Like many TV personalities, Richard Osman has recently taken a backseat in script-writing, substituting his face on our screens for a place on our bookshelves. Osman is well-known for his hosting role on Pointless and, more recently, Richard Osman’s House of Games and Taskmaster, where he cemented himself as a fan-favourite TV presenter. With the success of Osman’s first book series, The Thursday Murder Club, and his next book on the horizon, we ask: Is Osman a booklover or just a buck lover?
Osman’s stamp on the fiction world began in 2020, when his four-part book series first hit paper. Becoming a massive hit with over 15 million copies sold worldwide, fans fell in love with his classically cosy style of writing and spin on a modern murder mystery. His alternative characters and homely plot made the book an easy and fun read, getting me (and many others) out of a lockdown reading slump.
Review: The Thursday Murder Club
Having read and enjoyed all four of Osman’s Thursday Murder Club series, I can confirm that if you are a fan of a unique murder mystery (like The Marlow Murders or The Dinner Lady Detectives) then this is a series for you. Loveable characters and an easy, talkative feel give the novels a confident flow that many star-written books lack.
It can sometimes be hard to disengage a TV personality from the writer, but I think Osman has perfectly achieved this distinction. By using short chapters, which follow a different character’s perspective, Osman truly tests his ability to enrich characters. He has a clear passion for character development and an understanding of his own writing style. As the series progresses, we gain a further love for the elderly characters – putting a spin on the classic view of care homes while demonstrating the depth of pensioners that are so often overlooked.
The Thursday Murder Club series follows a group of pensioners who solve crimes in a care home. Subverting tropes around ageing, the group demonstrate their energy and capabilities when a murder happens on their doorstep. Exploring the root of these characters, we slowly begin to understand the extravagant lives of characters who had been originally presented as innocent and frail. With murders piling up, the group use their wit, connections and charisma to piece together the picture. Beautifully written and refreshing to read, all four of these books demonstrate the depth and intrigue of the most overlooked sections of society.
‘Pointless’ writing?
With Osman’s next addition to this series, The Impossible Fortune, set to be released this year and a new Netflix film adaptation out, it really is the time for a re-read. Or maybe a venture into Osman’s other projects, such as his 2024 release, We Solve Murders.
Having a similarly written perspective and plot to The Thursday Murder Club, We Solve Murders is difficult to put down. The characters, which include a widowed pensioner, Steve, and his daughter-in-law, Amy, are easy (if not easier) to fall in love with than the characters from the original series. We follow Steve, an ex-police officer, as he gets involved in a case when his bodyguard daughter-in-law Amy finds herself in trouble.
The fast-paced nature of his writing will keep you on your toes and make you forget all about Osman’s ‘Pointless’ history. This novel cements Osman as much more than a TV sensation with a book, instead proving him to be a creative and empathetic writer. He has a magical way of exploring often-ignored groups of people in our society. From pensioners to widows, or immigrants to patients, Osman uses comedy to ease tension and create relatable narratives.
Coming this month, I can confirm that The Impossible Fortune is definitely on my ‘to-be-read’ list, and Osman’s novels are permanently on my bookshelf.