The Thursday Murder Club is the debut novel from Richard Osman. The novel follows the happenings of four residents of a retirement village.

All is not as quiet as appears when one of the extra curricular groups of the village, The Thursday Murder Club, meet up and try to solve cold case murders. The crimes that are usually investigated are put on hold when a murder happens on the doorstep of the sleepy retirement village.

Osman brings his quick sharp humour to the novel very well, it's not your usual murder mystery, as we are seeing the investigation through the eyes of the retirees, who seem to have used their knowledge and age to their advantage. Often to the suprise of the real police force.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a murder mystery, crime novel but with a twist. I would also be very interested in any subsequent novels from Osman.

Thank you to Penguin for the copy of the book to review.

In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet up once a week to investigate unsolved killings.

But when a 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 love the author Richard Osman so was delighted to read his book! It wasn't what I was expecting at all a bit of Agatha Christie meets Agatha Raisin meets the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. The book was well written, funny in places and I really liked all the main characters, it was an interesting story with a satisfying ending, I would definitely read more of his books.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of the book in return for a honest review.

Much thanks to Penguin General UK and Netgalley for the ARC of this book!

Four friends have an interest in discussing old murder cases and meet up every Thursday to chat. They don't let the fact of being elderly and living in a retirement village hold them up at all, and before they know it a real murder had occurred- the owner of their village! Now it's up to these unlikely amateur detectives to take up the case and give the local police a helping hand!

4⭐- this was a very enjoyable read and written with great wit, which I'd never doubt it @richard_osman_ ! Even though the whole story is light hearted fun, it still addresses some of the poignancy of growing older and facing the last stage in life, which is very delicately woven through. A fab, fun filled rollick!

Thursday Murder Club
By Richard Osman
4*

The story follows four 'friends' Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim who live in an upmarket retirement village, every Thursday they get together and try to solve cold cases. When a local property developer dies they find themselves in the middle of their first live murder case.

I didn't know what to expect when I started reading this with it being Richard Osman's first book, but it's a great cosy crime novel. I found myself really invested in the story which flowed nicely and was easy read. The story goes back and forth from plot to Joyce's Diary entries and is written in short chapters which I loved.

This is a great 'who did it' that leaves you guessing, right till the end.
I honestly changed my mind a hundred times in this book, each time I'd convinced myself I was right and each time I was not. I did guess a few bits but not fully and it certainly didn't take anything away from the story.

'What a shame. I always had a bit of a thing for him. Like you could tell he was a wrong'un, but you still would?'

There's so many moments in the book where you laugh, not only because it's witty but because you would say that or it would happen, even though the book isn't all believable it's written in a very honest and intelligent way that theres believability to the plot, I mean why wouldn't 4 OAPs be solving murders?
In the same way it's witty it's also got elements of heartache and realism the struggles of getting older and not wanting to lose your importance in life.

The main characters in the book were brilliant, you get a real sense of the older generation. All the characters had really unique personalities and even though Elizabeth and Joyce where written to stand out, I feel they all had as much purpose as eachother.

I really would recommend this book, Its one of those books you can pick up and it'll make you smile, laugh and cry all at the same time.

As my only negative and reason I knocked a star off was because it took me a little bit to get in to the story, there was so many characters named especially within the first few chapters of the book it just seemed a bit unnecessary and confusing.

Gripping funny and interesting first for Richard Oman. A great read that I couldn’t put down. Once or twice as it moved from one character to another was it a bit confusing but that could have been to reading an early edition on Kindle. The interaction between 4 residents of a care village and the Police was great escapism I do hope there will be more. Thanks Richard and NetGalley

This book is worth persevering with. At first it seemed more like a sitcom and the characters were drawn accordingly.. However as the book progresses they are drawn more deeply and with compassion. The plot had humour and suspense and it certainly is a retirement village most over 70s would like to live in.

