REVIEWS

Betty Haley

I couldn’t wait to start this book and I wasn’t disappointed. It was like having a real interesting gossip with a friend. The wit throughout was tangible and the plot moves on so fast with so many twists and turns that it makes you want to keep turning the pages for more. I’ll admit I didn’t want the book to finish. An absolute delight of a book. I hope The Thursday Murder Club go onto solve many more murders in the future.

Dr Andrew Barton

Not a pointless score for Richard Osman’s first book! I heard this book described as "cosy murder genre" and it did bring light relief in a year of isolating and anxiety caused by the global pandemic; with no travel and restricted movement I found myself in the area of Robertsbridge, often mentioned in the exciting and fun pages. Still at work but nearing retirement this story enticed me into considering moving to a retirement complex like the one at the centre of this story; sounds such an exciting life! The characters are well constructed, and the writing style gives the reader a wonderful insightful connection to the various individuals that are both funny and truthful; you can visualise people that you know that have similar traits. It’s brilliant how normal daily life interrupts the more sinister at all moments in this book. The crossovers are well executed. There are plenty of twists and turns and the story line keeps you involved; I so loved the intertwining of Joyce’s diary and the main transcript of events that gave it all such a personal feel. Well worth a read - cannot wait for book two, Richard!

Ailene Owen

I was thrilled to receive this book from Viking Book Club as I had read and heard so much about it. When I started it I enjoyed the ironic, exaggerated descriptions he painted of the main characters. You could almost visualise them. However I quite quickly lost interest. It was mildly amusing at times but was in no way hilarious. The plot was complicated but ridiculous with some red herrings thrown for good measure. I guessed who had done it but not why. Overall very disappointed.

Barbara Wilson

Thanks so much for sending this excellent book! I’ve actually finished it, as I found it to be almost 'unputtdownable'! Richard Osman has excelled himself with this, his first novel, and I hope it's the first of many. It was a different style of writing to most of the books I read, and I found it to be involving, almost as if I was there in the story! Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this excellent book, which I see is at the top of the bestsellers list too!

Amanda Park

Richard Osman is best known as the co-host of Pointless, the popular afternoon TV quiz show. So the question was – does his first novel live up to his already well-liked reputation? Yes, is the answer. The residents of Coopers Chase Retirement Village, in particular the characters of Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron (members of The Thursday Murder Club) are brilliantly drawn and become almost like the reader’s friends. The plot kept me guessing to the end but it was Osman’s eye for detail which I enjoyed the most. Picture the scene where ‘the Waitrose delivery vans clink with wine and repeat prescriptions every time they pass over the cattle grid’. Delightful! I look forward to the next book in the series.

Ann Marie Rennie

Firstly, Richard has a great respect and admiration for the ‘senior generation’ that is obvious from the first page. I could picture the characters and their homes as if they were my own neighbours, such was the clarity of his description and attention to detail. I only hope they use real people such as Richards mum in the cast of the film and don’t spoil it with a star studded cast! I enjoyed all the red herrings and really love Joyce, everyone’s favourite grandma I’m sure. I look forward to reading the sequel.

Amanda Hargreaves

I was really looking forward to reading The Thursday Murder Club after reading quite a number of positive reviews. What a disappointment! The book was written in a childlike way with unbelievable characters and very disjointed chapters. The humour is tired, cliched and definitely not 'laugh out loud'. Strange writing style too. Some chapters narrated in first person then randomly switching to third person often overlapping the first person narration from the previous chapters. It will no doubt do well serialised during the afternoon TV schedule, but I’m afraid it didn’t live up to my expectations at all. Thanks for including me in the book distribution list this month.

Andre Du Casse

This was such an enjoyable book. Completely quintessentially English with its gentle humour and great characterisations. Some of the characters seemed so familiar. I am very much looking forward to a second book in what I hope will be a long series. Richard Osman is a very talented man.

Basil Birchall

The characters in this story are of my generation and thus i recognise their habits and views.In addition i used to visit my mother-15/20 years ago in a care home where i entertained a group of them doing crosswords,playing the piano and other games with them,They were interesting people! Richard Osman quite surprisingly in creating his characters in this book is pretty accurate in his description of their nuances - both positive and negative. The book itself (for a thriller) is very amusing and cleverly held together by 'Joyce' the newest member of the Thursday Club who pretends to be just the old girl who bakes a good cake! There are lot of fairly complex characters in this tale which starts slowly and gradually builds up to a crescendo of happenings. This is a thriller which is mainly amusing but has its dark moments. Well casually written and certainly a new author is 'born' in Richard Osman.I understand that Steven Spielberg has bought the film rights. I look forward to reading the second Thursday Murder Club.

Andrew Williams

I must admit to being less than enthusiastic when I received this book, as I am not a huge fan of Richard Osman. Once I started reading I was hooked. A well written murder mystery with numerous twists and turns. Revealing red herons as I progressed through the book. The plot being tidily concluded in the last chapters. Hence I went from reluctant reader to avid page turner. Look forward to more unusual and interesting reads.

Anonymous Reviewer

The Thursday Murder club is set in a retirement village in the UK in current day, and centres around four characters; the members of the Thursday Murder Club. The group takes it upon themselves to solve some local murders that take place. Whilst some of the story line is not particularly realistic (e.g. the interaction between the members/police), we grow to know the characters throughout the story and they are likeable. For a murder mystery, I found that the book lacked any suspense or twists and turns, and the ending when we find out who committed the murders was confusing but also an anti-climax. The language is simple and I found it didn't really stretch my vocabulary. However, for this reason it did mean I found the book easy to read for the most part. The chapters were short and so I found myself dipping in for more. In conclusion, it isn't the most gripping book I've ever read, but makes for an easy, pleasant read.