I was looking forward to this, as I'd already read the first few chapters courtesy of Penguin Bookmarks, and it didn‘t disappoint. You could call it a ‘cozy‘ mystery but with a bit of bite. It was witty and warm, like Osman himself comes across, but there were still murders!

Only one slight niggle - there were a few too many characters introduced all at the same time - but I‘m hoping that this is the start of a series.

*I received a free ARC of this novel, with thanks to the author, Viking Books UK / Penguin Random House and NetGalley. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*

I loved this book so much, that I went ahead and pre-ordered the audio book and added a hardcover copy to my Christmas list. This is a keeper!

The book introduces us to Joyce, Elizabeth, Ron and Ibrahim, a small group of pensioners living in luxury sheltered accommodation and solving old, cold murder cases in the Jigsaw Room on a Thursday, just for a bit of fun. Well, fun, companionship, keeping their minds sharp, and a burning desire to see justice done, depending on who you ask. And Ron just like to have people to argue with on a regular basis. On the other side we have Donna and Chris, representing the official police presence, and trying desperately to keep up with the Murder Club crew, who seem to easily run rings around everyone they meet, despite the occasional use of a walking stick!

Joyce – the newest member of the TMC – tells her side of the story through her journal, but we get some omniscient views into the other characters as the story unfolds. And what a story! Richard Osman has created an intricate web of entwined mysteries, secrets and murders – old and new – that kept me guessing right up to the end. But he writes in such an accessible style – warm and witty – that makes it very easy to follow the plot and characters, despite the complexity of the case.

I’m not usually keen to read fiction books written by celebrities, as I worry that no matter how well they write, their public personality may overwhelm their narrative. This is not the case here. Yes, the public persona of Richard Osman is clever and witty, and so is his book, but he has created a cast of characters that are individual, memorable and live entirely on their own merits in the reader’s mind.

If I could ask the author just one question, it would be: when is Book 2 due out, please? And I have everything crossed that this will be a long-lived series… along with it’s octogenarian characters!





Elizabeth asked me to imagine that a girl had been stabbed with a knife. I asked what sort of knife she had been stabbed with, and Elizabeth said probably just a normal kitchen knife. John Lewis. She didn’t say that, but that was what I pictured. Then she asked me to imagine this girl had been stabbed, three or four times, just under the breastbone. In and out, in and out, very nasty, but without severing an artery. She was fairly quiet about the whole thing, because people were eating, and she does have some boundaries.

– Richard Osman, The Thursday Murder Club


Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog

Crime fiction, especially cosy mysteries, aren't my thing, but I read this one because it was written by Richard Osman. Whatever he's on, he comes across as a genuinely caring, intelligent and funny chap, and these attributes made it onto the pages too - the writing is flowing, witty and often contains charming turns of phrases. The diary entries are a good example of that.

The characters were all sensitively handled, few stereotypes, and the plot clever (sometimes a bit too much). Some scenes didn't quite work, such as Elizabeth interviewing the priest, but given this is his first book, that can all be forgiven. This is clearly setup to be a series, I'm not sure the characters and the location have the legs for it, but I'm sure fans of Mrs Marple would disagree.

A charming book, well written, and an excellent debut. A solid 4* holiday read.

Picking a book by a well known celebrity comes with some trepidation. Fortunately this was not the case with this delightful cozy mystery, set in a very up-market retirement complex and bursting with characters among the residents, four of whom made up the Thursday Murder Club.
The Club is made up of Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim, all of whom play their role well under the tacit leadership of Elizabeth.
The Club has looked at cold case files and tried to solve them, when a real murder occurs and the four start to make some investigations of their own, making friends with two police officers with whom they share information.
The writing style is very easy and natural and using Joyce as a narrator for part of the novel is a good and clever idea. I found the plot well written although a little complex towards the end and I had to go back and re read a section to understand the next.
I thought that I had guessed the ending but was completely wrong and I was pleased to be. There may well be further novels from Mr Osman following the Thursday Murder Club’s antics as there is plenty of scope to do so. I would definitely be keen to read more.
Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
I would definitely recommend reading and award 4.5 stars ⭐️.

An interesting plot and setting but I don’t think some of the characters had enough “substance “. Nevertheless an enjoyable read.

