A cozy, very British crime novel with a lot of heart. Set in an upmarket Retirement Complex (a well described Utopia) four friends pass the time by looking over cold cases provided by an ex policewoman, now incapacitated in the Nursing Home attached to the complex. They call themselves the Thursday Murder Club. When a real murder happens they inveigle their way into the police investigation. The characters are well drawn and sympathetic, and of course, Richard’s humour runs through the whole book although there are also some poignant moments. As an ‘oldie’ myself, I appreciated his take on the elderly as having something to give in their later years, although grief, and dementia are also covered with tenderness. Lots of red herrings and duplicity make this an entertaining read. More please!!
Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for a early reading copy in return for an honest review.

Fabulously entertaining mystery, very a la Christie. Loved the characters and setting, I hope I end up in that type of residential home. My favourite character was Elizabeth, with her useful friends and mysterious past. Please let there be a sequel!

I am a huge fan of Richard Osman and love his TV shows, his intellect and humour are phenomenal and this really shows in this book, I could almost hear his voice narrating it, really interesting to see have a group of more mature characters as the main protagonists and I really hope to read more of their adventures in the near future, highly recommended

Can a group of old age pensioners really solve a murder before the police? Well this group will give it a go and might just cause a bit of chaos on along the way.

This was my first cosy mystery which is how I would classify it, it didn't really have the tense feeling of a thriller but it was definitely a good mystery story. Maybe a little like a mix of Agatha Christie and Midsummer Murders. The characters were all really interesting and I liked the mix they brought to the story and I really liked how the plot unfolded throughout and how a few times the reader was surprised after being led one way and the story went another. I definitely felt and appreciated Richard Osman's dry sense of humour throughout the book, some things I think you do need to be British to appreciate.

I would recommend reading this especially if you enjoy mysteries and like Richard Osman, it's a very strong debut novel.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars.

A cosy, delightfully British murder mystery, The Thursday Murder Club is a real treat. The narrative is well crafted, although the storytelling does like to roll off at a tangent (as anybody who has ever been told a story by an elderly narrator will recognise). It wasn't particularly nail biting, but there was enough mystery to keep me guessing, and enough wit to keep me entertained.

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I could really hear Richard Osman’s voice and feel his excellent sense of humour as I read his unusual crime novel. The characters are great and interesting- I would live to hear their next escapade. Highly recommended.

I have a new author on my 'list of favourite authors' - Richard Osman.

This was a great book which I read in just days. It has a lovely starting point for a good story - a group of older people who live in a retirement village getting together to try and solve unsolved murders.

It is very funny and the writing is perceptive and sharp. The characters are well drawn, although the main characters are suspiciously lacking in any kind of ailments or health problems that you might expect them to have. Although it could be that the author is trying to make the point that older people are about more than just health issues.

But they are multi-facted and each has a backstory that has shaped how they think and behave.

The dialogue between characters made me laugh out loud more than once. Osman is sympathetic to people while noting their foibles and flaws. You never get the sense that he is being cruel or laughing at anyone.

There are lots of twists and turns, and plot developments that I did not see coming. The book keeps you interested until the end - and then leaves you sad that you can't keep reading it..

I finished it relieved to hear that The Thursday Murder Club is planned as a series, and not just a standalone book. I would highly recommend the first instalment.

As a fan of Richard Osman I was eager to read this book and I wasn't disappointed.

An elderly group of residents from a retirement home meet every Thursday to discuss real crimes.

This was a humorous, light hearted, intriguing book which I found very enjoyable.

I recommend this book and hope that there will be more to come from this author.

As soon as I heard Richard Osman was writing a debut novel I was interested. A very witty talented man that I considered would write a very decent novel. Well I wasn't disappointed this novel has a lot going for it, good characters, decent plot that is a little different from the usual detective novels and generally a very good read.

Four friends who live in a retirement village have weekly meetings to discuss unsolved crimes. They call themselves The Thursday Murder Club.

The crimes are old unsolved crimes that have left the police baffled but when a local developer is found dead with a mysterious photograph left next to the body, the Thursday Murder Club suddenly find themselves in the middle of their first live case.

The members of the club are very likeable characters and among the crimes there are plenty of smiles. There were a lot of positives in this novel, mainly the lead characters and humour. A cosy gentle novel that is a little bit too hard to believe at times, but it is fiction after all. My only slight negative was it felt a little drawn out at times and things were just a little too convoluted.

Overall a very good debut novel and I would certainly be interested in reading any future novels by Richard Osman. 

I would like to thank both Net Galley and Penguin Books for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

A group of pensioners in a retirement community meet every Thursday to discuss unsolved murder cases. This book follows their attempts to solve a case much nearer to home.

I really enjoyed this book - the characters and the storyline were very appealing. The four members of the Thursday Murder Club were like a geriatric version of the Famous Five (minus the dog)! The book was very funny, often poignant (particularly the nun story) and always engaging. I hope Richard Osman goes on to write more books about the Thursday Murder Club.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for an ARC of this book.

Of course, I knew I'd love this. It's Richard Osman, of course it was going to be amazing.
Osman does not disappoint, I'm now pre-ordering a signed hardback as I know I'll need to read it again!

