The Bullet That Missed (Thursday Murder Club # 3)

 

Another day, another murder for the Thursday Murder Club to solve, and I’m so excited the Coopers Chase Retirement Village gang is all back! This time it’s the 10-year old suspicious death of TV journalist Bethany Waites.

If you’ve met septuagenarians Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim in the first two books, you know there’s no question they’ll get the job done - even if a few rules get bent here and there! Along for the ride are DCI Donna deFreitas and DCI Chris Hudson, lovable Bogdan, and an ever-growing cast of old and new characters.  

It was fun to see love in the air for a few of these characters interspersed with the more dramatic scenarios some of them found themselves in. I’m not going to deep-dive into the plot since so many reviews have already been written, but the plot included a TV show, a conspiracy involving cryptocurrency, a shady character named “The Viking”, an old KGB colonel from Elizabeth’s past, missing money, the hilarious drug-dealing menace, Connie, from the last book, murder, and more of the general twisty-turny mayhem you’ve come to expect from this bunch.

It’s cozy, it’s fun, it’s charming, and it’s positive age representation at its best! I love that this series celebrates the intelligence, ingenuity, resourcefulness and savvy that only comes with a life fully lived! 

Elizabeth, once again, draws on her considerable talents as a former spy, good-natured Joyce continues to show she’s MUCH smarter than people take her for, Ron’s tough, street-smart ways are still on display, though softer this time around, and Ibrahim’s wisdom and intelligence work their magic.  Each are a unique part of the puzzle that makes them such a formidable team, and I know I wouldn’t want to try to outsmart any of them!

I read on my Kindle while listening to the audiobook, and at first was sad that Lesley Manville, who narrated the first two, didn’t narrate this one, because for me she IS these characters.  It only took a couple chapters to discover that Fiona Shaw was more than up to the task of filling her shoes.  Yes, some of the voices I know and love were different, but she quickly made them her own, and I enjoyed it immensely.  While I still hope Manville returns for Book #4, I’ll be just as happy if Shaw returns!

The chapters are short, smart and full of wit, and every character brings flavor to the story. My one and only issue with the book, and the reason for 4 stars rather than 5, is that there was almost TOO much going on, and it created some confusion at times trying to keep all the characters and their connections straight.  I’m not sure I’d try this on audio alone, because I found myself needing to look up names and situations a few times, but if you pay close attention you should be fine.

Now the only mystery I need to solve is how to get Richard Osman to write Book # 4 faster!

★★★★