After the huge success of his debut novel The Thursday Murder Club, Richard Osman released the sequel, The Man Who Died Twice.
Richard Osman, often hailed as the “king of cosy crime,” has garnered acclaim for his mysteries that blend humour with a good whodunnit.
The Thursday Murder Club mystery series focuses on a group of septuagenarian detectives, attempting to crack unsolved crimes from their retirement village.
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Our favourite septuagenarian detectives are back with a new case to solve. When Elizabeth receives a letter asking for her help, she is intrigued. The letter is from an old colleague, someone she shared more than just work with, and he is now in trouble. His big mistake, involving stolen diamonds and a violent mobster, has resulted in a very real threat to his life. The case becomes even more complicated after two bodies are found.
Elizabeth, along with her trusty friends Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron, set about trying to solve the case, following some pretty elaborate clues. But will they find the killer, before the killer finds them?
The Man Who Died Twice Book Review
While I did enjoy The Thursday Murder Club, I did feel some of the praise was slightly exaggerated. It was a good read and I did enjoy it but it certainly wasn’t my favourite read of 2020. I was prepared for a similar reaction when reading The Man Who Died Twice, but I actually found I enjoyed it more than the debut.
We already know the characters so there’s no time wasted introducing them all. In the Thursday Murder Club there were that many characters it was a little confusing remembering who everyone was. This wasn’t the case with this book and the characterisation was brilliant. I warmed to them all even more than the first story.
The tender moments between characters were done so well, in a lovely unstated way. The unlikely friendships between the four friends made me smile. I loved learning more about Elizabeth’s past and seeing her put her skills to good use. She is often quite a ruthless character but the sensitivity and love she shows her husband as he struggles with dementia are always touching.
I really enjoyed the subtle humour throughout the book. There are (thankfully!) no slapstick moments as it’s the dialogue that provides the majority of the comedic moments. I definitely laughed more during this book than the first.
The murder plot was cleverly done and I enjoyed how they worked through any clues they came across. I did have to suspend belief at times but when the plot is as fun as this one, I can overlook that. There are twists and turns throughout which kept me guessing to the end. However it’s the characters that make this book as good as it is. From Bogdan wearing Joyce’s friendship bracelet to Donna battling loneliness, I found all of them likeable and realistic characters. The sections from Joyce’s point of view were a joy to read.
It’s unapologetically British which is another plus, and I love that the independent bookshop Richard Osman mentions in the book is a real one. “Use it or lose it” is so right.
To sum up, it’s a brilliant sequel, that I personally found to be better than the original.
Obviously I’d recommend continuing with the rest of the Thursday Murder Club series if you enjoyed The Man Who Died Twice. The next book in the series is titled The Bullet That Missed.
