There I was thinking this was going to be another feel good novel about elderly isolated people - widowed, living away from families, newly arrived in a retirement home, who through friendship and kindness find themselves and a life with meaning. A gentle, well-meaning aww sort of story. Well yes, there is some of all this, but it is so much more, putting the novel in quite a different category from those others.
The elderly characters are elderly in age alone in this novel. Together, Elizabeth who probably worked for MI5 or 6 or similar, ex-psychologist Ibrahim, ex-nurse Joyce, and ex-trade union leader/political agitator Ron, are super sleuths who spend their time solving cold cases that their leader - ex high ranking detective Penny - now in a coma in the hospital part of the retirement complex - wants to see solved. These elderlies are all fantastic characters. Complex, intelligent, incisive, very different from each other, they meet weekly in the Jigsaw Room to solve crimes.
There is also a new detective on the block at the local police station. She becomes involved in the Thursday Murder Club when a local developer is found murdered with a mysterious photo by his side featuring three men. One of the men is the owner of the retirement complex they all live in, another of the men is Ron's son. Suddenly the club is working on its first live case!
This story walks a finely balanced line between the sweet-oldies-in-the-retirement-home and a full on murder inquiry with plenty of twists, some danger, red herrings, excellent detective work and problem solving. There is never a dull moment in the writing - lots of humour, wry chuckling, a little subversive. I loved it especially because the characters - all of them - are just so well drawn and life like, and such great back stories that make these characters so real and endearing. It's a marvellous book, I hope there is a sequel. I would love to know more about what Elizabeth did in her professional life as a spy!
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