I'm four years late to the party with Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club series, it's something that's not really pushed it's way on to my radar before and I can't for the life of me think why.
The Thursday Murder Club is about four friends – Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim. They're all pushing eighty and live in the same luxury retirement village, Cooper's Chase. Rather than spending their Thursday evenings playing bridge or whatever…..they meet to investigate unsolved murders and perhaps have a few drinks at the same time.
When a murder takes place directly on the doorstep, the ante is upped, and the gang get to work on solving the mystery alongside PC Donna De Freitas and her boss DCI Chris Hudson.
Oh, I loved this book!
I was always going to love this book but for some reason I very rarely read 'cosy mysteries', which, is a mystery to me. Detective TV shows are my ultimate guilty pleasure, think Diagnosis Murder, Murder She Wrote, Midsummer Murders etc. I can't get enough of them, and The Thursday Murder Club is of the same ilk.
With that in mind (and how popular this series is) it's hardly surprising that, like me, Netflix has thrown itself on the bandwagon and announced book one is being turned into a film starring Helen Mirren, Celia Imrie, Pierce Brosnan and Ben Kingsley – all I'd say is read the book first.
So, who are the Thursday Murder Club?
Well, originally it was set up by retired copper, Penny, who liberated a series of old case files that the group examine. Unfortunately, she's been ravaged by some kind of dementia and is in a coma in the medical centre of the retirement village where Elizabeth visits to talk through her theories.
Following Penny's illness, Elizabeth has decided to recruit Joyce to be the new fourth member of the club.
Joyce is a retired nurse, chatterbox and baker. She's well liked among the residents of the village and is often underestimated.
Ron is a bit of a local hero, he's a retired union leader who'd previously built a bit of a name for himself. He's quite shouty, argumentative and not one to back down from a fight. He might be a bit cringe at times, and he may lose his thread, but his heart is in the right place.
Ibrahim couldn't be more different. The former psychiatrist is restrained, polite and meticulous. He's the calming group member, he seems to steady the ship.
Leader Elizabeth pulls everything together. She's some kind of ex-spy, she's wiley and, despite her advancing years, can very easily run rings around people.
Together they're a crafty crew and anyone who chooses to overlook them, does so at their own peril. If you've committed a murder on the Thursday murder club's patch, then you can guarantee it won't be long until they're looking in your direction.
What really sets this book apart from other murder mysteries is the age of the main characters. Osman paints a vivid picture of life in the retirement village, he manages to challenge misconceptions about the older generation. This foursome isn't just sat around waiting for God. They still have crushes, they enjoy a tipple, they still get out about, have cracking senses of humour and still know how to live. It might take them a bit longer to stand up and their bones may creak a lot more, but they aren't taking aging lying down….it's really refreshing and a joy to read.
Their advancing years and the challenges that go hand in hand with aging create poignant moments within this book.
Joyce's relationship with her daughter has changed, she worries about being seen as a burden, wants to rekindle the closeness they once had but isn't sure how to do it. Joyce captures her deepest thoughts in a diary. I loved her diary entries; she holds nothing back. Joyce may be lovely and charming, but she's also got a razor-sharp tongue, is incredibly observant and can give a mean critique.
I found Elizabeth's one-sided conversations with Penny quite moving. Elizabeth often visits Penny to talk through her theories and cases, knowing she'll get no response. It shows how much Elizabeth values that friendship and how close the bond between the two women was.
The Thursday Murder Club may be a cosy murder mystery but it's also a story about aging and friendship. It's funny and witty and at the same time written with compassion. Through this crime caper, Richard Osman provides a glimpse into the future and the challenges that come with growing old – isolation, grief, illness, losing your faculties – but he does it in a way that is light-hearted. This is a book that is never not fun, and I loved trying to work out who the killer was (I failed).
If you're in the market for something that's enjoyable, funny and filled with warm characters who are crafty and clever, then you can't go wrong with this book – just make sure you read it before it hits Netflix….in the meantime, I'll be seeing what the rest of the series has to offer.
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