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A review by drewminyard
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
i liked this! it took me a while to get into it, almost a month to complete it. i read the first 30 pages last month and found it interesting but not exciting enough to keep reading. So i left it and revisited it earlier this week, and completed it within a few hours, spread over the week.
essentially, the book is about 4 retirees who spend their time solving cold cases, but when someone is murdered in their village, they have to solve a real life brand new mystery. i really liked the concept and i LOVED the characters. i thought osman captured their dynamics perfectly, especially between elizabeth and donna, elizabeth and joyce, and donna and chris. i also really liked the focus on the growing friendship of ron and ibrahim.
one thing i really didn't like is that the core four come across too much as the real stars of the show with a lack of emphasis on the plot, which definitely took away from the mystery. the whole point of a mystery is about finding out who did it, but in the end i found myself not really caring who did it.
however, despite its hyperfocus on characters, the book still manages to deliver some thought-provoking commentary on aging, friendship, and the importance of staying active and engaged in life, regardless of age.
i'm going to continue with this series as i'm curious to see how the characters evolve and what new mysteries they'll uncover in future installments, and hopefully they'll be more gripping than this one.
essentially, the book is about 4 retirees who spend their time solving cold cases, but when someone is murdered in their village, they have to solve a real life brand new mystery. i really liked the concept and i LOVED the characters. i thought osman captured their dynamics perfectly, especially between elizabeth and donna, elizabeth and joyce, and donna and chris. i also really liked the focus on the growing friendship of ron and ibrahim.
one thing i really didn't like is that the core four come across too much as the real stars of the show with a lack of emphasis on the plot, which definitely took away from the mystery. the whole point of a mystery is about finding out who did it, but in the end i found myself not really caring who did it.
however, despite its hyperfocus on characters, the book still manages to deliver some thought-provoking commentary on aging, friendship, and the importance of staying active and engaged in life, regardless of age.
i'm going to continue with this series as i'm curious to see how the characters evolve and what new mysteries they'll uncover in future installments, and hopefully they'll be more gripping than this one.