Four unlikely friends. A shocking murder. Welcome to The Thursday Murder Club.
In a peaceful retirement village in Kent, South East England, four unlikely friends meet up once a week to investigate unsolved murders from the cold cases of a former detective, Penny, now in a coma. Penny and her friend, former intelligence officer (or something like that) Elizabeth founded the club, and while she’s still active in it, she’s now joined by Joyce (retired nurse), Ibrahim (former psychiatrist) and Ron (ex-trade unionist known as Red Ron).
But when a brutal killing takes place on their very doorstep, the Thursday Murder Club find themselves in the middle of their first live case.
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?
If you’re looking for something different to read – look no further. This charming, funny, smart mystery is an absolute delight. Written by British quiz show host Richard Osman, the manuscript for The Thursday Murder Club started a bidding war between ten publishers, with the rights for this and a sequel finally selling in a seven-figure deal. Now there’s talk of a TV adaptation or film (Steven Spielberg acquired the film rights) which I can absolutely see with this highly entertaining tale. It’s one of the most unique crime novels I’ve read in a while, and a fabulous ‘time out’ on gruesome crime.
This is a whodunnit, featuring the four fabulous, feisty older characters, and Donna and Chris, the police who deal with them. The story is told through alternating points of view and also through Joyce’s diary entries. All the characters are interesting, brilliant in their own way, with compelling layers and also great humanity and depth. Many more serious themes to do with aging and loss are deftly weaved into this book, without ever weighing it down.
This is an impressive debut. Osman’s writing flows, and he has a natural ear for dialogue. I’d take a guess and say he plotted the book in advance, because the structure is tight and doesn’t miss a beat over 115 short, polished chapters.
I loved The Thursday Murder Club. I laughed. I cried. I flew through it, and now I want more. Thankfully this is the first in a series, so I won’t have long to wait. Get on board… this series is going to be huge. And book number 1 is the perfect way to start it.
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