’ he’s carrying, and wondering if he’ll ever get a girlfriend. DCI Hudson and PC De Freitas form a wonderful relationship with the Thursday Murder Club. At times it did all feel a little surreal, but I got the sense that’s exactly the position the police found themselves in.

I hope that Richard Osman is planning to bring these characters back in another crime novel. I can’t wait to meet them all again and spend a few more hours in their company. A highly entertaining read. And if only there was actually a Waitrose in Tunbridge Wells ...

Knowing the author from his TV show and loving his personality, I was intrigued to see how his debut novel faired. I enjoyed the plot of this book but felt the storyline dragged a little in places and I got a little confused at times as to had done what and who was who.

I didn't see the ending coming so loved how the story was tied up neatly but I would have loved the story to have had a little more oomph at times as I found myself finding it a little slow before ramping up the pace and then slowing right down again.

Firstly, thank you to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book prior to publication.

When I saw this book I immediately requested it as it was written by Richard Osman. I find his wit on Pointless part of the enjoyment of the programme.

I was not disappointed in this book. It is funny and endearing, with many comic references. Although there are some unsavoury people in the book, I found the main characters in the Thursday Murder Club delightful. They are a group of elderly people living in a retirement complex, who on a Thursday, meet to discuss some cold case murders. However, in the book, it is not cold cases that they are trying to solve but murder(s) happening right under their noses.

I really enjoyed it and it’s certainly worth reading.

The Thursday Murder Club is a lighthearted novel set in an upmarket retirement village. The club meet to go over cold cases in an attempt to solve them. When a someone they know is murdered, they take on the case and as more crimes are committed, they use the skills learned from their previous working lives to help unpick the mysteries.
The characters in this book are hilarious and well observed, while still being respectful to the older generation. The message that retirement and old age don’t equate to insignificance and worthlessness is also very clear. I did feel that the balance between character banter and plot development wasn’t quite right, but I’m sure other people would disagree.

As a huge lover of Richard Osman on Pointless, I just had to request his debut novel. I absolutely loved it. It has a very "Father Brown" feel to it and I just love golden oldies sticking their noses into crimes. The writing style was brilliant., I can't wait to read more!

There’s a huge number of books being published in one go just at the moment, because of the Covid backlog, so the fight for readers (and buyers) is on. This book came out on 3rd September and is already a bestseller. There are celebrity novels and celebrity novels and when the book is by Richard Osman, you can at least be sure that he wrote it himself.

The Thursday Murder Club is set in a retirement village called Coopers Chase. It’s refreshing to read a book about old people who aren’t just waiting to die but still find life interesting (shades here of The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83¼, set in an Amsterdam care home). The dominant character is the remarkable Elizabeth, whom one assumes worked for the secret services in a previous life. The other members of the club are Ron, formerly a fiery union leader, Ibrahim, an Egyptian psychiatrist and Joyce, once a nurse. The book begins with a note apparently written by a murderer who has hidden a body and got away with it. Yet once the murders begin around Coopers Chase, the bodies are very evident. So, the mystery is who might be dead and where the body is buried. I had my theories but Osman has been very clever with his red herrings and there are some surprises. Naturally, the oldies prove better than the police at researching and uncovering secrets; they have their methods. Even so, there are a few loose ends left dangling temptingly.

I had a problem with the random narrative jumps. For instance, one might be reading an extract from Penny’s diary when the very next sentence reverts to the third person and the storyteller is not Penny at all. This may be due to reading a proof copy on the Kindle; possibly the physical book is better in this respect. I was intrigued by the mystery, liked the characters very much and was often amused. This is the first book in a projected trilogy. Would I like to read the next one? Yes please.

Thanks to Penguin books and NetGalley for the preview.

I really enjoyed this.

This book grabs you instantly, not because of vicious murder or intriguing descriptions, but through the characters. You cannot help but be drawn into the world of Joyce, Elizabeth, Ibrahim and Ron. The whole story unfolds gently and the fantastic, warmly likeable characters are at the heart of this enjoyable read.

Richard Osman writes well, as you’d expect from a known intellectual. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and will look out for more in this series!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy of this book.

Little did we really know what a talented bloke Richard Osman is, we may have guessed due to his humour and clever use of words but any doubt will be removed reading his debut novel.

