In The Man Who Died Twice, we return to Coopers Chase retirement village and the septuagenarian sleuths Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim, and Ron. This time, Elizabeth’s past as an MI5 agent returns to haunt her in the guise of a former colleague, some stolen diamonds, and the Mafia. Soon enough there’s murder and mayhem as the friends try to get to the bottom of where the stolen diamonds are. There’s also an attack on one of their own, some blossoming romance between side characters, and a substantial amount of drugs.

As with the first novel, The Thursday Murder Club, the main characters are well-rounded and fully developed. The secondary characters could perhaps do with a little more polish here and there, but on the whole they are entertaining and relevant to the plot and shenanigans that go on throughout the story. We are treated to the main action with side forays into Joyce’s diary entries and flashbacks to Elizabeth’s former employment, with an underlying theme that actions have consequences, even decades into the future.

I enjoyed this book very much, though I would recommend that newcomers read The Thursday Murder Club first because it sets everything up so beautifully and gives lots of backstory. These characters really get under your skin and — despite it being a crime novel (which I almost never read) and about murder — it was a warm and welcoming return to Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim, Ron, Bodgan, and the others. The very British humour is still on point without it being cringeworthy, which is something I hope continues throughout the rest of the series, and the plot had plenty of twists, turns, and complications to keep me guessing. The line “I suspect Elizabeth will happen” had me barking with laughter, but the introspections Elizabeth has around her marriage had me awash with tears. I really did resonate with her this time around, despite being decades younger, in a way that made my heart hurt, and that is the mark of good writing.

The only thing I would say is that some of the novelty of the first novel has worn off now, so it perhaps wasn’t as captivating as the first, but this is a minor point and I am excited to continue with the rest of the series as and when they are published. Very enjoyable and recommended!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher, Viking, through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Really enjoyed the second book about the thursday murder club. A bit more involved and a few more characters to know but we are getting to know Ron, Ibrahim, Joyce and Elizabeth a lot better. Fun and clever, can you get to the diamonds before anyone else?

Picking up right where ‘The Thursday Murder Club’ left off, we spend time in the company of Elizabeth, Joyce, Roan and Ibrahim once more. In this book Elizabeths’s life before Coopers Close returns to haunt her, and she needs the help of her friends. I enjoyed the plot, and am looking forward to meeting the gang again

I don’t want to say much about this book. If you’re expecting crime fiction that exercises your ‘little grey cells’ this is not the book for you. Granted it is complicated and there’s lots going on, plenty of murders, drug dealers, spies and mobsters etc, etc. But essentially it is light easy reading,with the sort of humour that makes you groan in despair, and a great deal of waffle and tedious wittering on.about various mundane matters. As you can see I’m not the target market for this book and with nearly 8,000 ratings on Amazon, 96% of which are 5 and 4 stars, I am definitely in the minority. I was hoping I’d enjoy it more than his first book, The Thursday Murder Club, but sadly I think it’s worse.

It follows on from Richard Osman’s first book about four residents of Coopers Chase retirement village, Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron, and Ibrahim, four septuagenarians, who call themselves The Thursday Murder Club. Elizabeth is a former MI5 agent and this book reveals a lot about her life as a spy. Needless to say she is clever, with the answers to all the problems that are thrown at her when her ex-husband appears on the scene, having stolen 20 million pounds of jewellery from the Mafia.

As in The Thursday Murder Club, the text is written in the past tense interspersed with extracts from Joyce’s diary written in the present tense. Joyce is an irritating character, and her diary is where most of the waffling and wittering on is found. She also explains what has been happening as though having read it already the reader is too dim to understand it. Then we are treated to DCI Chris Hudson’s cringey romance with Patrice, PC Donna de Freitas.

Overall the characters are rather stereotypical, and the plot is over complicated and unconvincing. Richard Osman’s type of humour does not match mine, so I doubt very much that I’ll be reading any more of his books – I see he has another one in the pipeline!

When you speak to authors they say the second novel is perhaps harder than their debut, to bring to publication.

Trouble is that Richard Osman is making this author lark as simple as chatting with AA on Pointless.

Effortless is a real sign of talent and doesn’t replace hard work, but simply, is the culmination of endeavour, discipline and commitment.

