I cannot wait to see these folks again. The audiobook is awesome and that's the way I want to experience these books from now on. And, we have Joyce's new rescue mutt to meet!

But you may imagine nothing goes as it planned, dead bodies start piling up and our genius foursome find themselves into complex espionage scheme, fighting against real dangerous criminals. Could they survive? Fingers crossed! I don’t want to lose my favorite characters so early!I’m involved about as much as I want to be with the Thursday Murder Club. If they can plant cocaine in someone’s cistern, I don’t want to think about what they’d do with my love life.” Elizabeth is a former secret agent with MI5, with crucial know-how, instinct, and access to police and British intelligence resources. Joyce is a retired nurse, and she adds a very different perspective on situations and is the perfect person to deal with people, with empathy that puts people at ease. Ron was a union man and a real go-getter with a solid and determined personality. Ibrahim is a former psychiatrist with a unique and treasured ability to read people and their body language. Ibrahim is mugged, and it leaves him frightened to leave his home, and he uses excuses why he can’t participate in outside activities. The personal story of Ibrahim is quite touching and, unfortunately, a horrific reminder that assaults like this do happen to our seniors. The support and care from his group of friends add a sensitive dimension to the story. It also provides the reason local detectives Chris Hudson and Donna De Freitas return, and their friendship and relationships extend the exciting characters surrounding the Thursday Murder Club. Another special friend of the club, is the calm and mysterious Bogdan, someone who always has the means to get something unusual done. I adore the crime solving quartet of Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim. Each with their own strength and type of intelligence. Joyce, especially, warmed my heart. The story advances through all four POVs, plus Chris and Donna’s. The narrative is split between all the characters mentioned above, but Joyce and Elizabeth play the largest roles, followed by Ibrahim, who is the victim of an awful crime. I would like more of Ron and Bogdan in the next book. Good to see you, Elizabeth. Are those flowers for me?” “No, I have taken to carrying flowers around with me as an affectation,” says Elizabeth, handing them over as she is ushered in.”

The Man Who Died Twice (Thursday Murder Club #2), released in September 2021, is the second novel in Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club cozy mystery series. The series follows a group of retirees as they come across murder and mayhem. The first novel was a pretty big hit in the UK, and I really enjoyed it. There are lifts in all the buildings, but Elizabeth will use the stairs while she still can. Stairs are good for hip and knee flexibility. Also it is very easy to kill someone in a lift when the doors open. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, and a ping to announce that you're about to appear. Not that she's worried about being killed, it doesn't feel to her like that's what's happening here, but it's always important to remember best practice. Elizabeth has never killed anyone in a lift. She once saw someone pushed down an empty lift shaft in Essen, but that was different. Joyce, the diarist, is a former nurse, who seems a gentle, naïve soul, but there’s almost no blood and gore that she hasn’t seen before. That’s just as well, because our main character, Elizabeth Best, is a retired (I use the term loosely) spy who seems to be as active as ever. What is she capable of? It’s always a little intimidating reading a sequel to a popular book, because there’s always the danger it will lose some of its shine or run dry on some of the ideas that made its predecessor so successful. I needn’t have worried. Personally, I think this one is even BETTER, and here’s why:An unexpected visitor—an old pal of Elizabeth’s (or perhaps more than just a pal?)—arrives, desperate for her help. He has been accused of stealing diamonds worth millions from the wrong men and he’s seriously on the lam. 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? As for Connie, they (Ron and Bogdan) invite Connie to attend the meeting telling her that it’s an opportunity for her expand her drug trade. So, they tell Connie to bring Ryan Baird with her to drive her to meeting (claiming that he’s someone they trust). Connie knows where Ryan is, so she agrees. (The idea is that by involving Connie and Ryan, it’ll implicate them in an illicit deal, and they’ll be conveniently present to be arrested.) I love these characters so damn much. Out of the 3 I've read so far, this one stands out spectacularly. Richard Osman’s follow-up to The Thursday Murder Club, The Man Who Died Twice, has become one of the fastest-selling novels since records began.

I had the pleasure of listening to the Audible narrated by the VERY talented and engaging Lesley Manville and I do hope she will be continuing her work with book three in the series, “The Bullet That Missed” which has an expected publication date of September 20, 2022.Meanwhile, Elizabeth has a plan regarding Ryan and asks her friend Bogdan to acquire come cocaine. Bogdan does it and hands it off to Ron. Ron then goes to Ryan’s house, pretending to be a plumber sent by the housing association. He plants the cocaine and Ibrahim’s credit card in Ryan’s toilet and then “anonymously” calls Donna and Chris. Ryan Baird is arrested. Jones, Alice (16 September 2021). "Richard Osman on The Man Who Died Twice: 'Celebrity novelist is the worst phrase in the English language' ". The i. Archived from the original on 16 September 2021 . Retrieved 11 October 2021.