Thursday Murder Club, #1
The Thursday Murder Club
by Richard Osman
Contents
Chapter 72: Joyce
Overview
Joyce reflects on the club’s exhilaration after recovering the hidden skeleton, but the physical presence of the bones turns the adventure into something more solemn. Austin’s preliminary examination suggests the skeleton is male, deepening the mystery and raising the possibility that the old body is the motive behind Ian Ventham’s murder.
The club chooses, for now, to keep the discovery from the police until Austin can test the bones. This decision shifts their focus from Bobby Tanner and Turkish Johnny to the graveyard secret, placing the hidden body at the center of the investigation.
Summary
Walking back from the grave, Joyce feels the Thursday Murder Club’s excitement at being in a gang and doing something illicit. The mood is giddy at first, but it changes when Austin lays the recovered bones on Joyce’s dining table. The group is reminded that the mystery concerns a dead person, not just an adventure.
Over orange drizzle cake, Austin examines the bones more closely and believes the skeleton was probably male, ruling out the idea that it belonged to a nun. The group realizes the central questions are the man’s identity, whether he was murdered, and when he died, since a death thirty years ago would mean something very different from one fifty years ago.
Austin says he will take the bones away for further testing. After the others leave, Joyce looks him up and discovers he is a Sir, which fits her impression of his expertise and Elizabeth’s unusual circle of capable friends.
The club then considers whether the hidden skeleton might explain Ian Ventham’s recent murder. If someone knew the bones were buried in the Garden of Eternal Rest, Ian may have been killed to stop the graveyard being disturbed and the secret being exposed.
The members debate whether they are wrong to keep the bones from the police. They decide they must eventually disclose everything, but for now they want Austin’s results first because the graveyard is part of their home and the mystery feels like theirs. Although Elizabeth still wants to pursue Bobby Tanner and Turkish Johnny, the club agrees the bones now take priority, while Joyce wonders whether Chris and Donna are progressing or withholding information.
Who Appears
- JoyceNarrates the group’s excitement, unease, and decision to keep investigating the bones privately.
- AustinExamines the skeleton, judges it likely male, and takes the bones for further testing.
- ElizabethWants to track Bobby and Johnny but agrees the bones must take priority.
- RonShares the club’s adventure and is sobered by the bones on Joyce’s table.
- IbrahimParticipates in the club’s discussion about the hidden skeleton and police involvement.