Reviews tagging 'Police brutality'

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

13 reviews

tangleroot_eli's review against another edition

emotional funny mysterious tense fast-paced

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

Three people I know recommended this book to me. If they'd led with how funny it is, I might've read it sooner. On the other hand, if they'd led with how corpse-strewn and emotional it is, I might've read it sooner, too. (Basically, what I'm saying is, if you're going to recommend a book to me, please tell me why you think I'd like it. No matter how much I like you, just telling me, "I liked it" won't convince me.) Anyway. This is a funny, emotional, corpse-strewn mystery, and I liked it a lot.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicide, Dementia, Grief, Murder, and Alcohol

Moderate: Addiction, Body shaming, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Medical content, and Classism

Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Graphic: Ageism Moderate: Nonconsensual drug use, Euthanasia

jamesjoyc's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide and Murder

Minor: Police brutality

wickedgrumpy's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

The characters were lovely.  I imagine I will pick up the next in the series at some point because I thought it was a charming read, even though it wasn't my usual cup of tea.

Also, I know it's a murder mystery but I wasn't expecting so much casual death.  Was a bit grim at times.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Medical content, Dementia, Trafficking, Grief, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism

cooliuscaesar451's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective sad 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

4.25

It starts off slowly but the characters suck you in ❤️ I found myself verklempt time and time again at the end. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Ableism, Cancer, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, Alcohol, War, Classism, and Deportation

Minor: Addiction, Animal death, Gun violence, Homophobia, and Pregnancy

daryn's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Murder

Moderate: Fatphobia, Dementia, and Grief

Minor: Police brutality

bronzeageholly's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

After a very slow uphill start getting to know the characters, around half way we start racing and zipping through an incredible labrinth of shocking events, revelations, and character developments; I was running through hypothesises at a mile a minute! 

The pacing was not something I usually enjoy, but I was thoroughly gripped by this book and can’t wait to pick up more of the series. 

There’s a long list of characters to get to know but each is as unique as they are well fleshed out. The dialogue is particularly well done and I enjoyed getting to know everyone.

The book is very funny, but also covers some very intense themes. Please view the content warnings if you believe it may be useful for you to be aware of. I have listed detailed content warnings in the spoiler section.

I would not recommend this book to someone who might be triggered by body shaming, diet culture, and shame-based discussions of losing weight, or to someone who may be triggered by detailed description of suicide. In regard to murders and deaths, there are multiple throughout the book including several instances of suicide and a murder-suicide.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Suicide, Police brutality, and Murder

Moderate: Sexism

prairieraven's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

Super fun book to read, a delightful collection of characters, this book had me pondering, laughing, sad, and pause for reflection. Super entertaining & intriguing, highly recommended for mystery lovers and those looking for a mystery book that is a bit less grim. Perfect for a rainy or Snowy day read. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Dementia, Trafficking, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

thecriticalreader's review against another edition

funny mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.5

I picked up The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman because I liked the idea of reading a mystery set in a retirement village!

 

Blurb: 

Four members of a retirement community form a club to discuss and try to solve cold cases. When one of the people who helped build their community is murdered, they decide to take the opportunity to solve a real-life murder case.

 

Review:

It is easy to see why The Thursday Murder Club gained such buzz when it was released. The writing is clever, the elderly members of the Thursday Murder Club are endearing and well-written, and the book (especially the first half) is chock full of humor. I laughed out loud several times while reading. At the same time, the retirement community setting—a place that is both lively and sober, given the age of its members—offers an opportunity for touching and poignant moments as the characters face the realities of aging and losing loved ones.

 

Toward the end of the novel, as Osman works to tie up the loose ends to the main mysteries, the red herring mysteries, and almost every other random plot point he has introduced, I started to feel lost in the weeds. The book contains an unusually large supporting cast of characters, and nearly every single one of them had their own ending or mystery that Osman felt the need to address. The focus shifted away from the main Thursday Murder Club members, draining the story of much of its initial humor and heart. Although I enjoyed watching the police and the senior citizens work through the clues and the mystery step by step, I was disappointed that the author still opted for the surprise “info-dump” resolution to the mysteries instead of letting the reader figure out the solution at the same time as the characters.

 

The story also suffers from occasional tonal dissonance as Osman tries to make the narrative funny, cerebral, lighthearted, serious, and exciting. One throwaway line that stuck out to me in this regard was a remark about one of the main police characters: “She had arrested a shoplifter in Fairhaven last week, and when he had struggled, she had brought him down with a baton between the knees. She was aware she had hit him much harder than she should. Sometimes you just had to hit things” (124-25). That line greatly disturbs me, as it paints police brutality as something that is normal and relatable. The book completely glosses over the problematic nature of referring to a person as a “thing” that can be beaten by police to let out their excess anger. There were other similar, if less alarming, instances where Osman occasionally drops the ball when trying to juggle multiple tones. 

 

Overall, I enjoyed many aspects of The Thursday Murder Club, but my enjoyment waned significantly as the story went on. I do not feel compelled to pick up any of the story’s sequels.

 

The Run-Down: 

You will probably like The Thursday Murder Club if:

·      You are a fan of cozy, small-town murder mysteries 

·      Following a quirky cast of elderly crime solvers sounds like fun

·      You enjoy stories that alternate between humorous remarks, serious reflections on life and death, and crime investigation

 

 

You might not like The Thursday Murder Club if:

·      You prefer simpler mysteries

·      You don’t like having to keep track of multiple characters and plotlines

·      You are upset by people making light of murder 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Eating disorder, Suicide, Terminal illness, Dementia, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Drug use and Alcohol

Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Racism, Blood, Police brutality, and Religious bigotry

boglord's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Fatphobia, Suicide, Medical content, Dementia, and Grief

Moderate: Police brutality, Murder, and Alcohol

Minor: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, and Toxic relationship

rieviolet's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

The book is divided into very short chapters, so that the reading experience feels very fast and easy.
Each chapter switches between quite a lot of point of views (to be honest, maybe too many). This certainly helps to keep the narration interesting and varied but, at the same time, it does not allow to explore the characters in depth and it can become a bit confusing to keep track of everyone and every storyline.

I think that the book relies a bit too much on the characters' "quirky" traits and, even though this makes the narration funny enough, it can come across as somehow overdone. 

I'm not really sure about the mystery part of the story, it did make sense
(sort of) but at the same time it felt a bit convoluted, maybe too much twists and turns towards the very end of the story?

All in all, a nice and quick read but I don't think I'll continue with the series. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide and Murder

Moderate: Death, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Sexism, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Trafficking, and Grief

Minor: Drug abuse, Infidelity, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail