Big thanks to Penguin for the ARC via Netgalley - and the physical proof sent to Waterstones booksellers! I've been eagerly awaiting this for a while, and enjoyed it a lot. I don't read much crime fiction, so telling you that it's the best crime novel I've read this year probably doesn't count for much... how does one of the best debut novels that I've read this year sound? Richard Osman is a marvel and I'm so glad that he's taken the step into writing fiction. A childhood watching Miss Marple, Murder She Wrote and the like with my grandparents prepared me to love this - solving a murder in a retirement village? Genius. Utterly British, hilarious in parts, a really well developed cast of characters and really full of heart. Loved it!

This sounded like a nice antidote to the usual more grizzly murder mysteries that I enjoy. I wasn't wrong, it has a good story with gentle yet likeable characters that I look forward to hearing more from. It's nice to have older characters that are portrayed as useful and interesting.

I adored this debut from Osman! A hilarious take on the crime genre with a wonderful set of characters. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim- all residents of Coopers Chase retirement home make a charming team of detectives. After a steady start, the murder mystery narrative was gripping and had me hooked until the end. Alongside, I was in stitches laughing at Joyce's observations on quintessentially British things like Marks and Spencer’s cakes and Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference wine! I can’t wait for the next book in the series.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for this ARC!

This is simply a brilliant book!

Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim - four unlikely friends at a retirement village meet up once a week to investigate unsolved killings. But then when actual murder take place almost at their doorsteps, the group decides to solve the crime, and help the police along the way.

The story is narrated from two perspectives. One from a general point and other through Joyce’s via diary entries that she keeps. The characters along with their skills and conversations are so diverse that it makes an entertaining read.

Even though it is not a typical crime fiction novel, it does have an interesting murder mystery and the quirky characters will keep you engaged throughout.

Overall, a highly recommended debut novel and I would definitely be looking forward to more books by Richard Osman!

Thank You to NetGalley and Penguin Books (UK) for this ARC!

What a brilliant debut by Richard Osman! I fell in love with the lead quartet immediately (funnily enough this gave me serious Quartet vibes but with the added intrigue of murder!) Joyce; ditzy, excitable and totally gorgeous, Ron, with his tough exterior but who's really a teddy bear, Ibrahim, a perpetual over-explainer with a heart of gold and Elizabeth who seems to have just walked straight out of a Le Carré novel.
Witty, charming and full of excellent plot twists. I read this in one sitting and eagerly await future mysteries with this motley crew!

TV Presenter Richard Osman’s debut crime novel The Thursday Murder Club is definitely a winner.

More a cosy murder mystery than anything noir the storyline is excellent with well defined characters and nice moments of humour. Chuck in the odd red herring and this book will appeal to many.

Hopefully there will be future meetings of The Thursday Murder Club

Definitely recommended

In Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club, a group of residents at an upmarket retirement complex attempt to investigate unsolved murders at their weekly meetings.. Just as new member Joyce is brought into the group, sudden events at the complex provide a new influx of crimes to be solved.

Richard Osman's novel is not going to win any serious crime fiction awards but it does manage to create a good level of whodunnit suspense whilst being essentially light-hearted and frothy throughout. The characters are all somewhat exaggerated, and very much in an English eccentric style, but they are all brought to life with great affection. The dialogue is a particular strength, capturing the idiosyncracies of each character beautifully.

I think this book would lend itself fabulously well to further sequels.

This was a brilliant debut - funny in places, but full of pathos. Osman has created a wonderful set of characters and created a mystery that could have been anything, leaving a lot of room for trying to work it out. My only frustration would be the sheer number of red herrings and side-mysteries which at the end seemed a little... well, err... pointless.

I received a copy of this book to review from Netgalley. Thank you for the opportunity.
This book was a great weekend read. The fast paced action combined with the quirky and quintessentially British writing makes this book a must read. It concerns the mystery of several murders but at his heart, has themes of friendship and humor. It is full of twists and turned alongside several red herrings like a well written mystery. The characters are well developed and likable. After reading this book, the reader wishes they could join the Thursday Murder Club!
I would recommend this book to any fans of an old style murder mystery., like Agatha Christie.

Death is a familiar visitor at Coopers Chase retirement community but recently he’s been calling more often and not all his victims are retirees….
Richard Osman is well-known to British TV viewers as ‘my Pointless friend’ and his personality shines through in his first novel. I even recognised some of his on-screen themes like ‘famous in the 80s, famous forever’.
While he doesn’t quite have the plotting skills of mentor, Mark Billingham, his cast of perky pensioners and dodgy geezers are what keeps the story moving. To be honest, many of the characters are a bit stereotypical (aggro-loving union leader, polish builder) but at least the stereotypes are varied. My favourite character is police officer, Chris, who battles against comfort eating while waiting for a long overdue Ms Right to appear.
I finished the book feeling I’d had an enjoyable romp over Coopers Chase’s rolling hills and I hope, when the time comes, they’ll be able to squeeze me in.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc.

