ARC Review: The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

"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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