Richard Osman
Information about the author and his work is available at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Osman
Get personal with Richard Osman
Richard Osman is an author, producer, and television presenter. The Thursday Murder Club is a #1 million-copy international bestseller as well as New York Times bestseller. He lives in London.
Other Books by Richard Osman
Videos
Did you know?
The Thursday Murder Club is being adapted into a movie by Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment. It’s planned as a feature movie, with tentative plans to possibly become a series of movies (since the books are planned as a series).
Discussion Questions
1. Though the book follows the four friends—Joyce, Elizabeth, Ibrahim, and Ron—solving the murder, the only first-person POV is Joyce’s via her diary. Why do you think the author chose to show her perspective in such a way?
2. Joyce was a nurse, Elizabeth was in the secret service, Ibrahim was a psychiatrist, and Ron was a trade union leader. Who do you think was most helpful in solving the crime? What strengths did they each bring to the table? What were their weaknesses?
3. Do you think that PC Donna De Freitas and DCI Chris Hudson make a good team? Do you think Donna was smart to stay in touch with Joyce, even though it was unprofessional at times? Why or why not? What do you make of the relationship between the detectives and the septuagenarians?
4. Joyce says, “I am very happy to be overlooked and always have been. And I do think perhaps that will be helpful in this investigation.” Do you agree? What insights and advantages does she gain by not calling attention to herself, and staying under the radar?
5. Society often writes off the abilities of the elderly—assuming both body and mind are deteriorating. At the heart of The Thursday Murder Club is a lesson to never to underestimate this population. Who misjudges the residents of Coopers Chase the most? What are the consequences of underestimating the four friends?
6. One of the reoccurring themes is the gray area between the law and each character’s moral code. Do you think Penny’s husband, John, did the right thing? How about Penny?
7. At any point, did you have an idea of who might have committed the murder? Who did you suspect, and why? Were you correct?
8. Joyce is always baking, and the others are always eating. The next question is simple: What is the best cake?
9. If you had to solve a murder, which three people—could be friends, family, celebrities—would you choose to help you solve it?
Reserve a copy
The Thursday Murder Club by ISBN: 9781984880963Publication Date: 2020-09-22Four septuagenarians with a few tricks up their sleeves A female cop with her first big case A brutal murder. Welcome to THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB. In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet weekly in the Jigsaw Room to discuss unsolved crimes; together they call themselves the Thursday Murder Club. When a local developer is found dead with a mysterious photograph left next to the body, the Thursday Murder Club suddenly find themselves in the middle of their first live case. As the bodies begin to pile up, can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer, before it's too late?
Read A-Likes
The Marlow Murder Club by ISBN: 9781728250519Publication Date: 2022-05-03Meet Judith: a seventy-seven-year-old whiskey drinking, crossword puzzle author living in a dilapidated mansion on the outskirts of Marlow. Nothing ever happens in Marlow. Until Judith hears her neighbor shot while skinny-dipping in the Thames. The local police don't believe her story. Judith investigates and picks up a crew of sidekicks: Suzie the dogwalker and Becks the vicar's wife. Together, they are the Marlow Murder Club. When another body turns up, they realize they have a real-life serial killer on their hands.
A Murder for the Books by ISBN: 9781683314394Publication Date: 2017-12-12University librarian Amy Webber moves in with her aunt in a mountain town in Virginia. She quickly busies herself with managing a charming public library. Richard Muir inherited the farmhouse next door from his great-uncle, Paul Dassin. But town folklore claims the house's original owner was poisoned by his wife. It quickly became water under the bridge, until she vanished after her sensational 1925 murder trial. Determined to clear the name of the woman his great-uncle loved, Richard implores Amy to help him investigate the case. When inexplicable murders plunge the quiet town into chaos, Amy and Richard must crack open the books to reveal a cruel conspiracy and lay a turbulent past to rest.
Death by Cashmere by ISBN: 9780451224712Publication Date: 2008-08-05Not long after Isabel “Izzy” Chambers opens up a knitting shop in the fishing town of Sea Harbor, Massachusetts, a diverse group of women begins congregating each week to form the Seaside Knitters. Izzy raises some eyebrows when she rents the apartment above her shop to Angie Archer, whose reputation has made her unpopular with many locals. But could any of them have wanted her dead? Angie’s body is discovered drowned in the harbor. An official investigation rules the death an accident. But Izzy and the Seaside Knitters smell something fishy. When several strange incidents occur above the shop, the women decide to take matters into their own hands.