A classic whodunit set in a retirement community with a mix of characters trying to solve an old murder - and new. I liked the mystery of Elizabeth's previous career, a very secret spy type by all accounts, a firebrand union leader, a nurse and accountant. Their backgrounds and experiences are used to help a reluctant police DCI and constable investigate these murders.
The tone of the book is lightened by a thread of humour and the twists and turns of the story kept me intrigued and genuinely surprised by the reveal at the end of the book. Definitely worth a read if you enjoy murder mysteries and even if you don't normally read them.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.

What fun! Not as intricate as others I've read but still engaging and fun to read. Who doesn't love a good mystery, truly?

I was intrigued to read this as I do like Richard Osman. The book is based around four pensioners who live in a retirement village and hold “The Thursday Murder Club. I found the book quite slow and meandering and full of cliches such as the very unpopular property developer, the middle aged, overweight policeman and his young female counterpart, East European builders called Bogdan!

Overall it was a nice story told very sedately with enough twists and turns to keep me interested. You learnt an awful lot about each of the characters although there was never confirmation of what Elizabeth did as a career. It would make a brilliant one off, Sunday night drama

I really like Richard Osman as a quiz host/tv personality. I like his dry sense of humour and comes across as a fairly smart guy, so I went into this hoping it would be a good read.

The story is set in an old folks retirement village and an upmarket one at that. The Thursday Murder Club from the title are four of the residents from the village who meet up every Thursday to go over old police murder cases to see if they can find any faults or clues in the cases that may have been missed. We get introduced to each, two women and two men, all in the 70s to 80s age brackets along with a few other residents.
When a murder and then another takes place in and around the grounds The Thursday Murder Club find themselves investigating actual live murder cases in real time, that have happened on their door step. They share their findings as they go with the police(holding information back some times to their advantage) and the police officers they work with feed them tit bits of information from their side also.

I really enjoyed this one overall. It wasn’t without its issues but it had plenty of heart and enough strong characters to endear itself to you to more than compensate for its failings.

The Thursday Murder Club characters are great. Elizabeth, who is the leader really was my favourite. Funny and ever so proper in a quintessentially English way, the pages sparkled when she was in them.

The story is told from two perspectives. From a general narrators point of view and also from the other female in the group, Joyce’s point of view via diary entries that she keeps. It was a little jarring at times switching between both perspectives but Joyce’s diary entries gave great insight into the group and the residence that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise so I’d no problem with that.

The story is interesting overall and along the way, despite being a “cosy” type thriller, delves into some pretty dark subjects. Murder, suicide, assisted suicide, depression, regret, life long secrets, mortality, you name it and it’s in here.

A couple of negatives for me:

The collusion between the group and the two police officers seems totally unrealistic and you really had to suspend disbelief to go along with this story arc throughout the book.

The final few chapters of the book felt a little convoluted and trying too hard. Too many reveals. Too many life long(and very grim) secrets revealed(and used as red herrings on occasion which felt a little clunky). The storyline also seemed to be nearly tying itself in knots as it became more and more complicated the nearer it reached it’s conclusion. The latter part of the book did have a feel of “throw the kitchen sink at it”. The tone of the book suffers because of this and at times can’t decide what it wants to be.

But criticisms aside, I really enjoyed this book. There’s a lot to enjoy and a lot to take in. Endearing funny characters, plenty of grim moments also, life questions. There’s a lot in there. A good story overall, which always helps. What sticks out for me though are the characters and the wit and that shines through most of the book. The rest in a way is window dressing.

I’d recommend this without hesitation. It seems like there will be another in the series and I for one look forward to reading it in the future and spending more time with The Thursday Murder Club.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Penguin Books(UK) and Richard Osman for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first foray into crime fiction by the witty and talented Mr Osman. As you would expect, it is well-written and a very enjoyable if undemanding read. The premise is that a group of retired people spend Thursday afternoon in their residential village looking at cold cases and attempting to solve them. However, when a number of crimes occur close to home they work with the police, and off their own bat, to effect a satisfactory conclusion. Very entertaining.

Read through this book quickly, enjoyed it and loved the writing style. I liked how the main characters aren’t whom you think they would be and the main mysteries they solve. Look forward to a sequel if there is one.

Written with good humour and a plot that makes you think about whodunit, I would recommend this book.

With an unusual setting, once you start reading this book you’ll definitely want to keep reading to find out more.

I was delighted to receive an ARC of this from NetGalley after seeing some early reviews on GoodReads.
The story is based around the community setting of a retirement complex where lives the 4 members of the Thursday Murder Club, all elderly and all of whom we get to know -
Elizabeth and Joyce slightly more than the men, it has to be said.
The book covers not one, but three unsolved murders - well until the TMC find out about them!
Written with good humour and a plot that makes you think about whodunit, I would recommend and am now looking forward to book 2.

This was a (admittedly surprisingly) good book. I wasn't too sure what to expect, knowing the author from the tele. It did take me a while to get in to the book, but I thoroughly enjoyed it once I did!