A bestselling sequel, the fourth in the Thursday murder club series, this book was enjoyed by all but we were not sure if it was better than the other books in the series. If anyone would like to write a sentence or two about the book, please email me janet.bayliss@esneft.nhs.uk
Published in 2023, this is the fourth in the Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman, who is currently the fastest selling hardback author since records began. The author is former co-presenter on the television programme “Pointless” and a well-known writer, presenter, producer and comedian. The series began in 2020 with The Thursday Murder Club, with The man who died twice following in 2021 and The bullet that missed in 2022.
If the readers knows the books obviously they will have an interest in the characters; which is a defining characteristic of a sequel. Some of us were able to compare all the books in the series and liked the way that some characters come more to the fore in this book: Ibrahim, Joyce and Ron. We also felt that the passing of a key character was handled in a thoughtful, moving manner.
This book has two main plot strands: one being the growing incapacity of the husband of Elizabeth, one of the most prominent members of the Murder Club; along with a complicated murder mystery plot combining drug dealing and antiques. There were also some rather fascinating sub-plots such as that involving Melvyn and his attempts to boost his love life via the internet; showing how lonely people can be subject to scams.
We were not sure how well the different plot elements hung together; it sometimes felt as if there was just too much going on and the ending was rather strange, in terms of murderers and motivations. There was a fantastical aspect to the story as with all the series, particularly with the character of Elizabeth, but we all kept reading. The first book is in the process of being filmed; we wondered which famous actors would suit the characters with Helen Mirren being a popular choice (and indeed she is in the cast list of the film with Ben Kingsley and Pierce Brosnan).
Same as last month: Black cake by Charmaine Wilkerson, is a novel about relationships where two siblings look into their mother’s past, told in two different timelines and well worth a read, but too long for a book group meeting.
Once again, other suggestions were The trial by Rob Rinder; Lucinda Riley’s The moon sister – part of the Seven Sisters series; and the third book in the Thursday Murder Club series which was proposed to be the best one: The bullet that missed which intriguingly, is set in Dubai.
The next book group book – Yellowface by R.F. Kuang also had an honourable mention – come along to our group on Tuesday 7th May to learn more.
Several of the above may be on Libby, check them out at the Libby app