The Last Devil To Die: The Thursday Murder Club 4

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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. The Last Devil to Die is a Cozy Mystery I devoured in two big gulps. It's full of eye-opening perspectives into the antiques business, drug-smuggling, fine-art fraud, and on-line romance fraud. But who am I kidding? I'm here for the four main characters in this series, their comradery and banter, along with Joyce's journal entries that keep me listening time and time again. I did crave a bit more of Joyce's loyal pooch Alan, but that's just the dog-lover in me chiming in. But then he had a story idea—one he kept secret from almost everyone. It wasn't difficult to pursue; quiz shows are filmed in bursts, which left a lot of down time during the various breaks between seasons of Pointless. He was also filming a new, celebrity-oriented show, Richard Osman's House of Games, which debuted in September 2017. All of that love of information and knowledge, and of crime fiction in particular, had to go somewhere. And his mother, now living at a retirement village, offered an endless supply of stories about the lives of the other residents. They could be anyone, anything—maybe even spies, once upon a time. OMG! I want to get on the waitlist for an Apartment at Cooper’s Chase and join the Thursday Murder Club! As we have come to expect from Osman's writing, there is more than one tightly plotted mystery to unravel.

With Elizabeth preoccupied with Stephen’s care, Joyce takes the lead. Ron is Ron, while the reader finally learns more about Ibrahim’s past. A new friend comes into the fold, and some new residents of Coopers Chase find themselves in scandalous situations. Also, the criminal characters are entertaining, and I especially enjoyed Garth’s character. Donna, Chris, and Bogdan also play significant roles. Fiona Shaw is FABULOUS! I got quite attached to Leslie Manville with the first two books, but Fiona is an obvious transition as narrator! She's incredible and continues to pull you in every step of the way. I really love reading along with the audiobook. It helps you stay engaged and feels like you're IN the world of these character. That's a testament not only to Richard Osman, but certainly Fiona too. All in all, this book is fantastic and I highly recommend it to YOU and YOU and YOU and YOU! The format continues to work well, combining “real time” events with Joyce’s journal recapping other scenes. My 99-year-old aunt is obsessed with them, but so is my 21-year-old niece. He crosses generations."

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The cast was a bit smaller this time but still had diverse and fascinating characters including an art forger, her comically psychotic Canadian husband, some drug runners, a couple museum experts, a victim of romance fraud, a brief return of Stephen’s friend, antiques dealer Kuldesh Sharma, imprisoned drug maven Connie, and of course, the eminently lovable Bogdan, along with detectives Donna, Chris and others. Narrator Fiona Shaw did a stellar job once again of voicing them all. Humor is an integral part of the Thursday Murder Club series. It frequently manifests itself in the dance between the Club and the official police. Naturally, the Club members pride themselves on their devious methods of finding what lies behind the façade of murder and mayhem. The police, understandably, would prefer to investigate without a quartet of old codgers always beating them to the punch. Same old/same old, until police from the outside take over the investigation of Kuldesh Sharma’s death. Actions have consequences: the local constabulary and the Club join forces. The latest adventure of the Thursday Murder Club is also its best…Even if the mysteries weren’t absorbing — which they are —Osman’s books, likeAlexander McCall Smith’s, would work simply because it’s such fun to spend time with these people.What setsDevilapart from its predecessors is the deftness and humor with whichOsmanconfronts a subject that’s completely not funny: dementia…In the end, the murder club books are not really about crime but about friendship and finding ways to stay involved in life.”

I won’t rehash the plot since it’s been thoroughly reviewed by others at this point, other than to say it involves a stolen box with a valuable stash inside, the darker side of the antiques trade and forgery, a side story about romance fraud and, of course, murder! The 4th edition of the Thursday Murder Club series is filled with crimes, philosophy and a short goodbye. Possibly because of the way he grew up without a financial safety net, he has admitted to being obsessed with the metrics when it comes to his work today. “I don’t want someone at the end of the year looking at their balance sheet and going, ‘Oh God, Richard Osman cost us money’. That’s like a nightmare for me. I like to get what I’m worth, I like to be valued. But at the same time, I never want to be overvalued. I’ve got a proper work ethic, I’m a grafter.” Osman was 38 when Pointless first aired in 2009 (Photo: Matt Frost/BBC/Remarkable Television)

Retailers:

Yes, this group has insanely outlandish adventures. But the friendships ring true and the dialogue is hilarious. <--this is what we're all here for, right?

Another sweltering month in Charlotte, another boatload of mysteries past and present for overworked, overstressed forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan.I am a little bummed that Richard Osman is taking a break from this series to start another one (though I'm excited to see what he comes up with). Visiting these septuagenarians has become a highlight of my fall every year. But don't worry, for whenever the next book comes out, I'll be right here waiting to be reunited with my old friends.

Delivers the same kind of clever dialogue, colorful characters and corkscrew plotting that made the other books so much fun… As you reach the last chapters of this book, you’ll think you’ve figured out the mystery. You’ll think so several times. ButOsmanand the Thursday Murder Club will keep the surprises coming.” To avoid people dismissing him as a “celebrity author” – someone who gets published just because readers will recognise their name – he wrote his first book in secret, finishing the manuscript before his agent sent it to publishers. Does he still feel conflicted about that today? “Really, really not at all,” he says, a note of impatience in his voice (“celebrity author” is another loathed phrase). “I feared at the beginning that was going to be what people said, but I’ve literally never had anyone say it to me. People have been very accepting.”

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Richard Osman’s books are a slyly sophisticated bunch, boasting emotional development equal to the memorable mysteries. . .Thursday Murder Club mystery stands up well on its own, but given the richness of character and relationships, as a set, they’re bloody brilliant.” The Bullet That Missed hits on every front. Its quandaries stymie, its solutions thrill, its banter is worth reciting and its characters exemplify an admirable camaraderie. One can only hope that the Thursday Murder Club’s next outing appears before long.” The Thursday Murder Club is so busy solving crimes that they don't even have time for their weekly meetings. This is a world where people of all stripes can be united by Countryfile and a spot of crime fighting. “I like people to get along,” says Osman. “I like to bring people together, which is quite a hard thing to do. But I hope that all the things I make have the feeling that people have stuff in common, and that there are ways through our difficulties.” 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.