Home  » Books

The Thursday Murder Club

by Richard Osman — 14 Sep 2023

Four senior citizens in a retirement community solve murders... several, actually

Four unrelated residents in Cooper’s Chase, a retirement community in Kent form a “Murder Club”. The septuagenarians meet weekly, and pore over unsolved case files made available to them by one of their group, an ex-police detective member. When the former detective takes ill, she is replaced by retired nurse Joyce, who maintains a diary of their activities. Along with the infinitely resourceful Elizabeth with a mysterious past, former union activist Ron and the shrewd psychologist Ibrahim, they are a force to be reckoned with.

Things get a lot more interesting when they have a live murder case, right in their laps. The builder of the community is murdered in his home, and they manage to wrangle themselves into the official police investigation. Soon, more mysteries come tumbling out; an inexplicable skeleton in a graveyeard, and even more shocking, their developer is poisoned right outside said graveyard.

Whose skeleton is that? Who did the builder in? And… which one of their own community poisoned the developer?

Fast paced with a perfect blend of deadpan humour, clever dialogues and tender moments, the book features several unpredictable twists and turns. I don’t think I guessed even one of the perpetrators. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the gang at Coopers Chase. The Thursday Murder Club is a wholesome read with a big heart, that is sure to keep you guessing.