Reviews with content warning for Death - The Thursday Murder Club

This was the perfect murder mystery, it’s light, funny, witty and smart. The Thursday Murder Club members are hilarious and just so ballsy. I cannot wait until the movie comes out, the cast just seems so perfect for the characters.

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angorarabbit's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny lighthearted mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

TLDR: Unless you are allergic to twee in your mystery this is a good series to try out. Or maybe I’m just getting old and soft.

Context: For reasons unknown I chose to read #2 and #3 in the series before reading #1.I also think Richard Osman is quite funny and smart on the telly.

I usually find the first book or two in a mystery series to be still finding it’s legs in a crowded market. Mr Osman hit the ground running. Which considering what he has been doing with his life is to be expected. While there are a few things that may stretch credulity it is for the most part believable as you can expect a murder mystery novel to be. There is one thing that happens which is out of line for a character as there also was in The Bullet That Missed but other than that all characters were well described and acted consistently.

What I love so much about this series is how Mr Osman gets aging. Not just the body failing but the mind. There are murders in the book but there are also natural deaths and dementia. All of it portrayed in a truthful without sugarcoating.

I see that The Thursday Murder Club Mystery is adapted and is currently on Netflix, which makes me sad that Alan Rickman can not play the part of Ian Ventham although I’m sure David Tennant does a fine job.

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zunn's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted mysterious relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Really enjoyed it! I had DNFed it a few years ago I think just because I was not in the mood, but I have to admit you have to get used to the narrative style ! Once you're in, you're in ! Very fun, lovely characters and interesting themes !

Spoilers ahead

However I was a bit disappointed by the resolution, esp. of Tony's murder

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kadtide's review against another edition

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lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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mkywtkns's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This book was my first true mystery and first series book read of the year (yay!). I'm so used to the pacing and plot of thrillers that it was an adjustment finding my rhythm - the pacing was slower and the amount of adrenaline inducing scenarios was relatively minor, almost nonexistent lol.

Nonetheless, i LOVED the crew in the novel, even the minor characters. Everything was surprising in the end, and it wrapped up well. The characters drove the story from their personalities to their vast and unique interests. Once the plot was moving, I couldn't stop reading. This was a great introduction to Osman's novels and this series. Can't wait for the next one!

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rorikae's review against another edition

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emotional funny mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

'The Thursday Murder Club' by Richard Osman is an endearing mystery about a group of residents at a retirement community in Britain who work together to solve a local murder.
Joyce, Elizabeth, Ron, and Ibrahim are the Thursday Murder Club, a group of residents at a retirement community who are fascinated by crimes that they hear about on the news. When a local man is found dead, they decide to try their hand at solving a murder themselves. They get wrapped up in the case, crossing paths with the local police who are working hard to solve the murder. As they delve deeper into what happened, they begin to learn more about the town and the people they live amidst.
I am relatively late to the party on "The Thursday Murder Club" but I completely agree that this is a really wonderful mystery book. The shining stars of this book are the characters. The four members of The Thursday Murder Club are complicated, endearing characters that I came to care for quickly. Their banter, complicated relationships, and persistent desire to solve the case all work together to make them characters I'm excited to return to in the future. The story balances an engaging mystery with an exploration of the characters as we come to know them better. The slow but steady character development paired with tender moments of human connection are what make this story really stand out. I'm excited to continue this series and see what these characters get up to next.

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jlothian's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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petebaker's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

This book is fantastic, very very well written, I love the combination of a chatty style of writing with a murder mystery. The main characters feel alive and are very believable, it is quite funny in places as well and the murder mystery was also clever

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