The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman Series: Thursday Murder Club #1
Genres: Adult, Mystery/Thriller
Published by Penguin on September 30, 2020
Format: Audio/Physical (382 pages) • Goodreads • Amazon • Barnes & Noble
In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet up once a week to investigate unsolved murders.
But when a brutal killing takes place on their very doorstep, the Thursday Murder Club find themselves in the middle of their first live case. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron might be pushing eighty but they still have a few tricks up their sleeves.
Can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer before it's too late?
I’ve been meaning to read this book for years and the new movie adaptation is what finally spurred me to pick it up. I know this series is an absolute favorite of many people so unfortunately my expectations were probably too high.
This was kind of exactly what I expected but I was thinking I’d like it more! People warned me it was slow and that wasn’t really an issue for me; I liked the main characters and would be curious to see what they get up to in future books. I think there were overall too many characters for me to keep track of so when reveals were happening, I was kind of lost. I generally liked the audiobook but I’ll admit that it didn’t keep my attention sometimes.
I like that there is a little mystery or two around some of the characters and their backgrounds so I hope to continue to grow more connected to all of them, especially because I know the series gets emotional. With elderly main characters, I don’t love the booktubers crying in future books, because I have some guesses about what may happen…
All in all, a promising start to a new series for me! Hopefully I’ll continue next year.
Long Bright River by Liz Moore Genres: Adult, Mystery/Thriller
Published by Penguin Random House on December 3, 2025
Also by this author: The God of the Woods
(450 pages) • Source: Borrowed, Spotify Audiobooks
Goodreads • Amazon • Barnes & Noble
**NOW A MAJOR CHANNEL 4 TV SERIES**
SELECTED BY BARACK OBAMA AS ONE OF HIS BEST BOOKS OF 2020
A New York Times bestseller and Guardian Book of the Month
'This flawless masterpiece deserves to be a bestseller.' DAILY EXPRESS
'Tough, tense and twisty - but tender, human and deeply affecting, too ... I don't have a sister, but when I finished the book I called my brother, just to hear his voice.' LEE CHILD
'An outstanding crime novel.' PAULA HAWKINS, author of The Girl on the Train
_____________________________________Once inseparable, sisters Mickey and Kacey are on different paths, but they walk the same streets. Mickey on her police beat and Kacey in the shadows of the city's darkest corners where the drug addicts and sex workers preside. When a string of murders coincides with Kacey's disappearance, Mickey is terrified her sister could be next.
But in a community where death and murder is rife, will Mickey be able to save her sister before it's too late?
_____________________________________
'A remarkable, profoundly moving novel about the ties that bind and the irrevocable wounds of childhood. It's also a riveting mystery, perfectly paced. I loved every page of it.' DENNIS LEHANE'It is by some considerable distance my crime novel of the year' IRISH TIMES
'Outstanding . . . an intense family thriller . . . The clever plot and involving characters set a high standard for this new year.' DAILY MAIL
'This is a thrilling and heartbreaking exploration of the strain the opioid crisis puts on families. A masterpiece.' DAILY MIRROR
'A dazzling, propulsive, humane work that not only bears comparison to Dennis Lehane and George Pelecanos but occasionally beats them at their own game' METRO
'heart-pounding thriller' VOGUE
'compassionate and enthralling' INDEPENDENT
THE GOD OF THE WOODS was one of my favorite books last year. I didn’t even realize when my friend recommended LONG BRIGHT RIVER that it was by the same author, but that’s what sold me on borrowing her copy! The premise was not haha.
I feel very similar to this one as I did for THE GOD OF THE WOODS! Moore is clearly a master at super well-written, slower literary mysteries. If you go in expecting anything else, you may call it boring. I know a lot of people had the wrong idea about her sophomore novel (which again I read first) but having the right expectations is key. These aren’t fast-paced thrillers; they’re immersive addicting mysteries. I really enjoyed the twists and slow burn style of this.
The topics/main characters are not typically ~for me~. I’m not a fan of reading from a cop’s POV (though the end and some of the commentary throughout helped in this case) and reading about addicts is just heavy, so I avoid it. The summary alone wouldn’t have drawn me to this book but the recommendation from a friend plus the success of Moore’s other book made me pick it up.
This was a super powerful read; I was constantly wondering what was going to happen next while just enjoying the slower style of the story. It’s a long one but I managed to read it in just a few days over the Thanksgiving holiday. I’d highly recommend.
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