Oh this was wonderful! British witty humour - laugh out loud funny one liners but with a serious crime mystery plot. I loved every page of it and really did laugh out loud. The characters are well formed, believable caricatures of not so dotty older men and women with hints of a past in shady dealing, espionage and love.

I was excited by the premise of The Thursday Murder Club – a murder mystery set in an English retirement home written by Richard Osman – what is there not to like about that?

I enjoyed the characters in the home – Elizabeth in particular is great and well rounded with an air of mystery to her as well. I also really liked how they would play up the assumptions of how old and infirm they were to manipulate others around them. I also liked the police officers Chris and Donna who felt realistic and interesting. I enjoyed Richard Osman’s narrative voice which added amusement to the plot – it definitely felt attuned to a British sense of humour. I did however, find that there were quite a few background characters who then became important later on and I did find it a little hard to keep track of who was who in places.

Although the initial murder mystery seemed quite simple, it got a lot more complicated later in the on. I found the plot actually got a little repetitive towards the end and felt like it was dragging – it seemed that we got a lot of long winded confessions that were either not really relevant to the plot at hand or that were outed as lies which was frustrating. I understand that this is a setup to a series but I felt that we actually gave too much away about certain characters in the first book.

Overall, I was disappointed by The Thursday Murder Club – although the premise is great, the plot felt repetitive and the multitude of characters became confusing. Thank you to NetGalley & Penguin Books UK – Viking for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Keen to see myself why this novel was getting so much attention .. and I got it right from start!! It's hilarious and precise comedy/ observation on every page, every character .. and indeed entire premise of the club, named after Chestertin's detective (right?) is heavenly ..I see more titles coming and I'm hooked!!!

I heard so much about this book that I thought I had to read it. It was ok, nothing to write home about. The plot is based around a retirement village and I hope I’m as agile as these old people when I get to their age 😃. For an easy holiday read this book would be fine.

This quirky whodunnit is terrific. Centred around a retirement village where the residents try to solve old cases that one of their members was on the original police team. 'Leader' of the gang is Elizabeth who has a secret past but knows a lot of people and along with Joyce, Ibraim and Ron, liven up their lives investigating the cases.
Sometimes celebrity authors are a bit or miss but Richard Osman has got a winner here. Not only does the plot work but his characterisations are spot on. Using Joyce to diaritise between the actions is brilliant and I laughed out loud on several occasions.

Looking forward to another installment soon.

What a cracker of a debut novel this is from Richard Osman. It’s fresh and original, beautifully observed, and written with a discreet but sharp wit that’s like being poked in the ribs with a tickling stick.

Set in an exclusive retirement village, the Thursday Murder Club is a small group of residents who meet every week to try and crack unsolved murder cases. When a real murder happens right on their doorstep, they can’t believe their luck and are determined to get involved in the investigation. And they do, in the most brilliantly entertaining way.

What Osman dishes up is a delightful twist on the old-fashioned, lighthearted whodunnit. The stars, of course, are the amateur sleuths, And what a motley crew they are! There’s former spy Elizabeth, 80 year-old psychiatrist Ibrahim, ex-trade union chief Ron, and retired nurse Joyce. Each one a triumph of characterisation — and each with their own special skills and experience to bring to the case. I warmed to each and every one of them and loudly cheered them on in their quest.

The whodunnit element of the story is magnificently constructed, with a dizzying number of twists, turns and red herrings. Osman’s plotting is playful and teasing, but also razor sharp, and he keeps you guessing — always wrongly — right until the very end.

While the narrative is spiked with wisecracks about old age, it is also kind and compassionate, with some quiet reflection on the circle of life. And it is this perfect balance of mystery, humour and poignancy that elevates this wonderful novel to heights of excellence.

I can’t wait to find out what Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron get up to next. And I fervently hope that we will see them brought to life on our TV screens on a prime time Sunday evening slot. For now, I’m going to go back and reread Joyce’s diary entries. I’m certain there are some gems I missed first time round.

The Thursday Murder Club is a book that a lot of people are talking about. The author, Richard Osman is a household name, mostly because of his roles as co host on Pointless, and as host of House of Games. He has also been on the standard panel show circuit that every comedian in the UK seem to go on at least once.

I was happy to see that he was releasing a book, although I wasn’t expecting it to be of this genre. Given the sales figures that have come out since the books release, it appears that the buzz worked as it appears to have sold shed loads in it’s first week.

