Trivia maven and British quiz show host Osman's first mystery features crime-solving residents of a luxury retirement center in Kent, England. Located on the site of a former convent, Cooper's Chase Retirement Village offers clubs for every interest. The Thursday Murder Club members--Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim, and Ron--meet weekly to examine the cold case files of a former detective. When the contractor who built Cooper's Chase is murdered immediately after being fired by center owner Ian Ventham, Joyce and the others inform the police that they saw the two men arguing. The entire group, including the police, are present when Ventham is murdered. There were 70 seniors who could have killed him. Then the new contractor unearths an extra body in the convent cemetery. The Thursday Murder Club enjoys two active murder investigations and several cold cases while Elizabeth manipulates the police to keep the group in the loop. The character-driven mystery, featuring a group of sleuths all too aware of their own mortality, and a likable pair of cops, is suspenseful, funny, and poignant. VERDICT The delightful, spirited characters from this witty, sometimes bittersweet story deserve a return engagement.--Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN

British TV celebrity Osman mixes mirth and murder in his exceptional debut, a series launch featuring the four members of the Thursday Murder Club, residents of the Coopers Chase Retirement Village in Kent. Despite their different backgrounds, Elizabeth , Ibrahim, Joyce, and Ron share an interest in solving mysteries. When 26-year-old Donna De Freitas, a police constable who dreams of pursuing serial killers, visits the home to talk to the pensioners about "Practical Tips for Home Security," the club members arrange for Donna to be assigned to a homicide case they have a connection to by manipulating her boss, so that they can get access to the investigation through a grateful Donna. That way they can take a crack at solving the bludgeoning murder of drug dealer Tony Curran, who operated a building business as a front, and whose killer left a photo of three men, one of whom is Ron's son, near Curran's corpse. They use their individual talents, including Joyce's gift for gathering information unobtrusively, and Ibrahim's medical knowledge, which enables him to narrow the timing of a second, related killing. Osman's witty prose (labor activist Ron's "picture was rarely in the papers without the caption 'Talks between the two sides collapsed late last night'") is a highlight. Fans of Lynne Truss's Constable Twitten mysteries will be tickled. Agent: Juliet Mushens, Mushens Entertainment (U.K.). (Sept.)

A sidekick is the understated star of Osman's debut novel, which is set in the upscale English retirement village of Coopers Chase. Retired nurse Joyce takes a back seat to her friend Elizabeth, who revels in leading the Thursday Murder Club, which is devoted to dissecting old cases. They are handed new mysteries when the shady developer of Cooper Chase is found dead, and an extra body is found in the graveyard ordered destroyed by the developer, who planned to expand, hoping to attract more residents. A thicket of characters demands some concentration, but it's worth it to soak up Osman's wry character building and dialogue, which perfectly encapsulate everyone from the flashy developer, who quickly meets his end, to a young police officer who can't believe she's on a murder case. Numerous suspects prove to have done misguided things from love, with the solution resembling Churchill's "riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma." Readers will want to hear more from Osman and his engaging cast, especially the bumbling, kind Joyce; in the meantime, recommend Christopher Fowler's Bryant & May series.

Four residents of Coopers Chase, a British retirement village, compete with the police to solve a murder in this debut novel. The Thursday Murder Club started out with a group of septuagenarians working on old murder cases culled from the files of club founder Elizabeth's friend Penny Gray, a former police officer who's now comatose in the village's nursing home. Elizabeth used to have an unspecified job, possibly as a spy, that has left her with a large network of helpful sources. Joyce is a former nurse who chronicles their deeds. Psychiatrist Ibrahim Arif and well-known political firebrand Ron Ritchie complete the group. They charm Police Constable Donna De Freitas, who, visiting to give a talk on safety at Coopers Chase, finds the residents sharp as tacks. Built with drug money on the grounds of a convent, Coopers Chase is a high-end development conceived by loathsome Ian Ventham and maintained by dangerous crook Tony Curran, who's about to be fired and replaced with wary but willing Bogdan Jankowski. Ventham has big plans for the future--as soon as he's removed the nuns' bodies from the cemetery. When Curran is murdered, DCI Chris Hudson gets the case, but Elizabeth uses her influence to get the ambitious De Freitas included, giving the Thursday Club a police source. What follows is a fascinating primer in detection as British TV personality Osman allows the members to use their diverse skills to solve a series of interconnected crimes. A top-class cozy infused with dry wit and charming characters who draw you in and leave you wanting more, please. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.