Apartment Owners at Churchill Living’s Peel Lodge development in Marlow enjoy getting to grips with a good murder mystery. They recently came together to form a new book club exploring some famous titles that have made the leap from the page to the big screen.
Richard Osman’s bestselling novel The Thursday Murder Club is famously set in a retirement community, and will soon be released as a film starring big names such as Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan and Ben Kingsley. Closer to home, the Marlow Murder Club series by Robert Thorogood – set in the Buckinghamshire town – is now a popular TV series starring Samantha Bond and Jo Martin.
To get under the skin of these popular titles and whet their appetites for the new film, apartment Owners Glennis Rolfe, Christine Lock, Barbara Smith, Christina Beaver and David Dicker got together to read Osman’s newest release, We Solve Murders, as well as Thorogood’s original Marlow Murder Club novel, and shared their thoughts on how the fiction compares to the reality of life in a Marlow retirement community.
Christine is quick to point out the differences, saying: “The retirement village featured in Osman’s Thursday Murder Club is very different to the independent living apartments on offer here at Peel Lodge. We aren’t in a remote retirement village, we’re in the heart of town living completely independent and active lives. We can come and go as we please and thankfully there are no murders to worry about here! However, we do share the same sense of community and camaraderie, with regular opportunities to get together and socialise, and our book group is a nice example of that.”
Whilst the readers all enjoyed Osman’s new book, some found it “took a while to get going” and generally the group preferred Thorogood’s Marlow Murder Club – perhaps being slightly biased due to the local connection.
“We’ve all enjoyed watching the Marlow Murder Club on TV,” explains Barbara. “Being based in our home town it was easy to relate to and great seeing some of the locations we recognised. Reading the book gave us a new perspective on the story, and I would say the TV adaptation is very faithful to the original book. On the whole he paints a realistic picture of what Marlow is like, apart from all the murders of course!”
Glennis has some advice for Osman on his next book, if he’s listening. She says: “I like a book to grab my interest by the end of the first chapter, so don’t include too many irrelevant characters and get straight into the story!”
Overall the readers gave both books 4 stars out of 5, with Marlow Murder Club coming out on top as their slight favourite. David concludes: “Both were very enjoyable to read, with good characters and a good flow to the storyline. If either of the authors were to visit us at Peel Lodge, I’d ask when are they writing a sequel?”
Peel Lodge is a collection of stylish and energy-efficient one and two bedroom retirement apartments for the over 60s. It comes with the benefits of a sociable Owners’ Lounge, a Guest Suite for friends and family to stay, a Lodge Manager, and a 24-hour emergency Careline service.