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A review by akira_outofthegravity
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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? No
3.75
Wow. First of all, my praises: I’m very sceptical of books by famous people, especially famous people who aren’t already authors. When Richard Osman (who I like in House of Games, and WILTY) announced he wrote a book I was indeed very sceptical. However, the TMC totally surprised me.
The four main characters are all very distinct, slightly unlikable but that just makes them even more likeable! My only criticism is that I wish we saw more of Ibrahim- my favourite. Donna and Chris made for some good comic relief, and Bogdan was a nice character I felt a lot for despite not being in the book very much.
The plot was good, as a connoisseur of the crime genre I did enjoy it. The perspective of elderly people (think Miss Marple) in a retirement home trying to solve a murder is very charming, and Osman makes it exciting, in a kind of adorable old person way.
My one main criticism is that the book was slightly too long. Perhaps this is my fault for taking a reading break halfway through, but it does start to lose steam round about the 250 page mark. It’s really good, the murder happens, the second murder happens, a whole lot of nothing happens, build up to resolution, then it ends. I think some of Chris and Donna could have easily been taken out. I liked them, but they didn’t add much beside comic relief. It was a bit of a slog at points, but I’m glad I finished it.
Be warned though, it’s surprisingly sad.
the amount of old people killing themselves, as a mercy kill (?) is more than expected- Bernard, John, wnd I guess technically Penny. I’m not sure if I like it or not. In that, I’m not sure if Bernard was supposed to maybe foreshadow John’s death? I liked the detail with Penny, and I’m glad a character so close to Elizabeth had some major significance, but the amount of suicide was a bit intense- especially in a a fairly lighthearted book about seniors. Though I suppose it does open up that conversation.
The four main characters are all very distinct, slightly unlikable but that just makes them even more likeable! My only criticism is that I wish we saw more of Ibrahim- my favourite. Donna and Chris made for some good comic relief, and Bogdan was a nice character I felt a lot for despite not being in the book very much.
The plot was good, as a connoisseur of the crime genre I did enjoy it. The perspective of elderly people (think Miss Marple) in a retirement home trying to solve a murder is very charming, and Osman makes it exciting, in a kind of adorable old person way.
My one main criticism is that the book was slightly too long. Perhaps this is my fault for taking a reading break halfway through, but it does start to lose steam round about the 250 page mark. It’s really good, the murder happens, the second murder happens, a whole lot of nothing happens, build up to resolution, then it ends. I think some of Chris and Donna could have easily been taken out. I liked them, but they didn’t add much beside comic relief. It was a bit of a slog at points, but I’m glad I finished it.
Be warned though, it’s surprisingly sad.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Murder
Moderate: Dementia