The Thursday Murder Club has an interesting premise. The members of the club live in a prestigious retirement community. A former member was a police officer and they meet once a week to talk about her cold cases, or cases that may have had a better outcome with different officers in charge. However, a murder in the area alerts them and they take it upon themselves to try and help the police catch the killer!

Joyce is the newest member of the club and she tells the story, in part, via her diary entries. These help to bridge the gap between chapters. The rest of the book is told in the third person as we eavesdrop on what other characters are up to. Elizabeth is soon revealed as the driving force behind the club, and has somehow spent her life building up very hand connections. She has certainly had an interesting life, as have the other members of the group. Joyce is the dark horse however, and seems to take great enjoyment from the groups shenanigans.

There is plenty of humour sprinkled throughout the book, which doesn’t really come as a surprise if you are familiar with the authors work, but he has also managed to tug on the heart strings quite a few times throughout. The book certainly does go to great lengths to show that our main characters are not dead yet! #

The characters themselves are brilliant but for me they are let down by the plot. I didn’t really find it that engaging. I was probably let down by the high hopes I had for the book going in. I felt like the author went a bit too far outside the “believable” box in places, and it let the plot down overall. The book as a whole is still quite a good read though.

While this isn’t the best book I have read this year (I do appear to be in the minority for this) it was quite enjoyable. It will certainly be flying off the shelves and I can already hear some people telling me how wrong I am for not absolutely loving it. I am certainly glad I gave it it’s fair shot, but I’m not sure that I will be rushing out to buy the (already announced) sequels.

Four pensioners plan on assisting the police (whether they want the help or not), when the local dodgy developer is murdered.

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

In the retirement village of Coopers Chase, there are plenty of clubs and activities for the older residents. From knitting, to pilates, etc.
The Murder Club look at old cases, trying to solve the mysteries of past murders, and they meet every Thursday in the Jigsaw room.
They've just recruited their newest member - ex-nurse Joyce - when one of the guys who built Coopers Chase, is murdered, shortly after arguing with his business partner.

With a fresh murder dropped in their laps, the Murder Club plan to get to the bottom of it. They adopt DCI Chris Hudson and ex-London-cop Donna, who become honorary members, whether they like it or not.
Elizabeth, Ron, Ibrahim and Joyce are not above using their age to advantage of the younger people and their stereotypes, to get what they want. But for all the over-exaggerated acts of bumbling, chatty, well-meaning natures; they are actually really sharp and intelligent.
From their very different histories, they each have something to bring to the Club and help solve the murder. Ron's tenacity; Joyce's medical expertise; Ibrahim's understanding of the human psyche. And Elizabeth? I thought it was very funny how Joyce marvelled at Elizabeth's ability to talk several languages, and have travelled to so many countries.

I found this book quite slow and hard to get into. The narrative felt very true to life for a bunch of retired residents. It goes of on a lot of tangents, some help the plot, others build the scene; but many are random ramblings.
The writing style was stilted to start with. It was mostly written in third person, but would sometimes switch to omnipresent when it suited the narrative; plus the author's choice to present tense; which made it hard for me to focus.
Despite their supposed differences, the characters all blur into one voice. Even Joyce's diary was very samey with the rest of the narration, and I did think that it didn't really add anything to the story. It felt like a half-baked idea, that didn't really make an impact.

By half-way through, the story starts to come together nicely. The mystery was absolutely fab. It kept you guessing throughout, with several very convincing red herrings. In turn, only more questions are raised.
The solving of the several mysteries ended up being rather bittersweet.

In the end, I really enjoyed this book, and would definitely read more fiction by this author.

Richard Osman’s “The Thursday Murder Club” made it straight to the No. 1 position in the UK bestseller charts after publication and just having finished this wonderfully entertaining book, I am hardly surprised. I had such a great time reading this lighthearted, witty novel, spending totally uplifting hours, a treasure in these troubled times.

Rarely does one come across a book combining very English humor with a good mystery packed all into one. A few times the comparison to “The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency” by Alexander McCall Smith popped up in my head which might explain the immediate success of the book but I have always hated comparisons as it would not do justice to Richard Osman’s original approach.

Four eccentric pensioners pushing eighty, Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron, all formerly successful professionals who can afford to live in a very nice little retirement village in the countryside, get together on Thursdays to keep their brain cells active and to amuse themselves investigating unsolved murder cases. The Thursday Murder Club as they call themselves is chaired by Elizabeth, whose background is unknown but points to former police or intelligence work who always comes up with these case files and eventually the answer. Suddenly they find themselves involved in their first live
murder case as the shady developer who owns the retirement village drops dead, poisoned as it turns out. What follows is a fun, clever plot which becomes more complex as you turn the pages but still keeps you smiling. Totally loved “The Thursday murder Club”, thanks for the fun reading hours.

