This is the second book in the Thursday Murder Club series by author Richard Osman and in my opinion far more enjoyable than the first book. Having been introduced to the club members in the first book it was easier to get into this one and the characters got even stronger once more meat was put on the bones. Good cosy thriller with fun characters and a good plot.

The four Thursday club members Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron return to tackle another case. Former MI5 member Elizabeth receives 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 $20 million worth of stolen diamonds, a violent mobster, and a very real threat to his life. As bodies start piling up, Elizabeth enlists former nurse Joyce, retired psychiatrist Ibrahim and retired union leader Ron in the hunt for a ruthless murderer. Up against a murderer who wouldn’t have any issues killing the four septuagenarians of the Thursday Murder Club. Have the club met their match or can they hunt down both the killer and the diamonds.

This is a very enjoyable novel that got better the more I read which promises good things for the future. Clever plot, fast paced with a touch of humour. I feel that I am really getting into these characters now so the third book promises to be even better.

I would like to thank both Net Galley and Penguin UK for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I very much enjoyed the "Thursday murder club" when I read that so was pleased to be given a chance to read his second.
I wasn't disappointed, this was just as good! Highly recommended.

The Thursday Murder Club set the bar very high but this follow up The Man Who Died Twice is no slouch it just keeps getting better and better. Our four retirement village friends jump into Elizabeth’s world of spies where everyone dreams what they would do with 20 million in diamonds. Joyce one of my favourite characters ever is well up for anything Elizabeth throws at her including interrogation by MI5 (l really want a friendship bracelet). This is a character that will make you laugh out loud at every corner. There is also a a serious side when a severe attack will take out the feet from under one of our characters and it will be no easy task to recover their confidence. This story has everything including a mystery that will have you baffled. Don’t worry all will be revealed at the end of the pier. Really don’t want to have to leave our four. Until the next time.
I was given an arc of this book by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Joyce and her friends from the retirement village are plunged headlong into another case when Elizabeth’s former husband and fellow agent asks for help to evade some criminals he has upset. Police officers Donna and Chris are on surveillance to catch a major drug dealer, and there is the additional problem of trying to catch a mugger who has attacked one of the Thursday Murder Club. The mix of omniscient narration and Joyce’s own version of events combine to create humour and lighten the tone of the sometimes grisly murders that sporadically occur throughout another intriguing and entertaining mystery.
A thoroughly enjoyable read that kept the pages turning and at times had me laughing out loud.

The Thursday Murder Club team is back! There are a robbery, secret services, diamonds and gangsters involved.
And always adorable Joyce, Elizabeth, Ron and Ibrahim. Never underestimate the power and courage of older and more experienced generation!

The novel is full of strong characters, twisty plot, and humorous narrative.

Cosy and enjoyable mistery read.

What do you think is worse - Richard Osman knows he can’t write and is just taking the money of the gullible, or he actually thinks he’s a good writer? Honestly, I think it’s the latter, and that is terrifying.
This was not what I expected. Having avoided Osman’s first attempt at writing a book due to the lack of evidence that he was capable of such a feat, I had steeled myself for a cozy crime which would be terrible but at least be a harmless way of passing some time. But it appears Mr. Osman reckons himself as a bit of a Val McDermid, but is really more Val Doonican. There are moments, basically unskilled shifts in tone, which are, no doubt, meant to be shocking but are telegraphed pages in advance, and make Mr. Osman’s attempt at a serious crime novel look leaden and clumsy.
This book is awful. I punished myself reading it. Every sentence is overwritten to breaking point; I think Mr. Osman intended them to be “clever”. He doesn’t succeed. It’s very hard to care about any of the characters because they are all so badly written. There is one called Elizabeth who is nearly seventy but talks like she’s twenty; one of the many signs of poor characterisation in this book. I suspect she is meant to be the “strong female character” in the book, and it is brave of Mr. Osman to create such a protagonist, seeing as he is incapable of writing a strong character of any gender.
Mr. Osman wants to write well in his heart, (and I suspect he believes, in his head, that he does) but no part of this book is able to hold itself up as evidence for that. The villain is bereft of any dimension, let alone the requisite three. The main characters are as simply drawn as possible so Mr. Osman doesn’t have to work too hard at making them realistic. This book has three parts and 84 chapters for some reason. 84. This is not the hallmark of a competent writer. And neither is writing a story in the present tense just to be “edgy”.
Mr. Osman thanks practically the entire population of the UK in his afterword; no need to thank your publishers, Richard…just thank the venal culture that allows poor vanity projects like this to exist. Somebody needs to stop allowing celebrities like Mr. Osman to write and publish whatever nonsense he can dream up whilst waiting to record Pointless. The first book “broke records”, and I’m sure this one will too, which is entirely due to the identity of its author.
A plot that does nothing, characters that irritate and attempts at humour that do nothing but irritate, this is the last-minute homework of a talentless amateur desperately trying to avoid failing a creative writing course. No book can literally be painful to read; words on a page cannot actually cause you physical discomfort. But you know what? With “The Man Who Died Twice”, Richard Osman very nearly makes such a book an excruciating reality. I can believe this book exists - lots of very bad books exist these days - but I can’t believe people will choose to enjoy it. Are peoples’ lives really so empty that something so worthless can make it better? If this is 21st century literature then you have to fear for the future of the written word.