*Many thanks to Richard Osman, Penguin Books UK, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
This book turned out to be a perfect weekend read for me. A multi-layered mystery which despite several murders, including cold cases, refrains from being graphic.
Senior citizens, who live together on an estate built for rather well-off retirees try to keep their 'grey cells' working, set up a Murder Club which meets every Thursday. The Club focuses of old cases mainly but when a murder is committed just round the corner, they cannot refuse the challenge.
There are many dynamic characters, each with their secrets, habits and weaknesses. There is a sense of humor, a good subdued humour, and I found myself chuckling occasionally.

I really wanted to enjoy this book and it started off well, but then it went downhill and I just couldn’t keep interested.
The Thursday Murder Club meet at Coopers chase to review old cases. Then one day, a real life case turns up and they turn their hand to trying to solve it with the help of 2 local police officers.
It started off quite funny and light hearted but then turned to be quite unrealistic. Surely 2 police officers wouldn’t rely on the information given to them by a group of OAPs who had been sticking their noses in and digging up the past? Towards the end it got too conversational and there was not enough action or intrigue to keep me going I’m afraid

I have no hesitation in recommending this book to readers. The unconventional setting of a retirement village and you have visions of Last of the Summer Wine howwever this book is anything but. The Thursday Murder Club exists to discuss historic crimes but when something happens on their doorstep then they themselves step up to investigate.

The characters are great fun, certainly an eclectic bunch and there is certainly more to discover about them with the promise of a second book in the series. There is great interplay between the octagenerians and the police and some surprising turns in the narrative to leave you guessing to the end. Humour is a feature of this book and is well used, being skillfully handled by Richard Osman this aspect is no surprise.

Witty, clever and ultimately satisfying this book will delight readers of all generations.

#TheThursdayMurderClub #NetGalley

Having met the lovely Richard Osman a few years ago and he having been very kind to my elderly mum I was intrigued to read this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the gentle writing style and could almost hear Richard reading it out loud (I suspect he will for the audio!). I’m certainly keen to retire somewhere like Cooper’s Chase as it seems very pleasant and fun but I suspect our four protagonists may have moved on by then... I’d like to think Jason and Donna would still be about though!

I very much liked the characters in this novel and they were delightfully drawn and realistic. It wasn’t ‘gripping’ but it wasn’t meant to be. It was, as earlier described, very gentle but entertaining nonetheless.

It’s a solid 4* from me (five is something outstanding) and I’d very much recommend this to readers.

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
This was exactly the type of novel I love; quirky, amusing and intelligent. I am sure this would have been published whether or not the author was a celebrity. From the opening I was fully engaged and could not wait to see how the storyline developed. The idiosyncratic humour of the novel reminded me of Joanna Cannon’s The Trouble with Sheep and Goats.
The four main characters, Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim were engaging and fully developed as were their contacts in the police; Donna De Freitas and Chris Gibb. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim were residents at a very upmarket retirement village and to keep their brains active were working through the old cases of Penny (an ex-detective chief inspector). Elizabeth had kept the Thursday Murder Club going even though Penny had succumbed to illness and was now lying in a nursing home, unable to contribute to their investigations.
Each of the characters has their own talents to bring to bear upon these old cases; Ibrahim the psychiatrist, Elizabeth the ex-spy, Joyce the ex-nurse and “Red Ron” the veteran of many union battles. They are enjoying the stimulation of working through Penny’s old cases when a new case appears right on their doorstep and they cannot resist trying to solve the mystery before the police. The plot is fast paced and keeps you guessing throughout. There are many a twists and turns along the way; one minute you think that you have solved it only to have your theories confounded. I would thoroughly recommend this novel to anyone and will be sharing it at my book clubs. I can’t wait for the next offering from Richard Osman and look forward to watching the film should Steven Spielberg (who has bought the film rights) make it. I would like to thank Richard Osman, Penguin and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this novel in return for an honest review.

What a fabulous book! We follow the story of Joyce, an ex-nurse; Ibrahim, a psychologist; Ron, a former Union Leader; and Elizabeth, whose past is nothing if not mysterious; four friends who live in the retirement village of Coopers Chase, Kent. Far from being ready to slow down in their retirement, the group instead use their considerable skills to look over old police cases, branding themselves as the eponymous “Thursday Murder Club”. Considerable excitement ensues when the murders of two men connected with the retirement village occur within quick succession, leaving our heroes in the position of being able to investigate, and hopefully solve, the case alongside the police.

