A drily witty debut novel, this murder mystery is tongue in cheek and funny and thoroughly enjoyable. I thoroughly enjoyed the story feeling and detail around life in a Retirement Village- not as dead as you might think,
Read this alongside a glass of wine, feet up on the sofa and , breathe deep and quaff delicately.
One to lighten a book club load!
Look forward the the next one,

The debut novel from Pointless' Richard Osman is a satisfying quintessentially British murder mystery.
Set in the world of the Coopers Chase Retirement Village, in the fictional Kent town of Fairhaven, the book revolves around the Thursday Murder Club. This is a club who meet secretly each Thursday in the jigsaw room, under the guise of “Japanese opera- a discussion” whereby they set about solving criminal cold-cases to their own satisfaction. As our book starts Joyce (and ex nurse) is being invited to become a member. She joins Ibrahim (ex-psychiatrist), Ron (ex-Trade Union boss), and their leader, Elizabeth (whose past is never revealed to us, the reader, but Joyce states "murders and investigations and what have you wouldn't be unfamiliar work for her") What Elizabeth's past does provide – handily for the plot - is a lots of connections that can provide access to important information. What Joyce and Elizabeth don't bank upon, is that a current real life murder soon needs their attention too. Who killed Tony Curran, the Retirement Village owner?

A live murder case, also brings the Club to the attention of the local police, and in particular DCI Chris Hudson and PC Donna De Freitas. The clubs parallel investigation exasperates the pair until they realise the value being provided. The comedy value provided in the exchanges is also delightful. The image of Hudson sandwiched on a sofa during one update had tears – from laughter - in my eyes.

Book flips back and forward from third person narrative involving all the books characters and Joyce's diary entries. This works well, playing on her 'new' to the group position. The pacing is fairly sedate, but that seems rather appropriate given the setting and the main characters. That said the final body count – past and present for various causes - is surprisingly high when all the stones are uncovered! Character development is also at a minimum but again, is enough to engage the reader and drive the plot. The book meanders, it twists and turns, it has red herrings galore, it has wit (as you'd expect from Osman) and it has heart. The way various issues around ageing – dementia, assisted suicide, grief, loss etc – are handled is with warmth, care and understanding.

I have to say I enjoyed my time with Donna, Chris, Ibrahim, Ron , Joyce, and Elizabeth immensely ; which is just as well, as it seems that they may be returning next year in a follow up mystery. I can also see this ending up on our tv screens in the not too distant future. Lots of fun.

Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC to read and review.

This is genuinely one of my favourite books I've ever read. It had everything that makes a good book for me: Loveable characters, a murder mystery, emotional moments and humour.

Starting with the characters, I just adored them. They were all so easy to picture and I really loved reading about them. Joyce is one of the best characters I've ever had the pleasure of reading about - she was just lovely and I really enjoyed her witty observations.

The mystery itself was also brilliant. There were just enough red herrings without getting into the realms of the ridiculous and I had no idea where the story was going but I really enjoyed finding out! Everything ended perfectly for me and I loved that the epilogue was written by my favourite character.

I had a lump in my throat at various moments in the book and I loved the theme of couples growing old together and not knowing quite what to do with themselves when the other passes away. You could really feel how much their partners meant to the characters and reading about their love stories was just wonderful (and a bit sad at the same time.)

All of this emotion was balanced by the fact that Richard Osman is very funny. There were some laugh out loud sentences and I thought the writing was generally fantastic.

I could go on for hours about how much I enjoyed this book but suffice to say I will be recommending it to everyone I know and I will be first in line for Richard Osman's next book. I have a feeling this one will stay in my heart for a long time.

This novel is great fun. It is based in a retirement home where its Thursday Murder Club members finally find themselves in the ‘fortunate’ position of being able to investigate a real murder. Wry humour brilliantly undercuts much of the narration and there is plenty of action, well-conceived characters, unexpected twists, and some hilarious one-liners. As well as being brilliantly funny in places there are more tender moments told with great warmth and compassion. The pacing was a little slow in places where I felt there was too much unnecessary detail, but I really enjoyed it overall.