A very compelling debut from Richard Osman, etched with his trademark humour a bunch of OAPs set out to solve a murder and do it in scintillating style.

I was intrigued to read this book, I'm quite sceptical of celebrity authors but, you know, Richard Osman.

The members of the Thursday Murder club are the residents of a retirement community who can hire the communal space on Thursdays and use it to investigate cold cases. When there's a murder in their midst, they decide to use their detective skills to help the police (whether they like it or not) and their investigations take a scary turn when things get a little closer to home than is comfortable.

This is a very original idea and I liked it. The members of the murder club are fascinating (as are their friends and families) and very realistically portrayed. The events in the novel really do ring true and in that way it's very easy to read. Sadly I'm not quite as sure about he plot (hence the four stars) which is patchy in places and quite silly in others but also rather pathetic (in the sad sense of the word) and heart-warming which does make it very compelling.

All in all, I enjoyed reading the book and I'd read another by Richard Osman but I'd like a little bit better editing next time just so that it hangs together perfectly.

Joyce. Ibrahim. Ron. Elizabeth. A former nurse, psychiatrist, trade unionist and… well, Elizabeth tends to keep her past to herself. And every Thursday, to pass the time at Coopers Chase, a luxury retirement village, they meet up to discuss murder. Cold cases, but needless to say, soon an actual murder takes place.

The victim was a rather unpleasant builder who worked on the development of Coopers Chase, but had fallen out with the owner, who has dubious plans to expand the village. But what can four determined seventy-plus year olds do that the local police can’t? Well, quite a lot, it seems.

I felt I had to get my hands on a review copy of this one – indeed, I probably would have bought a copy if NetGalley had said no. Richard Osman, if you don’t know, is the sort of successful polymath who really ought to get on your nerves if he wasn’t so bloody charming. British viewers will know him as the tall bloke behind the desk on Pointless, but his CV is much longer (and more impressive) than that. And now he’s turned his hand to writing a mystery novel.

It’s generated amazing word of mouth, but it’s not as if a celebrity had written a decent-ish book and people vomiting unconditioned praise all over it hasn’t happened before. So I thought I ought to take a look and, despite being a bit of a fan of Richard, give it an honest look.

I’ll start with the negative (apart from the bad formatting of my review copy). There aren’t really any clues for the reader to spot. It’s best described as a cosy thriller, I suppose. More than one innocent person is accused before the truth comes out. Just so you know going in, it’s not that sort of mystery.

But it’s a damn good read. I’ve read a lot of crime novels, as you may of noticed, and I think I can say that this is the biggest emotional rollercoaster that I’ve read. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, etc… the characters, the central four members of the club and Donna and Chris, the police who are entangled in their shenanigans, are wonderful creations. All of them have hidden backgrounds, and Osman has carefully woven their development into the tale. There’s a moment towards the end, concerning two of the characters, where you think you know where it is going, but there’s a lovely twist. It’s nothing to do with the investigation, but it’s lovely all the same.

Some writers have said how they aren’t sure how a book will turn out until they have written a good chunk of it. It’s clear though that Osman had this plotted out from the start, as the plot twists and turns towards a beautiful conclusion that ties the whole thing up in a beautiful bow. Add in some serious ruminations on guilt and innocence that will keep the reader pondering long after the last page has turned, and you end up with a truly magnificent read.

My general rule is “Don’t Believe The Hype” – it’s usually true. In this case, you can believe it – this is a wonderful read, with characters and themes that will stay with you for a good while after finishing it.

I had no idea what to expect from Richard Osman's first novel but it was a great surprise! Joyce, Elizabeth and friends at their retirement home form the Thursday Murder Club, where they investigate cold cases. Until a murder takes place at the home and they take it upon themselves to investigate...

This was a great 'who done it' sort of book with charm and intrigue. 4 stars.

What a book, thoroughly enjoyable read for Richard’s debut novel. His humour and perspective on life comes across in his book which has a great plot that gently unfolds along with the personalities of the main characters. Set in an exclusive retirement complex in Kent, the book really highlights the capabilities of the pensioners who live there. Whether you know Richard or not this is a must read novel. Although there are deaths, why wouldn’t there be as the title kind of gives that away, the plot is more about the characters their complementing capabilities and friendships. Well done Richard, not just for such a great first novel but keeping it quiet until it was written and ready for publishing.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Books UK and Richard Osman for my ARC of ‘The Thursday Murder Club’ in return for my honest review

This is based on four residents who live in an affluent retirement village on the south coast: Elizabeth (ex-spy chief), Joyce (former nurse), Ibrahim (retired psychiatrist) and Ron (ex-trade union boss). They amuse themselves by trying to solve cold case murders.

