The Thursday Murder Club - Richard Osman ****

By Brian Clegg

Until recently, I’d classified Richard Osman’s cosy murder mysteries as ‘not worth reading as it’s only successful because he’s on the TV’. But a friend’s write up persuaded me to give them a try – and I confess they are better than expected, if not what I expected. 

I’m reviewing the first two books in the series together here because the first, The Thursday Murder Club, feels as if Osman hasn’t quite decided what he’s writing, while it becomes much clearer in the second book. After reading that, my impression of the first improved significantly.

The basics sound more than a little silly. A group of four OAPs in a retirement village attempt to crack old, unsolved murders as entertainment, but this activity draws them into sorting out a current case with the help of a pair of friendly police officers. (It also helps that one of the OAPs is ex-MI6.)

What we get in that first title is a perfectly reasonably cosy murder mystery (a genre I generally enjoy) with some well thought out commentary on the nature of aging, loss and dementia. Osman effectively deploys short chapters to encourage ‘just one more’. However, I did also have some issues. It’s written in a particularly irritating present tense. The plot is a touch confused. And though the cover quotes ooze about how funny it is, I didn’t find that all. The humour is primarily either ‘aren’t old people funny stuff’, like the ‘What is this Instagram thing?’ type diary entries from one character (which diary sections unfortunately continue through the entire series), or ‘Isn’t it funny when old people pull one over on someone younger by foiling expectations.’ I found it more patronising than funny.

These negatives remained in the second title The Man Who Died Twice, but could be almost entirely dismissed because the caterpillar of volume 1 turned into a butterfly in volume 2. It now became far clearer that these aren’t really cosy murder mysteries at all. They are Enid Blighton’s Famous Five books, reimagined for grownups. A gang who the world discounts (substitute OAPs for children) take on spies, international criminals and the rest and overcome thanks to their wit, pluck and a degree of unexpected subversiveness. With this perspective, I have become a fan. 

There’s really no need to go into plots, or characters, any more than there’s a need to do so with a Famous Five book. It’s a fun, pure escapist read – with the added benefit of Osman’s impressive grasp of the difficulties of growing old, combined with the release some older people feel from the pressures facing younger people. 

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Now Appearing is the blog of science writer Brian Clegg (www.brianclegg.net), author of Inflight Science, Before the Big Bang and The God Effect.