Happy publication day to Richard Osman for The Man Who Died Twice! Thanks to Viking Books and Netgalley for an early read. Before I give you my thoughts, here’s the blurb.
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?
The Review
The Thursday Murder Club was such a joy to read that I jumped at the chance to read The Man Who Died Twice. I wasn’t disappointed. The beauty of a sequel is that we already know the characters so it’s much easier and quicker to become immersed in the story. Once again, my husband had to put up with me giggling as I read the book, reading out the funniest lines to him. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone but I’m so glad I wasn’t born in 1969!
However, there are some more serious plotlines going on. Something happens to Ibrahim that shocks him (and the others) to the core. Richard Osman handles this with great sensitivity. Likewise, the storyline with Elizabeth’s husband, Stephen, and his dementia. There was a bit in the final pages that made me cry.
These things are threaded through the main plot. Elizabeth’s past life crashes into the present in the form of an old colleague who needs her help. Initially she isn’t minded to help him but the mention of diamonds and possible threat to life is enough to reel her in, the others too.
Overall, The Man Who Died Twice is superb. The writing is sublime – funny, touching, but taut when it needs to be. I’ve no doubt that this will be a huge hit, and rightly so.
You can buy The Man Who Died Twice pretty much anywhere! So now’s your chance to go out to your local bookshop. If you’re not able to do that then click here to order a copy.
The Author
Richard Osman is an author, producer and television presenter. His first novel, The Thursday Murder Club, was a million-copy bestseller. Critics have already described The Man Who Died Twice as ‘his second novel’.
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