Author: Richard Osman
Published: September 22, 2020, by Penguin Books
Format: Paperback, 382 Pages
Genre: Mystery
Series: Thursday Murder Club #1
Blurb: 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?
My Opinion: After watching the Netflix adaptation, I figured, why not try the book? I was curious to see if the charm held up on the page. And for the most part, it did, at least in the beginning.
The setup is fun: a group of retirees solving cold cases between tea and cake. Osman’s humor is enjoyable, and the characters are quirky in that British-cozy way that makes you want to pull up a chair and join them. I was enjoying myself, chuckling here and there, nodding along.
But somewhere around the three-quarter mark, things started to drag. The plot and pacing slowed, and I found myself zoning out. It wasn’t that I didn’t understand what was happening; I just stopped caring. The charm wore off, and finishing the book felt more like a chore than a treat.
I did finish it, though. And afterward, I had that “meh” feeling. Not angry, not disappointed, just kind of wishing I’d spent that time on something else. I know this series has its fans, and I get the appeal. But for me? One and done. I won’t be picking up book two.
If you love cozy mysteries with a side of sass and don’t mind a slower pace, this might be your jam. But if you’re looking for something that keeps the momentum all the way through, maybe look elsewhere.
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?
My Opinion: After watching the Netflix adaptation, I figured, why not try the book? I was curious to see if the charm held up on the page. And for the most part, it did, at least in the beginning.
The setup is fun: a group of retirees solving cold cases between tea and cake. Osman’s humor is enjoyable, and the characters are quirky in that British-cozy way that makes you want to pull up a chair and join them. I was enjoying myself, chuckling here and there, nodding along.
But somewhere around the three-quarter mark, things started to drag. The plot and pacing slowed, and I found myself zoning out. It wasn’t that I didn’t understand what was happening; I just stopped caring. The charm wore off, and finishing the book felt more like a chore than a treat.
I did finish it, though. And afterward, I had that “meh” feeling. Not angry, not disappointed, just kind of wishing I’d spent that time on something else. I know this series has its fans, and I get the appeal. But for me? One and done. I won’t be picking up book two.
If you love cozy mysteries with a side of sass and don’t mind a slower pace, this might be your jam. But if you’re looking for something that keeps the momentum all the way through, maybe look elsewhere.
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