This month, Linda reviews three books written by Richard Osman, Freida McFadden and Matt Haig.
The Thursday Murder Club – Richard Osman
In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet up once a week to investigate unsolved murders.
But when a brutal killing takes place on their very doorstep, the Thursday Murder Club find themselves in the middle of their first live case. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron might be pushing eighty but they still have a few tricks up their sleeves.
Can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer before it’s too late?
The Thursday Murder Club by TV presenter Richard Osman was published September 5th with Viking and is the first book in a series. It has received huge acclaim from many quarters with Val McDermid describing it as ‘a warm, wise and witty warning never to underestimate the elderly’
The storyline isn’t going to stack up against a good scandi noir, but if you’re looking something more gentle this may well be for you. I found some of the conversation a bit ‘Janet & John’ in format. Every spoken sentence is finished with ‘said, whoever’. Sometimes, I found that it impeded the flow of the conversation between characters. But it got the job done. Overall, I enjoyed it, and will look up another in the series.
The Housemaid By Freida McFadden
Brace yourself, because “The Housemaid” is a novel that will keep you glued to the pages from start to finish, constantly questioning everything you think you know. Just when you believe you’ve unravelled the twisted narrative, author Freida McFadden pulls the rug out from under you, leaving you breathless and craving more. This book is a true masterclass in psychological suspense that demands to be devoured in a single, uninterrupted sitting.
This is the first book in The Housemaid series with The Housemaid’s secret and The Housemaid is watching to follow. I have read all three now and they are all an excellent read and very easy to follow.
The Midnight Library By Matt Haig
Nora’s life has been going from bad to worse. Then at the stroke of midnight on her last day on earth she finds herself transported to a library. There she is given the chance to undo her regrets and try out each of the other lives she might have lived. Which raises the ultimate question: with infinite choices, what is the best way to live?
This was a very different but interesting read about what choices we have in life and those we have missed. It was not a book that just gets read in one sitting as it took some absorbing of the ideas presented.
One of those books where you want to grab quotes to keep you going in tough times. A book that makes you remember that every decision has an outcome, especially your future ones. I found it a book of hope and belief in yourself to get through the negatives life throws at you. Very clever and enjoyable.