The characters, from the four friends to the police officers they work with and the supporting cast, are just wonderful. They are all warm and humorous and so alive – I found myself desperately wanting to be their friend and was sad to leave them when the book ended. The plot is clever and unexpected, and the tale, despite being about murder, has numerous genuinely funny moments. A Vegan café called “Anything with a Pulse”?! Amazing! The author is known for his wit in his television appearances, and this has translated perfectly within his novel. I can’t wait to read more of his work, and sincerely hope that it will be set within Coopers Chase!

My thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for the arc to review.

Move over Miss Marple, there are some new crime solving Pensioners in town and they mean business. As I said before, I've been looking forward to reading this book for quite some time. intrigued by the premise and more than a little bit curious to see what kind of book we would be offered by someone who is renowned for a laid back and conversational style of presenting. It is fair to say that when you pick up this book you are getting a lot of Richard Osman with it too, the narrative tone very much a mirror for the way he comes across on the screen. But beyond this you get a story which sits very much in the cosy crime sector of the bookcase, but has brilliantly diverse characters, a twisted plot and a whole lot of mystery to boot. Put simply, I really rather enjoyed this book.

The action, if you can call it action with everything happening at the pace of your typical retirement village, centres around a small group of the village's residents, Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron, who meet up once a week to try and solve cold murder cases that, thus far, the police have been able to solve. It probably won't surprise you to hear that they only meet on Thursday's, but that is only because it is the only day that the Jigsaw room is free ... These four intrepid Pensioners come from very different backgrounds, are really unique and likeable characters, but all with one thing in common. The desire to work out whodunnit. When murder comes knocking at their own door and they no longer need to worry about solving cold cases, they start on a quest for truth that not everyone will be happy about.

This is a classic murder mystery tale. Multiple murders to be fair, but with many little surprises along the way. This is mostly told from multiple perspectives, following each of the victims, suspects and amateur sleuths in turn as we all examine the evidence and start to solve the murder using the cleverly laid out clues. As in the tradition of all good Christie novels, our team are ably assisted in their investigations by two professional Detectives, PC Donna De Freitas and DCI Chris Hudson, because they need to get their inside knowledge from somewhere obviously. I really loved the way in which the four, especially Elizabeth, played a canny game in terms of getting the police to feed them information, whilst all the time holding back evidence and statements themselves until they had worked out their importance in the investigation. For anyone else it would be classed as some kind of misdemeanor, hindering an investigation and the like, but for his lot it made them all the more endearing.

The story is packed with more twists and turns than the cable sweaters made by the knitting club, with more than the odd surprise along the way. As we are dealing largely with people moving towards the ends of their lives, there are moments of real emotion and poingancy too, just enough to summon the odd tear, but not enough to take you away from what is for the most part a fun, often funny, whodunnit in which the Murder Club play on their apparent 'frailties' to meet their own agenda's and ably show what the benefit of years of experience and wisdom can bring to an investigation. Joyce as the newest and possibly most excitable member of the team has a lot to bring to the club, and with the story interspersed with chapters from her diary, a lot to give to readers too, not just about the investigation but life in the retirement village as a whole. She may be new but in the end it is one of Joyce's memories that proves to be a vital clue, leading to the final, most vital reveal if them all.

I really enjoyed this book and loved the dynamic that Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron had between them. They are fun characters to get to know and to spend time with and although the action, and suspicion comes a little too close to home for some of them, I did find myself rooting for them from the off. Likewise Donna and DCI Hudson make for a great detective pairing and the banter and camaraderie between them and with the pensioners is a joy to read. If you like a good old cosy crime read with great characters, good humour and plenty of mystery then you are going to love this book and I'd definitely recommend giving it a whirl. I just hope there are plenty more of these to come, after all Elizabeth had a whole stack of cold case files for the club to get their teeth into ... 😉

A lovely, gentle murder mystery! This is beautifully written, as I would expect from Richard Osman. It has his tongue in cheek humour and reminds me of Agatha Christie in parts. The gang of old folks are definitely my growing up goals! They have a great time together and take care of each other too. I hope there will be more to come from this group.

I usually love murder mystery book but I’m sorry, this wasn’t for me. The book is well written and I’m sure will be enjoyed by many. I struggled to the end but I didn’t enjoy it.

3.5 rounder up to 4

Four pensioners who live in a retirement community get together once a week to solve cold cases. Ron, Ibrahim, Elizabeth and Joyce are members of the Thursday Murder Club. When someone linked to the community is murdered, they suddenly have an active case to work on.

Richard Osman is a well known British TV producer and presenter. Our protagonists are all in their eighties and live at Coppers Chase retirement village. They usually try to solve cold cases but now they have a live murder investigation to solve. The story is told from .multiple points of view and snippets from Joyce's diary entries. I loved the four main characters. They were true to life. Thus is a cosy whodunit with some humour thrown into the mix.

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #PenguinBooksUK and the author #RichardOsman for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.