Couldn't wait to get my hands on this, mainly by wrestling it from my colleagues hands... anyway, hadn't realised just how much joy Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron bought into my life the first time, this time its bigger, better, funnier with many laugh out loud moments. Joyce's foray into social media is hilarious and it's Joyce that I admire - she is so much more than Watson to Elizabeth's Sherlock. Love the Donna and Chris partnership as well. Read, chuckle and enjoy the crime fighting foursome.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

The Thursday Murder Club are back with another crime to solve! The Thursday Murder Club are a small group of people who originally wanted to solve cold cases. They all live in the same retirement village, and are all skilled in their own way. This time we meet Elizabeth’s ex husband who she hasn’t seen for twenty years. He is a spy, just like Elizabeth used to be, and he requires her assistance after getting himself into some bother. We are led on a twisty, turny journey of false leads and red herrings to solve the crimes committed.

I loved this book. It had everything that makes a perfect story. We had murder, crime, wit, humour, emotions, and a group of pensioners determined to get the right outcome. You couldn’t ask for much more from a decent book. This was an excellent follow up to the first book, and I enjoyed more than I did the first. It was excellently written, and the story flowed really well, and there was no loose ends left. The characters are all brilliant, and although I don’t really relate to them, I wish they were my grandparents. They are such fun people, with the best personalities. I have nothing negative to say about this at all, except I wish it was longer. I can’t wait to see what The Thursday Murder Club get up to next. I would highly recommend to all.

Another fun read from Richard Osman - getting to know more about the characters of the Thursday Murder Club, enjoying the twists and turns of the plot. Perfect read for relaxing with and I certainly chuckled at the antics of all the characters. Not quite as page turning as the first but still enjoyable.

The Thursday Murder Club enjoyed looking at cold cases and discussing what they thought really happened but somehow, since recently solving their own real life case, it seems a bit tame. Elizabeth, always a little secretive, has a problem however, and as things suddenly involve a new dead body she knows the four friends are the only hope of getting it all sorted. With their contacts in the local police busy with their own problems, old colleagues showing up after decades of silence, and one of their own suffering a crisis of confidence, the Murder Club is enjoying life once again.

This is the second in the brilliant series by Richard Osman and shows the previous book's success wasn't in any way a one off. There are no major spoilers but I would definitely read them in order. This time Elizabeth's past comes into sharper focus but it in no way way cuts down the importance of Joyce, Ron, and Ibrahim's part in this really good book. Once again we are given a glimpse into Joyce's diary and, alongside Mr Osman's gentle but laugh out loud humour, is probably my favourite part.

There are serious issues mentioned but as you would expect from this author they are dealt with in ways to makes you think what can be done to help rather than despair. The unlikely protagonists are as likeable as before but they are so much more this time round. I really hope there will be a third book as I have enjoyed this enormously and would hate to think this is the end.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions expressed are my own. This is a great book and deserves at least as much success and as many accolades as the first. I highly recommend it as a must read book of 2021.