Despite this being set among a group of elderly residents in a retirement village there is menace, danger and threat to life. Not as you might think due to slips, trips and falls but the four friends engage themselves deliberately to solve crime and unravel a murder mystery. The author has fashioned three dimensional characters and if nothing else demonstrates there is more to look forward to in older life than waiting for forgetfulness to cloud the memory, failing health to weaken the body and frailties to overcome the spirit.

This sense of old people, with identities established throughout their working years brings colour, contrast and comic touches to their later lives.

Elizabeth is a former “spy” and it is this more secretive background, long ago left behind, that drives this story. Yet, we have a wide spectrum of society here, mafia, gangs and criminal enterprise that doesn’t usually front up with the experience of senior citizens. This contrast of worlds is spun seamlessly into this tale of greed, betrayal and contract killing. With a returning supporting cast who have befriended these pensioners and love them as family you have a feel good book.

Contrastingly this is crime drama with no punches pulled, as the body count mounts you wonder and worry for these old folk who still like an afternoon nap and when confronted and involved with violence cannot bounce back like American PI’s in detective fiction.

You find yourself invested in these people and concerned that they will turn up in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Using situational humour, inspiring human qualities the book is an easy, and must, read. Genuine warmth is brought to the piece but insufficient to rest as there remains a threat and this uneasy sense of danger.

You get a sense that the author loves to entertain and enrich through his writing. This is a brilliant second outing for his unique and adorable characters. Life is seen as dangerous. Fear and withdrawal are nature outcomes in later life but The Thursday Murder Club shows than with age comes wisdom and dignity in one’s treatment to others. I loved this book as much, if not more than the debut and they sit proudly on my bookshelves.

The Man Who Died Twice was one of the most anticipated reads for me this year. I loved Richard Osman’s first book in the series, The Thursday Murder Club, and I couldn’t wait to dive into the second book immediately.

Synopsis:

It’s the following Thursday. Our lovely group of pensioners is going on about their day-to-day routine, when Elizabeth receives a letter from an old colleague. He’s in danger and he needs her help, and he’s somehow managed to get himself involved with some stolen diamonds and some angry people capable of a lot of violence.

When things get heated and people start to die, Elizabeth needs the Thursday Murder Club crew to assist her. And Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim can’t wait to embark on another adventure.

My Thoughts:

This book is everything I expected it to be, but it still amazed me. First of all, Richard Osman is such an amazing storyteller. It was so easy to get into the story and read the book. The pace was steady and the chapters ended with a bit of suspense and mystery that made me keep going. The story was very well thought of, kept me hooked until the very end.

The group of four people that we already know and love work so well! Each one of them is a unique character and I loved reading their individual scenes just as much as I enjoyed them hanging around together and solving mysteries. They have a certain bond that I crave to have when I make it to that age. When I think of the Thursday Murder Club crew, I have the Friends crew in mind, when they are in their 80’s. I usually get bored and distracted when reading dialogues that don’t contribute to moving the story forward – but with this book, I craved more interactions and never ceased to be amazed.

The mystery side of the book was very interesting.

We get a few clues along the way and at some point, I was sure I cracked the case. But boy, oh, boy, was I wrong! And not only that, but there is a smaller mystery as well that happens side-by-side, making the reading journey very unpredictable. I loved how everything comes together in the end, and it all makes perfect sense.

I very much enjoyed the adventure that was The Man Who Died Twice and I’ll be looking forward to reading the next book Richard Osman decides to throw my way. Funny and mysterious, smart and adventurous – this book is a wonderful sequel to a brilliant series. If you’re still in doubt – go for it! The Thursday Murder Club crew will immediately grow on you, as they did on me.

Now this was a fun book to read......The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman was a great read. I confess, I haven't read the first book yet but I will read it in the future, But, I was hooked from the beginning, then ended up reading it in one sitting.
The Man who dies twice is the second mystery solved by a group of senior citizens. Four good friends, Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim manage to find, with a little help from the local police, the culprit behind a double murder. This book had me laughing out loud and I woke my hubby up several times whilst reading it.....One thing I will say is "Don't start reading this book before you go to bed!!!!"

I highly recommend!

Big big thank-you to Richard Osman, Penguin General, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.

It breaks my heart to say that I didn't enjoy this book as much as the first.

The character arcs were A*. Definitely redeemed the storyline for me. Who knew that reading about four septuagenarians would be so delightful. I want Ibrahim to be my relative, please.

