Monday, September 28, 2020

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

First Lines: Killing someone is easy. Hiding the body, now, that's usually the hard part. That's how you get caught.

In an upscale retirement home, four friends meet weekly in the Jigsaw Room to discuss cold cases the police couldn't solve. The rest of the community think they're discussing Japanese Opera which is why no one else has asked to join, and that suits the four just fine. They call themselves the Thursday Murder Club, and the four members-- a nurse, a spy, a psychiatrist, and a professional protester-- despite being in their seventies and eighties, are mentally as sharp as razor blades even if they do suffer an assortment of aches and pains.

When a local developer is found dead with a mysterious photograph left by the body, the Thursday Murder Club finds itself working its first live case with a detective constable who's keen to rise up the ranks. But they do have their work cut out for them, particularly as the body count rises.

~

I read so many mentions of The Thursday Murder Club being brilliant and hilarious that I began to wonder. For one thing, humor is probably the most subjective form of writing there is. For another, I always get nervous when the hype about any book begins to pile up. I almost changed my mind about reading it but decided to go against my better judgment.

The premise is fantastic. Four old folks who have all their marbles and are able to get out and about with no problem, who meet once a week to solve cold cases. What's not to like? The four-- a nurse, a spy, a psychiatrist, and a professional protester-- all bring their special skills and considerable intellect to the table, and they also get to help educate a detective constable who's new to the area.

There are poignant moments concerning growing old, death, and grief scattered throughout the book; this book is about more than your typical mystery. I did find myself smiling from time to time as I read some witticism, but at a quarter of the way through the book, that sort of humor seemed to vanish. I also didn't feel comfortable with a detective chief inspector working with anyone outside law enforcement so closely.  The Thursday Murder Club also suffered from one or two first-timer mistakes. First, the mystery solving seemed to vanish occasionally because the author was so enamored of his characters he forgot about the story and just wanted to spend time with them. Yes, they're interesting characters, but please don't forget why they're there in the first place. Second, I found the mystery confusing. Too many bodies piled up. Too many killers were hauled out of the shadows. Motives were flying around like bats pouring out of a cave at dusk. It takes a lot for me to become confused when reading a mystery, and I have to admit that I lost the plot a few times. I finally got to the point where I was reading just to get it over with, and that's not good.

As much as I wanted to enjoy The Thursday Murder Club, I did not, but since so much of the enjoyment hinges on humor (and as I said before, humor is so subjective), your mileage may definitely vary.


The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

eISBN: 9781984880970

Viking © 2020

eBook, 355 pages

 

Cozy Mystery, #1 Thursday Murder Club mystery

Rating: D+

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

16 comments:

  1. Thanks for the review, though sorry that it did not work out for you

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  2. I'm so sorry to hear this one didn't work for you, Cathy. Like you, I've heard great things about it, and I've been wondering whether to read it. As you say, humor is subjective, so a book that relies on it won't be a hit with everyone. Interesting point about the detective inspector sharing information. I've often wondered about that, too, in some books. It's very, very tricky to write that sort of situation and make it credible.

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    1. Yes, it is difficult, and I didn't find it at all credible here.

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  3. I thought it sounded good, but too many bodies, too many killers, and too many motives.... May give it a miss.

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  4. I've been hearing about this one too. And wondered. I'm going to keep it in mind because as you say 'subjective'. However, I think I'll wait to run across it at the library. That seems a good compromise. :-)

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    1. That sounds like an excellent compromise to me. :-)

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  5. Yes, the premise of this one sounds wonderful. Like you, I am leary when a book gets too much good press. Thanks for the review!

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  6. Richard Osman is pretty much a household name here in the UK as he hosts panel games on TV. I was very intrigued to hear he'd written a whodunnit but felt for a couple of authors on Twitter who sighed a bit over famous names taking to writing and having no trouble getting published, and I understand that. I shall read this eventually I'm sure but am in no hurry to be honest.

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    1. I understand their woes, too, but at the same time, if Osman wants to write, he should be able to. Perhaps just not give him such a huge advance to do so?

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  7. Well, this is a conundrum. Saw Harlan Coben promoting this book today on TV. But this review kind of makes me not want to read it. If the library was functioning normally, I'd take a look at it, but I don't know if I'll bother.

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    1. If you do decide to bother, I'd say that it's a perfect choice for checking out at the library.

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  8. I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy it, I loved it..probably for the characters more than the mystery but still :)

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    1. I must have been exceptionally grumpy when I read it because the characters didn't particularly grab me either. I am glad that you enjoyed it, Shelleyrae.

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