As a fan of Pointless and Richard Osman’s House of Games, I was a bit wary of picking this one up, being rather allergic to celebrities turning out books that inevitably end up being largely ghost-written, because they simply don’t possess the skills necessary to write something readable. And yes… I’m looking at you, Katie Price. But I was aware that Osman is a seriously clever chap and when I heard him discussing the book, it sounded like something I’d enjoy. I was particularly attracted by the fact that the four main protagonists are all in their 70s. I’ve also had the pleasure of reading and reviewing the second book in the series – The Man Who Died Twice, which is a really cracking read.
BLURB: 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 find themselves in the middle of their first live case. As the bodies begin to pile up, can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer, before it’s too late?
REVIEW: I listened to this one while I was ill, and initially found it a bit heavy-going. Given that it is a murder mystery, I thought the pacing at the beginning was a bit of a trudge. It also took me a while to really bond with any of the characters – but that might have been because I was feeling poorly.
However, once I got into the swing of the book, I particularly liked the characterisation of the four elderly protagonists. It would have been all too easy to have made them out to be old codgers and while there is a bit of humour scattered throughout the book, I’m delighted to report that it isn’t at the expense of ‘the funny old people’. In fact, Osman ensures that we realise getting old doesn’t stop us from feeling just the same as we did when we were younger – but for the fact that our minds and bodies don’t always behave the way we want them to. There are some heartbreakingly poignant moments, in fact.
But the quiet thread of humour running through the story stops this from being too downbeat. In fact, Osman’s stance seems to be that most people do the best they can, often in difficult circumstances – which I think happens to be the case. There are a couple of truly unpleasant characters in the book that come to satisfyingly sticky ends and I really liked the final denouement, which I didn’t see coming.
Overall, I found this an entertaining, well written whodunit with a quirky feel that I enjoyed and I’m looking forward to reading the third book in the series. Recommended for fans of crime fiction with a bit of a difference, who don’t want too much grittiness or gore.
8/10
Brainfluff 
Sounds like you just needed to get into the story a bit before fully enjoying the book, which is perfectly fine!
Oh, absolutely! And the sequel is fabulous – one of my favourite books of last year:).
Senior Power!! 😀
Jokes aside, I like the idea of these… mature people launching into detective work, and this series might be a good change from my usual choices in crime/thriller. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Maddalena. It’s an entertaining start to the series – and the second book is awesome:).
I’ve really enjoyed these so much. I expected I would because I love the setting and voices (so I listened on audio) and murder mysteries are a favorite genre. I would also say it took a bit in the first one to acclimate to the characters and the world.
Anne – Books of My Heart
I’m on the waiting list at my library for the audio of this one so I’m so glad to see your review of this one. Thanks for the heads up on the pacing. I’m looking forward to listening to this one.
Oh yes – it takes a bit of getting into, but once it hits its stride, it’s a great story. The second book is fabulous from start to finish, however:)). I hope you get a chance to enjoy them both, Katherine:).