The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman review
I like Richard Osman from a multitude of things on TV and radio. He seems naturally funny and smart. Both qualities are things I reckon make a good author.
I don’t tend to read many thrillers or mysteries, and every time I do, I wonder why I don’t read more. I think it’s the middle section – you get the murder, meet the characters, have loads of hints and red herrings, then there is a slightly dull middle bit where some stuff is explained, then exciting revelations, a twist and the reveal.
Not all thrillers are like that, and happily, The Thursday Murder Club is mostly one of the exceptions. I say mostly because there are quite a few red herrings and a ton of mad stuff coincidentally going on with many of the characters. This is common to all thrillers, though, and without them, you would be able to work out the mystery too easily. Osman handles it all well, but there is a lot going on. Read this quickly.
The premise is pretty fun. The story is set in a luxury retirement home where four retirees – Elizabeth (retired spy), Joyce (retired nurse), Ibrahim (retired psychiatrist), and Ron (retired trade unionist) – form a group called The Thursday Murder Club. Essentially, their hobby is solving old crimes.
Then there is a murder in the village, and they find themselves trying to solve a real case.
One thing Osman does really well is bringing all the characters to life. In addition to the main four, there are a couple of police people who also become major characters. There are loads of others on the side, all with backstories and suspicious behaviours. The main characters are great, and you genuinely end up liking and believing in them.
This isn’t a laugh-out-loud story, despite what some critics seem to think, and it never sets out to be. Osman might appear in a lot of satirical shows, but here he uses his wit to make the story tick along nicely. This is a proper detective whodunnit novel with sad moments, shocks, and tension.
Conclusion
One thing about a murder mystery is that you can’t really talk about it much, or you might give the plot away. So let me just end by saying that I don’t read many of these kinds of novels, but Richard Osman has written a great one with The Thursday Murder Club.
Yes, there is a lot going on with multiple mysteries everywhere, but it is fun and well handled. The characters are superb, and the crime is believable. Osman has three of these out now, and they are doing ridiculously well. I have already bought the second one.
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