Fantastic book; easy read but intriguing, with funny, great characters. Lovely characters we know from the first book. It's not James Bond, but it is a good read.

***ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley.co.uk in return for an honest review ***

The Thursday Murder Club are back!

After struggling a little getting into the first instalment in this series I wondered if I'd have a similar issue with this book. However, I was instantly hooked and I can't tell you how much I adore these characters! Great story and the writing had me laughing out loud. Can't wait to hear more from Elizabeth and the gang!

Richard Osman has done it again, this book is fantastic! What's not to love, a cracking mystery, our favourite foursome back again and some really insightful moments on what it is to love and to be alive. Brilliant!

I enjoyed this book much more than the first because while loving the premise I found the original storyline pretty basic. The author did such a good job describing the characters previously it allowed him to deliver a better storyline this time round without wasting pages with character descriptions. You know the characters, you are familiar with the setting and this allows you to just get stuck in to what's happening. Having every second chapter from Joyce's point of view started to irk me slightly and I'd hope he'd maybe replace these chapters going forward with a different character as there's scope to learn more about them this way. It also does read like an ITV TV detective show though and I'd be surprised if it isn't one soon.

Love Richard Osman's characters and writing style - I sped through this heartwarming and entertaining book.

I hadn’t read the previous book, but absolutely loved meeting The Thursday Murder Club in #TheManWhoDiedTwice

I meet so many interesting elderly people through my work & when there is ever a chance to, I love to hear their stories. I hope my later life is half as interesting as those of this crime fighting foursome!

It was a faced paced read that I enjoyed reading in small doses- I wanted to stretch this book out! Expect twists, turns, diamonds & drug dealers with a side order of tea & biscuits.

I have now bought the first book & can’t wait for the third! Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for my free advance copy in return for an unbiased review.

I am suspicious of celebrity authored books. It feels like an unfair shortcut to publishing, but also how much time they have to write and what really qualifies them to write in the first place (ie – by all means punt out your biographies but leave the rest to the proper authors). This is a little bit disingenuous, its not like most first time authors are devoting their time to just writing rather than fitting it in around their other jobs. But as the disheartnening boom in celeb authored kids books shows, publishers think a name sells. All of which is prologue to how much I enjoyed the first of Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club novels, which had to both win me over as a novel and as a celeb authored one (albeit a celeb who I feel vaguely warmly about). It wasn’t just a solid crime novel, but it also was a very funny one which also was a plea for empathy for an older generation who may be in residential homes but still have lively brains and interests.

The main diminishing return for the second book is therefore familiarity. The characters are the same, and the scenario is similar, even if we delve more into an espionage plot. Osman’s voice, both first and third person, is still rock solid and there is always a generosity even to his snark. And he does try some difficult stuff here, not least taking one of the more active characters from the first novel and giving them “the fear” – a general sense that once your existential sense of self and invulnerability is assaulted you may never get it back again, no matter how much support you have. It does have an even broader problem that there are so many main characters that clearly Osman loves that there feels like less room for the supporting roles which in this case is the, you know, murderer and sundry suspects. That said I think I would pretty much eat this stuff up if there wasn’t a murder.

All of which to say is that if you liked the first one, you will like this one, as it is 70% continuation of the character work of the first and 30% new mystery. It feels like Osman is in for a medium long haul here, so I would enjoy and expect to see more of these, but I would also look forward to something else from him. I might not be surprised by the quality of the writing any more, but he does do a great job at creating characters and setting them in contemporary British society that I would hate to see him get trapped by the ongoing soap of Coopers Chase.

5 Stars

It was so good to be back with the Thursday Murder Club, like slipping on the comfiest pair of socks and snuggling down with no agenda. Perfect.

In The Man Who Died Twice, the seemingly fearless foursome are back with Elizabeth leading the way on a new adventure.

This book has it all, murder, mystery, love, spooks, diamonds, corrupt-in-a-good-way cops and Bogdan.

As well as being as cute as apple pie, the storyline is every bit as exciting as a James Bond film - yet with all the warmth of Midsummer Murders. It is an oh so clever story that will keep you guessing.

I loved every moment of this book, and that doesn't surprise me as Richard Osman comes across as just the nicest most wholesome man on The House of Games. Him and Ghosts are my favourite comfort TV.

Looking forward to book 3 already - but I hope he finishes the series before their numbers start to diminish as I don't think I'm ready for that!

Great 2nd book from Richard, fabulous writing as ever and never disappointed with what you get, great follow up to his first novel

Mr Osman has outdone himself with The Man Who Died Twice. I was thoroughly impressed with his debut novel, The Thursday Murder Club, as I thought it was an incredibly unique idea, with some very interesting characters. But dare I say it; his second novel is even better.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin UK for giving me the opportunity to read this novel before publication date.

