The Man Who Died Twice, and The Bullet That Missed, by Richard Osman. Book reports extra #3 and #4 (2023)

The Man Who Died Twice, by Richard Osman. Pub 2021
The Bullet That Missed, by Richard Osman. Pub 2022

More from the Thursday Murder Club (and my fellow book-clubber – thank you!). These next two books in the series bring us back to the septuagenarians of Coopers Chase and their penchant for murder investigation. Their seemingly benign club becomes quite lively and not without peril as the cases heat up and get resolved by this feisty bunch.

In “The Man Who Died Twice”, we meet Douglas, a former fellow MI6 agent and associate (and more) of Elizabeth’s, who’s on the run from a vengeful underworld broker who thinks Douglas has stolen some diamonds from him (spoiler: he has). Somehow, the safe house they are in is not so safe, and Douglas and his handler, Poppy, are murdered. But the diamonds remain at large. There is also some speculation that Douglas somehow faked his death. Investigations, plot twists, and some romance ensue, and all is resolved in the end, with enough loose threads to promise another story…

… called “The Bullet That Missed”. Here, the story is even more complicated, involving money laundering, cryptocurrency, and yet more underworld and spy world characters. Investigating the alleged murder of one Bethany Waites, a local news reporter who was onto “something big” about 10 years previous, the gang again encounters peril, romance, and related hijinks. Again, most things by the end are revealed and resolved, but some additional threads remain. I found this story somewhat less believable than the previous ones, with perhaps too many characters and unlikely situations. The powerful spies and criminals become almost mundane, and the ability of the club members to entice people and extract information are more than extraordinary, to the point where credulity is overstretched.

I am enjoying the evolving relationships and romances in the books, especially Bogdan and Diana. Osman’s gentle but realistic treatment of Stephen’s ongoing decline into Alzheimer’s is especially well done – poignant but realistic.

Fate: I’ll be passing all three along to fellow mystery lover. I’ll look forward to the next book when it’s available in paperback.