I was curious to see what this book would be like. Many ‘celebrities’, such as Ruth Jones and Graham Norton have written pretty good books so I was fairly optimistic that this would be another. I loved many of the characters, particularly Joyce, who actually reminded me of an old lady I used to know called Joyce. The other part of the book I really loved was the humour. There were some wonderful bits of humour throughout the book such as when the group were deciding who would drive and it was decided that Ibrahim was the best choice as he was the only one who understood how the Satnav worked!
The setting for the book is in an up-market retirement complex in Kent and focuses on four friends, Joyce, Elizabeth, Ibrahim and Ron who meet every Thursday to discuss unsolved murders. They are a bit of an unlikely pairing but their skills complement each other’s with Joyce being a retired nurse, Ibrahim a top psychiatrist, Ron was a union man and Elizabeth, who has a mysterious past, but seems to have access to information that would be hard to come by. The four of them are then thrown into the middle of a murder that takes place in the complex. There are also a couple of policemen who feature throughout the book and are almost made to look like idiots by the Thursday Murder Club. The book has quite a cosy feel to it and to me the best bit is the humour which made me laugh out loud. The only criticism I have is that there are quite a lot of murders and characters and at times I got slightly confused with who was who and who murdered who! Overall, for a first book I thought it was pretty good. It was relatively easy to read and kept me interested throughout.
Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me and ARC of this book for an honest review.

Is there anything Richard Osman can't do? He's a TV presenter, producer, director and now a novelist.

The Thursday Murder Club is a wonderful read. It's funny, sometimes poignant, involving and cleverly plotted.
It's a tale set in the retirement village of Coopers Chase. So, I initially thought it' might be a typical, rather cosy English murder mystery. Well it is and it isn't. It's so much better.

The four main characters Elizabeth, Ron, Ibrahim and Joyce meet every Thursday to discuss unsolved murders and try to solve them – hence The Thursday Murder Club. They may be getting on in years, but they are definitely not past it. They are all strong, vivid characters. We learn a lot about the club members and other village residents thanks to newest member Joyce, a former nurse, who gives us background information about the other characters and mentions the day to day events and interactions of the village in her diary in a very chatty but observant way. You get such a vivid picture of the people and places. I can almost picture a dramatised version on television.

When a murder occurs on their doorstep they naturally want to get involved in solving it. That's where PC Donna de Frietas and DCI Chris Hudson come in. They way the four friends manage to become involved and get information from them is genius, and hilarious. At times I was laughing out loud but there is a serious side too. The book touches on friendship, ageing, loneliness, loss and living - all part of the story.

I wouldn't call it a crime thriller but the story has pace. There are plots, and sub-plots, and twists and turns and red herrings and yet it is an easy read. The story just flows. I got very engrossed and found it hard to put down.

I'm not usually one who likes cosy murder mysteries. I usually prefer thrillers. However I really liked this book.
It was such a joy to read. I hope there might be another one from Richard Osman soon.

The Thursday Murder Club is a fabulous, fabulous book, it is one of those rare novels where you are enjoying the narrative and characters so much that the actual plot doesn’t really matter (even though it was gripping); it was one of those books that you don’t want to read too quickly because you don’t want it to end.

Please let it be the first of a series!

Many thanks to Viking Publishers, to Mr Osman and to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this wonderful book.

Set in a picturesque retirement village, four quasi-friends from different walks of life are brought together every Thursday by their common interest in discussing (and solving) cold cases. But when the owner of their retirement village is murdered after announcing his plans for a housing development in the pristine countryside, the Thursday Murder Club springs into action to solve the murder.
Both the setting and the plot are great ideas and well executed. The characters are endearing and mostly realistic.

I loved that the most-feared and powerful institution/ group in the area is the parking committee within Coopers Chase. The generational gap is displayed with humour, particularly regarding technology. While these and other little details move the book into the ‘cozy’ category, the plot also addresses the more serious aspects of ageing, mental and physical decline, murder and suicide.

The ending was unexpected and while it wasn’t all I wanted (unnecessary deaths), overall it was an enjoyable read.
At times there were quite a few characters to keep track of, but that didn’t take away from the plot. Overall, the book was written well and very easy to read.

Joyce’s lemon drizzle and coffee cakes sounded delicious and they inspired me to bake a chocolate coffee cinnamon crunch cake (some of which was consumed while reading the book).

I hope this isn’t the last we’ve seen of the Thursday Murder Club/ the Coopers Chase residents and that Osman decides to turn this into a series.

