I heard about the Thursday Murder Club from several people and was keen to get my hands on it. I read it on Kindle and wished that I had bought a hard copy.
The story centres around four retirees living in Cooper’s Chase, an upmarket retirement community on the south coast of England. The four main characters form The Thursday Murder Club. Thursday because that’s when the jigsaw room is free. The Club gives them an opportunity to still exercise the grey matter while they can, and perhaps in the process, clear up some cold cases.
Elizabeth the leader is, we think an ex-spy chief. This is never really confirmed. Joyce is a former nurse who lives in the complex courtesy of her very clever daughter. Ibrahim is a retired psychiatrist and Ron is an ex-trade union boss. So, all very English.
There is also Penny, who is on life support in the total care part of the complex. And her husband John who sits with her all day and every day, holding her hand and talking to her.
The four are all keen amateur sleuths and until a murder occurs, they use Penny’s saved files from her days as a Detective Chief Inspector, to attempt to solve unsolved/cold case murders.
They have limited success, until a murder, or two happens almost in front of them.
Old age is often a burden bringing differences to people’s lives, but the four main characters together form a force to be reckoned with. Over the years of solving or attempting to solve the earlier unsolved murders, they have developed some somewhat unorthodox methods to use in crime solving.
The owner of the development, Ian Ventham wants to expand it by building additional apartments. He also plans to move an ex-convent graveyard to build even more apartments.
This causes anger among the inhabitants but his decision is made and he has the necessary approvals. Tony Curran, Ventham’s builder who has a 25% stake in the business is murdered. Ventham brings in the diggers to attack the graveyard early the next morning. Only to find the graveyard picketed by retirees. There is a bit of a scuffle and Ventham drops down dead. Also murdered!
Not too much later another body is discovered although this one is much older and it takes a while before its relevance to the plot becomes apparent.
The four amateur detectives go straight to work on these murders. Elizabeth has her varied and very secret sources that cough up much useful information. They also need some pliable police officers whom they can pump for information. DCI Chris Hudson with PC Donna De Freitas is in charge of the investigations and Elizabeth sets out to organise their involvement. She promises to share all the four turn up in exchange for being kept in the loop of the police enquiries. These two police officers are utterly helpless to resist the wiles and the offered cakes of the retirees. However, they soon realise that the oldies mean business and can provide many clues to solving the cases.
There are twists and turns aplenty in this book, and although the theme is murder it is a gentle read. It is in turn, clever, sad, moving in places and funny throughout. I quickly warmed to the main characters, felt antagonistic toward others, and wondered about some of the others.
I understand this is the first in a new series from Richard Osman and I look forward to reading more.