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The Thursday Murder Club Read-Alikes
Mystery lovers, rejoice! The film adaptation of Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club is in theaters on August 22 before streaming on Netflix on August 28. There is so much for fans to love from this series, including beloved characters, clever clues, a quaint English setting, and a blend of humor and heart.
If you’ve already read the rest of the Thursday Murder Club series, or dipped your toe into Osman’s latest, We Solve Murders, you may find yourself experiencing some melancholy as you wait for the film or the newest Thursday Murder Club installment. Fear not – there are plenty of books and films to grab your attention in the meantime. Here’s a list of books featuring senior sleuths, English intrigue, cozy yet complex cases, and more to keep your mystery-solving minds occupied!
Books You Should Know About
The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood
Buy The Marlow Murder Club ebook here
Buy The Marlow Murder Club audiobook here
From your OverDrive DCL: If you’re looking for a series to fill the void of The Thursday Murder Club, look no further than its next-door neighbor, The Marlow Murder Club. Marlow is one of those quiet English villages where nothing scandalous or threatening ever happens. Until one day Judith Potts, a 77-year-old crossword puzzle creator, hears her neighbor shot. Because it’s Marlow where nothing bad ever happens, the local police don’t suspect foul play, so Judith decides to take matters into her own hands and investigate the case herself. Judith picks up a few teammates along the way – a dog walker named Suzie and the vicar’s wife, Becks. Together they are the Marlow Murder Club, and when another body turns up shortly after, they know they’re on to something bigger than any of them might have thought.
This charming British mystery has all the elements of a good cozy – a fun trio of likeable and quirky amateur sleuths in an English village with humor throughout. It also maintains some seriousness in its plotting with a smart and layered set up to appeal to more traditional crime fiction fans. It’s a fun, witty read, and it balances light and complex very well. This book had a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly and Library Journal and continues with the Marlow Murder Club series.
The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp by Leonie Swann, translated by Amy Bojang
Buy The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp ebook here
Buy The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp audiobook here
From your OverDrive DCL: One of the many delights of The Thursday Murder Club is the ensemble cast of beloved senior sleuths and the ways they care for one another in their retired lives. The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp, translated from German, tells the story of a quirky, unruly group of retirees living together at a house called Sunset Hall. This was Agnes Sharp’s family home in a sleepy English village, which she opened up to serve her aging neighbors while keeping her own social life alive and her instincts intact. One day the police knock on their door and tell them that their neighbor has been found shot dead. This is obviously shocking news for the group, but it actually turns out to be a bit of luck as well, because it just so happens that they are currently hiding the body of a former resident named Lillith in their shed, and this new death provides the perfect opportunity for them to convince the police that Lillith was shot by this same person. All they must do is uncover the killer so they can pin Lillith’s death on this other murderer! With this plan, Agnes and the gang jump into action, starting their own investigation while also confronting some of their own dark secrets.
This book finds an impressive balancing act of providing humor while also conveying some of the real issues that go along with aging, like memory lapses, vision and hearing problems, and mobility issues, that impact the group’s investigation. This darkly humorous, atmospheric mystery is the first in the Miss Sharp Investigates series.
The Dinner Lady Detectives by Hannah Hendy
Buy The Dinner Lady Detectives ebook here
Buy The Dinner Lady Detectives audiobook here
From your OverDrive DCL: Who could tire of cozy mysteries with charming British village settings? Margery and Clementine are a middle-aged couple who live in the small, idyllic town of Dewstow, and they are working their way towards retirement serving meals to the students at Summerview secondary school. Their calm life is upended when their kitchen manager is found dead in the school’s walk-in freezer. The police are adamant that it’s an open-and-shut case of accidental death, but Margery and Clementine are convinced there’s something more nefarious going on, and they take it upon themselves to investigate. As they get closer to the truth, it becomes clear that someone will stop at nothing to keep the pair quiet.
Margery and Clementine are a fun comedic duo, and these British lunch ladies will have readers laughing out loud with their nearly slap-stick shenanigans and quick and witty dialogue. Their relationship is also charming as a slightly cranky couple who has clearly been together for ages. The book is part of the delightful trend of quozies, or queer cozy mysteries, as coined by Rob Osler. If you can’t get enough of these dinner ladies, don’t worry – there are more books to enjoy in the Dinner Lady Detectives series.
