The primary setting is a fictional retirement village called Coopers Chase. Think of it as a luxury spa where the average age is eighty and the hobby of choice is solving grisly murders. The author, Richard Osman, has admitted he based the village’s vibe on a real place: Barton-on-Sea in Hampshire, England. Just imagine a bunch of pensioners in designer tracksuits, sipping sherry while casually discussing alibis.
But here’s the first surprising fact: Osman has never lived in a retirement village. He just moved into an “active adult” community and thought, “Hmm, this is ripe for a little homicide.” The real Barton-on-Sea is a sleepy coastal town, but Osman’s imagination turned it into a den of intrigue where the most dangerous thing is the afternoon tea. Honestly, it’s a testament to his writing that you can almost smell the lavender and hear the shuffling of slippers.
The Real-Life Location: It’s All in the English Countryside
While Coopers Chase is fictional, the geography is painfully English. The book series is set in the fictional village of Fairhaven, which is situated somewhere in the beautiful Kent countryside. Kent is known as the “Garden of England,” which is perfect for a story where people are as likely to argue over a rhododendron bush as they are over a missing weapon. Osman has said he chose Kent because it’s close enough to London for dubious relatives to pop in, but far enough to feel like a world unto itself.
Think rolling green hills, ancient pubs with low ceilings, and a general mist that makes everything look slightly mysterious. It’s the kind of place where you might find a body in a compost heap or a clue hidden in a scone recipe. The author actually used Google Maps to scout real locations, so you could technically drive around Kent and say, “Hey, that roundabout looks like the one from chapter 12!” Just don’t expect a signpost that says “Murder Central.”
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