National treasure and tv show sensation, Richard Osman wrote his first book The Thursday Murder Club and it was an instant success. His likeable, amiable demeanour shines through the crime story underpinned with British humour.

Based on a visit to a retirement home, Osman was inspired to set his novel in Coppers Chase. Here, a retired group mull over unsolved murder cases as a form of entertainment. Written from the perspective of a few of the sleuths, Joyce’s diary entry was my favourite based on her commentary on what cakes she’d eaten and her visits to a vegan cafe. A friend of mine told me that the fictional character has her own real Instagram handle! Nonetheless, the group have their own murder case to solve as someone on their housing development is murdered. It’s very much a written game of cluedo, like a whodunnit scenario and it does keep you gripped right until the satisfying end (no spoilers!).

I’ll be honest, despite the modern references (WhatsApp, tinder and Waitrose) and easy narrative, I didn’t completely enjoy it. It’s a small entry because of this. There were too many characters, most of them funny and relatable but I got lost trying to remember who was who and and this confused me speculating who might have been the suspect. There was far too much speech based on his numerous characters and some irrelevant chapters. I’d recommend it for someone wanting to get back into reading, for the sense of accomplishment after completing a book and the mystery was worthwhile. It will be turned into a film soon and I’ll look forward to seeing it on screen. 3/5