Written by Richard Osman
SUMMARY:
In 2020-21, Penguin Books released this 374-page paperback in Great Britain and the United States. As British game show host and comedy writer Richard Osman’s debut novel, this mystery caper’s success has precipitated at least three sequels and possibly a future film adaptation.
In the secluded, present-day English countryside, Coopers Chase Retirement Village is a posh, inclusive community developed on property previously owned by the Catholic Church. Among its elderly British retirees are: Ibrahim – a mostly retired psychiatrist; Joyce – a doting ER nurse and mother, who is likely the friendliest neighbor any of them have; Ron Ritchie – an outspoken and hard-nosed, social activist; and their informal leader, ex-spy Elizabeth – a former MI-5 (or MI-6) operative. Of them, Elizabeth is the only one who isn’t widowed, but she is caring for her husband’s evident dementia.
Setting up a weekly meeting, the quartet selects and, as a matter of keeping their minds active, reviews cold case murders. Inspired by her comatose friend, Penny, who had been a stalwart police detective, Elizabeth shifts the group’s attention to its next project: probing the brutal homicide of the village’s building contractor, whose shady past evidently dates back at least thiry years.
Reluctantly helping the Club seek out likely suspects are the local police: new detective Donna De Freitas and her simmering boss, Chris Hudson. Even before one homicide can be resolved, another occurs involving Cooper Chase’s scheming developer, who has a mile-long list of potentially seething enemies.
With one, if not possibly two or more killers, on the loose, the Club’s investigation is further complicated by a grisly discovery in the cemetery adjacent to the community. It’s up to an ever-resourceful Elizabeth and her friends to now snare an elusive culprit, who may be far closer to home than they dare realize.
Note: This title is also available digitally and as an audiobook.
REVIEW:
The low-key, tongue-in-cheek humor lurking in some of Agatha Christie’s lesser-known works (i.e. The Man in the Brown Suit; The Seven Dials Mystery, etc.) comes to mind reading The Thursday Murder Club. Part of this resemblance comes from Richard Osman’s inclusion of Joyce’s ‘diary entries.’
These brief shifts of narrative from third-person to first-person makes an insightful change of pace. Exploring easygoing Joyce’s point-of-view over, say, the more dominant Elizabeth (it’s easy to visualize Judi Dench playing this role) is a smart move, as Joyce is the Club’s most down-to-earth participant.
More so, it contributes to a welcome creative vibe reminiscent of a percolating tea kettle. If one stays patient, Osman’s creative steam subsequently delivers the necessary goods at the right moments. Such compensation more than makes up for the first several pages introducing the Club, which are comparatively dry.
There’s decent odds that some readers, at the get-go, might be turned off (or simply bored) by the quartet’s casual pleasure discussing a young woman’s unresolved homicide. Still, after that juncture, Osman’s clever storytelling picks up momentum, as plot twists and additional mini-mysteries contribute to an intriguing read where not everyone is really whom they seem.
Deploying an unusual third-person omniscient present-tense, Osman’s quirky debut novel is a triumph for the British cozy mystery genre. Playing off the genre’s reliance upon contrivance and outright implausibility, Osman still concocts a whodunnit gem more sophisticated than most amateur sleuth cookie-cutter formulas.
Given this book’s cast, there is at least half-dozen ongoing plot threads to keep track of (Osman makes it easy enough), so readers will left guessing as to which ones are foreshadowing and what others may prove red herrings. A leisurely surplus of character depth, in that sense, co-mingles with witty humor and poignancy to convey Osman’s well-played nods to the 21st Century’s generational gaps.
The mystery’s final stretch, accordingly, delivers a satisfying, multi-layered resolution where not all loose ends are tied up, but most everything now makes sense. Suffice to say, The Thursday Murder Club conjures up an original assortment of sleuths that readers will enjoy solving multiple homicides with.
ADDITIONAL FEATURES:
Osman’s paragraph-length bio is included, along with his acknowledgements section. He also introduces an outtake scene, from Joyce’s point-of-view. There’s a six-page sample of the franchise’s second installment: The Man Who Died Twice. A brief interview with Osman reveals the real-life inspiration for the novel. Lastly, “A Penguin Readers Guide” is a helpful reference for setting up book club discussions.
Note: “The Readers Guide” has one typo referencing Donna’s off-the-record contacts with the Club. It’s Elizabeth (not Joyce) who regularly communicates back and forth with 26-year-old Donna – as if she’s her surrogate great-aunt.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 9 Stars
