Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

86 reviews

prairieraven's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Super fun book to read, a delightful collection of characters, this book had me pondering, laughing, sad, and pause for reflection. Super entertaining & intriguing, highly recommended for mystery lovers and those looking for a mystery book that is a bit less grim. Perfect for a rainy or Snowy day read. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Dementia, Trafficking, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

spookily's review against another edition

dark emotional funny lighthearted mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Child death, Fatphobia, Gun violence, and Dementia

Minor: Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Sexism, Medical content, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

jmyers1's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I really enjoyed this book! It was funny, surprising and jusy what I needed! 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death and Alcohol

andloveistoolong's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, and Alcohol

Minor: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Dementia, and Pregnancy

naelle04's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Death and Eating disorder

Minor: Drug use and Alcohol

eileenp59's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious relaxing sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Dementia, Grief, Murder, and Alcohol

Moderate: Child death, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, and Medical content

Minor: Drug use, Fatphobia, and Pregnancy

bonsai_delores's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Contemporary mystery, well written complicated case. Loved how it kept me guessing. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide, Dementia, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Drug use and Alcohol

thecriticalreader's review against another edition

funny mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I picked up The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman because I liked the idea of reading a mystery set in a retirement village!

 

Blurb: 

Four members of a retirement community form a club to discuss and try to solve cold cases. When one of the people who helped build their community is murdered, they decide to take the opportunity to solve a real-life murder case.

 

Review:

It is easy to see why The Thursday Murder Club gained such buzz when it was released. The writing is clever, the elderly members of the Thursday Murder Club are endearing and well-written, and the book (especially the first half) is chock full of humor. I laughed out loud several times while reading. At the same time, the retirement community setting—a place that is both lively and sober, given the age of its members—offers an opportunity for touching and poignant moments as the characters face the realities of aging and losing loved ones.

 

Toward the end of the novel, as Osman works to tie up the loose ends to the main mysteries, the red herring mysteries, and almost every other random plot point he has introduced, I started to feel lost in the weeds. The book contains an unusually large supporting cast of characters, and nearly every single one of them had their own ending or mystery that Osman felt the need to address. The focus shifted away from the main Thursday Murder Club members, draining the story of much of its initial humor and heart. Although I enjoyed watching the police and the senior citizens work through the clues and the mystery step by step, I was disappointed that the author still opted for the surprise “info-dump” resolution to the mysteries instead of letting the reader figure out the solution at the same time as the characters.

 

The story also suffers from occasional tonal dissonance as Osman tries to make the narrative funny, cerebral, lighthearted, serious, and exciting. One throwaway line that stuck out to me in this regard was a remark about one of the main police characters: “She had arrested a shoplifter in Fairhaven last week, and when he had struggled, she had brought him down with a baton between the knees. She was aware she had hit him much harder than she should. Sometimes you just had to hit things” (124-25). That line greatly disturbs me, as it paints police brutality as something that is normal and relatable. The book completely glosses over the problematic nature of referring to a person as a “thing” that can be beaten by police to let out their excess anger. There were other similar, if less alarming, instances where Osman occasionally drops the ball when trying to juggle multiple tones. 

 

Overall, I enjoyed many aspects of The Thursday Murder Club, but my enjoyment waned significantly as the story went on. I do not feel compelled to pick up any of the story’s sequels.

 

The Run-Down: 

You will probably like The Thursday Murder Club if:

·      You are a fan of cozy, small-town murder mysteries 

·      Following a quirky cast of elderly crime solvers sounds like fun

·      You enjoy stories that alternate between humorous remarks, serious reflections on life and death, and crime investigation

 

 

You might not like The Thursday Murder Club if:

·      You prefer simpler mysteries

·      You don’t like having to keep track of multiple characters and plotlines

·      You are upset by people making light of murder 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Eating disorder, Suicide, Terminal illness, Dementia, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Drug use and Alcohol

Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Racism, Blood, Police brutality, and Religious bigotry

leanneymu's review against another edition

adventurous emotional lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Really enjoyed this - a twisty-turny mystery with a loveable cast of older people (which doesn't shy away from the difficulties of death and ageing). I found it a little difficult to keep up with who had murdered who by the end, but still... well-written and good fun.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Dementia, and Grief

Minor: Fatphobia and Alcohol

karyan1's review against another edition

mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Chronic illness, Gun violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail