The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman is a mystery set in a retirement village. It has a good balance of mystery, real life issues, and humor.
A few people had told me about this book, and the premise of a group living in a retirement community solving murders for fun was intriguing. I finally picked up a copy of the audio version and listened to it.
At the Coopers Chase retirement village, a group of residents gather each Thursday to discuss cold cases involving murder. When a murder happens on the village property, the group puts their skills and unorthodox methods to work to help the local authorities solve the mystery. The question is will their shenanigans help catch a killer, or put them in danger?
This story was about more than just a cast of interesting characters with a morbid hobby. It addresses relationships, ethics, aging, and grief.
Relationships of all sorts are on display throughout this story. Of course, there is the friendship between the group members. But there are also the relationships they have with their grown children—some great, some strained. And there’s love and loyalty among spouses, both living and dead.
With some of the relationships, people do things out of love (avoiding spoilers here) that might be questionable ethically. Some of these things are discussed in the book, and some are left for the reader to ponder whether the action was right or wrong, or if it is somewhere in a morally gray area.
Speaking of gray…The realities of aging are included in the story. Throughout and in different ways, characters realize their bodies—and minds—sometimes fail them. One of the characters who had been a part of the group had to be moved to a different unit once dementia took hold of her mind. Circling back to relationships, the author includes the impact of watching someone they care about mentally declining.
A couple of the main characters already lost their spouse, and feel for their friend whose wife is mentally slipping away. Each of them expresses their grief differently, showing that there is no one way to deal with the loss of a loved one.
I promise this book is not a downer. While there are some heavy topics addressed in the story—like, ya know, people being murdered—there was plenty of humor to keep it on the lighter side, and I laughed out loud several times. The characters are an absolute hoot, and I seriously need to know about their lives before moving to Coopers Chase.
If you’re looking for a fun read that will still make you think, check out The Thursday Murder Club.
Netflix made this into a movie, and the cast alone is reason enough to watch it. Even though some things were changed or omitted from the book, the movie was still a joy to watch. And if you like the book, it is the first in a series.
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