The Man Who Died Twice
Happy day! My favorite septuagenarian sleuths are back, and I was finally able to see what Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibraham have been up to since the murder and comical mayhem of The Thursday Murder Club. As one would expect … it’s a lot! Would you expect anything less from this formidable, fiddling four? Of course not.
It’s always a little intimidating reading a sequel to a popular book, because there’s always the danger it will lose some of its shine or run dry on some of the ideas that made its predecessor so successful. I needn’t have worried. Personally, I think this one is even BETTER, and here’s why:
The main characters are established. Whereas The Thursday Murder Club made the introductions and scattered those “get to know you” details that one might enjoy at a party where conversations don’t go too deep, this book is more like a sit-down dinner with a glass of wine, where you really start to get to know your new friends and their histories. I loved finding out more about Elizabeth’s secretive past. She’s a badass! And Joyce. Don’t let her sweet, ditzy manner fool you. She’s got her own skills to bring to the table. Ron and Ibraham, DCI Chris and Donna, lovable Bogdan … all of them had new layers of their personalities and skills revealed, which made me feel more invested in them and their story.
The new characters are delightful. I liked the extended cast in this one more. Even the ‘baddies’ are fun. Honestly there isn’t a single unlikable character in the bunch (OK, one little punk, but he’s forgettable). Some of the interplay between the opposing sides in this book was laugh out loud funny. Connie? She’s a hoot.
The plot is more fun. It involves a large stash of stolen diamonds, local cops, MI5 spies, the NYC mafia, a disarmingly charming lady crime boss, murder, a return from the dead? … oh, and Joyce trying to figure out Instagram (I dare you not to laugh when you find out her username). What’s not to love? It’s got mystery, intrigue, humor, and a whole lot of heart, and I loved every second of it.
The audio. Can we just give Lesley Manville all the awards for narrating that exist and be done with it? It’s one thing to be able to voice one or two characters effectively, but to do a large cast of both female and male characters, all with different ages, speech patterns and dialects and to make each one distinctly their own is a true gift, and she’s got it in spades. I would love this book even without audio, but having listened to her narrate both books so far, I can’t imagine it without her now.
This book is fun, it’s charming, it’s so-well written, and it’s safe to say that I’ll follow this series wherever the brilliant mind of Richard Osmon wants to take me. One bit of advice: I strongly recommend you read The Thursday Murder Club first, if you haven’t, before reading this. The first book lays so much foundation, and I think it would be difficult to feel invested in the characters and this story without that background. My second bit of advice: Sit back and enjoy!
★★★★★ ❤
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