57 pages • 1 hour read
The Thursday Murder Club
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BetaPart 1, Chapters 21-30Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Part 1, Chapters 21-30 Summary
At Ian’s house, Bogdan reflects on the shock felt by everyone over Tony’s death; however, he is not surprised by anything—especially death, having been surrounded by it growing up. Father Matthew arrives to meet with Ian. He feels Ian has a “moral obligation to leave the Garden of Eternal Rest” where it is and wants to see if they can reach a compromise over the situation (54). Ian defends the development by saying that they only plan to move the bodies and will do so with the great care, even though he knows that is not the truth. Ian set up his own company with a funeral director and won the bid for it. Father Matthew retorts that many of the nuns have been buried there for so long that there will be nothing but bones left to move, and it would be nearly impossible to move them respectfully. Ian refuses to change his mind, and Father Matthew says that if he “can’t change [his] mind, then he will make it as difficult as possible” for them to continue the work (55). Father Matthew asks Bogdan how he feels about moving the garden, and if he is okay with disturbing souls and risking damnation for the act, but Bogdan says that he thinks bones are just bones.
In a diary entry, Joyce describes a last-minute trip that Elizabeth took her on, which ended up being a surprise visit to see Joyce’s daughter Joanna. Elizabeth wanted to get ahead of the police, thinking it will be better if they knew more than them in some areas, so she got her hands on Ian’s company financial records. However, they need Joanna’s help to interpret them. Joanna informs them that the companies are in good standing, and that Ian is not in any financial trouble. Joyce feels that “Joanna saw a different side to [Joyce] today” (50).
Switching out of Joyce’s diary, Chapter 24 opens with Elizabeth answering her daily question; in order to keep her memory fresh, she writes a question two weeks ahead—such as a number or letter pertaining to something that she saw that day—and uses that to test her memory by answering it later. The question that she writes in her notebook this time is: “[H]ow much money did Ian make from the death of Tony?” She writes down the answer: £12.25.
Chapter 25 centers on Donna. she has been given the file for Tony’s case and is officially part of the team investigating the murder. She imagines how it would feel to read it and be able to solve the case, impressing Chris and the others, but she does not find any leads. Meanwhile, Elizabeth has invited Donna and Chris to come see them, so they can give the police the information they found out about Ian’s financials with the goal of learning something in return. The plan is for them to meet at Joyce’s house, and to try and make Chris as uncomfortable as possible.
Chris and Donna decide to visit Ian to ask him about the argument he had with Tony. They show up at Ian’s house, the two of them agreeing to show him the photograph that was left to see if he has any reaction. However, Ian denies having ever seen it when asked. When Ian is asked about the argument he had with Tony, he says that it was over the fact that Tony did not want to pay for the installation of a new sprinkler system. He gives the officers his alibi of having been at the Playfair’s home close to the time of the murder.
Afterwards, Chris and Donna arrive at Joyce’s house. Chris is seated in the center of the sofa and is closely surrounded by everyone. He feels that it is their attempt at making him feel welcome and in the spotlight; however, it is part of their approach at making him feel uncomfortable: the close seating, awkward handing of tea and plates, and rapid questions are all designed to make Chris feel as unnerved as possible. The group feigns ignorance when it comes to investigating cases and people. They ask Chris to talk them through everything, with Joyce claiming he needs to “talk slowly because it’s not really [their] area” of expertise (78).
Chapter 30 centers around Father Matthew and his walk through the Garden of Eternal Rest; he reflects on all the lives of the nuns buried there, and how much has changed through time by moving only a few rows in either direction.
Part 1, Chapters 21-30 Analysis
Bogdan talks about death in this chapter, commenting how people die all the time, and that the death of Tony doesn’t surprise him. The insight into Bogdan’s narrative reveals an interesting truth about the unique way that he so easily processes a gruesome murder. Tony was bludgeoned to death, and it was unexpected to most, so his lack of emotion surrounding it is surprising. There is never any mention that Tony and Bogdan were close friends, or even friends at all. But the fact that Bogdan warned Ian of the reaction he will get from firing Tony, shows that Bogdan at least knew the man to some extent, which makes the fact that he is so nonchalant about the murder suspicious.
Father Matthew visits Ian to discuss the Woodlands Development project, and while the two men do not come to a solution, there is an interesting conversation that takes place about how one should morally view the bones of the dead. To Father Matthew, the remnants of those who have passed hold great value, and he believes they need to be left to rest where they were buried, regardless of how careful Ian’s team says they will be. Ian does not see it that way, and he gives reassurances that he knows are not true. He must keep up appearances, but he has no interest in following the proper procedures needed to move graves.
Meanwhile, Father Matthew asks Bogdan how he views the situation, and Bogdan says that he thinks “bones is bones” (56). By this, he means that while people are to be respected, after a while bones become just bones and there is no need to hold such an attachment to them once a person is gone. However, this statement by Bogdan belies his true feelings about the matter. When Bogdan later discovers a grave with a skeleton in it, there is a moment where he reflects on how they were once a living person, and even covers them back up. Thus, Bogdan’s nihilistic attitude is an act, to some extent.
One of the reoccurring questions throughout the book is: Who gained the most in Tony’s murder? When Elizabeth hires Joyce’s daughter Joanna to go over Ian’s financials, she learns that Ian gained millions from Tony’s death and that the percentages Tony owned have automatically reverted back into Ian’s name. This is also the moment when Joanna starts to realize that her mother is changing and beginning to be more adventurous, with her daughter gushing to her mom about how she is investigating a murder now. The revelation of what Ian had to gain from Tony’s death further thickens the mystery of the plot while building suspicion around Ian by giving him a motive for the murder. Ian’s inner narrative from earlier, which describe how Tony forced his way into getting those shares, adds to this suspicion.
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