Much as the loved The Thursday Murder Club I absolute adored this, I think Richard Osman has truly got in his stride with this, it was an utter delight. I had in honesty forgotten much of what had happened in the first book but that (obviously) took away none of my enjoyment in this, the characters were written to their strengths and there was no shortage of humour in this unlikely but gently told storyline. I love how Richard Osman has managed to make the most of each character and still got a solid, twisty storyline. You truly don’t know what to expect next from this venerable quartet but they certainly put the wisdom of their years to good use, and often not so good use, but always with fortuitous results. They each have some wonderful foibles as often becomes older characters which make them such an utter delight and I seriously hope they have more to come.

I, like literally millions of others, loved the first ‘The Thursday Murder Club‘ book by Richard Osman – so when the publisher asked if I’d like an advance review copy of the second book in the series through NetGalley I danced a jig around my office! I downloaded it immediately and it took precedence over the ever increasing TBR pile. I devoured it in days.

Here’s the blurb:

“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?”

It was so brilliant to be reunited with the Thursday Murder Club Gang! It felt like meeting up with old friends again. I guess the book would stand up on its own – and you don’t HAVE to have read the first book – but let’s face it, you probably have anyway! And it would make much more sense with all of the back story in place too.

You are not only reunited with the main 4 characters of Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron who live in the Coopers Chase retirement village and are members of the Thursday Murder Club – but also the supporting cast of Chris and Donna from the local police (and Donna’s Mum who is now seeing Chris!) and the septuagenarian’s ‘fixer’ Bogdan.

Whilst the missing diamonds and the relationship to Elizabeth’s past is the main storyline – it is interweaved with other stories too – the local mafia, local drug dealer, violent street crime, Chris and Donna’s love lives and classic entries in Joyce’s diary (her foray onto Instagram is amazing – and I do feel she is channelling my late Nan!!)

It romps through – again with Richard Osman’s voice loud throughout the writing – but I have to say I loved it.

I liked the fact you already knew the characters, and it felt like you were moving forward with the story and their relationships. Again – this would make an excellent film / TV series (and given the rights for the first book were snapped up by Mr Spielberg – I suspect this book will be too!) There was no ‘difficult second album’ about this sequel at all – it was as good, if not better, than the first in the series.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my ARC – I’m looking forward to book three already!

I received this advanced copy from Penguin General UK via Netgally in exchange for an honest review

“She’s on a diet, she’s eighty two!.” “Zimmer frames make you look fat. It’s the thin legs.”

We are back with the Thursday Murder Club gang and after reading this I’m just about ready to pack my bags and move to Coopers Chase.

This book much like the first book is filled with laugh out loud moments, fun, friendship and of course a few dead bodies. The reader learns more about the lives of the Thursday Murder Club gang including Elizabeth’s life as a spy and Joyce’s Instagram. Ex husband’s, the M15, cocaine, guns and diamonds make the storyline much faster paced then the first book.

However despite the action I genuinely smiled the whole time I was reading this book it’s endearing and heartwarming from the first page to the last. It’s the characters that make the book. If you were a fan of The Thursday Murder Club you will love this. In my opinion it’s even better then the first. Fingers crossed for A Thursday Murder Club #3.

I greatly enjoyed this second outing of the Thursday Murder club even more than the first book. The characters continue to delight and the plot is twisty and engaging. The characters are well developed and I enjoy reading about people in their later stages of life leading vital and full lives.

An astounding sequel to the bestseller debut that rocked the world. This is a stellar read. I was completely hooked. Perhaps due to this being a sequel, it doesn’t need to setup its characters and it gets straight to the story, which is completely propulsive.
We have two storylines here: one follows Elizabeth’s ex-husband returning to her life. He’s working for MI5 and there’s stolen diamonds worth 20 million at stake here. Then there’s the storyline of Ibrahim, whose been violently mugged, and attempts to catch Connie, the drug kingpin of Fairhaven.
There’s some heavy topics here, but Osman handles them with delicacy and nuance. There’s plenty of pathos, but also heartwarming comedy and just plain and simple heart of the gang that puts a smile on your face and makes difficult themes, that would be gritty in any other book, digestible. There’s lots of suspense, and twists, too. This is simply a knockout sequel. Highly recommended!

