The TL;DR version of this review is: these are some of the most charming books you will ever pick up. Grab a cuppa and a blanket and give them a go.
Set in an assisted living complex in England, the Thursday Murder Club meets weekly to review cold case files, and see if they can solve them. As you would, if you could! Coopers Chase caters to the sprightly as well as those needing full time care, for a price. It’s quite idealised, but our protagonists are so much fun to spend time with that stretching the bounds of credulity in the setting is the least of your worries.
Elizabeth is the ringleader. With a past that’s on a need-to-know basis and a very particular set of skills, she’s the sort of take no prisoners senior who honestly reminds me of my Nan (98 not out this Christmas) and her sisters. Perfectly polite, but terrifying.
Ron is a bullish former union leader, with a past opposing Thatcher under his belt, still trying to find ways to stick it to the man. Carefully; his knees aren’t what they used to be. And in time for dinner, of course. Ibrahim, a former psychiatrist (psychologist?), is the resident trivia buff and cryptic crossword aficionado.
Rounding out the quartet, and our entry point into the group, is Joyce. Joyce is a cake-baking, cardigan-wearing former nurse. Mildly estranged from her exasperated daughter and at something of a loss as to how to proceed in the absence of her husband, Joyce is thrilled to be invited along to replace the bedridden (with dementia) Penny.
The story is told in a combination of perspectives, with Joyce’s diary-style chapters contrasting with the more utilitarian third-person chapters keeping pace with the rest of the crew. Along the way, the TMC picks up a motley crew on both sides of the law, consisting of two police officers (Chris and Donna) and a Polish jack-of-all-criminal-trades (Bogdan), to assist in their investigations.
As we wind our way through the series, the murders and plots get more outlandish and contrivance certainly plays a best-supporting-actress role here and there. But I’ve got plenty of books to read that I can’t figure out before the spine cracks; that’s not why I’m churning through three of these books in two days. I’m here for the charm; for Donna & Chris exasperatedly throwing up their hands and following Elizabeth’s lead; for Joyce’s mild daffiness masking her sharp mind; for chess games and the militant puzzle club; and for justice for murderers.
I read a review of the first book in the series that said “This book is a hard-copy version of an afternoon soap opera, a melange of unlikely characters and amazing coincidences.” Despite the points for use of the word melange, whoever wrote this intended it as a slam. It’s actually a selling point. Who amongst us doesn’t want to believe that we’re still able to find friendship, purpose and meaning beyond retirement? If it takes a little coincidence for a team of four 80 year olds to solve crimes, well, I’ll allow it.
And, as I’m forever banging on about, what are you reading fiction for? I’m reading it as an escape, a chance for things to turn out a little better than they do in real life. I don’t need all my books to have perfect happily ever afters, or be more predictable that the world at large, but I’m not opposed to that, either. These books are perfect holiday reads. They’re not demanding much more than the cuppa and the blanket do, but they’re still well worth the read.