Take a photo of a barcode or cover
wonderedpages 's review for:
The Thursday Murder Club
by Richard Osman
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club was such a fun ride. The pace is snappy thanks to the short chapters and the almost game-show rhythm to the storytelling. At its heart, the book is about four friends in a retirement community who gather on Thursdays to solve murders, only to find themselves tangled in real ones. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim, and Ron are each fascinating in their own right. In contrast to the main prose, Joyce’s diary entries felt like Osman was letting the reader join the club as its newest member.
The mystery itself is twisty and layered, full of secrets buried in a sleepy English village. I’ll admit, some parts left me scratching my head. John’s motive for killing Ian didn’t completely land for me, and his decision to kill himself and Penny in the end felt more misguided than moving. Bogdan’s storyline also struck me as odd. Elizabeth is fine with his continued freedom despite his violent past, but is quick to plan on turning in John and Penny. That inconsistency bugged me a little. On the flip side, Penny’s youthful rage at a murderer walking free made perfect sense, and Father Mackie’s guilt over his lover’s tragic end was a quiet heartbreak in the book.
Still, the charm of this novel comes less from the perfect solving of the murders and more from the characters themselves. Joyce is endlessly personable, Elizabeth is resourceful and bold, Ibrahim is steady and cerebral, and Ron barrels in with all the confidence of a bull in a china shop. Together, they balance each other beautifully. And of course, Joyce is always baking, which gives the story a cozy layer amid the darker moments.
The ending, with Joyce’s daughter swooping in to save the retirement community and cemetery, felt both fitting and warm. For a place that supposedly had no visitors, the cemetery certainly had a lot of secrets to reveal. I wonder if more cemetery secrets will be uncovered in the following books.
I watched the Netflix movie adaptation right after finishing, and I loved it. Honestly, the film streamlined some of the chaotic threads in the book, making the story easier to follow. Since this was Osman’s debut, I couldn’t help but wonder if he used the movie as a bit of a do-over, tightening the story where the novel felt messy.
If you’re looking for a mystery with wit, charm, and an unforgettable cast of elderly sleuths, The Thursday Murder Club delivers. It’s clever, cozy, and full of heart. I will be picking up the next book in the series soon. I hope to see Netflix create movie adaptations for the remaining books as well.
The mystery itself is twisty and layered, full of secrets buried in a sleepy English village. I’ll admit, some parts left me scratching my head. John’s motive for killing Ian didn’t completely land for me, and his decision to kill himself and Penny in the end felt more misguided than moving. Bogdan’s storyline also struck me as odd. Elizabeth is fine with his continued freedom despite his violent past, but is quick to plan on turning in John and Penny. That inconsistency bugged me a little. On the flip side, Penny’s youthful rage at a murderer walking free made perfect sense, and Father Mackie’s guilt over his lover’s tragic end was a quiet heartbreak in the book.
Still, the charm of this novel comes less from the perfect solving of the murders and more from the characters themselves. Joyce is endlessly personable, Elizabeth is resourceful and bold, Ibrahim is steady and cerebral, and Ron barrels in with all the confidence of a bull in a china shop. Together, they balance each other beautifully. And of course, Joyce is always baking, which gives the story a cozy layer amid the darker moments.
The ending, with Joyce’s daughter swooping in to save the retirement community and cemetery, felt both fitting and warm. For a place that supposedly had no visitors, the cemetery certainly had a lot of secrets to reveal. I wonder if more cemetery secrets will be uncovered in the following books.
I watched the Netflix movie adaptation right after finishing, and I loved it. Honestly, the film streamlined some of the chaotic threads in the book, making the story easier to follow. Since this was Osman’s debut, I couldn’t help but wonder if he used the movie as a bit of a do-over, tightening the story where the novel felt messy.
If you’re looking for a mystery with wit, charm, and an unforgettable cast of elderly sleuths, The Thursday Murder Club delivers. It’s clever, cozy, and full of heart. I will be picking up the next book in the series soon. I hope to see Netflix create movie adaptations for the remaining books as well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder
Moderate: Child death, Drug use, Suicide, Terminal illness, Dementia, Alcohol