I like you, Richard Osman, really I do. As a dead-pan compère. As an author, not so much.
Four retirement villagers try to solve two murders, usually in their “Thursday Murder Club” they review unsolved cases but then a real murder happens...and another.
As geriatric sleuthing goes, this ain’t no Miss Marple. You’d be much better served with Joanna Cannon’s “Three Things About Elsie”. Or if you prefer a sassy madcap protagonist, try the Auntie Poldi books by Mario Giordano.
The plot of this book moves at a glacial pace and there is a pongy whiff of patronising in the air: Ha, those oldtimers - they thought a “tablet” referred to their medication... awww bless. Similarly, the reader is deemed incapable of following the plot since everything is recapped in the chapters headed “Joyce”. There is a cast of gazillions, the gaggle of oldies, nasty developers, a shady priest, an ex-spy, a retired psychiatrist, an ex-union VIP, nuns, a shady boxer, a Cypriot mobster, a landed farmer, a suspicious Polish handyman, spouses loyal to the death (and beyond) plus loads of sideshow characters, it’s exhausting.
I’m sorry, but had it been written under a non-de-plume, I guess it would never have broken surface.
Just scraped into 3*.

When I started this book I wasn’t sure that I wanted to carry on reading it, but I’m so glad I did. It’s a very different murder(s) mystery with a cast of elderly people in a retirement village and members of the local police force.
The book has a lovely dry humour, the main characters are so well drawn that you feel you know them, and it has many twists and turns to keep you on your toes. My only (small) complaint is that it became very convoluted near the end, and I found it a little difficult to ‘keep up’ - but that could be just me.
If this is the start of a series - I’ll be reading the next one.

I really enjoyed this book. The portrayal of the main 4 characters based in an upmarket retirement village was great. How lovely to read a murder mystery where, despite being beyond retirement age, they have their marbles, aren’t portrayed as completely over the hill and are credited with realistic and interesting back stories. Also, the local police were portrayed as ordinary hardworking people, not just bumbling plods, which happens so often in this particular genre. This is a lovely tale, plenty to get your teeth in to and not too obvious an ending. I’ll certainly be looking out for the follow up.

Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for an honest review.

When I found that Richard had written a book, I was very eager to read it. So was very grateful to Netgalley, and Penguin Books for this ARC.
I hoped that Richard’s intelligence, obvious humour and wit, would flow into his writing, and I wasn’t disappointed.
The book is very subtle, the murder is not gory, the humour is not of the “belly laugh” variety. What you read is much better than that. The book is full of intelligent, wry humour, with a generous sprinkling of irony throughout.

There are constant light touches of humour peppered through. The naming of the dog that Ron helps to Rescue. The play on words in the name of the vegan cafe. The Keep It Simple smoothie that Ian favours. The reason why Malcolm Weekes was late for the minibus.
The whole scene where DCI Hudson meets The Thursday Murder Club in Joyce’s lounge had me smiling and chuckling continuously.
In my mind I see Joyce as being a lovely June Whitfield character, and Elizabeth as a similar character to Maggie Smith, as The Dowager Countess from Downton Abbey. A very sharp mind and tongue, which belies the kindness she shows to those who deserve it.
There are so many lines that I could quote to you, that have made me smile, but I won’t. This would spoil you finding these gems for yourself, and it would also make this one of the longest book reviews ever written.

This book is wonderful. It is very British, intelligent, warm, witty and it is also very tender. The love and protectiveness that Elizabeth has for Stephen is beautiful, and I found the meeting between Donna and Penny very touching.
In case you weren’t sure, this is a 5* star review from me. Read the book, you won’t regret it.

A hugely enjoyable caper filled with smart observational humour and a vast list of hugely likeable characters.

The Thursday Murder Club is difficult to pin down. It’s a cosy mystery that isn’t all that cosy. The characters all have plenty of suprises and secrets to keep us guessing. However, what really sets it out is the comedy. It is packed with observations and humour to the extent I think I would pick up even more from reading it a second time.

Thoroughly entertaining albeit, if it’s pitching in the crime genre, the “whodunnit” element didn’t really hold my attention. A rounded up 3.5*.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in consideration of an honest review.

This is exactly the type of book I would pick up in a bookstore. I love a murder mystery and this book is billed as exactly this. It is more a cosy mystery than thriller, but still very enjoyable. There is a good mix of characters, and I really enjoyed that they all had such vibrant personalities. There isn't a lot of character development in the story, but I don't think that's what this book is about at all. I would have loved to see more of the police officers, as I think they could've added a new dimension to the story.

I have to admit (no spoilers) there are a couple of twists in this book and I did not predict them, in fact at one point I thought something was going to happen and it turned out to be something totally different! There are also some great comedic moments, but I would've loved to see more of Osman's dry wit throughout the book, as I think that could've boosted the slower parts. I also think Osman's handling of sensitive topics (assisted suicide, dementia, etc.) was expertly done.

