Cosy Corners: A Review of the Thursday Murder Club Series

Why were they at mine? Well, they were flying out to St Lucia on Christmas evening and, at the last minute, their flight had been changed from Heathrow, near them, to Gatwick, near me. So I was convenient. Which is the best you can ask for sometimes, isn’t it?

If you were to ask me, this was one of the most memorable quotes from The Last Devil to Die, which is the fourth book in The Thursday Murder Club series. I know that at a glance, these words don’t seem like all that much. But as someone who suddenly feels caught in a whirlwind of ‘growing up’, the maturity in the peace Joyce has made with the fact that the only reason her daughter was visiting her for the holidays was convenience, made me slow down and think. And that’s what I would say you should expect from the series — a gentle exploration of real, human emotions. Not what you would expect from a mystery/detective series, right?

I'm very petulant about the fact that my series is not the same height

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman is the first in a series of four books that follow four pensioners in a luxury retirement village. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim are our main characters who are part of a club that meets every Thursday — not to play bridge, not to discuss books, but rather to go through old case files and solve cold cases. Everything changes when a crime takes place at their own doorstep, and they swoop in to solve an open and active case.

As an avid mystery reader, I was completely unaware of cosy mysteries till I discovered this series. And it is truly the originality in the setting and the perspective brought by our main characters that make the series a huge hit for me. Osman challenges the notion that pensioners are simply biding their time through lively characters who are always up on their feet.

While the mystery in the first book was told in a convoluted manner, the later books became easier to follow. But in all honesty, as I got to know the characters better, I found myself not caring about the whodunnit all that much. I was there for the characters’ charming and witty humour, their mature and balanced insights, their adventures and shenanigans, and most of all their friendship and camaraderie.

Other than our four main characters, there is a slew of side characters, some of whom become series regulars. And Bogdan might just be my favourite character in the series, as his relationships with other characters are quite interesting to follow. With each book, the characters’ arcs develop further and leave you feeling like you know these people better.

I must say, Osman has a way of writing morally grey characters with empathy that makes them likeable.

Brownie points for the audiobooks, narrated by Lesley Manville, who helps readers immerse themselves into the Britishness of these books and gives each character (big or small) a distinct voice (literally and figuratively!)

The Last Devil to Die is my favourite of the series as it tackles Alzheimer's and grief with gentle care.

With the fifth book of the series, The Impossible Fortune, set to release in September, I can’t wait to see what is in store for our beloved characters. But I do foresee that the ending of the series is near, and I am interested to see how Osman wraps up their arcs.

All in all, if you are looking to read a fun, light detective series with lovable characters, this might be exactly what you are looking for!