The Thursday Murder Club

A Novel

By: Richard Osman

Narrated by: Lesley Manville

Length: 12 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's Summary

A New York Times best seller!

Soon to be a major motion picture from Steven Spielberg at Amblin Entertainment

“Witty, endearing and greatly entertaining.” (Wall Street Journal)

“Don’t trust anyone, including the four septuagenarian sleuths in Osman’s own laugh-out-loud whodunit.” (Parade) 

Four septuagenarians with a few tricks up their sleeves.

A female cop with her first big case.

A brutal murder.

Welcome to...

The Thursday Murder Club

In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet weekly in the Jigsaw Room to discuss unsolved crimes; together, they call themselves the Thursday Murder Club. 

When a local developer is found dead with a mysterious photograph left next to the body, the Thursday Murder Club suddenly find themselves in the middle of their first live case. 

As the bodies begin to pile up, can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer, before it's too late?

©2020 Richard Osman (P)2020 Penguin Audio

Critic Reviews

“Funny, clever and compelling. Mystery fans are going to be enthralled.” (Harlan Coben, number one New York Times best-selling author of The Boy from the Woods)

“I don’t know how to do this brilliant book justice. Diabolically clever, very funny, highly entertaining - utterly delightful. I completely fell in love with it. I need more of The Thursday Murder Club!” (Shari Lapena, New York Times best-selling author of The Couple Next Door) 

“Smart, compassionate, warm, moving and so very funny. I smiled a million times. This book will make a lot of people very, very happy.” (Marian Keyes, international best-selling author of The Break) 

Loved the book but needed better audio production

This book was very well written and very well read by the narrator. However each chapter was a different sound level. That got to be a bit annoying as there were over 100 chapters. I had to reset the sound level for each one.

Very entertaining, endless plot twists

I'm a big reader of murder mysteries, and this one quickly became one of my favorites. It's so well plotted, with so many twists and red herrings, but also enough clues scattered along the way that you can pick up on if you read very carefully (or, like me, not pick them up until later when they're pointed out to you...). The characters are great, multidimensional, funny and smart and tender and flawed in endearing ways. It's a great setting for a murder mystery too. I just wish Cooper's Chase were real so I could move there.

Social Justice with your Crimes

I liked the characters very much.
The plot was overwrought but clever. Maybe too clever.
But the “woke” social justice droppings were so blatant they spoiled what would have been an enjoyable read.
I go to church to hear a sermon.

If you like Alexander McCall Smith you will love The Thursday Murder Club

New author. First novel. Home run out of the park. This book came to my notice on my audible feed and while I usually ignore such prompts am so glad I gave the TMC a try. Great narration, fabulous characters— a fun cozy mystery with both laughs and soul. Two thumbs way up.

I want join The Thursday Murder Club

This book was such a delight! The plot has many twists and the characters are so well written. You will want to be friends with most of them. Please make a movie or TV show of this!

Definite twists

The author kept me second guessing who the real killer was the entire time. Highly recommend 👌

A pancea for these times

The club consists of four retired individuals living in a Kent, England, retirement community. They meet weekly to discuss cold cases purloined from the files of a past member, a detective. Meanwhile the developer of the retirement community wants to add additional housing by removing a convent's burial ground and building on that space he now owns. Everyone else is opposed to it. As the conflict develops, his contractor is murdered. So the Thursday Murder Club are now investigating an open case.

The characters are delightful. The plot progresses logically yet with surprises. It ends satisfyingly. This book would be attractive to lovers of Golden Age mystery and traditional mystery.

The narrator is very talented but the recording quality is uneven. Still, if you aren't British, I'd recommend listening to the audio because the performance brings out the British sense of humor you would otherwise miss.

Not a real mystery - just very silly

The writing is good, the performance is okay, but the story just drags on and on through a lot of silliness. If you like actual mysteries, you will not like this book.

I hope this isn’t another Pulitzer

Don’t know how many Stars to rate this. Stuck with it , am currently at chapter 119. Have a couple of more to go., Can’t always follow which is necessary to liking it, don’t know what to blame writer or reader or me. I am guilty of doing hand work while listening. Was considering a redo but it’s over 12 hrs and at 80 and don’t want to waste time. So maybe a sample try ? which I need to do before I click on buy

Holy Moley! What a delightful tale of murder.

This book has no weakness! But it sure plays to mine... Huh? Well, I loved every character and twist and feeling. Richard Osman played my curiosity and emotions... well... like an organist's rather than a novelist's fingers. And I mean as a world class musician.

How does a man get into ladies minds so convincingly? And how does a young man find his way among the thoughts and feelings of people, well... people of my age (yeah, I'm teetering on the edge of doddering)? But this magic box of puzzles inside of The Thursday Murder Club is double wrapped in comedy... Well, maybe humor's a better word. While only laughing a few times during my listen to Lesley Manville's terrific interpretation of this ensemble cast of sleuths... it seemed as if I was smiling, um, when I wasn't trying to wipe the damned dust out of teary eyes.

Gosh I hope Osman's just beginning his career in novel making. Could he possibly have anything as wonderful as this still in his imagination. I'll be among the first to find out.