However, the pacing is very slow. There were definitely things I felt could have been missed out, or written in much less words, and the whole book could probably do with being about 25-50 pages shorter. If you're looking for fast-paced, this isn't the book for you. I also thought the writing was a bit jumpy. It's split into two points of view - Joyce's notes/diary entries, and a third person narrative. I personally didn't feel Joyce's POV added anything to the story, but I can see what Osman was trying to achieve by including it.

My final thoughts: overall an enjoyable book. If you're a fan of a cosy cottage type mystery, then this could be just the book for you! I would 100% pick up another if this were to become a series, but I would like to see more character development over more books.

This full review will be featured on my blog on 22nd August 2020.

Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron are all part of The Thursday Murder Club at their posh retirement village where they all live. I liked the underlying message that you shouldn't right any of them off just because they are all considered elderly! They had all lived fascinating lives and love getting together to solve unsolved murders! Thought it was entertaining and hope it's optioned for TV, it would work on the screen really well

I wasn't sure about reading this book. TV presenter turned writer, for me, doesn't usually work. I love a good cozy style mystery though- and that was what this sounded like, so I thought I'd give it a chance. I'm so glad I did. It's clever, witty and drew me in from the first page.

Loved it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I read a free advance review copy of the book. This review is voluntary, honest and my own opinion.

Sometimes, it's nice to pick up a book that does exactly what it says on the tin. And The Thursday Murder Club does just that, delivering a nice, gentle murder mystery. It's the Death in Paradise approach to crime fiction.

I enjoyed the fun cast of characters, and the world of Coopers Chase is drawn with just the right amount of sarcasm. Osman has a wonderfully light-hearted tone, although I found the humour was too often used as mask for convenient revelations, a cover-up for the action happening off-screen. It is also perhaps a little too over-ambitious in its scope, and things get quite convoluted towards the end.

The Thursday Murder Club a quaint and cosy read, and despite its flaws, it has enough charm to hold wide appeal.

Wow, what a read. Distractions, double distractions, red herrings and older people, a brilliant combination., not forgetting the police, drugs and other crimes involved.
A great plot, laugh out loud moments, sniggering and sadness too.
The author has retirement living so well defined, did he live in one himself to experience the characters and their surroundings!
On a personal note, having a 95 year old mother in an independent living community, and being a volunteer gardener at an older person's home, I recognised all of these characters.
Cannot wait to read the next instalment, bring it on.

In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet up once a week to investigate unsolved killings. But when a universally disliked local property developer shows up dead, 'The Thursday Murder Club' find themselves in the middle of their first live case. The four friends, 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?

I enjoyed this novel very much; I have to admit that I found the first couple of chapters a little irritating, while I got used to the main characters' voices, specifically in having to adjust to 'listening in' on the thoughts of septuagenarians. But once I got used to Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron and their ways, I hit my stride.

The writing is excellent (I would have expected nothing less) and there are some laugh out loud funny scenes. Osman's descriptions of the in-fighting and politics at the retirement village are well-drawn (and hilarious) . But he is also really good at introducing pathos unexpectedly too; there are some genuinely moving scenes involving one of the characters (I won't say who, spoilers?!).

The ending sets up nicely for a follow-up and I, for one, would definitely ;like to hear more from The Thursday Murder Club.

Richard Osman is a very likeable English TV personality and I always enjoy his gentle humour. That’s why this book appealed to me. It took a little while to get going. I’m not sure what I expected from him. Essentially, it’s a good whodunnit with lots of interesting characters, although I felt that some of them became caricatures, e.g. Bogdan, the Polish handyman (who kept morphing into Borat in my head!). There was probably one too many strands to the storyline so it didn’t always flow smoothly but it kept my interest throughout and even had me welling up at one point. It’s quite twee in a way that only an English writer could achieve and not quite as funny as I had hoped. I did enjoy it though and I would definitely read his next book, if he writes one.

I've long admired Richard Osman on 'Pointless' and have read some of the non-fiction quiz/humour books that he has written with Alexander Armstrong. I was, therefore, very keen to see this wit and verve applied to fiction and am very grateful to NetGalley for my ARC.

The story follows four older people living in a retirement village who have, for various reasons, come together to discuss cold crimes in their Thursday Murder Club. When a murder happens connected to the developers working on the retirement home , they are keen to launch their own investigations. Due to their connections and wiliness, they start to run rings around the nice but two-steps-behind police officers assigned to the case.

