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The Thursday Murder Club

The first novel in the multi-million copy bestselling murder mystery series

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The Thursday Murder Club

By: Richard Osman
Narrated by: Lesley Manville, Richard Osman, Marian Keyes
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Brought to you by Penguin.

THE FIRST NOVEL IN THE RECORD-BREAKING, MILLION-COPY BESTSELLING THURSDAY MURDER CLUB SERIES AND SOON TO BE A MAJOR NETFLIX MOVIE RELEASE!

Featuring an exclusive conversation between Richard Osman and Marian Keyes at the end of the audiobook.

In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet up once a week to investigate unsolved murders.

But when a brutal killing takes place on their very doorstep, the Thursday Murder Club find themselves in the middle of their first live case.

Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron might be pushing eighty but they still have a few tricks up their sleeves.

Can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer before it's too late?

The Times Crime Book of the Month
Guardian Best Crime and Thrillers

'Smart, compassionate, warm, moving and so VERY funny' Marian Keyes
'So smart and funny. Deplorably good' Ian Rankin
'Thrilling, moving, laugh-out-loud funny' Mark Billingham

Richard Osman, Sunday Times bestseller, March 2024
The Bullet that Missed broke the record for the fastest-selling adult fiction hardback ever, September 2022

© Richard Osman 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

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Critic reviews

'A little beacon of pleasure' (Kate Atkinson)
'So smart and funny. Deplorably good' (Ian Rankin)
'Smart, compassionate, warm, moving and so VERY funny. I smiled a million times. This book will make a lot of people very, very happy' (Marian Keyes)
'A gripping read and rather moving'
'Funny, clever and achingly British' (Adam Kay)
'A superb debut. Thrilling, moving, laugh-out-loud funny and packed with characters you will want to see a LOT more of' (Mark Billingham)
'Compelling. Mystery fans are going to be enthralled' (Harlan Coben)
'By turns hilarious and poignant, The Thursday Murder Club offers up a brilliant concept that's flawlessly executed and told in a unique, captivating voice. These are rare qualities in any novel, let alone a debut. I read the first page, then put all else on hold to devour this pitch-perfect book in one sitting. Bravo!' (Jeffrey Deaver)
'So smart, so funny, so warm, and such a wonderful mystery. If we're lucky Richard Osman will keep these characters alive forever' (Caroline Kepnes)
'A properly funny and totally charming murder mystery steeped in Agatha Christie joy. Also the best crime solving foursome and full of a type of Britishness that makes you smile' (Araminta Hall)
All stars
Most relevant
I loved the first few chapters, really enjoyed them, really seemed like my type of book, very well written, seemed so promising.....
.....
Then it seemed to change and it got very long winded (with very little happening) .
I finally gave up at 5 hours 40 left to go, I just couldn't listen anymore, I wasn't enjoying it and couldn't see it getting any better.
I think I gave it a fair go.

Very sorry to say I gave up.…

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I loved all of the characters in this book, they were beautifully written with nuance and subtlety. I empathised with everyone. The plot was well crafted and had plenty of twists and turns and came to a very satisfying conclusion. Lesley Manville’s performance was perfect and she inhabited the character of Joyce beautifully. Really looking forward to the next book in the series.

A fantastic listen!

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love love loved this book brilliantly writting brilliantly narrated the story keeps you thinking and the characters are very likable and it makes you want to listen more and more

brilliant

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Very disappointed - I expected much more from Richard Osman who comes across on TV as articulate and intellectual. Don't get me wrong, it's not a terrible book - just not a good one, and in my opinion, life is too short to waste on anything other than 'good' fiction. I had read the hype surrounding the book, and heard a Radio 4 interview with Osman and Jacqueline Wilson, who made it clear she thought it was a work of genius - she actually used the word 'genius' several times! That sold it to me, and I couldn't wait to read it. The reality is what you might call a 'holiday read'. I think it was almost 'childish' in writing style and character creation and development, and the plot felt contrived and cliched. I wonder if it had started out as something better and more 'grown up' but was subjected to extreme editiing to make it more appealing to a mass market. It was clearly written with a Sunday evening, TV series in mind, and it seems this is in the pipeline, along with a second book. If you are looking for something to pass the time whilst lying on a sun lounger, then it will do the job, but don't expect to feel that your life has been enriched or enhanced when you finish it; and that is what I hope for when I use precious hours of my life to read a novel.

Disappointing - Written with TV Series in Mind

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This book has been on my Audible wish list for ages – I thought a cosy-ish murder mystery would be ideal for an audio listen. I kind of wish I’d bought the actual book as there are so many characters I was struggling to remember some of them in the latter stages. However, the audiobook is really enjoyable – the characters are all engaging and I really felt like I knew and understood all of them. The comedy is light – the kind that makes you smile rather than laugh – and the murder investigation is satisfyingly labyrinthine. I think it took a little while for Lesley Manville to find the right voice for the narration and it came across a little like the narration of a children’s story at first, but this lifted after a few chapters. Talking of chapters, I don’t think I’ve ever listened to an audiobook that had so many before and while I can see that this is part of its charm, flitting between characters and perspectives, it did start to jar. I could have done with some that rested on a character or thread for a bit longer and really allowed you to focus on some of the detail or plot.

I don’t want to even remotely spoil anyone’s enjoyment of the book so don’t read on if you haven’t started it yet – I’ll keep it vague. One of the murders had a very satisfying conclusion; the other I thought a bit odd. The rationalisation didn’t make sense to me and I think it was slightly shoe-horned in to make the reveal more of a surprise. This was the bit I didn’t really enjoy but anyone who reads a lot of crime fiction will know that it is the bit that’s most likely to be a let-down. It’s hard to come up with a truly surprising reveal without bending credibility a bit.

Some of the characters are magnificent – especially Elizabeth and Bogdan (who is simply wonderful) – and Joyce felt like our bridge to the slightly elevated intellectual world of the other characters. I’d like to hear more from Ibrahim next time, and the cops.

Overall, it’s a highly enjoyable book and I’m looking forward to the next one. I could do with a little more edge next time – maybe a bit more sarcasm from Elizabeth or more tension between the club and the police officers, and some more focus on the horror of murder. Nice is good, and a very underrated quality in human beings, but crime fiction always needs a dark undercurrent, however cosy it appears.

Highly enjoyable

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