Update and #BookReview, The Man who Died Twice (The Thursday Murder Club 2), by Richard Osman #HumourousMurderMystery

As I suspected, I haven’t been up to much for the last week, following my second hip replacement of the year. The op went absolutely fine, and the hip feels great. Me, not so much.

Having two full sedations in less than 6 months did not suit my body. I was fine for the first 3 hours after waking in the recovery room – feeling great, in fact – but then my blood pressure took a nosedive to a stupid low (49/40), and it’s been a slog coming back from that. The hospital was still happy to discharge me in 48 hours as planned, but I haven’t felt well until a couple of days ago, 8 days after surgery.

So, the good news is that it’s done, and I’m on the road back to the active life I am used to, although I could happily have done without the past week!

This week, I’m going to use ‘one I prepared earlier’, and then hopefully get back in the swing of things over the next few weeks. I am, of course, doing a lot of reading, so I will have more reviews on the way, but also, hopefully, some other stuff to share as well.

Without further ado, here is this week’s review – ‘The Man Who Died Twice’, second in the Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman.

You can see my review of the first in series here.

Here’s the blurb:

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?

And my review:

The Man Who Died Twice (Thursday Murder Club, #2)

The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This second instalment of the Thursday Murder Club is even better than the first. As the characters are already familiar, it took me no time to get right into the thick of things, unlike the first book.
Elizabeth’s past in MI5 comes back to haunt her. An old colleague, who is a little more to her than just a colleague, is in hiding and wants her help. He’s chosen to hole up in Coopers Chase retirement complex, which pretty much guarantees that no matter how she feels about the situation, Elizabeth can’t ignore it, and feels it’s important to bring the rest of the club into the picture as dangerous things might be about to happen in their cosy home. Which, of course, is exactly what happens.
There are several disparate plot threads running through this novel, which eventually dovetail together in a most satisfying manner. It does make for a long book, but that’s all to its advantage, as it’s a good book.
I still dislike stories told in present tense, but I’m learning to live with it. It does impart an immediacy, while on the downside we only get to see a limited world view, being restricted to the limits of each characters’ perspective.
Joyce’s diary entries are as hilarious as ever, as she gets to grips with the lives of spies, and struggles with her Instagram account, @GreatJoy69. She’s delighted that she has garnered a thousand messages, but can’t figure out how to read them.
I gather that this very English book is proving popular in the States too, which is surely testament to Osman’s astute observations of the challenges faced by older generations, and his ability to bring home both the sadness and the hilarity of growing old. Highly recommended for any who might enjoy the quirky concept of a bunch of septuagenarians running rings around MI5, the police, a local crime boss, and the mafia!

View all my reviews