Like inspiration, heroes are often found in the unlikeliest of places. For author Richard Osman, the inspiration for the heroes of his mystery novels was found in the unlikeliest place of all: his mother’s retirement community.
Osman, 54, became a bestselling author in 2020 with The Thursday Murder Club, the first book in a series of mysteries set within a serene English retirement village. The series follows four seniors who meet on a weekly basis to investigate unsolved murders. But, when one particular crime hits too close to home, the group of unlikely friends is on the case. Spoiler alert: they are far more capable than many might believe them to be.
It is this exact misconception that compelled Osman to place older people at the center of his novels. After several visits to his mother’s retirement home, Osman found himself captivated by the older people who surrounded him.
“I want to talk about death and assisted dying, dementia and grief and loneliness,” Osman told The Times. In a society that often overlooks and ignores seniors, Osman recognized an opportunity for rich storytelling. Simply put, older people have lived more of life, which, to Osman, translated into more stories to tell.
“My granddad suffered from dementia in his later years,” Osman told Radio Times. “If you talk to anyone with any experience of dementia, everyone’s experience is different. Everyone’s experience is individual, but you hope there are some universalities. I just wanted to talk about my grandfather’s experience.”
To date, The Thursday Murder Club books have sold over 15 million copies across 43 countries, and Osman has traveled the world, connecting with readers to promote the series. The one commonality he found along the way? Older people are universally underestimated.
“They all say, ‘Oh yeah, it really resonates. We treat older people terribly,'” he said. “There isn’t a country in the world where they go, ‘What are you talking about? We love older people.'”
However, the success of The Thursday Murder Club proves that there’s an appetite for stories about complicated characters in the later stages of life. In August, the film adaptation of the first book in the series, starring Hollywood heavyweights like Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, and Celia Imrie, premiered on Netflix, much to the delight of audiences and critics.
Fans of the books don’t have to wait long for the next installment. The Impossible Fortune, Osman’s fifth The Thursday Murder Club novel, is set to be released on Sept. 25 by Penguin Random House. And, it is likely far from the last.
“I’ll keep writing them, I guess, until it gets to the point where all of us together go, ‘Maybe something else? Maybe we do something new now.’ I’m usually quite good at working out when that point is, but I haven’t reached it yet,” Osman said.
“There’s definitely this new one and another one. And my guess is there’ll be many more to come.”