After the first novel introduced us well to each of the eccentric and witty characters, we dive straight back into Coopers Chase from Joyce’s initial perspective, with a curious letter that Elizabeth has received from an old friend. Turns out, this old friend is actually an ex-husband, whom she used to work with at MI5, and he’s gotten himself into a spot of bother with some stolen diamonds.

The murder club springs into action, with some hilarious and remarkable scenarios along the way.

I absolutely adore each and every character in this novel (besides the obvious baddies). Joyce is sassy and a little self-absorbed, Elizabeth is badass, Ibrahim is a sweetheart that needs protecting, and Ron is a hardman, with an exterior of steel but a softie on the inside. Each of them are unique and cleverly written, and it genuinely feels like each character is speaking to you as a reader.

I also love the character of Bogdan, who drops everything to help our murder club out, and also to keep Elizabeth’s husband company.

You were kept in suspense throughout, with so many twists and turns that leave you guessing until the very end as to whodunit. The characters are also very unreliable due to the first person narrative, so you cannot be sure to believe them until it is proven to be true.

I cannot recommend this novel enough, there were so many laugh out loud moments, moments of heartbreak and anger, that helped me finish the book in just two days. I would even say you don’t necessarily need to read the first novel to enjoy it, but you do get a better sense of the characters by doing so.

Even though the scenarios within this novel are very wild and probably not something that would happen in real life (Would police officers really help elderly people frame someone for drug trafficking?), it doesn’t take away from any of the enjoyment of it. It is pure fictional hilarity.

I am looking forward to reading more from the Thursday Murder Club, and may they continue to be just as hilarious!

I don't know how Richard Osman does it, but he manages to make a totally unbelievable story seem quite credible! The Thursday Murder Club quartet are back, this time dealing with MI5, stolen diamonds, the Mafia and various dead bodies. What I really love is the humour - I laughed out loud on numerous occasions! I really recommend this book as total escapism! Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
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From the author of the Thursday murder club another is another witty book full of interesting characters. I love the way Richard Osman writes and I do look forward to reading much more of his books in the future!

This was such a fun whodunnit, I loved the first book in the series and this one didn’t disappoint either.

I’d never thought about what kind of past the people in my grandmother’s nursing home but after reading The Thursday Murder Club I used to look around a imagine their backgrounds. Imagine the stories they could tell and lives they lived, so It was wonderful to return Coopers Chase, and catch up with the wonderful the cast of characters.

Elizabeth is a former M15 operative, and when there’s a case to solve the Thursday Murder Club are the ones to investigate, Joyce, Elizabeth’s sidekick, a former nurse and journal writer and I just adore her I really love her internal monologue and the diary style that they are written in.

This is a novel you will enjoy if you are looking for a fun murder mystery, with a twist or two. It will keep you hooked until the end.

Second book in Thursday Murder Club series with the indomitable Elizabeth, ex nurse Joyce, psychotherapist Ibrahim and Ron - along with their police sidekicks (Chris and Donna) they try to serve justice for perpetrators of attack on Ibrahim. The club are also ‘babysitting Elizabeth’s ex husband who is being threatened by criminals for stealing their diamonds.
I preferred this book to the first one - I liked the humour, the naivety of some of these septuagenarians who are willing to give anything ago and are somewhat enjoying the dangerous situations they get themselves into.
The writing is a throwback to earlier writing styles, slower but still with lots of scary moments and intrigue.
Highly recommended for its humour, style and excitement.
4.5 Stars ⭐️
Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for a fair review.

I adore how British this book is. I adore how funny the writing it. I adore how we have older main characters. One of my favourite cozy mysteries ever and the hype is so well deserved.

As someone who loved The Thursday Murder Club I was a little disappointed with this second outing. Whilst the characters remain brilliant I felt the plot was a little rushed and a left me a little bemused by the coincidences. I would still read the next book .

Great! Just as sharp and funny as the first one. Osman's humour shines through, and the humour is kind and funny rather than mean,.

This was so much fun! I really enjoyed the first book of the series, but loved this one. The four main characters are such a hoot, and along with a few secondary characters have really wormed their way into my heart.

Alongside the great characters we have a really solid and interesting mystery that kept me guessing throughout the book. Highly recommend for a good romp of a read, with a few heartfelt moments thrown in too.

Gorgeous, funny, page turner. I have recommended this to so many people. The copies I bought for the library have been out constantly and everyone is loving it.

Elisabeth has received a letter from an old colleague who also used to be her husband. He needs help as he has been accused by a violent mobster to have stolen diamonds. Elisabeth will obviously involve the whole gang but as Ibrahim gets into trouble, he also needs help.
The book was as entertaining as the first one and I will be waiting for the next book in the serie.