I have to say straight off that I’m not normally one for reading Crime Thrillers as a genre. But this was a well-publicised book by Richard Osman, who is quite famous in the UK for other things and, well, it was in the house.
Anne read this before me, as always, and she is a bit of a Crime novel afficionado. She found it sweet and quite funny in parts. However, she reckoned that, if it had not been Richard Osman, it may not have been published. It’s all about who you know, and, I guess, how much you’re known.
Apparently the manuscript was the subject of a 10-way publishing war, so you’d think he could have chosen one with a better layout editor. The huge number of end-of-line word-breaks in the hardback was incredibly annoying for me because I’m pedantic like that. Perhaps if it had been a wonderfully written book I wouldn’t have noticed them much, but I did, so.
That said, I did start warming to the main characters as the book progressed. The titular ‘Club’ consists of four members of a very posh (as in you can’t quite imagine all of them keeling over with Covid) retirement village: Elizabeth, the main honcho, who used to be, well it’s never quite specified what she used to be, but by the favours she can very handily call on, it was high level and hush hush; Ibrahim, the psychiatrist, with a penchant for healthy living and technology; Ron, the old trade union boss who was asked to be patient by Arthur Scargill; and finally Joyce, the innocuous looking new recruit, who, like a modern day Miss Marple, could observe without being noticed.
It is Joyce’s diary entries, interspersed within the main narrative whose direct thoughts we are privy to. Why these are included, I’m not quite sure. It’s not as if they are showing us a perspective that the main narrative can’t reach. But it’s fine. Maybe in the next book in the series, and I suspect there will be one, he’ll draw on the diary of one of the others.
Alongside the sleuthing, the character interactions and developments are sometimes interesting. Elizabeth’s continuing with her dear friend Penny, now in the care home next door and unable to show any sign of engagement with the world, is poignant and drawn well.
The ending did feel a bit more convoluted than the rest, and it felt like the author was rapidly running out of space and needed to tie up loose ends very quickly. But at least he does tie them up as I’m not a fan of leaving things hanging.
I think I’ve been quite negative so far about this book but it was a very quick, enjoyable read all in all. I would recommend it if you find yourself seeing it on the bookshelf, but I wouldn’t recommend paying loads of money for it.
theleadlesspencil 
I read the E.book so I did not get problems with the layout. I am not a fan of authors who use the historic present tense so that bugged me a bit. I did enjoy it and also listened to it as a book at bedtime on radio 4 which was well done. It was better than I expected from a celebrity author.
Perhaps I should have read it on a kindle! That present tense appears to be popular; this is the third book this year that I’ve seen it in. But with the previous two it definitely fitted better. I’m glad you liked it, listening to it being read by someone else rather than my own inner voice may well lift the narrative!