Review of The Thursday Murder Club (Thursday Murder Club #1) by Richard Osman

I was delighted by the poignancy, humor, and layers in the first installment of this series of stories about sharp, disparate septuagenarians who meet to resolve cold cases--then aim to solve the mysteries of murders occurring in their own community.

Many years ago, everybody here would wake early because there was much to do and only so many hours in the day. Now they wake early because there is much to do and only so many days left.

My sister-in-law was enjoying this book while we were at the beach this summer, which is what finally got me to push the novel to higher up on my unmanageable to-read list. The fifth book in the series is about to be published--and now there's a movie based upon the first book (with an all-star cast of Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, David Tennent, and others).

In this first installment in Osman's mystery series, the story begins in medias res, as the reader witnesses our key characters--four septuagenarian--coming together for a weekly discussion of unsolved murders. Joyce is their newest member, and the four put their wits to the test to try to resolve cold cases. (They reserve their room as "Jigsaw Club" to discourage others' interest and interruption.)

But when a slick local developer associated with their own retirement community is murdered, and other deaths follow, this sharp, funny, grumpy, big-hearted, underestimated group of friends becomes determined to solve the case. Then an event from decades earlier grows in importance and shapes the Club's search for answers.

Osman's experience with television feels evident in his storytelling. Because of the perspectives he offers and the tone of the novel, anyone--even a member of the Club--could be a suspect. He has created a complementary gang of four with disparate personalities, pasts, motivations, and abilities, and each of them feels willing to skirt the law and push their luck. They simultaneously take the local police detectives under their wing, feeding and caring as they can--while politely squeezing out information they can use.

“We all have a sob story, but we don't all go around killing people.”

Facing mortality is a powerful motivator for considering life and how you want to live it. There's a poignancy here because the main protagonists have lived long enough to lose loved ones, and they know they are in the last era of their own lives. Relationships grow and shift, and some slow-motion demises occur while the story progresses, which adds urgency to the Club's desire to find answers and complete the task of resolving the matters at hand.

Justice isn't black and white, and motivations matter; the Club isn't set on following the letter of the law, as they appreciate how complicated life can be.

I was surprised by how charming, intriguing, layered, and lovely this story was, and I'm eager to read the next installment.

More Aging Amateur Detectives

Deanna Raybourn's Killers of a Certain Age is another series about capable, clever older protagonists who use their wits and significant life experience to solve crimes--and, in their case, evade their own murders. You can check out my reviews of the first two titles here and here.

And you can find Bossy reviews of many other mysteries here.