I enjoyed a lot about this book, set in an retirement hub, this book is witty, charming, filled with fabulous characters with meat attached. There is a mystery within a mystery, within a mystery in this story and you need to keep your wits about you, but the ending is rather poignant and surprising. The laying out of the residents fears, attitude and resolve is very well done - there are not many books that can depict the elderly with dignity and feeling like this book does. There are laughs and unlikely events but all go to making an enjoyable book

As a huge fan of Richard Osman, I've been dying to read this book ever since he first mentioned it, even though I generally avoid celebrities turned authors, and as such had high expectations. I loved the premise of a bunch of pensioners solving cold cases in their weekly meetings but on starting to read it, felt I may have set my expectations too high. I found the writing style of the first few chapters hard to read with inordinately long sentences, which distracted from the enjoyable storyline. Fortunately, the writing then settled down and from then on I powered through this delightful yarn.

Full of witty, relatable observations generating wry smiles and occasional laugh out loud moments, the story was great fun, if somewhat implausible, particularly when the police team were consistently outmaneuvered by the oldies. There are of course many dark, and sometimes emotional moments as you might expect when combining murder and a retirement village, and overall a very satisfying read.

Although there are four members of the Thursday Murder club, we spend significantly more time with the two women. I'd like to think that in any further stories about the club that we will get to know more about the men

This book grew on me as I went along. I at first found some of the plucky residents of the retirement village a little cliche, but as the characterisations developed, I warmed to them.
I enjoyed the writing style and the story was very clever in places. Not laugh out loud funny but I felt the corners of my mouth turn up. Decent.

I loved this book so much!
Such an excellent debut offering from Richard Osman.
From the outset the story was witty, charming and welcoming. We are invited into the Thursday Murder Club, such a novel way to spend your downtime in retirement! Such wit and charm weaved throughout every page...knit and natter making way for chat and crochet, the merits of home made cake over M&S lemon drizzle cake. I loved it!

Richard seems to have great empathy for the characters, they were well constructed, very true to life and very relatable. I could 'see' Elizabeth; she would be an older version of Fiona Shaw in Killing Eve.
The storyline was fast moving and engaging, the characters were wonderful and I think Mr Osman should take a bow for delivering such a clever book!
I want to join The Thursday Murder Club at the earliest opportunity! I was fully invested and I was amused and entertained throughout the entire tale.
I would like to thank Netgalley, the author and the the publisher for an advanced copy of this book and I shall eagerly anticipate Richard's next foray into fiction.

A luxury retirement village, a group of four residents in their late seventies, and a dead body. The Thursday Murder Club is an unlikely cozy murder mystery full of unexpected twists and turns, interesting characters and wry humour.

While this is a murder mystery, it is more of a “cosy” mystery rather than a thrilling, keeping you at the edge of your seat one. There are some interesting twists along the way and the ending does get a little pacey, but most of the book is character-oriented rather than action-oriented. While overall enjoyable, it also deals with some darker topics such as assisted suicide and the overall idea of old age and mortality.

The main characters of The Thursday Club viz. Ron, Ibrahim, Joyce and Elizabeth are all unique and memorable. There is no doubt that Elizabeth is the star of the club, with innumerable tricks up her sleeve and her unending connections to “get things done”. Each of the remaining three characters, however, are not lacking in wit, courage and experience. The feisty and bold Ron, the subtly clever Ibrahim and the unassuming but all-observing Joyce, I loved each of them for their unique characteristics.

The story is presented from the point of view of Joyce (in form of her diary entries) and the author. I loved Joyce’s personality – her sweet and disarming mannerism making her often ‘overlooked’ and hiding the darker and quirkier aspects of her personality. The transition between the two PoVs was often confusing as there was no formatting or break to indicate the change, and it was often one or two paragraphs later that I realized that the PoV has changed. Maybe a formatting issue?