I really liked that these characters were not diminished by their age and infirmity. Some of them had ailments and frailty, but they were also mentally tough and funny and clever and - to be honest - trying to live their best life in retirement. They drew on their years of experience and the professional skills from their former careers and achieved a lot. The mystery surrounding Elizabeth's past career was an interesting conceit and allowed the amateur detectives access to important information, while the willingness of them all to play on the stereotypes of infirm old people was humorous - they absolutely knew when to use their age to their advantage! The setting was also inventive and drew on the conventions of classic crime novels by providing a closed community for the sleuths to work within.

I wasn't really prepared for some of the poignancy of the novel. It has some very funny lines and situations, but it is also sad in parts about ageing and grief. This really adds depth to the novel and -I will admit - really surprised me.

Overall, this is an enjoyable and fairly light read. I was going to say it was a cosy crime novel, but I think the depth of the emotional hit removes it from this - these are a bunch of real people with real problems, but who are finding comfort in community and crime-solving!

Richard Osman’s first novel is as delightful as it is unexpected.

Writing a crime novel didn’t seem like the obvious next thing for Richard Osman to do, and I always get a little nervous when celebrities turn their hands to something outside their previous career. Are they just being published because they’re famous?

Well that’s absolutely not the case hear because this is a thoroughly entertaining crime novel set in the confines of a rural upmarket retirement home. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron meet each Thursday in the jigsaw room of their retirement village, where they “reopen” unsolved cases and attempt to solve. Using their mix of special skills – particularly Elizabeth’s, who’s backstory is especially intriguing – they turn their minds to things that may have been overlooked at the time.

So when there’s a local murder that seems to implicate people in and around the retirement home, our plucky quartet, reluctantly aided and abetted by a couple of local police detectives, set about to discover what’s happening.

We’re introduced to a tale of dubious delevopers, Kentish drug dealers, mysterious priests and much more.
But while this is all told with great humour, there’s also a very real side to a group of people who live in a home where residents suffer from all kinds of ailments, not least dementia. And this book doesn’t shy away from those things. It’s all very deftly handled by the author.

Given a writer who’s background is so versed in television from production to presenting, there are numerous little jokes relating to television, and daytime television in particular, along with the more expected humour that comes from the elderly tackling various elements of contemporary society.

This book could easily set up a series of crimes tackled by our fearless foursome, or it may be a standalone. I really liked meeting them, and hope that this is the former.

Recommended.

Thanks to the NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

Despite this book's subject being murder (well, several murders as it happens) it is incredibly warm, witty and clever - as you might expect from Richard Osman.

The plot revolves around a group of people living in a luxury retirement complex (swimming pool, pilates classes and a "contemporary upscale restaurant"). Elizabeth (former spy), Ibrahim (psychiatrist), Ron (former trade union leader) and new recruit Joyce (former nurse) are in a weekly club to investigate 'cold cases', which had been provided by fellow resident and former DI Penny, now sadly too far along the dementia path to play any part herself. This theoretical case work is interrupted by a very real murder and naturally the team investigate, using all their skills, experience and knowledge to outwit both the suspects and the police.

This might sound twee but it isn't! The story is complex and sophisticated, there are red herrings galore, side stories and so many surprising reveals. It's also quite emotional towards the end. But it's the characters who make this book come to life. Not just the Thursday Club members; the two main police characters Chris and Donna are absolutely brilliant - you can feel their friendship and their frustration. The politics of the retirement complex are, er, complex and we are treated to the viciousness of the Parking Liaison Committee, the rivalry between Knit & Natter and Chat & Crochet, and the Bowls Club's disciplinary hearings. The old folk may not be up on modern technology - an unused iPad seems to lie in a drawer in almost every apartment - but they are certainly treated with well-deserved respect and courtesy.

When reading an e-book I often highlight bits I particularly like, but had to stop when I realised I was highlighting something on every page. Here are a few examples:
"The Black Bridge is now a gastropub called Le Pont Noir"
"It would have been the most uncomfortable chair that Chris had ever sat in, had he not just made the flight to Cyprus on Ryanair"
"I'm afraid I don't know WTF. I only discovered LOL from Joyce last week"

I look forward to reading the next installment of the Thursday Murder Club, and perhaps seeing it on air at some point in the future!

An upmarket retirement village. What could possibly go wrong?

Plenty. Secrets abound. Nasty piece of work manager/owner Ian has a not-so-secret disagreement with equally pleasant Tony. When Tony is found dead shortly afterwards, who do the police come looking for?

PC Donna encounters the unbelievably resourceful gang of Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim - the Thursday Murder Club. Try stopping that lot from getting involved....

Laugh out loud funny, absolutely delightful characters and an ending you don't see coming.

This is an utter joy. You won't want to put it down. Ever.