A Murder for Miss Hortense by Mel Pennant
Buy the A Murder for Miss Hortense ebook here
Buy the A Murder for Miss Hortense audiobook here
From the publisher: Retired nurse, avid gardener, and renowned cake maker Miss Hortense has lived in Bigglesweigh, a quiet suburb of Birmingham, England, since she emigrated from Jamaica in 1960. She takes great pride in her home, starching her lace curtains bright white, and she can tell if she’s being shortchanged on turmeric before she’s taken her first bite of a beef patty. A career in nursing has also left her afraid of nobody, whether an interfering priest or a local drug dealer, and she’s an expert in deciphering other people’s secrets with just a glance.
Miss Hortense once used her skills to benefit the Pardner network—a local group of Black investors that she helped found. Until, that is, she was unceremoniously ousted from its ranks, severing her ties to the majority of her friends and community. That was thirty years ago. Now, as a new millennium dawns, an unidentified man has been found dead in the home of one of the Pardner members, a Bible quote written on a note beside his body. Suddenly, Miss Hortense finds her long-buried past rushing back, bringing memories of the worst moment of her life—and secrets behind an unsolved crime that has haunted her for decades.
It is finally time for Miss Hortense to solve a mystery that will see her and the community she loves pushed to their limits. The first novel from a bold, brilliant new voice, A Murder for Miss Hortense introduces a fearless sleuth whom readers will never forget.
The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules by Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg, translated by Rod Bradbury
Buy The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules ebook here
Buy The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules audiobook here
From your OverDrive DCL: The members of the Thursday Murder Club aren’t above bending the rules from time to time, but what if they decided to break them flat out? Such is the path of this group of delinquent seniors in Sweden whose desire for a better quality of life leads them to rob and ransom priceless artwork.
Martha Andersson may be 79 years old and live in a retirement home, but that doesn’t mean she’s ready to stop enjoying life. When the new management of Diamond House starts cutting corners to save money, Martha and her four closest friends—The Genius, The Rake, Christina and Anna-Gretta (a.k.a. The League of Pensioners)—won’t stand for it. Fed up with early bedtimes and overcooked veggies, this group of feisty seniors sets about to regain their independence and stand up for seniors everywhere. Their solution for this just so happens to be white collar crime. What begins as a relatively straightforward robbery of a nearby luxury hotel quickly escalates into an unsolvable heist at the National Museum. With police baffled and the Mafia hot on their trail, the League of Pensioners has to stay one walker’s length ahead if it’s going to succeed. I think the Thursday Murder Club crew could find some new friends in the League of Pensioners during their next escapades.
Detective Aunty by Uzma Jalaluddin
Buy the Detective Aunty ebook here
Buy the Detective Aunty audiobook here
From the publisher: When her grown daughter is suspected of murder, a charming and tenacious widow digs into the case to unmask the real killer in this twisty, page-turning whodunnit—the first book in a cozy new detective series from the acclaimed author of Ayesha at Last.
After her husband’s unexpected death eighteen months ago, Kausar Khan never thought she’d receive another phone call as heartbreaking—until her thirty-something daughter, Sana, phones to say that she’s been arrested for killing the unpopular landlord of her clothing boutique. Determined to help her child, Kausar heads to Toronto for the first time in nearly twenty years.
Returning to the Golden Crescent suburb where she raised her children and where her daughter still lives, Kausar finds that the thriving neighborhood she remembered has changed. The murder of Sana’s landlord is only the latest in a wave of local crimes which have gone unsolved.
And the facts of the case are troubling: Sana found the man dead in her shop at a suspiciously early hour, with a dagger from her windowfront display plunged in his chest. And Kausar—a woman with a keen sense of observation and deep wisdom honed by her years—senses there’s more to the story than her daughter is telling.
With the help of some old friends and her plucky teenage granddaughter, Kausar digs into the investigation to uncover the truth. Because who better to pry answers from unwilling suspects than a meddlesome aunty? But even Kausar can’t predict the secrets, lies, and betrayals she finds along the way…
Secret Lives by Mark de Castrique
Buy the Secret Lives ebook here
Buy the Secret Lives audiobook here
From your OverDrive DCL: This next pick introduces readers to Ethel Fiona Crestwater, a 75-year-old former FBI agent-turned-boardinghouse landlady, whose age affords her invisibility. She can outthink and outshoot most people even half her age. Publisher’s Weekly describes Ethel as an “elderly Nancy Drew: sure of herself and her convictions, and ready to bend a few rules to achieve her goal of seeing justice done.” Let’s just say it seems like she and Elizabeth could be friends, or perhaps even have worked together in a past life.
When someone murders one of her boarders, Ethel is on the case, photographing the crime scene, concealing evidence, and even speed-dialing the Secret Service Director. Ethel also enlists the help of her double-first-cousin-twice-removed, Jesse, who has come to stay with Ethel while he attends university. When Jesse is assaulted and Ethel’s hidden bag of cash is stolen, the pair will have to investigate with no one to trust but each other. This book earned a starred review from Library Journal and is perfect for fans of Elizabeth’s more classified past. The Secret Lives series continues, and the third book is set to release later this year.
