The Thursday Murder Club - Richard Osman - Book Review

 

                  Thursday Murder Club - An odd name. I have been hearing this name for a long time, and on a recent visit to the library, I finally got to see the book. As usual, the book cover plays an important part in selecting the book. A plain book cover which does not give away what is in store and an interesting blurb made this my read for the week.

                Joyce moves into a plush retirement community where she befriends Elizabeth. The acquaintance leads her to be a part of an unlikely club within the community - The Thursday Murder Club of which Elizabeth is a part. They try to solve unsolved murders from old case files. An unexpected murder happens at their doorstep and The Thursday Murder Club sets out to solve the same with their resources. Will they be able to beat the police in solving the crime? Can this eccentric and brilliant team of retired people find the culprit?

                What piqued my interest in this book were the protagonists and the interesting premise. I liked the way the strengths of each of the members of the Murder Club were brought out and how they used these to solve the case. Elizabeth seems to be the most mysterious of the lot. We do not know much background about her but she seems to have her way in almost anything. At the same time, I was not impressed by the portrayal of Chris and Donna, the police characters involved in the investigation. It was as if they were mere spectators and needed The Club to guide them through. The Murder Club was always a step or two ahead of the police which was not digestible. It was disappointing to see how little they have to do with the story. The writing goes at an even pace and is interesting enough. But the laidback style does not give us an engaging feel. Some underlying emotions were happening in the background which gave a different feel to the reading. There were instances of fun as well which gave a varied feel. There were a couple of red herrings at places, but there was one towards the end which did throw me off the track for a few pages. At the same time, a particular red herring seemed intentionally inserted. 

                In short, this is a decent enough whodunit that keeps you fairly interested. There seem to be more parts for this book series and I would love to read the remaining parts as well.