An all-round delightful read - as a tv presenter Osman is known for being both incredibly witty and very funny, and he brings this same unique blend to bear here in a murder mystery where the main detectives are a rather rowdy group of pensioners in a luxurious retirement village. I loved reading from the point of view of Joyce, with her enthusiasm for vegan baking and nursing experience taking Murder completely in her stride; alongside Joyce the Thursday Murder Club consists of Ibrahim with his mathematical calculations and psychology; Ron who likes a righteous fight and a glass of wine (while pretending he likes beer); and Elizabeth, the former spy and ringleader who seems to capable of running circles around the police and conjuring up eighty-year old bone analysis experts when she needs them. There was a constant humour throughout which was such a pleasure to read, the characters all had such vibrantly real personalities and I really hope I can manage to retire to even half such an interesting social life as these guys have - Coopers Chase has been a riot, thank you Mr Osman. I look forward to the next one and the return of my new favourite sleuths.

My thanks to the publisher, @vikingbooks, and to #NetGalley, for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. The book is out on the 3rd September in the UK.

I received this free from PenguinUK in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Penguin!

Mild Spoilers - Character Names only.

I'd like to start off by saying I am SO happy that this book is good, it was one of my most highly anticipated book this year and it didn't disappoint. Having been bought for an amazingly high figure by the publishers I would have been seriously disappointed if this hadn't been good.

First things first, the mark of a good murder mystery in my book...I didn't guess who did it, which honestly is refreshing.

This is a 'cosy' murder mystery with wonderful characters, an engaging plot and good writing.
It has most of the charm of an Agatha Christie (quite without her edge, and not quite on her level hence the 4 stars) set in a retirement village. The characters are infiniately likeable, Ron and Ibrahim especially, both of whom made me laugh on several occasions. I also cried at the ending which for me does not happen often.
I found Joyce to be frustratingly passive which I forgave on account of the fact that she's supposed to represent the reader (I think) and Elizabeth was downright annoying at times if I'm perfectly honest. Though one thing I did like about the group as a whole is that they buck the 'trend' of old people becoming useless once past a certain age, this book goes to show they aren't!

At times there were too many unknown elements for me, I felt that it distracted a little from the story, but having said all of that, these are minor issues.

The book is full of warm, REAL characters and I will not hestiate to join them on another enjoyable adventure. I laughed, cried, and liked this book a lot, as I knew I would, and would recommend it to Agatha Christie fans who need a good mystery to distract from life for a while.

I loved this! Laughed out loud at the astute observations of the elderly and great characters that made me feel like their friend! A book about murder should not be warm and funny but this was!

I was hooked in the first three minutes, when I found myself involuntarily laughing very loudly, much to the annoyance of my spouse, and continued at irregular intervals to do the same. There is a lot of clever humour, and it’s obvious the author is a people watcher, all the characters have a rich back story and are perfectly believable. I was annoyed to be unable to solve ANY of the many mysteries, despite plenty of clues being right in front of me, if you think you’ll be able to work out who dunnit, give up immediately. There’s really five (ish) murder stories and at times I felt I needed to start making notes! There were also several horribly poignant moments that resulted in me having something in my eyes and being unable to see clearly, probably dust. My only criticism was that at times the story jumped about a bit without warning, a heading / new chapter / even just a new paragraph would have helped make it clearer, so sometimes I had to go back a bit for clarity. A brilliant book, loved it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this arc. This book has been on my radar for awhile. It’s gotten massive book deals, and there is plenty of hype surrounding this debut. So I was excited to read this, but also cautious as often books with hypes have left me disappointed in the past. I’m pleased to say this one was a pleasant read that surprised me.

Set in a retirement village this follows four retired individuals who meet on Thursdays for their murder club solving cold cases. The club was set up by Elizabeth and Penny. Penny is a retired cop, and has old files, which she brings to the group to solve. Although Penny’s dementia drastically deteriorated and due to an accident she’s now in a coma, so Elizabeth manages the club. The club also includes Joyce, Ron, and Ibrahim. When their land developer, Terry, winds up dead the club find themselves in the middle of a crime. They join forces with Donna, a PC that regularly gives talk at the retirement home and Chris, the DSI investigating the case...

This was an utterly charming read. There’s a good balance of wry British humour and dealing with serious topics. I really liked the characterisations. I did go in thinking, ‘Oh retired characters. Is this going to be emotional to read?’ But it wasn’t. I enjoyed that Osman breaks stereotypes of old people and showcases them as clever individuals, who’ve had successful careers and lived rich lives and that was refreshing to see. I just adored the warm, and slightly whimsical relationship the group share.
This is written in third person narrative and follows a whole cast of quirky characters. All are well fleshed out from the sweet and wonderful Joyce to the snarky Ian. The writing is good, with short chapters that propels the story forward.
My only gripe, as per usual often is, was the ending. I was disappointed by the way the story was wrapped up especially regarding Bogden, Penny and John which left me feeling cold. I thought the subplot regarding the skeleton (there was hardly any forensic information about the identity of the corpse except that this person was poisoned) that’s found was bit of stretch and not drawn out well enough, and I was surprised the way the suspense peters out and didn’t understand how Elizabeth, Chris and Donna just accepted things at the end regarding the crime.
Overall this is a confidently written novel, with assures voices and a host of quirky characters. Reminiscent of Agatha Christie this is a whimsical, funny and refreshing take on the thriller genre. 4/5.