Then two real life murders happen to people they know who are involved with the retirement village so the four of them, who belong to the Thursday Murder Club, decide to find the truth.

I struggled and nearly gave up a few times, but I always feel obliged to finish the books I receive on NetGalley. I was pleased I hadn’t paid for this.

This story has everything, a wonderful cast of characters all with interesting back stories. So many twists and turns and enough bodies to keep any crime fan happy.

The Thursday Murder Club is also funny, not necessarily laugh-out-loud, but the characters and the writing have a gentle humour.

A book that is easy to recommend, set locally to my store, who knew Maidstone had an ice rink.

Looking forward to their further crime-solving adventures.

A cosy mystery with a difference - not just one Miss Marple-esque sleuth but a whole gang of them! Great characters, a strong plot with plenty of twists, and nice touches of humour. I really enjoyed it.

The Thursday Murder Club is the first novel from well known TV presenter Richard Osman. Now if you are sceptical about celebrity authors, don’t let your scepticism stop you from reading this book because you’d be missing a real treat!

The Thursday Murder Club is a group of four pensioners living out their twilight years in a peaceful retirement village, Coopers Chase. There used to be another resident in their group, Penny, who was a retired police inspector. The group enjoyed spending an hour each week looking at some of her unsolved cases and trying to solve them. Penny sadly has had to move into nursing care but the group carries on in her absence. When a murder occurs very close to home, they decided to use their not inconsiderable skills to catch the killer.

The plot of The Thursday Murder Club is very engaging and so cleverly written but what made this a standout book for me were the characters who Richard Osman created. Very much is charge is Elizabeth. Nobody seems quite sure of what she used to do but she is able to get things done and find things out that she really shouldn’t be able to and very quickly too. She often alludes to her mysterious past without ever actually revealing it. Former trade union leader, Ron Ritchie never quite believes anything anyone says and is always up for a confrontation. Ibrahim Arif was a psychiatrist and is very hot on details. Joyce is the newest member of the group, an ex-nurse, who quietly observes a lot and is always considered a calming presence. We read her observations through her diary entries. As well as these main characters, we have the police presence of DCI Chris Hudson and PC Donna de Freitas trying their best to solve the crime through more traditional methods. Osman also gives tantalising glimpses into the lives of some the other characters.

The Thursday Murder Club is witty, warm and hugely enjoyable. It’s full of quirky characters and so well plotted. The book has broken records by becoming the fastest selling adult crime debut ever and I can completely understand why. I am delighted to hear that there at least another two books planned for The Thursday Murder Club as I can’t wait to see what the gang gets up to next. I’d quite like to move to Coopers Chase myself one day or somewhere like it – though perhaps without the murders!

Take a group of unusual pensioners living in a retirement complex who’s hobbies include solving murders. They meet every Thursday afternoon to discuss cold cases. They are lead by the amazing Elizabeth who seems to have friends in very high places. The other members of the club are Ibrahim, Ron and new member Joyce. They can solve crimes faster than the local police force, they have contacts. Not your usual murder mystery book, but fun.

I enjoyed this book So much & have no problem giving it 5 stars. This debut novel is brilliantly written entertaining with lovable characters with just a touch of murder. I would definitely join there club . They bring all there past life experience & jobs they once did in to the mix to work out who was responsible for the murders. They can run rings round the police & even manage to get two of them into their club. Although they only realise they are being coerced into the Thursday murder club as the clever pensioners reel them in. Love the main characters Elizabeth, Joyce , Ron & Ibrahim. The two detectives Donna & Chris are good characters too. The setting of this book is a retireMe too village that centres around this small group of residents. They only meet on Thursdays as that is the only time the jigsaw room is free. They started out by trying to solve cold cases but then get some real life murders to solve. It’s a case of whodunnit ? Our amateur sleuths all have their own individual skills & experiences in to the mix. There are lots of twists & turns to keep you on your toes. This book has all of Richard Osman’s intelligence & humour. Ever so slightly sarcastic but not at all offensive. I am so pleased to hear there is going to be another book as he can go a long way with these lovable entertaining characters . Well done Richard Osman.