Today's recommended read is plural: the two bestselling novels (so far) in Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club series.
First let's deal with the hype, and the elephant in the room. Richard Osman is a popular UK TV presenter and producer. His first attempts at writing a book were snapped up for an eye-watering sum. Not unusual for a celebrity book. The first in the series The Thursday Murder Club justified his publisher's gamble with record-breaking sales. The follow-up, The Man Who Died Twice, broke records for pre-orders. Doubtless the as-yet-untitled third in the series will do similarly well.
Inevitably that evokes a degree of jealousy, with plenty of people willing to put the boot in solely on that basis. There are even those who go as far to say that "he should stick to his day job and leave writing to 'proper authors'."
Newsflash: Most 'proper authors' have or had day jobs; his is just a little more high-profile than most.
So why have I recommended them? It's not like he needs me to bang the drum for him. I recommend these books for the same reason I recommend any book on this blog - I really enjoyed them! Genuinely, they were tremendous fun and very well written. I know a thing or two about writing books, and Osman can hold his head high. Ignoring the numbers and hype, I would have been very happy if I wrote these stories.

For those that don't know, the books centre around a group of elderly folks living in a residential complex of retirement homes. To keep themselves entertained, they spend their Thursday afternoons looking into cold cases - hence the name of the series.
I'll skip over the plots for the books - you can get that from the jacket blurb. Suffice to say, the books are really fun whodunnits. The stories are contemporary, set in modern times, and lean more towards cosy and fun, rather than gritty and procedural. That's fine by me, they are a refreshing change from what I typically write and read.
These are good, fun crime stories that stand on their own merits. But what really makes them better than a lot of half-hearted, ghost-written celebrity cash-ins, is that he wrote the books himself (off his own back, without a deal in place) and that he has really put the effort in.
The cast of characters are wonderfully drawn. Each of them has their own story and part to play. In some ways he channels the wonderful joie de vivre of Last Of The Summer Wine, with seniors behaving badly. But he doesn't veer into farce - there are no elderly men in bathtubs going down a hillside to a canned laughter track. Instead, it is a celebration of people making the most of their last few years.
The book is laugh-out-loud in parts, as one would expect from Osman, and also poignant. He doesn't steer clear of the fact that these are older people, who are having to face the trials and challenges that brings, including the inexorable loss of companions.
The sequel builds on this strong start, with each of the central cast being given their own chance to star, and an expansion of the secondary characters that return from the first. It also continues to tackle emotive issues, and the emotional and physical impact of a violent attack on one of the heroes is dealt with sensitively and realistically.
Osman uses a couple of different devices to tell his stories. One, using snippets from the diary of one of his characters to fill in narrative gaps works really well, but it isn't over-used.
The third in the series is due out this year, and I will definitely be buying it.
These books are well-deserved #RecommendedReads.

Welcome to a first for this blog, a review of an entire series.

I first came across Rachel Lynch's DI Kelly Porter in the summer of 2019, when her publisher sent me an early copy of the third book, Dead End. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and was more than happy to let a quote of mine be used on the cover blurb. A few months later, the convenor of my local Crime Writers' Association chapter announced that we would have a new member joining us for our semi-regular lunch-time gatherings. Guess who turned up the following Sunday!

Since then, Rachel has written a further five books, a work-rate that puts many of us to shame!
Fast-forward to the end of 2020 and the wonderful folks who run the UK Crime Book Club Facebook page asked if I would like to do a live 'in conversation with'  interview. And if I did, who would I like to speak to? The decision took seconds, and I fired off a quick Facebook message to Rachel. Regardless of her response, I happened to be standing outside a small bookshop in Bakewell (quite literally the only time I had been out in public since March!), and it gave me the perfect excuse to march in and buy her whole back catalogue with a view to binge-reading them before our conversation.

The conversation took place on Friday 12th of February and is archived on both the UK Crime Book Club Facebook page and YouTube.

Reading the whole series back-to-back has been an absolute pleasure! As a writer of police procedurals myself, I know how difficult it can be to tread the fine-line between accuracy and the need to tell a good story, and Rachel nails it.
The stories encompass a range of different types of crime and societal issues including knife crime and teenage drug use, illegal immigation and people trafficking and a cracking messed-in-the-head serial killer! Rachel also touches on more unusual fare - the sixth in the series, Blood Rites explores ancient religions and cults. Unlike some authors, she resists the urge to over-sensationalise and treats these alternate beliefs with respect, and I came away feeling that I had learnt something genuinely interesting. Some of the themes (and antagonists) explored in earlier books are revisited later, which is extremely satisfying.

The books are set in the lake district, an area Rachel knows intimately and whilst the alarmingly regular murders, and hidden secrets are probably not entirely to the Cumbria Tourist Information Office's taste, I think they are more than compensated for by her clear love of the area. DI Kelly Porter is a keen runner and outdoorsperson, and Rachel's descriptions of this breath-taking National Park, through all its varied seasons, remind me of the wonderful visits I have made there. I think that readers of her books who are unfamiliar with the area will be entranced, and may contemplate a future holiday there.

Porter is a compelling character; dogged and determined, she follows a really satisfying arc over the course of the books. Her personal life is well mapped-out, and whilst it has enough drama to keep readers hooked and keen to catch-up with her in the next book, she isn't a dark, depressed alcoholic.
In many ways, I find this comforting; my own DCI Warren Jones isn't plagued by as many demons as some of his fictional peers, and Rachel has proven that you can write dark stories without the need for a relentlessly dark central protagonist.

There are many excellent crime series out there, and this is up with the best of them. And with its beautiful backdrops, complex and likeable central character, and satisfyingly complex plots, this is one that is crying out for TV. The success of Vera, DCI Banks and Shetland have shown that there is a big appetite for stories such as these. Perfect fodder for Sunday evening on ITV1!

I highly recommend this whole series!

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