The following version of the novel was used to create this study guide: Osman, Richard. The Thursday Murder Club. Penguin Books, September 22, 2020. Kindle.

In the murder mystery The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman, PC Donna De Freitas never imagined her career in law enforcement would take off as the result of a home security lecture at a retirement village. Donna finds herself befriended by a group of four sprightly seniors who identify themselves as the Thursday Murder Club. Working partly in cooperation with and partly in competition with the police, the club members demonstrate that life experience can sometimes be more valuable than a fleet of police detectives.

The members of the murder club laid aside an old unsolved case they had been working on when Tony Curran, construction foreman at the village, was murdered. On the day Donna gave her lecture, some members of the club saw Tony arguing with Ian Ventham, owner of the village. Elizabeth, the unofficial leader of the club, recognized Donna wanted to be involved in the investigation. Elizabeth manipulated the situation by having one of the residents who witnessed the argument refuse to talk to anyone except Donna. As a result, Donna was included in the investigation because of the rapport she had with the residents.

Tony’s murder is eclipsed by the death of Ian, who falls dead after arguing with residents about his plans to relocate a cemetery, The Garden of Eternal Rest. This cemetery serves as burial grounds for the nuns who once worked in the convent previously located on the grounds of Coopers Chase. After it is determined that Ian was killed by a fatal injection of fentanyl, Elizabeth and her murder club begin working on solving that murder as well.

To complicate matters, Bogdan Jankowski, one of Ian’s workers, had begun digging up graves by hand while Ian was arguing with the residents. While digging, he discovered the skeleton of a man buried just above one of the coffins. Because Ian was dead, Bogdan shares his discovery with Elizabeth. Elizabeth tells him not to alert the police, but to allow her to investigate the skeleton for the time being.

As the police and the members of the murder club work through the complexities of the murders unlikely suspects emerge. Will the police be distracted by false clues and accuse the wrong man of murder? Or, will the murder club help bring the actual murderer to justice?