The Thursday Murder Club

The final pieces of the puzzle fall into place when the Thursday Murder Club discovers that two very different people are behind the two murders at Coopers Chase.

Tony Curran is killed not by the ambitious co‑owner Ian Ventham but by Bogdan, the Polish grave‑keeper. Bogdan had been forced to work under Tony’s cruel conditions and, after a desperate attempt to retrieve his seized passport, a struggle turns deadly. He later confesses the whole story to Stephen Best while they play chess, and because Stephen habitually records his games, the confession is captured on tape. The club turns that recording over to the police, and Bogdan is arrested for murder.

Ian Ventham meets a very different fate. The club learns that John Gray, the husband of their former member Penny, had once helped hide the body of a 1973 murder victim to protect Penny’s secret. When Ian orders the old cemetery to be cleared, John fears the hidden corpse will be uncovered and his past exposed. Using his veterinary knowledge, John slips a lethal dose of fentanyl into Ian’s drink during a protest, killing him instantly. Realising the truth cannot stay buried forever, John later uses the remaining fentanyl to end both his own life and Penny’s, sparing them from a future of exposure and imprisonment.

With the killers identified, Elizabeth makes a pragmatic deal with the shady former gangster Bobby Tanner. She offers him a chance to sell Coopers Chase at a fair market price to a buyer who will preserve the home for its elderly residents, rather than facing a long prison term for his other crimes. The prospective buyer, Joanna Meadowcraft—the daughter of club member Joyce—is poised to take over, ensuring the estate is saved from demolition.

In the end, the club’s sleuthing not only solves the present murders but also untangles a decades‑old secret, while the fate of Coopers Chase is secured for the people who depend on it.

Last Updated: September 15, 2025 at 10:29