Richard Osman has penned an intriguing series of murder mysteries about an unlikely gaggle of amateur detectives who have to set aside their armchair bickerings over cold cases in the break room of the retirement center, to face the reality of death and violence when it comes for them in their home. A cozy mystery series set in a retirement home might not be everyone's cup of tea, pun intended. What it lacks in the hardness of its criminals, or the technical brilliance of its police procedures, or the daring pace of its three-page chapters, each ending on a cliffhanger to keep you reading, it more than makes up for it with heart, wit, and depth of perspective. The four main characters are thrown together by circumstance and attempt to forge a meaningful life from the dregs of their collective retirements. Sometimes the hobbies that we start become something more. A weekly murder club becomes a crucible through which the characters find hope and friendship in the face of adversity. A spy who tries to keep the world at arm's length, a psychologist who wants to talk, a labor activist looking for something to fight for, and a lonely biscuit baker looking for love in all the wrong places all have one thing in common: each other.
Works Cited
Osman, Richard. The Thursday Murder Club. Penguin, 2020.
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