I’m always a little dubious when celebrities write fiction. It’s not their fault, its some kind of bias that I have - I am trying to be better, promise. But, having watched Richard Osman on TV for many years, it was clear that he is very articulate, and so I thought, more than capable of writing a book. But, did he have the imagination to do so? And the long and short of it is yes, he absolutely does.

So many aspects of this book caught my attention first off; the title. A club, no doubt. But did they attempt to solve murders or commit them? Secondly, that it was written by RIchard Osman, who is someone that I admire and watch on TV regularly. Finally, the setting. A murder mystery set at a luxury retirement village? Where the elderly residents get up to a spot of detective work? Yes please. That had me sold.

The Thursday Murder Club could have gone one of two ways. It could have been a spectacular book with a great plot and fantastic characters, or it could have been a disaster. I am so thrilled to say that it was the former, in every way possible. A superb book in all regards.

‘The Gang’ as I affectionately call them, are all, in their own ways, fantastic. Human, flawed, and complete. Each with their own distinctive narrative voice. I have to say, of them all, Joyce was absolutely my favourite. Although Elizabeth might be the obvious choice, with her sharp intelligence, Joyce just made me feel all of the feels.

I won’t give anything away about the plot as that’s something that should be discovered while reading. But I will say this, there are plenty of twists and turns to keep you enthralled in the story. Some that I saw coming, and some that I didn’t.

Overall, The Thursday Murder Club has shot to being one of my favourite books of the year, because it has it all, intelligent plot lines, thrilling twists and wholly real characters. I laughed, I gasped and I wept. I couldn’t be more thrilled that this is going to be part of a series and I would happily read dozens of books about this gang and their adventures.

Our novel is set at Coopers Chase, a retirement village in Kent, where four OAPs fancy themselves as murder mystery solvers. When someone actually is murdered, the four of them take the police for a ride, 'helping' them try to solve the crime. As the debut novel of TV presenter Richard Osman, I didn't know what to expect but this was an absolute delight.

This book is witty, clever, so full of joy and so heartwarming, but also emotional and touching at times. The characters are wonderfully developed, each one is unique and delightful to spend time with. This is a novel filled with funny moments which feels cosy and exciting at the same time.

It would be fantastic if this book were turned into a series. This is the perfect book for anyone who loves a murder mystery. Richard Osman clearly has a talent for writing and I can't wait to see what he comes out with next! I absolutely adored this book.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman was a really fun crime novel with the older generation being the stars! I enjoyed the writing style and the pace of the book. The different twists and turns throughout the book kept me on edge. I would recommend it highly.

Here are the pensioners I want to be! Confidently smashing their way through red tape and societal norms like a gang of imperious dowager duchesses and cranky troublemakers, these retirees are an absolute joy. Clever, astute, compassionate and fiercely opposed to injustices great and small, the residents of a wealthy old folks home embark on unlikely adventures. It’s a romp, lively and silly, not to be taken too seriously and as I read I was busily casting the inevitable movie in my head...

Richard Osman, in case you don't know, is the very tall guy on Pointless who has all the answers.

I was very pleased to find out he had written a book and even more delighted when the publisher agreed to let me review it.

Like its author, The Thursday Murder Club is well dressed, funny, and quintessentially English.

Four pensioners in a Kent retirement village spend their Thursdays solving old unsolved murders. That is, until a real murder takes place and they decide to do the police's work for them, although they can't resist letting the local constabulary in on their investigations.

I loved this book with its gentle but clever humour. The characters of the four pensioners are spot on and absolutely believable. Everyone knows an Elizabeth, a formidable and endlessly resourceful woman (probably in MI6 in a former life), Joyce, our narrator who likes putting vodka in her cakes, Ron, the former union man, and Ibrahim, who is always having to explain to the less enlightened residents how modern technology works.

Donna, the PC that the pensioners took to their hearts and her boss, Chris, made a good double act. Bogdan, the Polish man of all trades and expert chess player, also made me chuckle quite a lot.

I liked the reference to the Isle of Wight, too, by the way. If it's good enough for Jane Austen, and all that.

Looking at the end of the book, it seems pretty certain there will be another adventure for our intrepid pensioners, and that's good news. After all, there are only so many cakes Joyce can bake or chocolate bars Chris can eat.

I was sent an advance review copy of this book by Penguin Books (UK), in return for an honest appraisal.

