A review by sophiestbr
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

dark emotional funny lighthearted mysterious reflective tense medium-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? No

3.75

This was a quaint and cosy book, that's the best way I can describe it, despite it being a murder mystery. The idea of it taking place at a retirement home with a cast of characters overwhelmingly over the age of 75 was a surprisingly intriguing and easy to get into. 

It is written in a really accessible and straightforward way, the mystery is set up early and in a way that made me want to read on and get to the bottom of it. The characters are rich and interesting, easy to connect to in one way or another. 

Where the book fell down for me and soured the experience is a spoiler that comes with a trigger warning, so read on at your own risk:
the author used suicide as a way out of storylines or as a scandalous side note far too many times that ultimately left a bad taste in my mouth. I think there were at least 4 characters that committed suicide or whose stories featured it.


Overall, with the above and the fact that I felt too many of the 'red herrings' were resolved too quickly made it less gripping and suspenseful than other crime/mystery novels. That said, I will read at least the next book in this series at some point to give another mystery with this fabulous cast of characters a shot, they were really the highlight for me. 
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