Bogdan Jankowski

The builder who knows how the village works

Bogdan Jankowski is a Polish builder working around Coopers Chase. He enters the first novel through the construction and maintenance world rather than through the Thursday Murder Club’s weekly meetings. His practical knowledge gives him a different connection to the retirement village from the residents’. He understands jobs, buildings and the people carrying out the work. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron are the club’s four members; Bogdan belongs to the wider circle that makes their investigations possible. His quiet competence is a striking contrast with visitors who announce their importance more loudly.

Stephen and the chessboard

Bogdan’s friendship with Stephen Best is one of his most memorable relationships. Stephen, Elizabeth’s husband, is a retired academic living with dementia, and the two men share games of chess. Their companionship matters beyond any usefulness Bogdan has to an investigation. Stephen can meet an opponent and enjoy a familiar intellectual activity, while Bogdan gives him patient company. The relationship also makes Bogdan part of Elizabeth’s domestic world. It shows a caring side of a character who might otherwise be introduced chiefly through physical work and unexpected practical abilities. Those unhurried scenes give him considerable warmth.

A dependable ally with his own judgement

Bogdan tends to act without needing a lengthy explanation of how capable he is. He can deal with practical obstacles that the quartet cannot resolve merely by asking questions. That makes him a trusted ally, but it does not turn him into an uncomplicated servant of their plans. He has his own judgement, history and decisions. Elizabeth’s confidence in him grows through what he does, while the other residents gradually come to value more than his usefulness as a builder. His loyalty and discretion are central traits; the details of his more surprising interventions are best enjoyed within the novels.

How he differs from the quartet

Each member of the Thursday Murder Club arrives with a professional language: intelligence work, nursing, psychiatry or union organising. Bogdan’s authority is less likely to come wrapped in a formal explanation. He can be underestimated by someone who confuses a manual occupation with a lack of perception. His calm manner also changes the pace of scenes that would otherwise be dominated by Elizabeth’s plans or Ron’s objections. The books make space for competence expressed through action and kindness expressed through company. His relationship with Stephen is the clearest introduction to that second quality, and an excellent reason to follow the supporting cast closely.

Where to meet him first

Begin with The Thursday Murder Club. Bogdan’s place in the village, his work and his connections with the Best household are established there, and later books build on those introductions. Continue in order if you particularly enjoy his growing role among the club’s allies. A complete account of his first case would reveal important answers, so this profile stops at the character’s background and relationships. The chess scenes are a good early favourite to look out for: they show the human value of his presence without requiring an explanation of any mystery. Later practical surprises work better when you have already met the quiet man behind them.

On screen

Henry Lloyd-Hughes plays Bogdan Jankowski in the 2025 Netflix film. See the full actor-to-character cast guide and the film guide.

Read the books and extracts

Start with The Thursday Murder Club. Our reading order follows the novels’ publication sequence. The publisher’s extracts below let you meet the characters in Osman’s own prose; review and cast links offer further background.

• The Thursday Murder Club: opening chapter
• Penguin’s guide to the four club members
• Netflix’s character and cast guide