This was a long book to listen to (about 12.5 hours) but totally worth it! I was tired of serious books, bored with everything, and I started and gave up three other books before deciding on this one and not regretting it for a minute.
This is the story of two men and two women who live in a retirement « village » and have decided to meet every Thursday to talk about old police murder cases. Elizabeth used to work as a spy or intelligence officer or something that is a bit unclear (on purpose, of course), Joyce was a nurse, Ibrahim was a psychiatrist, and Ron… I can’t remember what he did, but he has a son who used to be a boxer and a drug dealer. Then there is Donna and Chris, the two detectives, and Tony, who got killed, or, rather, « bludgeoned, » and his mean boss, Ian, and the mysterious Bogdan, from Poland, and the priest, and some old bones, and…
As the members of the Thursday Murder Club try to help the police solve Tony’s murder, all kinds of strange things seem to happen in and around their village. Many secrets will be revealed throughout the book, while other secrets will be kept forever.
The story is told from two perspectives: first, Joyce’s journal, and then, the regular third-person « see-it-all » narrator. At first, I was a bit surprised and confused by that, but Joyce’s perspective adds a more introspective, or intimate, layer to the story, and allows the reader to know elements of the story that the police won’t know.
The tone of the book is very British, light and humorous, but also kind-hearted and sometimes deeply sad, as the book tells the story of these four older people whose lives have not always been easy, who are trying to age gracefully, who see their neighbours and friends die on a regular basis, and who know that their turn might be coming anytime, too. I particularly loved Joyce’s reflections on Alzheimer’s disease, and her « trick » to test her memory every day–a trick that I have adopted for myself! I don’t know if the story is « believable » or just good fun, but it is also a very human story about the difficult choices we have to make in our lives and the importance of friendship, family, and caring for one another. And the narrator was fabulous!
Bouquins et musique 
As usual, your review makes me feel like reading this book. Unfortunately, I hardly read. Even if I wake up intending to read a few pages, I often go to bed without opening my book. And Alzheimer is not yet the culprit. Actually, I run out of time regularly. Anyway, have a nice Sunday. I do hope Easter Rabbit didn’t forget you.
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Happy Easter to you 🙂 I think the Easter rabbit didn’t know my address but it’s ok, I don’t need chocolate, I prefer cheese 🧀 Yes, reading takes time, and I only “read” in my car or when I’m in bed, sadly.
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J’ai souvent hésité à prendre ce bouquin en me disant qu’il allait sûrement être nunuche. La prochaine fois, je n’hésiterai pas.
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Bon, c’est moi, Valvita. Je dois chaque fois me connecter pour commenter…
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