This book is the second in a relatively recent mystery series by Richard Osman. The first book in the series was The Thursday Murder Club, and I loved it. In that book, a quartet of men and women in their seventies or eighties have formed a club, expressly for the purpose of reviewing and investigating cold cases, whose case files they inherited from a former member who had access to police files. Then they have the opportunity to investigate a current crime, when a part owner of their retirement complex is killed.
Out of the blue they get pulled into a new case. Elizabeth gets a message from someone in her past, and that leads to a very unusual adventure for all of them. I liked that this one connects to Elizabeth's job in MI5 and borders on being an espionage story, but there are also brushes with drug dealers, mob bosses, etc.
My Thoughts:
It was a joy to get back to these characters again. The book was a page turner and yet I did not want it to end. All of the various story lines do get a bit complex, but this time I had an easier time following them. And with this series, I enjoy the writing and the characters so much that I just go with the flow.
The story is told mostly in present tense, third person, from various viewpoints. I had no problem with that. Joyce's chapters are written as diary entries, which serve to follow up on various actions the group takes without dragging the scenes out. Her commentary is often wry and revealing. There is a lot of quiet humor throughout the book.
For me, the age of the main characters is very appealing. The issues of old age are front and center, from the aches and pains of aging to the death of spouses or friends or living with spouses with dementia. On the positive side, their age and appearance gives them an opportunity to blend in, be unobtrusive, and get things done when they are working on a case.
This was a fun and engaging read, and now I am eager to get to the third book, The Bullet That Missed.
Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books, 2021
Length: 368 pages
Format: Hardcover
Setting: UK
Genre: Mystery
Source: I purchased this book in 2022.
19 comments:
Great review Tracy and this book sounds really interesting. Each of the characters brings so much different expertise to solving the crimes and for me a very interesting phenomenon these days are true crime podcasts where amateur sleuths try to solve crimes. And this novel opens a window to that world. I will start with the first book in the series and am looking forward to it.
I have had the first on hold at the library for a while. I may have to buy it.
Glad this one was good as I have it on my tbr pile. Not sure when I'll get to it though.
Glad to hear you enjoyed this second book as much as the first! I still need to read both. :D
I'm very glad you enjoyed this, Tracy. I like Osman's characters, too, and the case itself sounds interesting. I have to say that I have a strong, strong personal dislike of the present tens when it comes to telling stories. Still, Osman's writing is solid and I like the wit in his work.
Kathy, I am glad you are going to read the first book. Not everyone likes this series, but I still recommend trying the first book to give it a chance.
Cath, I am very eager to get to the third book, which is why I did this review first. I have three other books I am reading right now, so it might be later in November before I get to it.
Patti, I am surprised it is taking so long for you to get a copy of the first book. Maybe it is getting more popular after the publication of the 2nd one, which I liked even better.
Lark, I am sure you will enjoy The Thursday Murder Club when you get to it. There are so many books to read, it is hard to keep up with all of them.
Margot, I completely understand about present tense. This time it did not bother me, and I think I getting more tolerant of it. This is definitely a fun read.
I am glad you enjoyed the second book in the series as well. In my opinion, it was more plot-driven and slightly more linear than the first book and definitely easier to follow. I agree about the age of the protagonists. It's rare to read about characters in that age range and they are by no means boring. By the way, Elisabeth reminds me a little bit of an older version of Lady Hardcastle - or am I completely wrong?
Stargazer, I think that is a great comparison between Elizabeth and Lady Hardcastle. Both are capable and resourceful women who are not afraid to take charge. And both have a past related to espionage and intrigue.
And you are right about this second one being more plot driven. The first one spent more time on introducing the characters and setting the stage.
I've been meaning to get to Richard Osman for what seems like forever. I think you just threw me over on the side of my tipping point I needed to get to. Going to see what my library has in e-books right now.
Well, that's discouraging as it turns out. Three books in the series, and the system estimates I will get one of them from the library sometime between 17 and 21 weeks from now.
Sam, I am sorry it will take you so long to get a copy. That is a shame, but I hope you will enjoy it when it is available.
I also really enjoyed the first one although found the mystery solution at the end quite confusing. Glad you reminded me about this one, which I may try to get on audio. Elizabeth is definitely my favorite character!
I bet this one would be very interesting on audio, Constance. I haven't ever listened to a book. I cannot imagine how the various characters would be handled.
I think I like Elizabeth and Joyce equally well, and they work very well together.
A team of amateur sleuths seem like they would be fun to follow. I have not seen this mystery so thanks for the review. And do you really have a Canadian reading challenge? I'm curious how that started up. as I live in Canada ... but grew in California. cheers!
cuecard, I loved this book and hope I like the third book in the series as well.
I have participated in a Canadian Reading Challenge several times in the years I have been blogging. It is currently hosted by Shonna at Canadian Bookworm. It always starts on Canada Day, July 1st and ends on June 30th the next year. I have always enjoyed finding books by Canadian authors or set in Canada and have quite a few on my TBR shelves.
The URL for this year's challenge is:
https://cdnbookworm.blogspot.com/p/16th-annual-canadian-reading-challenge.html
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