I read the blurb for this and honestly rolled my eyes, then I saw it was written by Richard Osman and out of pure curiosity I decided to read it.

I am so delighted curiosity got the better of me because I absolutely loved it.

Firstly, this review comes with a caveat, some of the workings behind the story-line are highly implausible and unrealistic so if you can't get past that you will not enjoy the book. If you can like I did, you will adore it.

I never thought a book about murder could be heartwarming and sweet but this book is exactly that.

We see 4 pensioners go through their life in their retirement village, while weekly on a Thursday trying to solve past murder cases, until one day a real murder happens in the village. They move their attention to this murder, analyzing everybody, including each other, while they try to catch the killer before the police do. As the story unfolds we see a beautiful development of each of the characters and their relationships.

While being a heartwarming cuddle of a book which made me cry at a few points, this book also has some very clever and indeed fun twists throughout.

It's an overall 5 star gem that needs to be read by people who enjoy every type of genre, not just your mystery fans!

I've had the chance to read the first few chapters some 6-7 month ago as part of a survey. I was immediately taken with it and thought it was hilarious. Despite having too many books to read, I couldn't refrain myself from requesting it when it became available on NetGalley: I have no regrets :D

The book is not as hilarious as the first chapters plus it's highly improbable but you know what? I loved it!! I loved it!!

I won't bother you with the plot, read the summery. Plus I wouldn't say more that what's in the blurb cause you don't want to know the story before you've read the book, would you now?!
The novel is full of wit with the occasional laughing out loud moment. But the gem of this book is its characters. In particular the quartet composed by Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron. The author says in Acknowledgements: "I first had the idea for The Thursday Murder Club a few years ago, when I was fortunate enough to visit a retirement community, full of extraordinary people with extraordinary stories...{...}". I wholeheartedly agree with him, it's why I love elderly people: they have the most amazing life stories and I want to learn them all!! Well the amazing 4 of this book lived up to my expectations. They are fascinating, charming characters, full of life despite their age. They gradually reveal bits of their lives while solving not one but 2, oh wait 3 murders. Bloody industrious peoples!. Turns out I had a very good idea of the motive that got the story rolling. But with all the twists, and all the people involved it took me by surprise when we finally learned the truth. It made me happy to have anticipated such an important element, instead of being a turn off as it usually is.
All in all a great read that I totally recommend.

Every Thursday afternoon, in a retirement village, four friends, Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron meet to try to solve unsolved murders.
Then a murder occurs at the home and they spring to action to solve it themselves. Can they beat the police to a conclusion?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I must admit to downloading it due to the Author and being curious.
A murder mystery set in a retirement village dispels all preconceptions of 'the golden years' as a gang of residents attempt to solve cold cases and find themselves in the middle of a real life murder case. Kept me guessing right up until the very last minute, every time I thought I knew what was going on I was wrong! Loved he characters, Loved the story line. Bring on the next book!

Thanks to Netgalley for opportunity to review . I wasn’t sure I would finish it until about half way through when I found myself quite enjoying it. It was a slow start set in a retirement village, I found some of the characters a little stereotyped. Fans of Agatha Christie or Murder she wrote will enjoy it. Would read a follow up but it isn’t the best I have read.

A little bit of slow boil with this, but definitely heats up. I enjoyed the twists, turns, and the way things didn't go the way you expect. I really loved the fact that it was predominantly set in a retirement village, a veritable hotbed of secrets. The relationships between the main characters were written with warmth and humour. A definite recommendation.

I want to get one slightly embarrassing thing out of the way; I vaguely knew that Richard Osman was a tv presenter but he isn’t the one that in my head, I had associated with the name (basically if you’re not in a crime drama, classic or documentary, I’m unlikely to recognise you, sorry!). A bit sheepish but at least it proves I’m not a celebrity-chaser.

Anyway, back to the plot. This is such a lovely and refreshing take on the cosy crime novel. Unlike so many of this genre, it wasn’t at all predictable, nothing went the way you expected it to and yet you weren’t left staring at the page, one eyebrow raised and saying “Oh, really?” It made sense, you had just been gently misled into heading off in the wrong direction. That perfectly sums up the appeal of this book - presumably the first in a series - as well as its lead characters.

The main characters fall neatly into two groups, the professional detectives, Donna and Chris and the amateur sleuths, the Thursday Murder Club. All are sketched nicely but with plenty of areas left hazy around their backgrounds to have space to add to them at a later date.

Whilst the professionals are interesting but recognisable tropes, the amateurs are something much more refreshing. Not since Miss Marple have we been presented with such fantastic examples of older characters displaying intelligence and acuity but without Miss M’s prissiness. It made me wonder why that is? After all, if someone has been a bright, responsible professional throughout their life, why should this be assumed to stop on the day that their free bus pass is handed over? I love the way that these characters are individually drawn so lovingly, with such diverse backgrounds and that the device which brings them together - a sort of gated retirement community - is at once inventive and credible.

I have the feeling that these are characters which will continue developing and I’m really looking forward to more installments.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin UK and the author for my ARC.

This was not my usual read but I like the author so I thought I would give it a go and was pleasantly surprised. It is a cosy book with some absolutely fascinating characters and I am really hoping there will be more books about these characters. Highly recommend this book #TheThursdayMurderClub #NetGalley

This was just a very British and fun book. A good take on the genre and very enjoyable, have recommended to a few people already

Forget ‘Four Weddings and a funeral’ - this is more like ‘Four Funerals, no Weddings, and a Sprinkling of Mercy Killings’!
Warm and life affirming despite the deaths: Osman invokes deep affection and respect for the super-sleuthing residents of Coopers Chase retirement village. My favourite characters were the adorable yet vulnerable Joyce (watch out for those double doors!), and of course the hilariously ridiculous, and outstandingly vain Ian Ventham! Please can we have more adventures with this gang - I miss my new friends already!