The Thursday Murder Club has been high on my anticipatory list, therefore it was the highlight of my day seeing the email alerting that this arc has been approved 🤗🤗
A charming debut, full of a host of quirky characters set in a warm and affluent retired community village and a crime to solve...Reminiscent of Mrs Maple Osman’s writing evokes the tender work of Agatha Christie and is a much needed boost of whimsy read in this turbulent times.
This novel is in both first and third narrative. In first person we have Joyce, a retired nurse whose daughter has brought her a flat in this posh, affluent retirement community. In leafy Kent with stunning hills and a graveyard that was part of a church, and a bus ride away from Fairhaven, a seaside town, Coopers Chase is a delightful setting for a novel. Joyce is approached by Elizabeth for her expertise and invited to the Thursday Murder Club. This club was initiated by Elizabeth’s friend, Penny, who was a former copper and has a stack of cold cases that the group try to solve. However after her health worsening and an onset of an aggressive form of dementia and an injury Penny is now in a coma, where her husband, John, a retired vet sets vigilance by her bedside.
Ian Ventham is one of the co-owners of Coopers Chase, who brought the land and he has plans to purchase the neighbouring lands and build more flats. His plan has strong opposition but Ian isn’t to be deterred. But first he must fire Tony Curran, who owns a certain percentage of the shares.
It’s not long after that Tony himself winds up bludgeoned to death and a photograph is placed by his side...

This was a wonder of a read. Strong voice and characters, the plotting is intricate with subplots emerging right and left, this is a splendid read. I did find, however, the reveal of the killer abit of anti-climax, especially the way the character explain the motivations. It felt too easy. And some strands of the story didn’t tie up well. It’s difficult for me to say anymore without giving away spoilers so I won’t.
A weak ending aside, this is a compellingly charming read from a brand new voice in the crime fiction, who perfectly fills the hole of a cosy crime genre.

Well that was fun. A book that really is delightfully different, this polished and enjoyable debut centres around a group of elderly friends intent on solving long forgotten murders. Then one day a real murder drops into their lives. Highly amusing, beautifully written with lovely details. I look forward to the next instalment. @richardosman

The Thursday Murder Club grabbed me from the first few pages, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Charmingly written, with a well-rounded cast of characters and peppered with witty lines and shrewd observations, there's a lot to love here.

Though the crime(s) themselves are nothing particularly unusual, with the standard unpleasant victim who plenty of people would have reason to want dead, long-buried secrets and, naturally, gangs and drug rings, they're well handled, with twists that I didn't see coming. The true stars, though, are the central cast of Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim; all vividly written, with distinct personalities and a lot of warmth, and some hilarious dialogue. The joy of The Thursday Murder Club is seeing how they navigate their way through events, and how they use their age and backgrounds to manipulate situations to their advantage. They're going to be capable of carrying a series through several more books, and I look forward to reading them.

I gained access to This E - ARC through NetGalley. This book is a very British cosy mystery. This book was entertaining but as the genre denotes fairly predictable.

I enjoyed The Thursday Murder Club – more than I expected to, to be honest. It’s a decent mystery, it’s genuinely witty in places with some shrewd observation and Richard Osman’s characterisation is very good.

The story is of a group of 70- and 80-year-olds in a comfortable retirement village who meet each week to discuss historical unsolved murders as a hobby, until they are suddenly in the middle of a real murder investigation. It sounds pretty well-worn, and the idea of yet more quirky, fiesty old people wasn’t especially appealing, but Richard Osman writes very well and paints amusing but very believable portraits of all his characters. I especially liked the kindness and humanity he shows toward them, including the two very engaging police officers with whom the Club becomes involved. It is largely told in the third person, but there are also diary entries from Joyce, a member of the Club, who has a delightful and convincing voice. Osman manages to find a good mix of mystery and the everyday preoccupations of his protagonists which works very well and never strays into the twee. I liked little touches like, “...not a single person has ever been late [for the coach]. Except for Malcolm Weekes who, it turned out, had died in the lightbulb aisle of Robert Dyas.” Or “‘Would you like some sherry?’ asks Joyce. ‘It’s only Sainsbury’s, but it’s Taste The Difference.’”

The plot is well-constructed with some neat misdirection; I was prepared to forgive some rather tardy revelations which lead to the solution and it’s a very enjoyable read. Books by celebrities aren’t always a success by any means, but this one certainly is. I hope there will be more from Richard Osman, and I can recommend this warmly.

(My thanks to Penguin Books for an ARC via NetGalley.)

What a fresh approach to a mistery! Well written, funny, characters are really lovable, I couldn't put the book down.

A joy to read!

