Another satisfying mystery which improves on the first installment in the series. 4/5 stars.
Thank you to Penguin UK for providing me with an e-copy of this book via NetGalley.
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?
My take:
[This will be a very short review to avoid any and all spoilers and because so many other people have reviewed this already. I don’t want to bore you.]
And … they’re back! Last year, I (along with most of the country!) read and enjoyed The Thursday Murder Club: Richard Osman’s first story about a group of sleuthing OAPs and the members of the local police unwittingly roped into their investigations. I liked the older protagonists, particularly Elizabeth, and am delighted they’re all back in this second installment in which Elizabeth gets even more to do and we find out about her past.
I think The Man Who Died Twice is an improvement on the first book in the series. Mostly because I found some elements of the mystery plot in The Thursday Murder Club impenetrable and confusing. This one, while full of twists and turns, is more straightforward. Also, as I’m now familiar with the main cast of characters, I could devote more attention to the whodunnit elements, making it all easier to follow and greater fun.
I guess you could read this book without having read The Thursday Murder Club, but I would always recommend reading a series of books in order so you can get the most out of continuing plot strands and character arcs.
Overall: even better than the first book in the series, The Man Who Died Twice is surely guaranteed to top the bestseller lists for a long time. I just hope the television adaptation is as much fun.
Art and Soul 
I have been wondering about this – I enjoyed the first book on many levels but on reflection I think it could perhaps have done with a good editor to remove some of the overly complex bits. From what you say I am not alone! I will probably get around this one at some point, as I can see it filling charity/seconhand shops for a while to come. Thanks for pointing out that it is better than the first !
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Good to hear it is better than the first one. There were a lot of things I liked, but I found parts a bit convoluted. I will see if I can get this one and give it a go. Nice review Claire.
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Thank you! The first one left me quite confused and a bit lost by the end (although I did enjoy it). This second one was much more straightforward, thank goodness 😊
I hope you enjoy it! x
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Fab review! xx
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Thank you! I tried to keep it short because I know so many other people have already got there before me 🙂 xx
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Fab review! You’ve definitely made me look forward to this sequel now. xx
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Thank you! It was so much clearer what was going on. And though there was plenty of drama, I thought it was more fun 🙂 xx
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That gives me hope I will love the sequel more as I was one of those who didn’t love the first book as much as most people…
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