The Thursday Murder Club

Although it isn't our usual cup of tea, we recently picked up Richard Osman's The Thursday Murder Club at a used bookstore. We tend to prefer our sleuths or detectives solo or with the classic pairing of a Holmes and Watson type. Nonetheless, Osman managed to write a humorous and interesting novel featuring four elderly residents of a retirement home in Kent as sleuths. Charming, funny, wise, and interesting, each member of the Thursday Murder Club bring something unique to the group (although Elizabeth seems to often call the shots or have the most experience with crime). 

The reader is introduced to the group with Joyce, the retired nurse and newcomer whose diary entries are the first-person narrative juxtaposed with the third-person omniscient narrator. Besides Joyce, the Egyptian Ibrahim brings to the tale his scientific mind and keen understanding of psychology. Ron, the socialist labor organizer and rabble rouser, is a powerful speaker with a myriad of experiences. Elizabeth, however, has an enigmatic past which included travel abroad and many brushes with danger. Through these old sleuths, the two police detectives, Chris and Donna, solve 3 murders (although one is presumed by Joyce). 

As a writer, Osman successfully throws red herrings at the reader and plays with our assumptions. For example, we did not realize Donna was a black woman until the fact was noted by Fr. Mackie. Similarly, we made certain assumptions about the romantic interest for Chris Hudson, too. But in terms of the actual murder mysteries, we were a little unsatisfied. One murder lacks a clear, or proper resolution while the actual police detectives were shockingly patient with the Thursday Murder Club's disregard for laws. But that's also where the book may be praised by some. It challenges the notion of right and wrong as defined by the law. It also forces the reader to rethink their assumptions about the elderly, even those with dementia. But one thing the book desperately needed was a list of characters. The cast is not vast here, but it would have helped to keep track of who's who in Cooper Chase or the surrounding area.