"In life you have to learn to count the good days. You have to tuck them in your pocket and carry them around with you."
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The Thursday Murder Club follows Joyce, Elizabeth, Ibrahim, and Ron, four octogenarians who meet on a Thursday evening in the Jigsaw Room at their retirement village to solve old murders. When a murder happens on their back doorstep, they are faced with their first live case.
This is exactly the type of book I would pick up in a bookstore. I love a murder mystery and this book is billed as exactly this. It is more a cosy mystery than thriller, but still very enjoyable. There is a good mix of characters, and I really enjoyed that they all had such vibrant personalities. There isn't a lot of character development in the story, but I don't think that's what this book is about at all. I would have loved to see more of the police officers, as I think they could've added a new dimension to the story.
I have to admit (no spoilers) there are a couple of twists in this book and I did not predict them, in fact at one point I thought something was going to happen and it turned out to be something totally different! There are also some great comedic moments, but I would've loved to see more of Osman's dry wit throughout the book, as I think that could've boosted the slower parts. I also think Osman's handling of sensitive topics (assisted suicide, dementia, etc.) was expertly done.
I really liked the short chapters, however, the pacing is very slow. There were definitely things I felt could have been missed out, or written in much less words, and the whole book could probably do with being about 25-50 pages shorter. If you're looking for fast-paced, this isn't the book for you. I also thought the writing was a bit jumpy. It's split into two points of view - Joyce's notes/diary entries, and a third person narrative. I personally didn't feel Joyce's POV added anything to the story, but I can see what Osman was trying to achieve by including it.
My final thoughts: overall an enjoyable book. If you're a fan of a cosy cottage type mystery, then this could be just the book for you! I would 100% pick up another if this were to become a series, but I would like to see more character development over more books.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Pub date: September 3rd 2020
Content warnings: murder, suicide, assisted suicide, dementia
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