The start of the spring semester is for me a time of mixed feelings. I am sad to say goodbye to my family, and overjoyed to see my friends. I delight in the structure and content of my classes, but at the same time, greatly miss the sheer level of freedom that occurs from four blissful weeks of doing nothing. And by nothing, I mean reading an abundant amount of new books. I, like any good bookworm, received a veritable mountain of books as part of my Christmas presents. I had just finished watching Wake Up Dead Man, as well as the frankly underrated Netflix original The Residence, and requested nearly exclusively mystery novels. There were many brilliant options that I could recommend, but given the icy temperatures and my growing cabin fever, I would feel remiss to recommend anything but The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman for this first chilly week of the Semester.
The Thursday Murder Club is about a group of retirees in a senior living community who meet on Thursdays to discuss and try to solve cold cases as a fun group activity to keep their minds active and relationships maintained. That is, until the murder of one of the two owners of their retirement community drives the group to seriously attempt to solve the crime to avoid being pushed out of their homes. The Thursday Murder Club exists in opposition to the most common trope of the mystery genre, the solo genius detective. No doubt there is plenty of enjoyment found in the Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirots, and Benoit Blancs of the mystery genre, but after a while, they can be a boring archetype to continuously follow. The four-person group of amateur detectives, all with leading roles, cannot help but remind me of the Scooby-Doo gang. And even with four main leads, the book does not neglect to build up the supporting cast. What results is a story with a rich setting where every twist and turn feels both gripping and grounded.
The Thursday Murder Club excels in being both a good story and a good mystery, which are entirely separate. What makes me love a mystery is the tension that is created between the author, text, and reader, which results in a metaphorical battle of dominance. In a good mystery, no party should overwhelmingly win; rather, it must be a near total draw. If the author wins and the answer to the puzzle remains a total secret till the end, then the story suffers for it, and readers feel cheated. If the text becomes more concerned with its character drama, then the author has failed at their job, and the reader becomes disinterested in the mystery. And if the audience too easily solves the mystery, then the book loses its intrigue and instead becomes something to slog through — the story and author fail. The Thursday Murder Club expertly maintains this balanced tension to create a mystery that is engaging in its story, possible to be solved, and yet not obvious, and all with a warm and inviting atmosphere. The reader feels as though they are part of the club.
I truly enjoyed reading this book over my winter break. And as our semester opens with a freezing start, if your time is spent indoors regardless, I recommend giving The Thursday Murder Club a read if you enjoy mysteries or just want to give the genre a chance.
