The Thursday Murder Club

By Richard Osman,

Book cover of The Thursday Murder Club

Book description

A New York Times bestseller | Soon to be a major motion picture from Steven Spielberg at Amblin Entertainment

"Witty, endearing and greatly entertaining." -Wall Street Journal

"Don't trust anyone, including the four septuagenarian sleuths in Osman's own laugh-out-loud whodunit." -Parade

Four septuagenarians with a few tricks up their sleeves…

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Why read it?

20 authors picked The Thursday Murder Club as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I’m already envisioning this mystery as a TV series, which isn’t a stretch since Richard Osman’s had a long career in television. The idea of folks in a retirement community getting together to solve crimes isn’t new, but it’s always a hoot (reminds me of an episode of NCIS where Ducky was involved in “The Sherlocks”).

Osman doesn’t disappoint with his crew of senior sleuths in Coopers Chase, notably Elizabeth, the group’s leader, who isn’t intimidated by anything or anyone, and Joyce, her sidekick, a former nurse.

Short chapters and a shifting point of view made for a very fast…

I fell madly in love with the four amateur detectives that comprise the membership of the Thursday Murder Club, not at least because they each represent one of the great sleuthing “types”: Elizabeth (the spy), Ibrahim (the Sherlockian intellectual), Joyce (the Marple-esque little old lady), and Ron (the gritty rule-breaker).

Gentle humor and real affection for the characters permeate this wonderful mystery, along with a tender recognition of the fragility of life. 

The Thursday Murder Club is the first book in a series by the same name. It establishes an ensemble cast of variously gifted characters – a quirky group of senior citizens in a local nursing home! – whose friendships and collective purpose involve the solving of murders.

The characters are realistic, humorous, distinctively gifted, and entirely believable; and the solutions to the murders are not easily detectable. The plots are very good, and the characters even better.

Luck of the Irish

By Kate Darroch (editor),

Book cover of Luck of the Irish

Kate Darroch Author Of Death in Paris

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Living on Devon's gorgeous coast, I'm melding my lifelong love of reading Cozy Sleuths with my love of writing and years of living in foreign climes to write Travel Cozies. I also have a Vella Heist serial Found Money starting on Vella soon, and a Cozy Spy series They Call Him Gimlet coming out in the Autumn.

Kate's book list on humorous murder mysteries

What is my book about?

Ten Tantalizing Cozy Mysteries to enjoy on Saint Patrick's Day! Sure to make you chuckle and keep you guessing! Plus, the authors' favorite Saint Patrick's Day Recipes.

Have fun curling up with these Cozy stories and a delicious drink, knowing that just by enjoying these tales you are doing good in the world as well - because 100% of book sales proceeds go to a non-profit helping children living in terrible conditions (through the non-profit RAICES Texas). 

Luck of the Irish

By Kate Darroch (editor),

What is this book about?

Ten Tantalising Cozy Mysteries to enjoy on Saint Patrick's Day! Sure to make you chuckle, make you go "aawww", maybe even raise goosebumps,too - or a bump of curiosity! Plus the authors' favorite Saint Patrick's Day Recipes.

Have fun curling up with these Cozy stories and a delicious drink, knowing that just by enjoying these tales you are doing good in the world as well - because 100% of book sales proceeds go to a non-profit helping children living in terrible conditions, RAICEStexas.org


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I kept hearing good things about The Thursday Murder Club, but it was only this year that I got around to reading it. What a treat!

Four delightful residents of a lush retirement village, each with unique talents, meet weekly to discuss cold cases. But when a real murder hits close to home, they switch from the theoretical to the actual with unexpected results.

This is a fun, clever mystery full of endearing characters. Dive in and enjoy. 

The Thursday Murder Club is a collection of seniors living in a seniors’ apartment complex.

Murder, mayhem, and lovely relationships allow this group to solve murders and have fun at the same time. I found myself laughing out loud at the antics and unexpected turns of the plot. The characters are finely drawn, all different, all essential to this group of entrepreneurs who set out to solve murders. I highly recommend this book, the start of a series.

Richard Osman’s touch with this intrepid group of septuagenarians who solve murders is outrageously hysterical, and insightful.

The Thursday Murder Club meets weekly at their assisted living complex, and their kick-off investigation is to look for the killer of a developer with suspicious plans for the surrounding property in the idyllic English countryside. Each of the four members of the club brings something to the table, mostly under the guidance of Elizabeth (a former spy) and Joyce (seemingly a bubblehead with iridescent smarts).

The guys bring their own baggage, wit, and forthright manners, and they all jump right off the…

This author drew me in, and a little against my will. I don’t usually gravitate to male cozy writers, and I am not sure why. Maybe I watched too many Murder She Wrote episodes, and so I see a woman that role.

But Osman won me over with his unique writing style, and multi-layered story. Before I knew it, I was in that retirement home with those quirky characters, and engrossed in their lives. I think he had me with his British humor and the delicious opening line, “Well, let’s start with Elizabeth, shall we?”

It only got more interesting…

From Vickie's list on cozy mysteries about women at work.

I can’t say enough good things about The Thursday Murder Club.

It took an unlikely group of elderly amateur sleuths and made them the stars of the show, I was laughing well into the night, as this group of retirees can get away with just about anything, and the mystery kept me guessing right until the end. I will keep coming back to this series again and again and I know I will never get bored.

The Thursday Murder Club is a hilarious whodunit that had me chuckling from beginning to end.

The novel follows a group of retirees who meet every Thursday to solve cold case murders, but their latest investigation quickly becomes a real-time murder mystery. The humour in this book is both clever and silly, with witty one-liners and humorous observations about aging, technology, and society. The characters themselves have their own unique quirks and personalities which adds to the book's charm.

One of the standout elements of the humour in The Thursday Murder Club is its ability to balance the light-hearted moments…

A first in a series, and each one enjoyable.

An idyllic senior living community brings four distinct souls together to ponder an old crime, resulting in mayhem and danger. The story twists and turns, with wise, witty dialogue and poignant musings, plus lessons in life and living.

My entire family read it, including a teen and early twenties son, and we all quoted lines to each other. Then we passed it to friends. A joy to read.

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