This is one of the most gratifying modern crime novels I have read in a while.

As you may know, crime is my go-to genre whenever I want a quick and easy read. Nowadays, I tend to pick the classics as I feel they have a cozy vibe to them that is missing in most contemporaries. While vintage crime novels have their fair share of depraved criminals, some times the situations are grey, and more often than not, the good in people outweigh the bad, so they very rarely dampen my mood! Contemporary crime novels, on the other hand, would keep me on the edge because the characters are often deceptive. While it makes for a good read, it can also be mentally taxing which is not ideal for these trying times. But luckily for me, The Thursday Murder Club is like a classic in that regard, featuring characters I wouldn’t mind hanging out in real life!

The Thursday Murder Club is the story of four unlikely friends living in Coopers Chase Retirement Village. Every Thursday Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim, and Ron meet at the Jigsaw Room to try and shed light on some of the cold murder cases in the area. Elizabeth’s best friend, Penny had been an inspector in the local Police. After retirement, the duo had started going through Penny’s old files, looking for clues that the police may have previously missed. Now Penny is in a coma at Coopers Chase nursing home. But Elizabeth is rallying her friends to keep up with what she started with Penny.

From the beginning, I was hooked by this delightful novel and its amateur sleuths. Society may be ready to brush them aside as old, but they are ready to prove their usefulness especially when bodies start dropping at Coopers Chase. Between the four of them, they have considerable experience and certain skills. Joyce was formally a nurse; Ibrahim, a psychiatrist; Ron, a union man; and Elizabeth, by all indications, an intelligence agent. So they have the connections to call in favors and are willing to cross lines which Donna, their adopted young blood at the local police, cannot 😁.

If you like Louise Penny’s Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series, I think you will like The Thursday Murder Club, which is the first in the series (the sequel is slated to come out in September). I have only read Penny’s Kingdom of the Blind, but the camaraderie between characters in The Thursday Murder Club reminded me of it, which was heartwarming. They are a witty and compassionate bunch, and there was never a dull moment spent in their company. The criminal element of the story was intriguing (crimes here fall into grey areas, which added depth to the story. I love it when people aren’t entirely good or bad!), and its conclusion, satisfactory. I also thought Osman has done a fine job exploring the aspects of aging, the grief of losing a loved one, the loneliness that comes with it, and finding the courage to start over again. Each person faces their second act in life differently, but it can be sweet when you have a group of adoring friends beside you and a little mischief going. 😁

Highly recommend this!

Note: Many thanks to Pamela Dorman Books for sending me a review copy of The Thursday Murder Club.