Genre: Mystery Age Range: Adult Star Rating: 5 stars Series: yes - second book
*SPOILER ALERT: contains SPOILERS for THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB*
Blurb:
It’s the following Thursday.
Elizabeth has received a letter from an old colleague, a man with whom she has a long history. He’s made a big mistake, and he needs her help. His story involves stolen diamonds, a violent mobster, and a very real threat to his life.
As bodies start piling up, Elizabeth enlists Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron in the hunt for a ruthless murderer. And if they find the diamonds too? Well, wouldn’t that be a bonus?
But this time they are up against an enemy who wouldn’t bat an eyelid at knocking off four septuagenarians. Can The Thursday Murder Club find the killer (and the diamonds) before the killer finds them?
Blurb taken from Goodreads. Add to your shelves here.
Review:
THE MAN WHO DIED TWICE is another hilarious murder mystery about four friends in a retirement community who end up with a mystery on their hands. And this time, there’s 20 million in diamonds, the mafia, a local drug lord, and the secret service involved.
The inclusion of the secret service gives us a chance to find out more about Elizabeth, the most mysterious of the four. While we have a vague idea of her past life as a spy, this book fills in some of the details – and about one of her past marriages. Not to mention that having spies involved gives the gang a chance to boss some new people about, as Donna and Chris are pretty much on their side and just going to do what they’re told at this point.
This book also deals with the fear of death and frailty, and I loved how it handled that. Not to mention that it did so by present really sensitive men who talked about their feelings with others (there is no shame at all in this book about men crying and yes we need more of that in media!) and the importance of intergenerational bonds. Plus friends having one another’s backs and getting the person who hurt a friend convicted. Because that’s what the Thursday Murder Club does!
You also get the sense, reading this, that the author is settling into the series. While the mystery is as much a standalone as the first book, the characters’ lives are feeling less so, building up relationships to run across multiple books. And given the characters are the heart of this book, it really helps make me want the next book even more to see how the teases and promises and set ups are going to play out.
Read my reviews of other books by Richard Osman:
The Thursday Murder Club (this series):
Sifa Elizabeth Reads 