Though enjoyable overall, The Thursday Murder Club was not without its flaws. For one, there were way too many names peppered across the book, many of them totally insignificant to the plot. Now, being a person who can forget a character name while reading the book, this presented quite a challenge to me. This, coupled with the lack of indication at change of PoV had me doubling back at times and taking more time than needed to get through the book.

What I loved most about this book was the delicate and tender, sometimes even funny portrayal of old age. Beneath the spunky and jolly exterior, the characters often dwell on the limited time they might have. As Elizabeth makes deliberate efforts to keep her mind sharp and Joyce clings to every happy moment, I felt a bit sad and happy at the same time…like I really haven’t figured out a name for this emotion? At the same time, these characters really knew how to *use* their age to get out of slightly sticky situations, and it was simply hilarious to read!

Incredibly clever, wonderfully written and a really down to earth setting. I loved this book as much as I knew I would.

Anyone who has watched Richard Osman on TV will already know that he’s an intelligent, witty and knowledgeable man. Read this - his first novel - and you will see that he’s also a very empathetic writer, capable of creating a plot with twists, fascinating and funny characters underlaid with a moving understanding of the difficulties of aging. Highly recommend to all those who like their crime to be realistic but not too gory either! Thanks to NetGalley fir the advance copy.

This was such a fun read! I thought the characters were interesting, as was the idea - four retirees solving unsolved crimes, until there's a real murder. I hope this is the start of a new series because I want to read more about the Thursday Murder Club.

This was a delightfully entertaining read. The writing was very witty, the characters were charming and the plot was clever. I thoroughly enjoyed it and laughed out loud on a number of occasions.

The Thursday Murder Club is set in a retirement village and four of the retirees and the main protagonists, Joyce, Elizabeth, Ron and Ibrahim spend their Thursday evenings reviewing old, unsolved murder cases. The case files, not that she is supposed to have them, are now in Elizabeth’s hands, passed to her by retired police inspector, Penny, who is now in a nursing home. The gang spend their evenings drinking wine and speculating on motives and solutions. However, when a local housing developer is found murdered they suddenly have a live case to poke their noses into. In a rather unholy alliance with DCI Chris Hudson and PC Donna De Freitas, the group begin to investigate and become even more involved when, yards from where they are standing, a second death occurs; that of the housing developer’s business partner.

There are plenty of cunning strands to the plot and all the characters have stories in their own right; I developed a real affection for them. This is a really British novel with quite a few cultural references which will make British readers smile and international readers scratch their heads. That’s what Google is for right? It’s the epitome of cosy, murder mystery and highly recommended.

Thank you NetGalley and Viking Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Coopers Chase is a lively care home comprising individual apartments, plus leisure facilities and a small hospital, all built on the site of a former Convent with grounds that also contain the convent burial ground, known as The Garden of Eternal Rest. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron, all ageing residents, have formed The Thursday Murder Club (Thursday being the day of the week on which they regularly meet) and have set themselves the task of examining and trying to solve cold case murders. They befriend PC Donna da Freitas who visited the home to give a talk on “Practical Tips for Home Security” as they decided that she could be a useful source of information.

Word soon gets out that the owner of the complex, Ian Ventham, is buying up surrounding land with a view to enlarging his portfolio, but wants to side-line his partner, Tony Curran. The Thursday Murder Club get suspicious when, after overhearing an argument between the two men, discover that the police are called in when Tony is found dead in his home. Enter DCI Chris Hudson together with Donna. As earth moving equipment starts to arrive it becomes very apparent that Ian intends to dig up the graveyard - a cause for the residents to set up a peaceful protest. Ian calls on the police to help clear the crowd but himself falls down dead on his way back to the car. The plot thickens!!

There is a laugh on every page and a very well thought out plot but to say more could well ruin your pleasure in reading the book!!

Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim & Ron are elderly residents in the luxury retirement home that is Coopers Chase and make up ‘The Thursday Murder Club’. They are quite diverse characters, Elizabeth, the main organiser, with a mysterious career history but a (sometimes unbelievable) huge range of connections to call upon. Joyce, new to the village, quiet and watchful (and a creator of wonderful baked goodies). Ron, (Red Ron) an ex Union man who seems to have lost his purpose, seeks any opportunity to whip up an audience. Finally Ibrahim. A retired psychologist but also a great organiser and very knowledgeable.

Previously this group have enjoyed investigating cold cases, until they get a real live murder (or three at least) happen on their doorstep.

There are a wealth of other characters introduced: Donna & Chris the stereotypical police officers involved (although both add warmth to the book with their own backstories). Other people at the home wend their way into the story, like Bernard, Penny & John, all contributing to mysterious offshoots to the main plot. And then there is Bogdan, the handyman, who adds an interesting perspective to the tale.

Some of the story is told from the point of view of Joyce in the form of her new journal. Some is told in the present tense (which felt a bit clunky to me) the narration had real jumps from one person to another which sometimes made it hard to follow.

Whilst this book certainly highlights the wealth of knowledge and talents that elderly people might have, it lacked pace and empathy for the victims and the very fact that these were murders. It does tie up most of the loose ends by the final chapter.

I found this book to be an easy and enjoyable read, but I was never gripped or wanting to read on. It is a very British story and reminds me of Agatha Raisin mysteries, lacking tension and pace.

You know how books say on the cover that they’re laugh-out-loud funny but then they end up raising just a couple of smiles? Well, this book actually made me do an actual genuine real life lol on more than one occasion, as well as a near-constant grin of enjoyment.

I LOVED this book, it will definitely feature in my top reads of 2020. Please, oh please say it's the start of a series: I want to spend more time with these elderly investigators and their police chums. The characters were diverse, individual and a pleasure to read. The mystery was twisty and had a satisfying conclusion.

Bravo, Mr Osman and encore!!

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing a review copy in exchange for honest feedback.

I was pleased to receive an ARC of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an honest review which reflects my own opinions.It's great fun,with a cast of characters who are not typical senior citizens although they all live in a retirement village.The four friends meet on a Thursday to try to solve murder cases from the past,but they become caught up in a real murder when the local property developer is mysteriously killed during a protest about his plans to dig up a cemetery bordering on the retirement village.
There are some real comic moments and observations,but it's also quite moving in places,as it deals with loss of partners,the threat of dementia and relationships with adult children.It's well plotted and cleverly developed,and I enjoyed it immensely.

It is no secret that I am a huge fan of Richard Osman and have been excited to read his debut novel. 'The Thursday Murder Club' is a thoroughly British mystery and packed with charm. It is centred on the four members of the eponymous Club: Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron. When we meet these eccentric and delightful characters, they already meet each week in the Jigsaw Room at the Coopers Chase retirement village to discuss and solve cold cases. This is before a person (no spoilers here!) with interests in the retirement village is found murdered, bludgeoned to death in their home. For The Thursday Murder Club, with a little bit of assistance from the unwitting local police force, there is certainly more to the case than meets the eye, leading to sleuthing, capers (especially when the forceful Elizabeth is involved) and lots of wine.

Osman's dry wit and humour shines through in his writing making this an incredibly enjoyable read. The canny attention to detail allows the reader to imagine the beautiful countryside setting of Coopers Chase (and definitely want to retire to this fictional (?) wonderland) as well as get to know the individual personalities of each of the characters. The core four are certainly the most developed as Osman tackles a huge cast of characters and multiple twisted plot lines. There was only one moment I got confused about a character's identity but there is potential for more confusion so read this one carefully. The pay-off is, however, ultimately satisfying with the answer to the mystery being original and impeccably plotted.

Overall, this novel has a lot of heart, as do all the wonderful characters. I hope we get to meet The Thursday Murder Club on their next case as these characters are already crying out for a sequel.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.