Review: The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman

I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.

Series: Thursday Murder Club #2

Publisher: Viking

Published: September 2021

Pages: 336

Summary

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?

My Thoughts…

I really loved The Thursday Murder Club when I read it last year and so I was looking forward to hanging out with Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim again in the second book in the series. What I wasn’t expecting was that I would like this even more than the previous one!

The Man Who Died Twice has everything I loved from the first book, and more! Our favourite gang of septuagenarian detectives is back with all the wit, humour and utter chaos only they can bring, and copious cups of tea. This time, they are faced with a serious mystery involving stolen diamonds, MI5 and even the mob.

I really liked seeing all my favourites from the previous book return in this one, and I loved having the chance to get to know a few of the secondary characters better. The character development definitely improved from the first book, without losing any of the simplicity and charm that made these characters so loveable in the first place. There’s witty banter aplenty, but also the space for serious conversations and touching reflections on life, love, friendship, illness and getting older. Joyce’s diary entries remained the highlight for me, making me literally laugh out loud more than once.

The mystery itself was twisty enough to keep me guessing right up to the end and, while a few situations leading up to its resolution were definitely very convenient, I didn’t really mind too much because of how much fun I was having with it. This is a book that really doesn’t take itself too seriously, with some situations bordering on the absurd, but this is precisely where its charm lies. In some passages, it reminded of Jonas Jonasson’s style of comedy, so perhaps avoid if that isn’t really your cup of tea.

For me, this was escapism at its best and precisely the light-hearted, heart-warming, wholesome read I needed in a stressful period. Definitely looking forward to the next instalment!