Richard Osman - the polymathic co-presenter of the popular Pointless is a publishing phenomenon with his debut novel "The Thursday Murder club" selling over a million in hardback and now dominating the sales charts in softback.

"The Man Who Died Twice" is the follow up and I can say now that I expect it to achieve similar success

When former M15 operative Elizabeth receives a letter from someone from her past she is immediately drawn into intrigue - even more so as she knows the sender of the letter to be long dead. and things soon develop to include her ex-husband .and a £20 million diamond heist.

Quickly she draws in the other members of the septuagenarian Thursday Murder Club - Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim as well as the local police and her M15 contacts.

This book is actually better than its predecessor - that had rather a linear plot whereas this has a number of plot strands woven together, in Osman's discursive prose style, into an enthralling tapestry.

A must read.

I loved, “The Thursday Murder Club,” and was delighted to receive the sequel for review. We are back at Coopers Chase, where the members of the Thursday Murder Club are engrossed in a cold case, when a letter is slipped under Elizabeth’s door and, before long, there is a current mystery to investigate.

If, in the previous book, we had glimpses of Elizabeth’s previous life as a spy, her past is explored in greater depth this time round, with MI5 appearing (Sue and Lance) alongside Chris and Donna, from Fairhaven police. Chris and Donna are staking out Connie Johnson, the ‘drugs kingpin’ of Fairhaven, when they learn that one of the Thursday Murder Club has been injured in a mugging and, of course, are keen to see justice done.

While you sense that Richard Osman had huge fun with this book, involving spies, international money laundering, diamonds, and much more, I promise that you will have much more fun reading it. Every character is integral to the plot and fleshed out; whether the young girl watching the left luggage lockers at the station, Ron’s grandson, Kendrick, or the driver of the Coopers Chase minibus. Joyce’s musings will make you chuckle, but there is real poignancy and depth to Osman’s writing. This is fun and – for me – pretty much unputdownable, but it is also intelligent and perceptive.

Long may the Thursday Murder Club continue, and I will happily follow their adventures. If I could give this ten stars I would…. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review. I look forward to buying it on Audible and enjoying the whole adventure again, on publication.

The second outing for the Thursday Murder Club and an even more entertaining read than the first book. We have spies, drug dealers and the Mafia, plenty of dead bodies and Joyce's flapjacks. It's the characters that make this book so special, in this story we really see them more developed and well-rounded. The humour is excellent and there are quite a few laugh out loud moments. The plot is deliciously convoluted and full of surprises. I read this in one sitting, a very compulsive read and now I can't wait for the third book!

Reading Richard Osman’s first book I was skeptical that a game show host could become a writer/author of any note. He proved me wrong the first time round. Receiving an invite to read his second book, I was again doubtful about Richard’s capability to publish a second potential best seller. Again I was proved wrong. The plot is good, the characters are full of interest and the book is extremely well written. What I liked about it most is that it is not simply a crime/murder mystery, the storyline is a light-hearted pleasurable read packed full of humour. Just what is needed in these trying times. Well done Richard, his publisher, agent, editors and all who worked on the book. It was a pleasure to be given the chance to be one of the first to read “The Man Who Died Twice”.

I have seen a number of people commenting on social media that this series is not a patch on the likes of Michael Connelly, etc. They are completely missing the point! These Thursday Murder Club books are full of humanity and loving relationships, as well as the plot lines of murder and other assorted crimes. The writing is intelligent without becoming pretentious or obscure and the touches of humour are brilliant. Joyce in particular really makes me laugh out loud with her attempts to master modern technology. The ending of The Man Who Dies Twice is particularly satisfying, and Richard Osman so cleverly resolves the plot in the very last sentence.
I have recommended the books to a number of people (including one complete stranger in a book shop!) and will certainly continue to do so.
When is book 3 coming out? 🙂