Portobello Book Blog

The Thursday Murder Club is the first novel from well known TV presenter Richard Osman. Now if you are sceptical about celebrity authors, don’t let your scepticism stop you from reading this book because you’d be missing a real treat!

The Thursday Murder Club is a group of four pensioners living out their twilight years in a peaceful retirement village, Coopers Chase. There used to be another resident in their group, Penny, who was a retired police inspector. The group enjoyed spending an hour each week looking at some of her unsolved cases and trying to solve them. Penny sadly has had to move into nursing care but the group carries on in her absence. When a murder occurs very close to home, they decided to use their not inconsiderable skills to catch the killer.

The plot of The Thursday Murder Club is very engaging and so cleverly written but what made this a standout book for me were the characters who Richard Osman created. Very much is charge is Elizabeth. Nobody seems quite sure of what she used to do but she is able to get things done and find things out that she really shouldn’t be able to and very quickly too. She often alludes to her mysterious past without ever actually revealing it. Former trade union leader, Ron Ritchie never quite believes anything anyone says and is always up for a confrontation. Ibrahim Arif was a psychiatrist and is very hot on details. Joyce is the newest member of the group, an ex-nurse, who quietly observes a lot and is always considered a calming presence. We read her observations through her diary entries. As well as these main characters, we have the police presence of DCI Chris Hudson and PC Donna de Freitas trying their best to solve the crime through more traditional methods. Osman also gives tantalising glimpses into the lives of some the other characters.

The Thursday Murder Club is witty, warm and hugely enjoyable. It’s full of quirky characters and so well plotted. The book has broken records by becoming the fastest selling adult crime debut ever and I can completely understand why. I am delighted to hear that there at least another two books planned for The Thursday Murder Club as I can’t wait to see what the gang gets up to next. I’d quite like to move to Coopers Chase myself one day or somewhere like it – though perhaps without the murders!

My thanks to publishers Viking (an imprint of Penguin) for my review copy from Netgalley. The Thursday Murder Club is available now in hardback, audiobook and ebook. A paperback edition will follow next year. Please support an independent bookseller when buying a copy if you are able. Otherwise, you will find buying options for various retailers on the Penguin website here: The Thursday Murder Club

From the back of the book

In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet up once a week to investigate unsolved murders.

But when a brutal killing takes place on their very doorstep, the Thursday Murder Club find themselves in the middle of their first live case.

Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron might be pushing eighty but they still have a few tricks up their sleeves.

Can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer before it’s too late?

About the author

Richard Osman is an author, producer and television presenter. The Thursday Murder Club is his first novel. He is well known for TV shows including Pointless and Richard Osman’s House of Games. As the creative director of Endemol UK, Richard has worked as an executive producer on numerous shows including Deal Or No Deal and 8 Out of 10 Cats. He is also a regular on panel and game shows such as Have I Got News For You, Would I Lie To You and Taskmaster.