Dee
asked:
I have not read this book yet, but the synopsis sounds very, very similar to James Pattersons "Womens Murder Club" series or "The Sisterhood" series by Fern Michaels. Both are phenomenal series' and i would recommend them both if you like books about serving justice to the criminal mind. But is this book "The Thursday Murder Club" worth the read?
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Carole Hope
I would only give it 1/5 on the basis of the effort of writing it. I can only assume it was published because of the high profile name. It’s as if I live in a parallel universe seeing all the 5* reviews on various sites and the author’s gushing thanks to all the people that helped him. I lost track of all the characters and different strands of the story. And I had to consult the spoiler answers on here to make sense of it. I won’t be reading any future novels by him that’s for sure, which is a shame because the main characters are engaging and it’s a good concept for a series. I have a pretty good sense of humour and didn’t even giggle once, yet I read reviews about funny it is.
Nikki Houghton
This is a beautifully written, wonderfully crafted, grace full novel which I highly recommend. The genre is a one off (though I sincerely hope there will be many sequels). Mind you, it’s terribly English, so if you’re not prepared for how absolutely wonderful, insightful, intelligent, inclusive and fabulous we are it might not be for you.
Lee Sauer
The comment about its similarity in concept to Agatha Christie's The Tuesday Club murders is on point, but the tone is very different. Count me among those who spent much of the time spent reading it laughing out loud. The four members of the Club, a rabble-rousing former labor leader, a semi-retired psychiatrist, a retired nurse, and a former spy all bring unique skills to solving cold cases until they are confronted by contemporary murders in and around their upscale retirement home. Then they coopt a couple of members of the homicide squad to obtain access to police information. As you'll see from the other responses here, not everyone's a fan of Osman's book, but count me as a five-star enthusiast. So if you're able to enjoy the cosy genre, I'm guessing you could enjoy The Thursday Murder Club as well.
Jackie Watts
Definitely not the same sort of thing. This is very much more along the lines of a traditional whodunnit (think Agatha Christie, M C Beaton etc). I loved it and, if you like the "cosy crime" genre, I can't recommend it highly enough but if you like more gritty "procedurals" it may not be ideal for you.
Trevor Johnson
Yes, it's extremely witty if nothing else. It's to be read as much for its laughs as its mystery, really. You can't take it 100 % seriously! But the plot is very compelling, too.
Kelle Hall
I've read both and feel it's NOTHING like the James Patterson books. These characters are quirky, and add a lot of humor. This book is definitely worth the read -
Lynda
It's very much worth the read. I'm giving it five stars. However, if you are looking for Fern Michaels or James Patterson you may be deeply disappointed.
Lucía
This book is a joy to read, I find myself rereading chapters. It is totally worth the read.
Groucho42
This book is a piece of trash, with the author taking the characters and making them completely cartoonish, unbelievable, and annoying.
Mrs V Frost
I wanted to enjoy it but it was not great the short chapters mean you never get into the story. The changes between diary entries and the story mean you never get into it. Great ideas in places and one or two witty moments but overall a disappointment. I really enjoy watching Richard Osman and he is a local boy so was willing him to do well.
Jo Christian
No! really disappointing
Anita
I think it's worth the read. It's engaging and well-written, though it could've benefitted from a tighter edit (towards the end it gets a bit bogged down and, as another commenter stated, the secondary characters get lost in the shuffle (and, as you read the book you'll see why that becomes a problem). However, even with that I would recommend it!
Andrea
I don't consider myself a "crime reader" and I don't like books with a "cast of thousands". I only read this because I like the author and thought the blurb sounded great. It did take me a few chapters to get into it, but once I did I was hooked. I loved the book and am hanging out for the sequel. Witty, insightful, touching and very interesting to follow the many strands. I was never confused - but I did suspect one of the intrepid four for most of the book! 5 stars.
Charlie Orsini
So much better than Patterson! I couldn’t even finish the first Women’s Murder Club book.
Sharon Ouderkirk
This book sounds like an Agatha Christie Reboot of The Tuesday Club Murders, featuring Miss Marple. I have, however, added the first book in the Sisterhood series to my reading list, so thanks to Dee for the recommendation!
Kate Cooley
Yes. Although quite different from the Women’s Murder Club. Read it.
Michael
Who dun it? Richard Osman done it. He murdered 12 hours of my life and is tightening the noose on another as I trawl through 5 star reviews in a jaw-dropping exercise that leaves me utterly convinced the world is an idiot.
Katia
I liked the characters very much, the crimes not very interesting though
Lisa
Funny and witty story, but not a traditional thriller or whodunnit. But, I felt, it is worth a read
Jill
I read most of it then gave up in disgust. Osman stole several characters from Kim M. Watt - from her lovely Beaufort Scales series. For example his Elizabeth character is a cut-rate version of Kim's Alice Martin; his annoying Joyce character is an insipid dumbed-down version of Kim's wonderful Rose, and his young black woman police officer "Donna" is a mere shadow of Kim's young black woman police officer, the formidable D.I.Adams. He stole other characters as well. This is straight-out plagiarism. To add insult to injury, the writing is appalling. There is far too much of it, for starters, it needs a damn good edit, but even the best editing in the world can't redeem writing that is indifferent at best. It reads like a fifth form (year 9?) school writing project. The plotting wanders all over the place but in the end I just couldn't care enough about the characters to persevere with it. Osman's one point of difference is the backstories he inserts around some of his characters, all to do with the challenges and tragedies faced by an ageing population. One character has a husband with dementia and a best friend dying a slow and unresponsive death in a nursing home. Another character struggles to come to terms not only with his own loss of status and vigour, but also his son's. One elderly woman still attempts to "pursue" men, even though the object of her attentions isn't interested. Yet another character has had his wife's death hijacked by a family member, who spirits the wife's ashes away a mere two days after the funeral, leaving him stuck in his grief with no time or support to process it. In the context of this book, a pastiche of plagiarized bits and poorly written narrative, I am persuaded to take the less generous view that these often poignant
interludes are merely cynical ploys, calculated to appeal to that fast growing demographic of the elderly, who want to see themselves reflected back at them when they sit down to read. Who can blame them? We all want to feel *seen*. Osman knowingly manipulates this burgeoning demographic though, all for the sake of increasing sales. I used to enjoy the quiz shows that Osman had a hand in creating, and simply accepted the hype around Richard Osman, that the man's a genius, so creative, such a great guy, but here's the thing: it's all lies. He is not that smart, he's not even a good writer, he's unethical and he's unscrupulous. I'd recommend giving this writer a wide berth. Life's too short to read bad books!
interludes are merely cynical ploys, calculated to appeal to that fast growing demographic of the elderly, who want to see themselves reflected back at them when they sit down to read. Who can blame them? We all want to feel *seen*. Osman knowingly manipulates this burgeoning demographic though, all for the sake of increasing sales. I used to enjoy the quiz shows that Osman had a hand in creating, and simply accepted the hype around Richard Osman, that the man's a genius, so creative, such a great guy, but here's the thing: it's all lies. He is not that smart, he's not even a good writer, he's unethical and he's unscrupulous. I'd recommend giving this writer a wide berth. Life's too short to read bad books!
Kristín Hafsteinsdóttir
Loved listening to the Thursday Murder Club and wish for more!
Anna
Depends how much time you have to spare!
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