Devi Nair
š Read as a book š 422 pages ā± 5 hours read time š·ļø Penguin š Read as part of April Book Club
Okay, I owe Richard Osman an apology, a fruit basket, and possibly a handwritten letter on fancy stationary. For two years, I was that person at every gathering insisting the Thursday Murder Club was overrated. I watched the Netflix movie. Unmoved. I read Book 1. Twice. Unimpressed. So when my book club voted this in for April, I volunteered to moderate specifically to avoid having to have opinions about it. That was the plan. A solid, airtight plan. And then I made the catastrophic mistake of actually reading it.
Plot twist!! I LOVED IT! LOVED IT!!!
Book 2 is where Richard Osman apparently decided to stop playing nice. He took everything that was mildly amusing me in book one and dialed it up to an eleven. The pacing is tighter, the stakes are genuinely higher, and the characters, Elizabeth, joyce, Ron, and Ibrahim feel less like a quirky concept and more like people you'd absolutely want in your corner. The banter between the gang feels sharper, warmer, and somehow more alive. The emotional backbone, especially Elizabeth's past and the way it collides with her present, hit me harder than I expected. The mystery layers itself beautifully. Stolen diamonds, a mob connection, an old flame with secrets, and a body count that keeps climbing just when you think things are settling. I found myself sneaking in chapters whenever I could, flipping pages with that delirious "just one more" energy I hadn't felt in ages, and I say that as someone who showed up to this book looking for a reason to complain.
What really got me is how Osman handles the emotional weigth without ever tipping into melodrama. These are people in their seventies, living full, sharp, messy, funny lives, and the book never once condescends to them or to the reader. I borrowed books 3 and 4 even before I finished this one. I have zero regrets. I deserve this series far less than I'm getting it.
Would I recommend it? Consider this my official recant. If you bounced off Book 1, same! Come back anyway! This is the one where The Thursday Murder Club crew found their rhythm, and it's brilliant. Sharp British humor, a mystery that actually surprises you, and characters with enough warmth and depth to carry a dozen books. It's the kind of read that'll make you call your book club and say I was wrong, I was so wrong. Please forgive me.
š Read as a book š 422 pages ā± 5 hours read time š·ļø Penguin š Read as part of April Book Club
Okay, I owe Richard Osman an apology, a fruit basket, and possibly a handwritten letter on fancy stationary. For two years, I was that person at every gathering insisting the Thursday Murder Club was overrated. I watched the Netflix movie. Unmoved. I read Book 1. Twice. Unimpressed. So when my book club voted this in for April, I volunteered to moderate specifically to avoid having to have opinions about it. That was the plan. A solid, airtight plan. And then I made the catastrophic mistake of actually reading it.
Plot twist!! I LOVED IT! LOVED IT!!!
Book 2 is where Richard Osman apparently decided to stop playing nice. He took everything that was mildly amusing me in book one and dialed it up to an eleven. The pacing is tighter, the stakes are genuinely higher, and the characters, Elizabeth, joyce, Ron, and Ibrahim feel less like a quirky concept and more like people you'd absolutely want in your corner. The banter between the gang feels sharper, warmer, and somehow more alive. The emotional backbone, especially Elizabeth's past and the way it collides with her present, hit me harder than I expected. The mystery layers itself beautifully. Stolen diamonds, a mob connection, an old flame with secrets, and a body count that keeps climbing just when you think things are settling. I found myself sneaking in chapters whenever I could, flipping pages with that delirious "just one more" energy I hadn't felt in ages, and I say that as someone who showed up to this book looking for a reason to complain.
What really got me is how Osman handles the emotional weigth without ever tipping into melodrama. These are people in their seventies, living full, sharp, messy, funny lives, and the book never once condescends to them or to the reader. I borrowed books 3 and 4 even before I finished this one. I have zero regrets. I deserve this series far less than I'm getting it.
Would I recommend it? Consider this my official recant. If you bounced off Book 1, same! Come back anyway! This is the one where The Thursday Murder Club crew found their rhythm, and it's brilliant. Sharp British humor, a mystery that actually surprises you, and characters with enough warmth and depth to carry a dozen books. It's the kind of read that'll make you call your book club and say I was wrong, I was so wrong. Please forgive me.