The Man Who Died Twice: The second novel in the multi-million copy bestselling murder mystery series

I sadly missed the first book but relished getting my hands in this 2nd book in the series. I don't think I missed out having not read the 1st book but I have added it to my verrrrrrry long TBR Sign me up for Coopers Chase when my retirement comes. That place is not where you go for a peaceful retirement lol. I really enjoyed meeting this eclectic crop of cooky characters; Elizabeth - retired spook, her bestie Joyce - retired nurse and wannabe crimefighter, Ibrahim - retired psychologist and voice of reason, and Ron, hardcore Union man and always willing to right a wrong. A case from the past comes back to haunt Elizabeth. Add in an adulterous ex, missing Mafia Diamonds, wannabe drug Czaerina and a nefarious middleman and the result is a brilliantly funny, well-written, and well-paced murder mystery. Poor Ibrahim gets put through the wringer and I felt his retreat from life was very well-written. I loved Joyce's diary entry and I just need to giver her a cuddle -she and her daughter have a fraught relationship. Ron - a man you always want on your side. With great secondary characters such as Fairhaven cops, DCI Chris Hudson and Donna De Freitas and a certain Polish enigma, Bogdan. I have to say I was not very keen on the MI5 intruders - except Poppy, she was so out of her depth. All around I was a very happy camper. My only peeve was Police Scotland being referred to as Strathclyde Police - we've not been that for years. MY DCI's would go into shock if you asked them to interview someone LOL. Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

It was delightful to re-visit the world of Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron at the Coopers Chase retirement community, characters readers grew to know and love from Richard Osman's 2020 smash hit The Thursday Murder Club. In this outing, the team of sept- and octogenarian crime fighters become embroiled with British Security Service MI5 after Elizabeth's former husband, who's still with the secret service, makes contact with her. A cache of valuable diamonds have gone missing from the nearby home of a shady middleman. Ibrahim is mugged while on a visit to town, the culprit escaping the scene. The team's friendly police contacts, DCI Chris Hudson and PC Donna De Freitas, are meanwhile on obbo, attempting to catch a nefarious female crime boss in the act. After three violent deaths, the three separate storylines gradually converge as the Thursday Murder Club use their combined skills, charm and wide range of contacts to shed light on who are the good guys, who are the bad, and who are a bit of both... Building upon the solid foundation of The Thursday Murder Club, the characterisations of the central quartet are quirky and sympathetic. The supporting cast, both returning characters and new, are also well-developed and intriguing. The plot of The Man Who Died Twice is more complex and beguiling than that of its predecessor, and Richard Osman strikes a perfect balance between pathos, humour and intrigue. While I believe reading The Man Who Died Twice as a standalone would prove an entertaining and rewarding experience, I would strongly recommend reading in series order, for the sake of character development in particular. I'd highly recommend The Man Who Died Twice to any reader who enjoys character-driven mysteries with a nice dollop of humour. It's a delightful and engrossing read. My thanks to the author, Richard Osman, publisher Penguin UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this much-anticipated title.

A truly delightful second outing for The Thursday Murder Club! Hot on the heels of their last outing, Elizabeth receives a letter from a former colleague who, having stolen some diamonds, is being pursued by a violent mobster and needs her help to protect his life. As bodies begin to stack up, Elizabeth involves Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim to help bring the guilty to justice and, who knows, perhaps recover the diamonds too? The downside, of course, is that they are up against a brutal killer who would have no qualms about bumping off four elderly sleuths! The first in this series was superb and I thoroughly enjoyed it but this one easily supersedes it; I suspect because I was familiar with the characters, I relaxed into the story. The story is well-plotted and laced with humour throughout – in fact, it’s worth paying attention to Joyce in particular as she is often unwittingly funny! The characters are skilfully crafted and I love that I now have a strong mental image of each of them which all adds to the enjoyment. Exciting, enigmatic and terrifically entertaining – not to forget a strong sense of justice having been done, this is a splendid read and one I highly recommend. I really hope this series continues as it covers so much and it is all cleverly sorted out by the final page. Worthy of my highest recommendation (it would make a fabulous Christmas gift!) and, as such, easily earns all five sparkling stars!