The Thursday Murder Club ending explained: Did murder, love, and betrayal all collide in the shocking finale?

The Thursday Murder Club frequently ignites discussion over its conclusion, yet few mysteries have split audiences like this Netflix adaptation. The movie is based on Richard Osman’s novel, featuring a group of seniors residing in Cooper’s Chase retirement community who have founded a club to investigate cold cases for enjoyment, only to become entangled in a series of actual murders that strike unsettlingly close to home.

At first glance, the film connects its main storylines seamlessly, yet the concluding scenes provoke troubling questions that linger long after the credits end. What distinguishes The Thursday Murder Club is its ability to transform a comforting premise into something intricate and hard to grasp.

The camaraderie and affection of the group drive much of the film, but when the reality of the murders is uncovered, attention quickly turns to themes of betrayal, guilt, and remembrance. The cheerful atmosphere of a retirement community turns into a backdrop for hidden truths, deceptions, and ethical dilemmas.

Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers for The Thursday Murder Club. Readers’ discretion is advised.

Once the murderers are revealed, the conclusion provides a full resolution. Every murder is detailed, all secrets revealed, and the destinies of the victims, as well as the perpetrators, are clarified. Murder, romance, and betrayal intertwine in the conclusion as Bogdan’s frantic choice exposes the price of manipulation, Penny’s hidden truth from years ago emerges, and John’s ultimate sacrifice concludes their heartbreaking love tale.

Collectively, these threads reveal that justice is atypical yet thorough, as each murder is accounted for, every character’s destiny is settled, and the themes of loyalty and ethics are highlighted prominently.

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Who really killed Tony Curran and Ian Ventham in The Thursday Murder Club?

Tensions rise in The Thursday Murder Club as Ian manipulates Bogdan (Image via Netflix Tudum)

The Thursday Murder Club’s biggest question revolves around the deaths of Cooper’s Chase co-owners Tony Curran and Ian Ventham. Tony, known for his shady dealings, is discovered bludgeoned to death in his home. Suspicion initially falls on Ian, given their bitter feud over Cooper’s Chase’s future. However, the truth is more complicated.

The club learns that Bogdan, the Polish handyman and groundskeeper of the retirement home, was the one who killed Tony. His motive is tied to desperation. Tony had confiscated Bogdan’s passport as part of a human trafficking scheme, preventing him from visiting his ill mother back in Poland.

When Bogdan demanded its return, their confrontation escalated, ending with Tony’s death. Although Bogdan insists the death was accidental, his taped confession during a chess game with Elizabeth’s husband, Stephen, ultimately seals his fate.

Ian’s demise follows just days after Tony’s, collapsing during a heated protest. Here, the killer is revealed to be John Gray, the husband of Penny, a former police officer and founding member of The Thursday Murder Club. John injects Ian with a fatal dose of fentanyl to prevent the discovery of Peter Mercer’s body, which would have exposed Penny’s decades-old act of vigilante justice.

The sequence of these murders highlights the darker undercurrents of Cooper’s Chase. Tony’s death stems from exploitation and desperation, while Ian’s murder reflects loyalty and love pushed to extreme measures. The contrast reveals how justice is shaped by circumstance rather than strict law.

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What about the cold case of Angela Hughes in The Thursday Murder Club?

Joanna helps The Thursday Murder Club find inconsistencies in Cooper’s Chase’s finances, leading to new leads in Tony’s murder case (Image via Netflix Tudum)

The story begins with the mysterious 1970s death of Angela Hughes, the so-called “woman in white.” Officially, according to police records, she fell out of her apartment window with a knife buried in her chest, and the case was ruled a burglary gone wrong. However, inconsistencies plagued the case.

The Thursday Murder Club later discovers that Angela’s boyfriend, Peter Mercer, was the true killer. Protected by a police force unwilling to implicate him, Peter escaped justice. Penny Gray, then a young police officer who suspected Peter of the murder, could not stand by. Acting outside the law, she killed Peter and secretly buried his body in the Cooper’s Chase cemetery.

This dark secret lingered for decades, hidden until Bogdan unknowingly unearths the remains. Peter’s sudden disappearance a few months after Angela’s death suddenly adds up. Penny had already delivered her version of justice, but at a cost that later haunts her and John.

The cold case ties The Thursday Murder Club’s timeline together. It shows how past actions shape present consequences and reminds viewers that the pursuit of justice is rarely straightforward.

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How do Bobby Tanner and Bogdan complicate the truth?

