I enjoy a good thriller. I like intrigue, twists, surprises, clever narrators and anything that’s unexpected. And boy, did this book ever deliver. On all counts.
I didn’t expect that much from this book going in – I’d heard good things, but nothing that hinted at it being a huge departure from any other thriller I’d read, except possibly the fact that the protagonists are seniors living in an assisted living community. That’s different, and one of the reasons I was interested in giving this book a try in the first place. I love books that feature protagonists who are usually overlooked and underrepresented. Older people seem to often be in the background, but rarely at the centre, particularly not often depicted as being smart and capable – even shrewd.
I loved that each of the main characters in this book is not what they seem. There’s Joyce, who seems sweet and gentle, but who is an excellent judge of character and has sharp observation skills. There’s Ibrahim, who seems quiet and unassuming, but who is a huge font of knowledge. There’s Elizabeth, who takes care of her husband who suffers from alzheimers but who has a startlingly incongruous past and is as clever as they come. And finally Ron, who might come off as a bit of a rough, hard fellow, but who actually cares deeply for his friends and can surprise us all.
This cast of characters are a wonderful beginning to this story – but they are just the beginning. There are other characters who also win over the reader as the book progresses, and the plot is full of surprises. I normally guess a fair amount of what’s coming in thrillers – not everything, but at least some of it – but this book really had me guessing. Every time I thought I had it figured out, it slipped through my fingers and headed off in a different direction entirely. Which was a wonderful surprise. I got to the end feeling deeply satisfied by the reading experience.
The only negative thing I can say about this book is that at times it was a little more complex than it needed to be and that pulled me out of the book a bit, and that I had a hard time connecting emotionally to the characters at first. But neither was an actual problem and by the end of the book it all came together. I’m very pleased that this is just the first in a series, because I’m very curious to find out what this gang gets up to next!
In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet up once a week to investigate unsolved murders.
But when a brutal killing takes place on their very doorstep, the Thursday Murder Club find themselves in the middle of their first live case. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron might be pushing eighty but they still have a few tricks up their sleeves.
Can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer before it’s too late? – Goodreads
Book Title: The Thursday Murder Club
Author: Richard Osman
Series: Yes – The Thursday Murder Club #1
Edition: Audiobook/Paperback
Published By: Viking/Libby
Released: August 28, 2020
Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Seniors
Pages: 381
Date Read: October 15-16, 2022
Rating: 7/10
Average Goodreads Rating: 3.92/5 (333,507 ratings)
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