zaterdag 5 november 2022

Book Review - The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman

Title:
The Man Who Died Twice
Series: The Thursday Murder Club (# 2)
Author: Richard Osman
 
Description: It’s the following Thursday. Elizabeth receives a letter from an old colleague, a man with whom she has a long history. He’s made a big mistake, and need 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 en eyelid at knocking off four septuagenarians. Can The Thursday Murder Club find the killer before the killer finds them?
 
Review: After the immense success of “The Thursday Murder Club”, Richard Osman takes the same path with “The Man Who Died Twice”. This time he digs into Elizabeth’s mysterious past and her career as a spy. But, of course, he sticks to his introduced detectives of his debut. Old, but scratchy and handsome types. They always do well, Poirot, Miss Marple, Morse. The book is more enjoyable if you have already read the first, so I do recommend doing that.
 
“The Man Who Died Twice” is set mainly in Coopers Chase, the luxurious senior villag in Kent. Not feeling at home in any of the many activities offered, four septuagenarians form The Thursday Murder Club, where they try to solve old, unsolved murder cases. The enterprising natural leader is Elizabeth. Joined by psychiatrist Ibrahim, former union leader Ron and nurse Joyce. The story takes a surprising start when Elizabeth suddenly receives a letter from a certain Marcus Carmichael, whose corpse she identified during her active career. Which leads to an exciting but humorous murder investigation.  
 
“The man Who Died Twice” is another thriller with an unusual edge. On the one hand, Osman describes the cozy, quiet and sedate atmosphere of th nursing home. On the other, he provides a wildly exciting whodunnit. The mix of the two is strange, but getting more and more popular as the so-called cozy mystery, and it works so well. Osman does a fantastic job of portraying this while thing. The characters are so amazing, I love the foursome so much. I want to be in their club.
 
The side plot in “The Man Who Died Twice” is about Ibrahim getting beat up and spending time in the hospital. Ron doesn’t want to leave his side. This gives the book a sensitive touch around true friendship. Osman makes the whole thing very lighthearted and easy to read through short chapters, interspersed with Joyce’s diary entries that reveal a lot of additional information in a naive way. The novel has a lot of British humor and is full of irony and sarcasm, which I love.  But Osman does not shy away from serious themes either. The book deals very strongly with aging and its consequences: dementia, physical worries, the yearning for the pas and the confrontation with loneliness and parting. Yet the entertainment takes the upper hand.
 
“The Man Who Died Twice” is the perfect sequel and a funny, entertaining whodunnit with a highly original plot and loveable characters.  
 
Rating: 4,5/ 5

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