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Kim's Reviews > The Thursday Murder Club

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
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did not like it
bookshelves: 1-star

Not a fan that every suspect or villain was an immigrant and involved in gangs. Also I had a lot of concerns about the fact that the only character with less than perfect English and also a shady character was notably identified as Polish, and that he was characterized as gullible, stupid, and basically just a bunch of muscle with no brain. It struck me as very xenophobic, especially when the main cast essentially breaks the law right and left and no one ever holds them to it.

I really just wanted to stop reading at the 50% mark, when a "good" guy goes "You're an immigrant, and we've read all about them. There's some poor British psychiatrist, a white fella, sitting at home without a job because of you," to his "friend" as a "joke(?)" and it just absolutely gets ignored. Is this British humor and my American brain is missing it? Because combined with everything, I just can't help but wonder how bad this book was before an editor got to it.

It's one thing when I see it in books that were written before I was born, but this is 2020, and the best you have is some Irish mob ties and immigrant coming to steal jobs? I don't know, man. I don't know who read this and loved it, because it was really ruined by xenophobia for me. And like, maybe it's because it's a British book and my very short Google search is popping up that xenophobia has been on the rise in recent years, that it sticks out to me more than the British population.

Other than the blatant xenophobia, it was a kind of okay book for a debut. Nothing to rave about. Way too many characters, way too much extraneous information, too many bodies, too many side plots. I wanted to toss it at the end, because it was such a "pull the rug out, but you knew all along" kind of cheap writing. I wouldn't recommend it.
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Reading Progress

December 27, 2020 – Shelved
December 27, 2020 – Shelved as: to-read
January 18, 2021 – Started Reading
January 18, 2021 –
50.0% "Too much. Too many characters. I cannot remember who is supposed to be who. The weird mystery just upped the ante but it's halfway through and it already feels like it it winding down. Also, weirdly racist against Polish people. Not sure what that is about."
January 18, 2021 – Shelved as: 1-star
January 18, 2021 – Finished Reading

Comments Showing 1-1 of 1 (1 new)

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message 1: by TKP (new) - rated it 2 stars

TKP Xenophobia was the last thing I expected to read from
someone like RO and there were so many parts of the book that didn’t sit well with me on that front


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