However, the mystery/crime aspect just didn't hit the mark for me this time around. I appreciated the personal link with our fab four, but the storyline itself just felt forced in a way that the first book didn't. The fact that I spent three weeks reading this and I read the debut in a weekend is evidence of that.

Overall, a lovely, British read that just didn't quite hit the spot for me.

This.book.was.BRILLIANT!

Utterly captivating and, somehow, even better than the first! We have the familiarity already with the characters so coming to this storyline felt like meeting up with old friends...but with more depth and emotional investment.

The twists and turns had me guessing at every step and genuinely, I was clueless as to how this would end...and that was OK. I simply loved following this delightful group and therefore never found myself over analysing who did what crime as the process with this eclectic crew was its own page turner.

There isn't a single thing I disliked about this book (other than the fact it came to an end)

I'm sorry to say I just couldn't finish reading this book. I tried so hard to like it as I have heard so much about it but it was confusing and annoying to read. It was not an easy read, no flow, the writing changing too often (first person, third person!).

It just didn't grab me and make me want to read more. I kept picking it up and trying to read it but I finally realised I couldn't waste any more time on it so I have let it go!

I loved this book. It picked up with the characters and setting beautifully, continuing the story without feeling forced or unnatural. The characters are developed further and the story itself was interesting, quick paced and enjoyable.

After reading Richard Osmans first book I was very excited to have the opportunity to read his second, and I was not disappointed in fact I think I might have enjoyed this charming, and gripping second book a little bit more than the first.

The second in the Thursday Murder club series. I actually enjoyed this story more than the original one. The characters were all there. Full of intrigue and suspense. These books are not complicated, but are a jolly good read.

I absolutely love love loved this. The story kept me guessing and was gripping the whole way through.
It was, however, the characters that really made this book a joy to read for me. Each of the Thursday Murder Club members’ characters’ were developed and really fleshed out. Honestly the story could have been about anything and I would have enjoyed it if it had Joyce and Elizabeth in it!
Cannot wait for book 3!

The second crime novel by Richard Osman featuring a group of retired friends investigating old crimes. I enjoyed the friendships between the residents and the local detectives, the quirky humour and the character development.

They often say the second book is hard to write. And I think we've all been there when after enjoying the first in a series, we return for the next only to feel a bit let down and disappointed. Well, I can confirm that Richard Osman has blown that myth out of the water. His second book, The Man Who Died Twice, does not disappoint in any way. I'd say it's better than his first.

Once again, we find ourselves back in the company of those we came to love in his debut novel, and they are all as charming and loveable as before.

If you liked the first book, you'll love this.

The second Thursday Night Murder Club novel continues in the same vein as the first novel.
Straight into action with the Thursday Night Murder Club when Elisabeth receives a letter from a person from her past who died 20 years ago. That’s the beginning of a story that has a plot with more twists and turns than a snake. The letter leads to a diamond theft, murder and the club meeting up with the mafia and MI5. Elisabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim are all great characters and the mixture of crime and humour, that was so good in the first book, is all there again . Richard Osman’s Murder Club series continues with another page turner which I thoroughly enjoyed.
It is an excellent crime novel and the plot with all its twists and turns kept me quickly turning pages until all was revealed.

When I heard another Richard Osman book was out, I was like this is going to have so much to live up to and it did not disappoint.

What a cracking read, Highly recommended this.

The Man Who Died Twice is the second book in Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club series set in Kent. It delivers on humour, owns some remarkable characters and the story is first-class. All of the characters are so loveable in their own way and The Man Who Died Twice really is an enthralling, offbeat and entertaining read, just as The Thursday Murder Club was. With reveals in plentiful supply and a rising dead body count, there is ample fodder for armchair detectives to dwell on. I can’t wait for the next one!

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Penguin Books/ Viking via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

What an interesting trajectory the reading of this book has provided; initial impressions were of a newish author trying too hard, albeit laced with some truly charming and effective writing - then a feeling that the book felt like John le Carré meets Mick Herron with a side helping of Alan Bennet. But persistence brought its own reward and the story slowly grabbed hold of me and kept me reading longer and longer until I reached the end, where loose ends were pleasingly spliced into a very tidy knot. No need here to summarise the plot - there’s plenty on the book details; what I can do is share my appreciation for excellent character development; a crazy plot that nevertheless sustains enough coherence to avoid stretching credulity beyond reasonable limits; and a pleasingly subtle, low level but thoroughly enjoyable humour that permeates the text. Strongly recommended.