Set in a retirement village, it is the story of four residents who come together to form the Thursday Murder Club. Initially, using a retired police inspector’s old case notes of unsolved murder investigations. They have various skills which they bring to the discussion and the book works well showing how their relationship deepens and matures.
The group’s enthusiasm knows no bounds when a real murder occurs of the development’s builder. They are involved from the beginning as the builder and the developer were always around the complex as controversial plans are made to expand the village. Indeed they had witnessed the two having a stand-up argument following a consultation meeting with the residents.

This is no cosy murder series. The plot develops logically with issues that are up to date and real, from sharp business practice, criminal gangs and buried secrets. I liked the pace and the interaction between a large cast of characters. How the old folk manage to place themselves in the midst of the police investigation is quite brilliant and they never lose their initiative.

The enquiry unravels a tangle of hidden crimes where one action follows another to open up a mystery full of thrills and unexpected twists.

This is an accomplished novel which has great potential. Listening to an interview with the author it seems this work will indeed lead to a book deal and a TV series.

Established crime writers struggling for recognition and a TV option must wonder how Richard Osman has done so incredibly well. If they read this novel they will be left without doubt, here is a real talent, born to write crime fiction and in the Murder Club has unearthed a rich vein to mine for years to come.
I wish him well; I look forward to more episodes from these unlikely elderly detectives who solve crimes and stole my heart.

I downloaded this book as I like Richard Osman and was pleasantly surprised that it was a very pleasant cosy mystery. I like stories that have old people sticking their noses in where they shouldn't, I enjoyed these characters and would certainly like reading about their antics again.

**THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND THE PUBLISHER FOR AN ARC COPY OF THIS TITLE IN EXCHANGE FOR A FAIR AND HONEST REVIEW**

I'm a big fan of Richard Osman and have enjoyed his humour on Pointless for many years. When I saw his name on this book, I requested it immediately. I must admit I was also intrigued by the concept of a group of crime-solving OAPs.

The story was a slow-burn for me,. Despite enjoying Osman's sense of humour on TV, I found the regular references to various supermarkets and quips about screw-top wine quite irritating.

The story picked up pace in the 2nd half and I enjoyed it more as I read on. There were some clever twists and I liked the caring relationships between the various residents. I also found Elizabeth an intriguing character, will we learn more about her past in book 2?

All in all, a decent whodunnit with likeable characters and an interesting setting. I'll definitely look out for the 2nd book.

This is what you would expect from Richard Osman, funny, witty and with a decent murder plot or two. A group of people living out the twilight of their lives at a retirement village, meet once a week for The Thursday Murder Club. Their aim is to go over old cases of murders and try and discover if something was missed first time round. Friends, whose paths would probably never have met in their younger days, find they have something in common. Their goal is probably not to solve old murders but to prove their minds are still as active as they once were when they held important roles. Their gentle lives are suddenly thrown into turmoil when a murder happens right on their doorstep and, even more shocking, it is someone they know. The Thursday Murder Club at once takes on new meaning and their investigations become real. After manipulating the local police, they become fully involved with solving the crime. As the story develops in a fairly gentile way but with suspicious characters aplenty there are many reasons to mistrust all kinds of people. The story eventually comes to its rather unexpected conclusion and is wrapped up in a sad, funny and heartwarming way. Excellent debut from Richard Osman that is a lovely, easy read. Although, it involves murder, deviousness and some rather wicked characters, it is by no means dark or disturbing.

A really wonderful book. Brimmed full of life and vitality, with characters who jumped off the page and into your living room. Osman makes living in a retirement village sound like something everyone should look forward to.
The Thursday Murder Club, Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim, meet, not coincidentally on Thursdays in the jigsaw room to discuss cold cases forgotten by the police. It passes an hour for them, and gives them an excuse (not that they need it) to enjoy a glass or two of wine!
Everything is going as it usually does, slowly but contentedly, until a real life murder on their patch thrusts them into the middle of a live investigation.
What follows is a glorious romp across the Kent countryside, with a detour to Cyprus thrown in for good measure. With a little help from the real police, and a Polish builder, the intrepid septuagenerian foursome follow the clues in their own, unique way.
Gangsters, drug dealers, and former professional boxers complete the cast of miscreants who come under the miscroscope of the former spy(?), nurse, union leader and physiatrist.
Definitely not a Pointless read!

I've seen SO MANY great reviews for The Thursday Murder Club that I thought I'd probably do my usual thing of thinking it just alright. Not this time. This book completely lived up to the hype. Never before has a book made me excited about a possible future life in a retirement village!

I loved this. It was intelligent and funny. The characters were real and very lovable (give or take a few villainous bit parts). This might just be the first novel I've read that apologetically references Sainsburys Taste the Difference range. Loved it!