Written from the perspective of Joyce who lives in an exclusive retirement village Coopers Chase.
Joyce joins the Thursday Murder Club, a group of residents who look at the evidence on unsolved crimes and try to solve them. Elizabeth, Ibrahim, Ron and Penny an ex police officer who is now seriously ill.
Ian Ventham is the vain, cocky majority shareholder in Coopers Chase who planning on extending the facility but doesn't want Tony Curran who owns 25% to be involved.
When Tony Curran is subsequently murdered the murder club decide to involve themselves in the investigation. Getting onside with the investigating officers PC Donna & DCI Chris Hudson they help and at times hinder.
When Ian Ventham is then killed they begin to wonder if the men were killed because of the planned extension to the site or if there is something else going on.
The idea was quite good but it was just badly written and far, far too drawn out.

Sometimes a book screams ‘TV rights already sold!’ before you start reading. This is certainly the case with this tale of murder solving OAPs in an upmarket retirement village. However, don’t let you put you off, this is a gem of book, and a joy to read.
Richard Osman has the gift of wonderful characterisation and description. The retirement village and it’s gang of octogenarian sleuths led by the formidable Elizabeth are brought wonderfully to life. If there is a lesson to be learnt from The Thursday Murder Club, it is not write retirees off; they have seen And learnt plenty in their lives and almost certainly know a great deal more than the younger generation.
I’m sure this will end up on Sunday night TV in the not too distant future, and this won’t be the end of their adventures. I think that’s a rather good thing.

I loved this book. The characters are not typically ones you would find as protagonists, and they are all so unique. A charming murder mystery from start to end, and I appreciated the nods and references to British culture, which I did not realise had been missing from other books until I read this one!

I loved the way the old people were portrayed in this novel. Richard Osman had created a foursome of funny, loveable characters with real spark and gave a fantastic insight into older age. There were plenty of very funny sections as well as a really engaging murder mystery. I can’t wait to read more escapades of the Thursday Murder Club or to see this novel as a film.

I really enjoyed this book. At first it reminded me of elderly tv detective shows like Murder She Wrote and Diagnosis Murder! The members of The Thursday Murder club were charming, funny and full of mystery - I'd love to know what Elizabeth's job used to be! At first I thought this was just going to be a fun comfort read, but the plot really developed and I ended up hooked! There were so many twists and turns that I didn't see coming. A very clever story, very well written and full of humour. I'm really looking forward to the next in the series.

I absolutely loved this book not my usual genre. I requested it from net galley as I love Richard. I thought it started off very twee but it was a bit of a rollercoaster of a who dunnit. The characters were fantastic all with such depth and interesting back stories. A real page turner I was up u til 3am to finish it.

In a luxurious retirement village, four friends meet every Thursday to try and solve cold unsolved cases. When one of the owners of the retirement village is killed, the group have a present day case to solve. This book is so warm and funny and original. Respect for the generation who now find themselves in retirement villages/care homes oozes off the page. Richard Osman brings to life this community and you can easily picture Joyce and Elizabeth heading off to ‘interview’ one of their suspects. This novel is crying out for a TV adaptation and would slot seamlessly into Sunday evening programming. The only slight criticism I would have is that the pace of the novel is very gentle and I was not completely gripped by it so it took me a little longer than usual to read it. It is such a lovely read though and such a lovely world to inHabit while reading.

Set in a retirement village where 4 of the residents aid/hamper the police in solving a string of murders.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Richard Osman has come up with an absolute cracker of a first book.

Set in a retirement village, the characters are believable, funny and endearing. With every twist and turn, so the reader is drawn more in to the mysterious goings on.

Well written, and light of hand, I would thoroughly recommend this book.

Allow me to introduce you to the Thursday Murder Club members who all live in Coopers Chase Retirement Village in Kent. There’s Elizabeth who has a very mysterious and intriguing past, then there’s Joyce an ex-nurse, firebrand Red Ron Richie scourge of whatever needs scourging and Ibrahim Arif a retired psychiatrist. Now if you think because they live in a retirement village they are past it, let me disillusion you here and now. They’re sharper than the sharpest tacks especially Elizabeth. They cleverly rope PC Donna De Freitas into their coterie and before you know it DCI Chris Hudson is entangled too. They are investigating the murder of Tony Curran who owned 25% of Coopers Chase, the remainder by Ian Ventham who is well named as he often does vent. So far so good, except of course it is never that simple ..... what unfolds is a tale of dark deeds some of which are well buried. The story is told from the perspectives of most of the protagonists and interspersed with Joyce’s highly entertaining journal.

Well that was far from Pointless Mr Osman. Sorry, couldn’t resist and I’ll bet he’s never heard that one before. You can tell from the TV show that the author is one smart cookie and he’s a smart cookie who can write too. Rather well. The plot is fast paced, keeps you guessing as it’s got many a twist along the way, sometimes convoluted so you have to keep up but it’s very clever. The best thing about the book is the characters. They are simply fantastic, there is never a dull moment when the club members are about and Donna and Chris are terrific characters too. I must also mention Polish builder Bogdan too - phlegmatic and enigmatic, still waters run very deep there. It’s funny, darkly droll or wry, it’s witty, the style is very lively, it intrigues from start to finish and so is a very entertaining book. I love the TV references, some of from a while ago. Juliet Bravo, that certainly takes me back!

Overall, what a wonderful amusing read and I applaud the author for making the lead characters of retirement age and proving to be such good company as the story unfolds. Highly recommended as it’s just that little bit different.

With thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Books UK/Viking for the ARC