The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman

The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 5 days

Pages - 422

Publisher - Viking

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

Shocking news reaches the Thursday Murder Club.

An old friend in the antiques business has been killed, and a dangerous package he was protecting has gone missing.

As the gang springs into action they encounter art forgers, online fraudsters and drug dealers, as well as heartache close to home.

With the body count rising, the package still missing and trouble firmly on their tail, has their luck finally run out? And who will be the last devil to die?



My Review

This is book four in the series and I would say you will get more out of it by reading the previous books and getting the backstory(s) of the characters. The books are centred around older characters who have a Thursday Murder Club and they set out investigating crimes/murder(s) and they are actually pretty good at it.

One of the things I love about these books is how quirky the characters are and whilst that is present in some of this one there is a sadder/dark streak in this book I wasn't expecting. I get that the characters growth/arcs need to go a in certain directions but sometimes when you are caught off guard it can impact in your enjoyment of a story. That being said I also know that it might be more of a me thing than the story/author thing.

On the lighter side there is more of a couples theme in this one and Ron puts his foot in stuff as he does, set in his ways stubborn but still. Skulduggery, drugs, murder and investigating, the opening chapter kicks us into the thick of it straight off.

Friendship is quite often at the heart of these stories and it is strong in this one. We obviously have the police investigation, the gang doing their thing, criminals old and new and everyone is looking for the same thing just for different reasons. It is a good story, engaging just not my fave of the series and has some dark/sad themes involved so for me 3/5 this time. Will I read more of the series? Absolutely, I love the characters and their antics just found this one had a bit more sadness than I was expecting.

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The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days

Pages - 336

Publisher - Penguin

Source - Review copy & bought the hardback

Blurb from Goodreads

Four septuagenarians with a few tricks up their sleeves
A female cop with her first big case
A brutal murder
Welcome to…
THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB

In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet weekly in the Jigsaw Room to discuss unsolved crimes; together they call themselves The Thursday Murder Club. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron might be pushing eighty but they still have a few tricks up their sleeves.

When a local developer is found dead with a mysterious photograph left next to the body, the Thursday Murder Club suddenly find themselves in the middle of their first live case. As the bodies begin to pile up, can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer, before it’s too late?


My Review

In a wee but fabulous retirement village a quartet of friends meet everything Thursday for "The Thursday Murder Club". They look at old unsolved crimes, go through them, debate, speculate and investigate. When a murder happens right on their doorstep - its practically fate for the club, isn't it? A new copper PC Donna De Freitas goes to give a chat to the elderly folks and ends up getting more than she bargained for. Involving themselves in the investigation and making pals with the cops the unlikely gang set to pulling their resources and manipulating the police to get the answers they need to try and discover "who done it?"

We get introduced to the characters, their personalities, their quirks/stereotypes/opinions and who they are and how they gel together despite their differences. The retirement village sounds a lovely wee place to end up in, especially with amateur sleuths and how sharp they are with their insights.

A murder, secrets, lies, friendship - this is an absolute wee cozy crime reads. It also has some humour laced throughout and if you like a wee crime story but not too heavy and with bigger focus on relationships and group/personality dynamics you will love this. Book one in a series, I liked this, few wee surprises and wee flashes of emotives in it, I look forward to the next one, 3.5/5 for me!

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