TV personality Richard Osman has created a unique series surrounding The Thursday Murder Club, a group of cantankerous elderly misfits living in a luxury care home. The first book was so successful that he quickly came out with a second novel, The Man Who Died Twice. His latest release and the third book, The Bullet That Missed, is an enjoyable addition to the series, with everything you could possibly want from a cosy crime novel.
We're reunited with the gang, including the only first-person narrator, Joyce. Each chapter is different: some are third-person and explore the different adventures of the club's members and various perspectives, while others are written in the form of Joyce's diary. Joyce is witty and droll: she often goes off on tangents and is a shrewd version of anyone's favourite mad old grandma.
As well as Joyce, and her new dog Alan, there's also Elizabeth, a former spy, outspoken trade unionist Ron and kindly and philosophical shrink Ibrahim. They're the core club, but as the series has continued, we've also introduced new characters who are connected to them, including Fairhaven's local police force members Donna and Chris. Chris is now dating Donna's mum, while Donna is in a relationship with the care home's handyman, Bogden.
Into the mix, Osman now introduces new characters, including the elusive Viking, whose true identity is unknown. What we do know about him is that he has a mission for Elizabeth: kill an old colleague, another new character called Victor, or he will murder Joyce. Meanwhile, Ron finds the gang a cold-case mystery in the form of the disappearance of Bethany Waites, an up-and-coming TV journalist who was looking into a major VAT fraud when she suddenly vanished. Her car was found by a cliff, but her body was never recovered. Supposedly, she had just figured out the secrets behind VAT fraud case and found the culprit, but her co-host Mike never found out what she figured out.
Elizabeth is left with a dilemma: to solve it, she fakes the death of her old colleague Victor and brings him in on the investigation into Bethany's supposed death and the VAT fraud that led to it. To figure things out, the club enlists the assistance of the woman who tried to kill Ron in the last novel, who's now in prison. Ibrahim offers her therapy and tries to get her to talk to a fellow inmate, who was part of the VAT fraud but not the mastermind behind it. She was caught and has been inside ever since, but suddenly things changed, and the next thing you know the body count is up by one and the gang has a very alive killer in the cold case equation.
There's a lot to love here: Joyce's sections are funny and engaging, and there's loads of great dialogue throughout, making the novel interesting and a great read for anyone who loves cosy crime novels. The new characters are as fascinating and witty as the ones that we've come to know and love, so you're quickly hooked and want them to come back. There's also so heart-wrenching sections surrounding Elizabeth and her husband Steven, who is deteriorating mentally while his wife tries to keep his condition a secret. Still, the novel does have one small issue: the plot fails to deliver on its initial promise.
It starts out well, but things start to tail off. At the beginning, we're thrown straight into both these fun mysteries, and the pace stays fast for the first few hundred pages. However, as the novel carries on, I was left underwhelmed by the later chapters, and I felt that the ending was a bit weird and didn't seem to tie everything in. It kind of felt like the author ran out of ideas by the end, but the journey to the end was funny and enjoyable. So, while I generally enjoyed the book, it's a decent read and vital for anyone who's already enjoyed the first two mysteries in the series.
Even with the less-than-ideal ending, The Bullet That Missed is still an intriguing read that perfectly encapsulates the cosy crime fiction genre. And remember, famous novelists like Agatha Christie flubbed the ending to some of their renowned novels, and they're still revered to this very day. So, I imagine that, even though Osman's latest instalment of his amazing series isn't the best, it's still a great addition and you should definitely check it out before the release of the next one. Let's just hope that the next one has a better plot and an ending that makes sense. Either way, I'm still excited for it. I might not be revisiting this one like I do often with the first two, but The Bullet That Missed is great for an easy read over the holidays.
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