I was so looking forward to this book and unlike my previous read I was not disappointed. Always unsure with a new author to me, and a debut novel and by a famous person as you can never tell how good they will be but I need not have worried. Any chance of a follow up?

It was funny in places but also made you think about what people have to deal with in life. Loved the characters, a friend has just moved into. Retirement estate, I hope she does not experience so many murders although I am sure she could cope with the drinking!

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

When I heard that Richard Osman wrote a book, I knew I had to read it. He’s smart and funny, he’ll write a decent story I thought, and I was right! The Thursday Murder Club is set in an upmarket retirement village called Coopers Chase where the residents start drinking at 11am and break all the rules, because, well, how much trouble could they possibly get into at this stage in their lives?

The Thursday Murder Club members consist of four 70-80 year olds who meet up once a week and review unsolved murders from over the years. The club can’t believe their luck when 2 actual murders happen, meaning that they can now investigate in real-time. They work as a team utilising their various contacts in and outside the retirement village as well as softly and carefully involving the police when it suits them.

The story is written with obvious compassion and I enjoyed the charming sincerity of Osman. Although you don’t learn too much about each of the character’s pasts, you can still get a really good sense of the types of people they are. The characters are what make this book really sweet to read.

The reason this book doesn’t get 5 stars is because at the beginning there are a lot of characters and you don’t really know who the main characters are or who is important to the plot. I found myself having to re-read some pages to remember who’s-who.

4 stars

When a ‘celebrity’ writes a book, one never knows what to expect, but Richard Osman has done himself proud with this absolute gem! Every Thursday, four elderly residents of a retirement village get together to have a go at solving murders from the past, but they are suddenly confronted with not just one but two murders very close to home. The characters themselves are realised with humour and empathy and it is a joy to read a book where the main protagonists are all over 70! However, there is more than a little feeling of both Blyton’s Famous Five and Chesterton’s Father Brown here, and plot, characters and writing style are none the worse for that. If you’re looking for a serious police procedural this book is probably not for you, but if you are in need of humour, style, gentle persuasion and great fun, buy this book - you won’t be disappointed!

The Thursday Murder Club, set in a 'Luxury Retirement Village', offers portraits ranging from the expected elderly British married couples, to, among other central characters, a lady detective, Turkish-Cypriot criminals, a retired Catholic priest a former Trades Union leader, and the latter's former famous boxer son, now constantly appearing on reality television. The author restrains himself from making the latter make an appearance on his own 'Richard Osman's House of Games' or 'Pointless'. A cast list in the forefront of this book might be helpful, although I grant that accompanying descriptions, such as 'X, a villain' or 'Y, a murderer', would spoil the reader's endeavours to discover 'who dun wot'. But there could be a clue in the following anonymous Foreword:

Killing someone is easy. Hiding the body, now that's usually the hard part. That's how you get caught.
I was lucky enough to stumble upon the right place, though. The perfect place, really.
I come back from time to time, just to make sure everything is still safe and sound. It always is, and I suppose it always will be.
Sometimes I'll have a cigarette, which I know I shouldn't, but it's my only vice.

One of the pleasures of reading thrillers comes from your success in identifying a perpetrator before he is/she is/they are/ brought to justice. But don't reduce your enjoyment by only considering those revealed to be smokers in this novel. I would strongly recommend buying the Kindle version of this intriguing detective story, so as to make frequent use of the name- or incident- searching facility in such a device. Towards the end of the book, the average reader is likely to be confused by the reappearance of a name or incident only briefly mentioned earlier. I speak from my own experience. Novels do not have a useful index; this book warrants one, and fortunately an e-reader can supply it.

Wendy Pollard.

Just what I expected from Richard Osman - a clever and funny novel with great characters and a plot with plenty of secrets.
I laughed at the antics of the determined elderly amateur sleuths and the police who tried to contain their efforts.
Warm, funny and gripping. Can’t wait for the next one!!

As you might expect from the author, this is a charming and intelligent debut and is fortunately written with a series in mind. In parts funny and in others poignant, this is a cleverly plotted book very much in the tradition of the English crime novels of Agatha Christie, MC Beaton and Robert Galbraith. The characters are interesting and well crafted, the plot clever without being tenuous and the setting quirky and fun. I don’t often give 5 stars but I have here, which shows how much I enjoyed this read.