Richard Osman is making an unexpected change to his latest murder mystery after a seemingly minor detail sparked a backlash from readers. The bestselling author, whose Thursday Murder Club books have sold millions of copies worldwide, is amending his new novel after his editor brought the complaints to his attention.
Birdwatchers complain about swift detail
Speaking at the Times and Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival on Saturday, Osman explained how the controversy unfolded. He said: "I had a thing today that came through that was Vern — this guy in a Tuscan villa is looking for a swift which is on the roof of one of his outbuildings — and the swift is looking for food for its family.
"My editor said there are a lot of furious birdwatchers out there because they're saying that swifts do not eat worms.
"They don't look for worms, they don't eat worms, so should we change it in the paperback to a blackbird or a robin?"
Mistake in 'We Chase Shadows'
The mistake appears in his novel We Chase Shadows, where a swift is described as swooping down to pick up a worm in its beak. Osman, who has written five Thursday Murder Club mysteries and sold 17 million books, suggested his editor should have spotted the problem. He proposed a different solution for the paperback edition, saying: "Actually now he thinks about it, Vern is not sure it's a swift."
He also apologised to ornithologists before joking about the birds' diet, asking: "What the f*** are they eating?"
Online reaction and swift facts
The error had already attracted attention online, with birdwatchers highlighting the passage after the hardback was released. One reader said: "I've just got to the bit about the swift swooping down to eat a worm and I was just completely discombobulated." Another suggested: "Maybe they need bird advisers."
A third questioned whether the mistake had been deliberate, writing: "it is such an obvious mistake I wondered if it was deliberate for some reason?"
In reality, swifts feed on flying insects and spiders, catching their prey while airborne. They nest in small gaps in roofs and other buildings, but usually leave the UK for Africa around the end of summer.
The birds are also facing a decline in numbers. According to the RSPB, for every ten swifts seen in British skies in 1995, only around three remained by 2022. The species has consequently been placed on the UK's Red List of Birds of Conservation Concern.
Osman on food addiction
The literary controversy comes after Osman spoke about his own struggles with food addiction, admitting that he finds discussing the subject uncomfortable. He told The i Paper that opening up about his experiences had encouraged other people to discuss their difficulties, including men who had previously kept their problems to themselves.
He said: "I don't want to talk about these things, I really don't. It's not comfortable. People… well, no, women come up to me and tell me their husbands heard me talking about it and then opened up about their own issues."
Osman has previously described bingeing on chocolate and explained that speaking honestly about difficult experiences can help break a cycle of shame. He summed up his sweet tooth with a joke: "If they made heroin gummies, I'd get hooked - but to the sweets and not the heroin."
