"Day after day, mission after mission, ridding the world of evil? Waiting for the last devil to die? What a joke. New devils will always spring up, like daffodils in springtime."
These rather pessimistic words are pondered by Elizabeth, a former British spook, about two-thirds of the way into Richard Osman's The Last Devil to Die, the author's fourth "Thursday Murder Club Mystery." Pessimistic the words may be, but I suspect that few would argue with the truth they express.
The "Thursday Murder Club" novels are definitely on the cozier side of the mystery genre scale even though not every character dies "off camera." The books are funny, the mysteries are challenging, and all of it is anchored by an eccentric core group of characters that Osman continues to develop beautifully with each new novel. By now, readers have also grown familiar with numerous side-characters that appear in most of the books: cooperative cops, adult children of the elderly main characters, other residents of the Coopers Chase retirement neighborhood, even a few elderly suitors of some of the core group. Personally, I came to the series a little late (January 2023), but I have now read all four of the books - and The Last Devil to Die has to be my favorite of the bunch.
Elizabeth is the real driving force behind the club's investigations. She has both the experience and an aura about her that make it only natural that Joyce, Ron, and Ibrahim defer to her judgement and guidance. Now, however, because her husband's dementia has reached the point that he no longer reliably recognizes his best friends or even her, taking care of Stephen is Elizabeth's first priority. So after Stephen's antique dealer friend is found murdered by a single bullet to the head, someone else is going to have to take charge of the Murder Club's investigation into his death when Elizabeth becomes too distracted or burdened by personal responsibilities to do it herself.
And Joyce, perhaps the least likely of the other three club members to be up to the task, turns out to be just the person to take on the challenge.
The Last Devil to Die is one of those rare novels that made me laugh on one page and feel like crying on the next. I particularly enjoyed the way that Osman moves each character solidly forward in their quest to remain vibrant and relevant in their last years. These are not the same four people readers first met in The Thursday Murder Club; they are four years older now, and they have learned a lot about themselves while, at the same time, very positively influencing and changing each other.
After reading The Last Devil to Die, a few reviewers speculated that the novel could turn out to be Osman's way of winding down the series. Now, I understand why they felt that way. Thankfully, Osman has stated that this is not to be the case, so fans of the "Thursday Murder Club Mysteries" have a lot more fun to look forward to with Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron, and Ibrahim.
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| Richard Osman jacket photo |
Lovely review. This book was the first book I read this month, and I loved it. It was a very emotional read.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite was the second book, but that probably was because there were spy fiction elements related to Elizabeth's past.
Thanks, Tracy, for the kind words. I think I like them more and more as I get to "know" the characters more completely and what makes them tick. That's always the big draw for me in novels, and it's why I love series so much, I think.
DeleteI need to catch up with the series as I've only read book one. His meteoric rise to fame as an author has not surprised me in the slightest, you can see it shining out of him on TV.
ReplyDeleteOsman came out of nowhere for me, Cath, because I've never seen him on any kind of television show despite him being so well known in the UK. He's fast become one of my favorites.
DeleteThis is another series that I haven't started yet. But I love the premise and that it involves older characters. And a book that makes you laugh and cry? Always good. :D
ReplyDeleteFor me, Lark, the characters are really the draw, but Osman is one heck of a novelist, too, so these are lots of fun. This fourth book really tugs on the heartstrings, though, at a whole new level for this series.
DeleteThis sounds like a series I'd enjoy! Love that they seem to keep getting better.
ReplyDeleteI think you'd really enjoy the series, JoAnn. Do read them in order if you can, because they seem to be aging and changing in real time and it would be hard to understand all the side-character relationships if you tried these as standalones. Too, I don't think this new one would pack the same emotional punch if you were unfamiliar with the main characters coming in to it.
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