The Thursday Murder Club is a book that hasn’t just reached expectations, it exceeded them!
Richard Osman is such a talented man and wow, can he write! I must say, after seeing him talk about his book and read an excerpt at Bloody Scotland Crime Festival in Stirling, way back in September 2019, I had high hopes. I’m so impressed that I do think it could and perhaps should even be made into a film, or a tv series. I know a number of reviewers say this about books, but I’m not generally one of them. It’s just the calbre of writing and the “ingredients”, that if followed to the letter, it actually could work. Well, that’s my opinion anyway.
The book is very hard to put down, once started.
With instantly likeable characters, who still have quite a bit of life and humour about them, it gets off to a fantastic start.

I was impressed then and the book has lived up to expectations; so I am still impressed now, having read the book in its entirety. It’s up there with some of the best in cosy crime, with its supposedly, unassuming characters in a retirement home, who are sharper and more “modern” in their thinking, than you would think. They also have solving crimes on their minds, as they form The Thursday Murder Club and no more so when they find ways of getting involved in one that happened on their doorstep.

There is some rather dark humour from the residents. That catches the attention straight off. Readers, are led, like you are going on a tour with her and you’re the person who is there to “Meet New People and Try New Things”, as the first part is called. It’s a clever way of introducing characters and some background and layout of the retirement community. Elizabeth is first, then Bernard, then Mary, Ron and Ibrahim. They like to talk about murders in sometimes, perhaps in a way that you may not want to mess with them. Then there is a live murder, right on their doorsteps, that grabs the residents attention as they get themselves involved in solving the case in imaginative ways.
Throughout the book are excerpts of a diary that Joyce keeps, full of bits about murder and poignant, philisophical thoughts.

There is enough intrigue set up, surrounding Tony Curren and Ian Ventham and the companies.

The book is wonderfully nuanced with how the characters behave. I would go as far as saying Richard Osman has observed his chosen age group for his characters very well. The tone, things they say and how it is said, is very much set in reality. There’s quite a bit of positivity written about his older characters, to show that at least some, are still capable of doing things, which also amusing.

I thought it was a lovely thing to have a character (Ibrahim Arif) support Westham United. I also think it is lovely he has included a character (Ron Ritchie) who has read all of Mark Billingham’s books, since that is who he did a talk with and sounded like they know each other well. As well as the characters and plot being quite heart-warming, it is kind moments like these that also add to the heart-warming moments.

The way the pensioners are with the Detective Inspector – Chris, is priceless and full of humour. I do sort of feel a bit sorry for the D.I. He certainly wouldn’t have expected the pensioners to be quite so excitable; but the way Richard Osman has written these scenes has timing down to a “T”.

“Everyone Has A Story to Tell” and they certainly do in the second part as more comes tumbling out.
Kindness is portrayed again, this time in the form of strangers helping Joyce after a fall. There are also some unexpected twists and turns, which cause excitement and more debate amongst the residents. Things hot up as the Thursday Murder Club get ever closer to the truth.

The book can be pre-ordered. It is published 3rd September 2020 from many places, including Waterstones. I highly recommend this “Must Read” book.

Well hello new crime series into which I am utterly invested. Four unlikely friends, all living in a retirement village, meet up weekly to discuss unsolved murders. They each come from different backgrounds – some more akin to the solving of crimes than others – but they need to work together when a killing takes place on their doorstep. The Thursday Murder Club jump (or walk slowly and carefully) into action as they sort out the red herrings from what’s really the truth as the plot thickens more than week-old soup. Quite brilliant in their deduction – the end is as it should be but expect to be surprised – with lots of strands wrapped up and yes, you may feel a tad emotional. I just loved it: the tone, the sarcasm, the tactics, and I want to read more about the club.

When celebrities start writing books it can often a feel a bit out of place, another thing they are trying their hand at because they have the connections. However Richard Osman seems to have found his calling here. As much as I enjoy watching his TV appearances and shows, I’d very much like it if he spent more time writing books.
The Thursday Murder Club was funny, touching, twisty, intriguing, full of red herrings and heart and simply put a proper delight to read. There were moments when I was laughing out loud and others where I had tears in my eyes.

Here is a great old fashioned style murder mystery that somehow manages to not be old fashioned at all. There are multiple suspects, multiple murders and a brilliant set up between the police and our gang of amateur detectives.

Where novels like this can fall down is in the set up of the relationship between the police service and the amateurs. Osman managed this brilliantly and I fully believed that Donna would have fallen under the spell of The Thursday Murder Club. She trod exactly the right line of not giving up too much sensitive information while working with our intrepid Club.

Setting the novel in a retirement home was a brilliant idea – it gave scope for all sorts of interesting ideas and for pensioners with personality and a ‘not give a damn’ attitude. I fell in love with every single one of them. The way we discovered more about each of them throughout the novel, their lives and loves and ambitions. What they still wanted from life. It was so nice to read a book where the main protagonists were in an older age group and not in a token way.

One of my favourite reads of the year so far, I very much hope we'll be able to visit the Thursday Murder Club again.

I enjoyed reading this- it's funny and has lots of lovable characters- even the villains have their good points. Very easy to read, great holiday reading. The story runs along at a good pace and I would recommend it.

I really enjoyed this book. It's an easy to read, funny whodunnit with plenty of twists and turns throughout. A great cast of characters and a good setting for the storyline.