Murder by Cheesecake by Rachel Ekstrom Courage
Buy the Murder by Cheesecake ebook here
From your OverDrive DCL: That’s right – it’s a Golden Girls cozy mystery! While this book may be set in sunny Miami rather than quaint England, it still holds all the charm of The Thursday Murder Club, including an iconic crew of friends to top it off.
Rose is hosting an elaborate St. Olaf-themed wedding in Miama for her cousin, but things seem to be going wrong left and right. The groom’s family is snobby towards her family’s wedding traditions, the girls are scrambling to get everything together, and then Dorothy’s date, who she met through a VHS dating service, is found dead in the hotel freezer. Now every guest is under suspicion, especially Dorothy, and the wedding is on the line. The four best friends will need to find the real killer, get the couple down the aisle in one piece, and pull off a wedding for the ages. Full of warmth, humor, and heart, this feels just like watching a new episode of the beloved sitcom, but with some added intrigue and crime. Much like reading a Thursday Murder Club book, reading this feels like you’re reconnecting with old friends that you’ve been missing.
The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective by Jo Nichols
Buy The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective ebook here
Buy The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective audiobook here
From the publisher: Mrs. B, the landlady of The Marigold Cottages is a stubborn idealist who only rents to people she cares about: Sophie, an anxious young playwright with a dark past; Hamilton, an agoraphobe who likes to overshare; Ocean, a queer sculptor raising two kids alone; the perfectionist Lily-Ann; and Nicholas, a finance bro who’s hiding secrets.
The tenants live contentedly in their doll-house bungalows in Santa Barbara, just minutes from the beach, until their peace is shattered when Anthony, a quiet, hulking, but potentially violent ex-con moves in. Three weeks later, a dead body is discovered on the streets of the peaceful neighborhood. Anthony is arrested, and the tenants heave sighs of relief. Until Mrs. B, convinced that he’s innocent, marches down to the police station and confesses to the crime herself. The tenants band together and form “The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective” to save their beloved landlady. As clues are unearthed and secrets are revealed, the community of misfits only grows more tight-knit…until a second body is found. Full of eccentricity, humor, community, The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective will keep you hooked until the last page.
If you’re interested in exploring more titles that will appeal to fans of Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club, check out some of our complete recommended lists here:
Contemporary British Mysteries & Thrillers
Must-Watch Films
Death in Paradise, 2011
Watch Death in Paradise on Kanopy here
From your OverDrive DCL: If you like a destination mystery, look no further! This police detective crime drama series follows a detective sent to a paradise island in the Caribbean to solve an impossible murder. He hates sun, sea and sand, and misses dreary old London. He works with brilliance and tenacity, only to discover his boss back home has conspired to keep him there. He’s trapped on an island he hates, and people just keep getting murdered.
This show is a particularly good pick to check out as it was created by Robert Thorogood, author of The Marlow Murder Club series listed above. And if you can’t get enough of Death in Paradise, check out the spin-off show Beyond Paradise, also co-created by Thorogood!
Mr. Holmes, 2015
Watch Mr. Holmes on Kanopy here
From the studio: An aged, retired Sherlock Holmes deals with early dementia, as he tries to remember his final case, and a mysterious woman, whose memory haunts him. He also befriends a fan, the young son of his housekeeper, who wants him to work again.
Father Brown, 2013
Watch Father Brown on Kanopy here
From the studio: In the idyllic English countryside of the 1950s, murder and foul play are afoot. Father Brown, a Catholic priest who has spent years learning of evil from the confessions of his parishioners, is on the case. A loving adaptation of the novels of GK Chesterton, Father Brown presents a long forgotten side of country life full of humour, warmth and devious goings on. The shambolic Father may seem like the last person you’d turn to in a crisis, but beneath his muddled exterior lays a razor sharp intelligence and a passion for justice.
A Little Extra Something
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Thank you for joining us on this week’s round up of materials for fans of The Thursday Murder Club! Reach out to your Digital Content Librarian or Account Manager for more information on how to provide the best content for your community.
About the author: Claire has worked in publicity for the arts, public libraries, and archives. At OverDrive she helps public libraries manage their collections and creates lists of the hottest titles to help her partners shop and promote their collections to their patrons. When she isn’t reading she loves to run, try new recipes (while listening to an audiobook), plan her next road trip, or hang out with her two dogs and cat. Claire is always excited to talk about a good mystery or spooky books!