Bobby Tanner’s reappearance shakes The Thursday Murder Club with revelations of crime and betrayal (Image via Netflix Tudum)

A surprising revelation arrives with the reappearance of crime kingpin Bobby Tanner, once presumed dead. He emerges as the third silent owner of Cooper’s Chase, running an apparently legitimate flower shop that masks his exploitation of immigrant workers. Elizabeth confronts him, forcing him to confess to his human trafficking operations, where he confiscates passports of laborers he brings in from Amsterdam as security.

Bobby’s schemes with his business partner, revealed to be Tony, directly tie into Bogdan’s plight. Bogdan, trapped in this cycle of exploitation, becomes both victim and perpetrator when pushed to extremes. His killing of Tony exposes how deeply the corruption runs at Cooper’s Chase. Though arrested, his confession is tinged with tragedy. He is a man caught between exploitation and survival, ultimately condemned for an accidental crime born of desperation.

This thread enriches the narrative by adding social commentary. It critiques the exploitation of vulnerable workers while showing how injustice can push individuals into morally gray actions.

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Why does John and Penny’s story matter most in The Thursday Murder Club?

Elizabeth connects the dots in Angela’s murder case, piecing together that Penny killed Peter (Image via Netflix Tudum)

The most emotionally charged strand comes from Penny and John Gray. Penny’s vigilante justice against Peter Mercer decades earlier becomes the catalyst for Ian’s murder in the present day. John’s act of killing Ian is driven not by malice, but by love, a desperate attempt to shield his wife from legal exposure during her final days.

After confessing to The Thursday Murder Club, John requests some time alone with Penny, who is bedridden. Elizabeth realizes his plan but steps back, allowing the couple to depart this world on their own terms. John administers fatal dosages of fentanyl to both himself and Penny, ensuring they die together rather than face arrest or separation. Their funeral becomes a somber reminder of the blurred lines between love, loyalty, and justice.

The ending of The Thursday Murder Club provides emotional closure. It shows how love can lead to sacrifice and how personal devotion can outweigh the letter of the law. Penny and John’s story resonates as a meditation on aging, loyalty, and the inevitability of loss.

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What happens to Cooper’s Chase in The Thursday Murder Club?

Ron lays out evidence on the board as The Thursday Murder Club closes in on the truth (Image via Netflix Tudum)

At the heart of The Thursday Murder Club lies the fate of Cooper’s Chase. Ian’s ambitions to demolish the retirement home and build luxury apartments threatened to upend the lives of its residents. After Ian’s death, Bobby Tanner becomes the sole owner, but Elizabeth blackmails him into a deal. He must sell the property to a person of her choosing, later implied to be Joanna, who can ensure the community’s preservation.

This decision reframes Cooper’s Chase as more than just a setting. It becomes a symbol of resistance against exploitation and displacement. The Thursday Murder Club saves not only themselves but also their wider community, ensuring that the home remains a refuge rather than a casualty of a man’s greed and ambition.

The resolution of Cooper’s Chase ends the story on a hopeful note. It contrasts the darker revelations of murder with a picture of community and belonging.

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How does the film’s ending compare to the book’s ending?

The Thursday Murder Club unravels dark secrets as Tony becomes a central victim of the mystery ( Image via Netflix)

While the film and the book share the same killers, several elements differ in execution. In Osman’s novel, Bogdan’s motive for killing Tony is tied to revenge and a long-standing grudge involving a criminal named Turkish Gianni, stolen money, and years of simmering resentment. The movie streamlines this subplot, framing Bogdan’s act as one of desperation tied to human trafficking and his stolen passport.

The fate of Ian Ventham is also altered. In both versions, John kills him to protect Penny’s secret, but the book includes more suspects and false trails, such as Bernard’s hidden urn and a fake priest with a buried past. These are cut from the Netflix adaptation for clarity. Similarly, Peter Mercer’s role in Angela’s death is consistent, but the book calls him Peter Weber and expands on Penny’s motivations and guilt.

By simplifying these threads, the film sharpens its focus on emotional resonance rather than sprawling subplots. Still, both endings emphasize moral choices. Justice is served in unconventional ways, and love, loyalty, and secrecy drive decisions as much as law or truth.

The Thursday Murder Club leaves its audience with a sense of closure. The final twist reveals killers across decades, but also exposes deeper fractures within Cooper’s Chase. The retirees solve their case, but the shadows of loss and moral compromise remain. With its mix of wit, poignancy, and finality, The Thursday Murder Club proves that even the coziest of mysteries can be resolved with justice delivered, though at a personal cost.

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The Thursday Murder Club is now streaming on Netflix.