Book Review | The Man Who Died Twice

I was really looking forward to catching up with the Thursday Murder Club gang once again and it didn’t disappoint.

The Man Who Died Twice
Richard Osman

It’s the following Thursday.

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?

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I was looking forward to this and it came at exactly the right time because I needed a bit of a giggle and something familiar which I knew I would find with the Thursday Murder Club. Surprisingly I think I actually enjoyed this instalment more than the first book, which doesn’t usually happen, but I think just knowing the characters a little better and knowing there would be a lot of fun whilst solving a murder kind of tipped the scales.

The story has a lot to keep your interest and a good mystery for the Thursday Murder Club to sink their teeth into, this time it’s a little more personal which made it a very compelling read, especially if like me you have a lot of love for these characters. I like how Richard Osman pieces the plot together, everything becomes relevant in one way or another but is always introduced so casually that I can never see it coming and I love the humour that is injected throughout the story, even when something is a little grim I know I’ll be smiling again in a couple of pages.

I think it goes without saying that I loved getting reacquainted with Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron. Joyce’s diary entries get funnier every time, Elizabeth is still working every situation to her own advantage and playing outside the rules, and I liked getting to see the relationship between Ron and Ibrahim develop because it’s always lovely to see a side of their personality that you haven’t before.

I also really enjoyed getting to know some of the other characters a little better this time, I’m glad Donna and Chris were still able to get involved, even though it wasn’t entirely a police matter; spies galore in this one; and it was nice to get to see Stephen and Elizabeth’s relationship, even though it has its difficulties seeing the spark that brought them together was lovely. Also special mention for Bogdan who is just as mysterious and helpful as ever but I’m hoping that maybe in the next outing that we may get to know him even more.

The Man Who Died Twice is a witty, entertaining book that is full of heart, has a clever mystery and very loveable characters and I would highly recommend you read it.