“The sun is up, the skies are blue, and murder is in the air.” ~Richard Osman
February is also a good time to cozy up and read. This is the month for Coastal Georgia Reads, and the 2025 book selection is Richard Osman's 2020 debut novel, The Thursday Murder Club. In a peaceful retirement village, a group of four unlikely friends calling themselves “The Thursday Murder Club” hold weekly in the Jigsaw Room to discuss unsolved crimes. They find themselves in the middle of their first live case when a local developer is found dead with a mysterious photograph left next to the body. As more bodies begin to pile up, can this unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer, before it's too late?
Detective fiction and murder mysteries have been popular since Edgar Allen Poe penned the Murders in the Rue Morgue in 1841. Authors such as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie, their characters Sherlock Holmes, Mrs. Marple, and Hercule Poirot, have intrigued and captivated us with their cunning, brainpower and idiosyncrasies. With The Thursday Murder Club and books that follow in the series, Richard Osman too captures our attention with his quartet of amateur detectives, each bringing their own talents and foibles to the table in the hunt for the murderer. With humor and compassion, Osman creates a wonderful read that is surprising and satisfying.
Coastal Georgia Reads is presented by the Marshes of Glynn Libraries and Golden Isles Arts & Humanities with additional support from the College of Coastal Georgia and includes a variety of events and programs to engage the community and encourage readers that delve into the world of detective fiction and murder mysteries. There will be a Lecture Series with talks at the Brunswick-Glynn County Public Library and St. Simons Public Library by professors from the College of Coastal Georgia. There will also be Book Discussions moderated by Ann Mason at both libraries. The First Tuesday Gallery Showcase on February 4 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. will feature exhibits inspired by the Coastal Georgia Read selections. In addition, that evening at 5:00 p.m., the Brunswick library will offer a Family Detective Program with the Glynn County Police Department where participants can find out just what it takes to be a detective and solve crimes. On Tuesday, February 18 at 7 pm at the Ritz Theatre, Wanda M. Morris, will give the keynote address sharing what makes murder mysteries so popular. Wanda is the award-winning author of All Her Little Secrets, which has been praised by Karin Slaughter as “brilliantly nuance.” Her second novel, Anywhere You Run, won the Anthony award for Best Historical Novel of 2023 and was longlisted for the prestigious Mark Twain Voice in American Literature Prize. Wanda’s latest book, What You Leave Behind, hit the shelves in June 2024, and has also received critical acclaim, including a starred review from Booklist, stating, “Morris displays an astonishing mastery of multiple literary forms… this tale is ominous at first, full blown at the finish.”
In addition to The Thursday Murder Club, additional books have been selected for young readers. Elementary school will enjoy The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey; upper elementary and middle school readers can dive into The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart, and for high school, The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Copies of these selections have been given to Glynn County Schools with a limited number available at the local libraries. A Youth Book Discussion about The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart is planned at the Brunswick Library.
Free copies of The Thursday Murder Club are currently available to the public at the Brunswick Library and the St. Simons Library. Additional copies are available at the Historic Ritz Theater in Downtown Brunswick. Pick one up and join the adventures of four septuagenarians with a few tricks up their sleeves as their lives become entangled with a brutal murder and a female cop on her first big case. This might just whet your appetite for more mysteries to solve! To get started, find the Programs section at moglibraries.org/programs, click on Coastal Georgia Reads and get the detailed schedule of events. Happy sleuthing!
