The Thursday Murder Club, by Richard Osman

Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron live in a luxurious English retirement village that is about to undergo its next stage of development. The former spy, nurse, psychiatrist and union leader, all aged between 70 and 80, keep their brains active by solving cold case murders from old police files. When the thuggish business partner of their village’s smarmy developer is murdered, the club leaps in to help the police with their inquiries. The local police are not always appreciative of this expert assistance, but another murder increases the mystery of the first and all hands are needed to get to the bottom of it all. The phrase ‘this will be fun’ is used rather too often by rather too many people and the dialogue doesn’t always work. But the characters are appealing and the pace speeds up as the plot becomes more convoluted and the red herrings get juicier. At times the tale is gripping, even if the many coincidences are far-fetched. Third person narrative alternates with newbie Joyce’s diary entries, which is a little odd but does allow greater insights into her thoughts and actions than those of the others. Rapier sharp natural leader Elizabeth is the most intriguing of the unlikely gang of four, but no doubt they will all be further teased out in the inevitable sequel.