December Book Club: Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
Friends, I feel like the last mystery reader on Earth who hasn’t picked up The Thursday Murder Club until now. With the movie out (yes, it is a Netflix production) and every publisher using it as the comparison title for anything remotely cozy, quirky, or British, I figured it was finally time to see what all the fuss was about.
And now I get it.
Richard Osman’s writing has a good mix of humor, heart, and observational insight that makes you feel like you are people-watching in a very lively retirement village. Every character has distinct quirks, rhythms, and ways of speaking, and Osman switches between them with ease. Like you could bump into any of them at the grocery store. There are quite a few points of view here, more than most cozy mysteries usually allow, but it works. You get to watch the mystery unfold through different personalities, each with its own blind spots and secrets. It feels like looking at the same puzzle from several different angles, and somehow it is more helpful than confusing.
The premise is just plain fun. A group of clever retirees in a luxury community gathers once a week to discuss cold cases until the murder they are studying suddenly becomes very real. Retirees solving mysteries is not new. James Patterson had his Women’s Murder Club, and the “found family detective squad” idea has been around forever. But The Thursday Murder Club refreshed the idea with warmth, wit, and that famous British charm. It also opened the door to more series featuring older sleuths.
What I admire most is how Osman mixes humor with emotional depth. The book is funny from the very first chapter, but never in a way that takes aim at the characters. He handles friendship, aging, grief, and reinvention with real care, and the emotional moments land at just the right time.
No spoilers here, of course, but the mystery stays engaging and layered all the way through. If you enjoy character-driven puzzles with a big ensemble cast, this one is a treat. With four books already out and a fifth on the way, this is a club you can settle into for a while.
I also peeked at the cast for the Netflix adaptation, and now I am highly motivated to watch it. Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, and Ben Kingsley in one movie feels like the cozy-mystery equivalent of assembling the Avengers. The whole thing gives me the same energy I loved from Ted Danson in A Man on the Inside. Apparently I have reached the phase of my life where senior sleuths are my comfort-watch, and I have mixed feelings about that.
Anyway, I’ve been kicking around a few ideas for my own future series after Cassandra Sato. No details yet, just a spark. But if Osman’s retirees can reinvent themselves, maybe I can too. Stay tuned.
Kelly Brakenhoff is the author of 17 books and a seasoned ASL interpreter. She splits her writing energy between two series: cozy mysteries set on a college campus and children’s books featuring Duke the Deaf Dog.
In 2025, two of her children’s books were selected for the CBC Favorites Award Lists, honored by teachers and librarians nationwide for excellence in children’s literature. Parents, kids, and educators love the Duke the Deaf Dog books and activity guides because they introduce ASL and the Deaf community through engaging stories.
And if you enjoy a smart female sleuth, want to learn more about Deaf culture, or have lived in a place where livestock outnumber people, the Cassandra Sato Mystery series will have you connecting the dots faster than a group project thrown together the night before it’s due.
A proud mom to four adults, head of the dog-snuggling department, and grandma to a growing brood of perfectly behaved grandkids, Kelly and her husband call Nebraska home.