Book Review - The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

Title: The Thursday Murder Club
Series: Thursday Murder Club (Book #1)
Author: Richard Osman
 
Description: In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet weekly in the Jigsaw Room to discuss unsolved crimes; together they call themselves The Thursday Murder Club. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron might be pushing eighty but they still have a few tricks up their sleeves. When a local developer is found dead with a mysterious photograph left next to the body, the Thursday Murder Club suddenly finds themselves in the middle of their first live case. As he bodies begin to pile up, can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer, before it’s too late?
 
Review: Cold cases are always an exciting thin to write about. And various TV series have been devoted to this theme. We also like to read about or watch shows about older detectives: Poirot, Miss Marple, Morse. Richard Osman, most known as a comedian and TV presenter/producer at the BBC, decided to mix the two up for his debut novel. And it turned out to be a surprising and highly entertaining, funny and well-constructed thriller. 
“The Thursday Murder Club” is set primarily in Coopers Chase, an upscale senior village in Kent. The living facility has a swimming pool spa, mini-zoo and every amenity imaginable. Not feeling at home at any of the many activities offered, four elderly residents form a club together: The Thursday Murder Club. Here they try to solve ol, unsolved murder cases. The enterprising and no-nonsense Elizabeth is the natural leader of the group which further consists of psychiatrist Ibrahim, former union leader Ron and nurse Joyce as the newest member. She has taken the place of former inspector Penny who is now dying. It is Penny’s old files that are the subject of their meetings. When suddenly the complex’s contractor, Tony Curran, is bashed in the skull with a wrench and moments later real estate developer Ian Ventham is murdered in broad daylight on the Coopers Chase property, everything comes to a head for the murder club. They want to solve both murders, but in their investigation, more corpses surface. Luckily, there are detectives Chris Hudson and Donna de Freitas. They are touching in the dark about the murders, but the club comes to the rescue. Through all sorts of tricks of seduction with lemon cakes and walnut chocolate cake they manage to pry confidential information from the detectives. Their extensive network of relations does the rest and so the murders are becoming clearer and clearer. 
“The Thursday Murder Club” is a thriller with an unusual edge. On the one hand, Osman describes the cozy, quiet and sedate atmosphere of the retirement home, and on the other hand he provides a wildly exciting whodunnit. The mix of the two is strange, but works wonderfully well. The funny, meaningless and confused remarks of the elderly people are interspersed with the horrors of the various murders. Osman does a fantastic job of portraying this whole thing. The characters are very engaging people, confused, but at the same time alert and sarcastic. In addition, Osman does not shy away from serious themes. 
“The Thursday Murder Club” is a funny, entertaining whodunnit, with a highly original plot and likeable characters.
 
Rating: 4/ 5