The Bullet That Missed: (The Thursday Murder Club 3)

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In the third Thursday Murder Club book a decade old murder cold case with no body has caught the attention of our favorite retirees. If that’s not enough excitement, Elizabeth is being tasked with murdering a man or else Joyce’s life will be on the line. The crew will lead us to a slew of interesting locations and individuals as they attempt to solve the case. Except trouble is never far away where the Thursday Murder Club is concerned. A decade-old cold case leads them to a local news legend and a murder with no body and no answers. As the gang springs into action they encounter art forgers, online fraudsters and drug dealers, as well as heartache close to home. Consequently there’s no tension and it requires from the reader a willingness to overlook these inconsistencies for the sake of the laughs. And the laughs were there.

Except trouble is never far away where the Thursday Murder Club are concerned. A decade-old cold case—their favorite kind—leads them to a local news legend and a murder with no body and no answers. Agatha Christie did it but it was always the one eccentric character amongst a cast of nefarious straight stereotypes. But every one of Osman’s huge cast of characters are dotty cuppa-lovers, including the ex-head of the Leningrad KGB no less, a mafia boss, a hardened convicted but inexplicably soul-searching murderess, a multi-billionaire and world’s greatest money launderer/nincompoop, and a supposedly ruthless ex-MI5 agent who shows no signs of jadedness or cynicism lest it distract from her crosswords. It’s the people, in the end, isn’t it?” says Viktor. “It’s always the people. You can move halfway around the world to find your perfect life, move to Australia if you like, but it always comes down to the people you meet.”This time round it’s the murder of investigative journalist and news presenter Bethany Waites. To solve the mystery the gang go behind-the-scenes of regional TV, encounter an ex KGB agent and a very tall, bearded Viking (sound familiar?) and get embroiled in the intricacies of money-laundering and cyber currency. Then a new foe pays Elizabeth a visit. Her mission? Kill or be killed. Suddenly the cold case has become red hot. While Elizabeth wrestles with her conscience (and a gun), Joyce, Ron, and Ibrahim chase down the clues with help from old friends and new. But can the gang solve the mystery and save Elizabeth before the murderer strikes again? THE FOURTH NOVEL IN THE RECORD-BREAKING, MILLION-COPY BESTSELLING THURSDAY MURDER CLUB SERIES BY RICHARD OSMAN

Richard Osman’s quaint and quirky quartet of seniors have become so real and endearing that they are practically national treasures whilst their antics, adventures and joie de vivre promote positivity in ageing. A new mystery is afoot in the third book in the Thursday Murder Club series from million-copy bestselling author Richard Osman.It is an ordinary Thursday and things should finally be returning to trouble is never far away where the Thursday Murder Club is concerned. A decade-old cold case leads them to a local news legend and a murder with no body and no a new foe pays Elizabeth a visit. Her mission? be the cold case turns white hot, Elizabeth wrestles with her conscience (and a gun), while Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim chase down clues with help from old friends and new. But can the gang solve the mystery and save Elizabeth before the murderer strikes again? I think motive is the problem. With Get Smart the motive was to spoof. With Colombo it was also just one eccentric detective and the motive was whodunit. With Only Murders In The Building the script rightly contained it to the building. Le Carre did the “there’s a good chap” bit but his motive was to emphasise by juxtaposition the murky evils being papered over by cynical world-weary propriety. THE THIRD NOVEL IN THE RECORD-BREAKING, MILLION-COPY BESTSELLING THURSDAY MURDER CLUB SERIES BY RICHARD OSMAN The third book in the record-breaking Thursday Murder Club series from British national treasure Richard Osman. Those of us who write comic crime are often asked to explain the appeal. We can’t. It all boils down to your attitude to entertainment. If you are happy to let other pens dwell on guilt and misery, you can relax and enjoy this novel, which is superbly entertaining. And of course it’s never just about the laughs. The comedy in The Man Who Died Twice allows for all its characters to be alert to sobering realities: of time running out; of losing loved ones to death or dementia; of feeling physically unsafe in the modern world; of grown-up children finding you stupid and tiresome. It’s this self-awareness that grounds Osman’s characters, and makes us look forward to seeing them again. I would only add on a personal note that it’s a particular challenge to read this book while attempting a sugar-free diet. I managed to steel myself to all the Twixes, but the throwaway reference to chocolate fingers on p284 nearly broke me.

This line is not in the book but it could’ve been: “How about a cuppa as you wrench my fingernails out with pliers, there’s a good chap”. There are lots of new characters who are as entertaining and believable as the familiar supporting cast whose circumstances and relationships continue to evolve in touching, amusing and beguiling ways. This latest title in this series by Richard Osman is no where near as amusing or entertaining as the earlier books. I found it rather boring compared to the previous titles and am wondering if the concept has run its course. Both the characters and the story line were predictable and the writing gets rather bogged down . A new mystery is afoot in the fourth book in the million-copy bestselling Thursday Murder Club series.The Bullet that Missed is another masterstroke with a clever plot and lots of laughs along the way.

But Osman’s motive is simply to entertain and show off his witty one-liner skills. So it’s compromised by reaching unnecessarily far into worlds where the characters end up inconsistent with the worlds to which they’re supposed to belong.