I’m going to do something I don’t usually do: I’m going to review a Popular Book.

Usually I save my reading time and reviewing effort for lesser-known books, the literary underdogs who could use an extra boost onto readers’ bookshelves. I also find myself skeptical of general award-winning or list-making books; are they popular because everyone is reading them (and we all know what “everyone”’s reading standards are like these days), or is everyone reading them because they’re popular?

Philosophical discussion aside, I received Richard Osman’s New York Times-bestselling debut novel, The Thursday Murder Club, from my sister-in-law for Christmas. My to-read list follows a jumbled order of priorities, hierarchies, and other criteria that don’t always make sense even to me, so I’m embarrassed to say this catchy red cover got temporarily parked between other novels for the first half of this year. Until a friend and fellow reader mentioned how she makes a point to read every book someone gives her because of what the book says about its giver. (Shoutout to Joann if you’re reading this.)

I had just finished my other reads . . . and I was going on a trip during which I would see my sister-in-law . . . so I pulled this catchy red cover off my bookshelf, tucked it in my backpack, and took it to Maine with me to start one night by lamplight in the West Wing of my parents’ pop-up camper.

I loved the prologue. I loved the first chapter, for so many reasons. And I loved pretty much everything else from there to the end of the book.

Thus why I’m reviewing a Popular Book.

But why would YOU love this book? First of all, if you love mysteries, especially a murder mystery, you’ll love The Thursday Murder Club. I never would have guessed the solution to this mystery and the way not two but three murders (at least) tied together by the end. I suspected some of the red herrings as much, but was still surprised at exactly how they resolved, and was delightfully distracted from one murder suspect by the other murder investigation going on at the same time, and so on. The details, the investigative processes of both the club and the police, the many stories and backstories involved—this book is the perfect murder mystery.

“So this is how I see it,” confirms Elizabeth. “Either you arrest us, which we would all understand, and Joyce, in fact, I think would actually enjoy.”
“No comment,” says Joyce, nodding happily.
“Or you don’t arrest us, and we can spend the rest of the evening talking about exactly why someone buried a body on this hillside sometime in the nineteen seventies.”

p. 234

Second, if you enjoy multiple POVs and a rich character cast, you’ll love Richard Osman’s debut novel. Whether through journal entries, entire chapters, or scene snippets, I loved following Joyce, the other members of the club, the detectives, and even the outlying characters (both good and ill). As if each character weren’t a show enough on an individual level, the cherry on the top is the way all their stories weave together into—yes—a community, one I found surprisingly heartwarming. Well, mostly heartwarming, except for the blokes who got murdered . . .

Coopers Chase being Coopers Chase, no one has ever asked him why. After all, a woman in Tennyson walks a dog she doesn’t have. Whatever gets you out of bed. (143)

p. 143

Third, if you’re a fan of all things British, The Thursday Murder Club is the book for you. I could hear the accents, could see the uniforms, could feel the breezes from the countryside or the street—and, most of the time, could translate the British terms. Even if you’re not a super-fan of British culture, you’ll be delighted by the thoroughly other-side-of-the-pond context of this story.

“Arrest him! Trespass!” yells Ian, now being pulled away from the scene by a group of determined septuagenarians, octogenarians, and even one nonagenarian, who missed Second World War call-up by a day and had regretted it ever since.

p. 165

But the biggest reason you should read this book, besides the mystery: if you’re a senior, or have spent any time with seniors (especially in a senior residence), you will love The Thursday Murder Club. Many of the instances that made me laugh out loud weren’t just the wit of the characters or the narrative but the way Osman seamlessly and humorously features so much “senior culture” in the story, from hearing aids and walkers to distant family and new technology. (I was fondly reminded of the 2024 movie Thelma.) I’ve spent a lot of time with seniors and at nursing homes or independent/assisted living facilities, so while I’m not there myself yet, I could 100% appreciate all the nods to life as a senior.

But be prepared: Osman also delves deep into both the joys and the challenges of aging, with a poignancy that caught me off guard. Your heart will be touched, as mine was, by the subtle themes of loss, loyalty, change, limitations, identity, and community throughout. While no scene dwells at length on these topics, therein lies the power: just a brief enough mention, a quiet enough reflection,  a gentle enough reminder of what everyone faces in these sunset years.

. . . there was a proper exodus. Though not a quick exodus, because you know that getting out of a garden chair at our age is a military operation.

p. 155

I only have two gripes with The Thursday Murder Club. One is not that it’s written in third-person present tense (minus Joyce’s diary entries), but that some of the tenses read more like past-tense narrative. I wasn’t sure if it was my grammarian side or my reader side that got stuck in these clunkier sections.

My other issue is the feminist angle, with the strongly leading characters all being female (Elizabeth, Donna, Joyce) and most or all of the male characters playing supporting, inept, or villain roles (Ron and Ibrahim, Chris, Ian). Plus the other small “politically correct” mentions of gender roles and such. I don’t have an issue with female leads (see my other reviews), just not at the cost of equally strong male characters in the cast. So if you’re looking for a female-forward cast, this book will be perfect for you. If you like more equality among your characters, you’ll still enjoy the story, but you may come away missing some positive masculinity.

At least I have discovered that online dating is not for me. You can have too much choice in this world. And when everyone has too much choice, it is also much harder to get chosen. And we all want to be chosen.
Good night, all. Good night, Bernard. And good night, Gerry, my love.

p. 308

All in all, The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman surprised me as a wildly delightful read, with a complex mystery, laugh-out-loud humor, relatable characters, and poignant themes, worth the touting from the New York Times-bestselling list etc. Sign me up for the next club meeting!