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

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OMG! I want to get on the waitlist for an Apartment at Cooper’s Chase and join the Thursday Murder Club! I will say that while this entry was every bit as charming and full of life as its predecessors, it also had more emotional heft due to a loss that impacts all of the characters. As a reader of the series, it wasn’t necessarily unexpected, but the amount of tears I shed was! My apologies to the drivers in the cars next to me who surely thought I was having a breakdown of some sort. Kudos to Richard Osman for handling the potentially controversial topic sensitively, with room for opposing views. You know that the author can write great characters that are humorous, he can certainly write funny, he knows where the jokes can be inserted to make you smile and laugh but what I didn’t anticipate is the writer’s way of dissecting pain and sorrow and put it in wonderful words for us to read. So here’s the anticipated effect, in one chapter you are sobbing and in another you are laughing very hard, you would be looked at as unstable but that’s this book for you. So you are warned, no reading in public places or all the seats next to you will be vacated.

He wrote this novel in secret as he worked his other jobs before he sprung it on eager agents. In all, it took him eighteen months to write it. He gave it a month, then thought he quite liked it. Richard was doing a little bit less producing, and an idea came to him when he had the time and some discipline. The Last Devil to Die audiobook narrator Fiona Shaw does another remarkable job with her voicing skills. She's one of the reasons I've made this format my preference for this series. Be sure to listen to the conversation between Osman and Shaw at the end of the audio for the author's thoughts about why he's planning to do less TV and more writing in the near future. Usually by the fourth book in a series, my interest starts to wane and I don’t continue on, but I have grown fond of this gang, and look forward to what’s next! He was born with nystagmus, an eye condition that significantly reduces his vision, he memorizes entire scripts since this condition makes it tough to read an autocue.

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As the gang springs into action they encounter art forgers, online fraudsters and drug dealers, as well as heartache close to home. In his author's note, Osman indicates that he is working on a new series, so it might be some time before we can visit with our good friends from Coopers Chase again. I'm glad to know that he has not retired them for good, because I'm invested in this friendship now and I look forward to seeing them again some Thursday in the future. There are some interesting new characters introduced - Mervyn, who is looking for love in all the wrong places; Jill Regan from the NCA; and assorted criminals, some obviously so, others not so obvious. Of all the criminals it was Garth who intrigued me the most, a great big Canadian bear of a man who loved very deeply.

Richard Osman was born in Billericay, Essex, England on November 28, 1970 and is a writer, comedian, producer, and television presenter. He is best known for creating the BBC quiz show Pointless. This is the fourth book in the series, and while it can be read as a standalone, the emotional aspects of the narrative might not resonate if you are not familiar with the characters or the series. My favorite Thursday Murder Club to date, The Last Devil to Die gave me so many emotions and a riveting mystery to boot. If Richard told the sixteen year old version of himself that he would end up writing a book, he would say, yes of course, it makes total sense. This is because at sixteen, he spent all his time with some paper and a pen, mainly just writing down jokes. Younger him would be incredibly proud of writing a novel however the first thing he would ask is how many copies did he sell?Osman shares in his author’s note that he is working on a new series, so it might be some time before we see our friends from Coopers Chase. I will miss them. The format continues to work well, combining “real time” events with Joyce’s journal recapping other scenes.

This book was part of my birthday present to myself. Yesterday I decided that it was time to enjoy it. This makes two nights in a row that I have stayed up far too late reading, unusual for a woman who is often in bed before 10 p.m. When an emotional door opens up for one topic, it segues into another topic that sheds light on a key character in this series. Book #4 feels like an unanticipated shift in the Thursday Murder Club. It's evolving and surprising the reader yet keeping the core of the series fresh and ever-changing.

The 4th edition of the Thursday Murder Club series is filled with crimes, philosophy and a short goodbye. Her retort is perfectly fitting and definitely a sign that there will be more Thursday Murder Mystery Club meetings in readers futures… Osman has created very engaging characters. He also has a sense of humour that shines through the work. I think he's pretty good at plotting too. The mystery is complex but not at all confusing. I loved that the bad guy who got away was a Canadian. Garth may be ruthless, but he was always polite about it. While previous books in the Thursday Murder Club series have been full of action and crowded with characters, it becomes noticeably apparent early on that this book feels different with its quieter, softer tone, fewer characters, and an unexpected emotional punch. With that said, it's a topic that's handled in a most thoughtful and compassionate way by the author. Joyce plays a more major role in The Last Devil to Die and almost becomes more Elizabeth than Elizabeth herself. Ibrahim makes a quiet revelation to Computer Bob and I wonder whether he will ever make this revelation to the other members of the Thursday Murder Club.