Richard Osman Archives - The Quick and the Read

Book Review: ‘The Man Who Died Twice’ by Richard Osman

I don’t know why it took me so long to read the second book in Richard Osman’s series about a group of amateur detectives living in a retirement community. It just got pushed down the TBR list and I’ve only just (finally) picked it up.

This book follows the four characters from the first novel – Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibraham – as they embark on a mystery featuring a character from Elizabeth’s past, £20 million of diamonds and a whole host of murders.

As with the first book, the writing is engaging and humorous, although there is a poignant dimension to the story too – in this case, around a knock to Ibrahim’s confidence and also an Alzheimer’s plotline. This makes the novel more than a simple cosy crime novel. The mystery element of the novel is also cleverly done and kept me guessing to the end.

The range of characters is interesting – I loved Elizabeth, with her intriguing past and fierce intelligence. Joyce, whose narrative perspective drives some of the chapters, is also a fabulous character – witty and sharp and learning her true capabilities as the investigation progresses. The police who work with the group are also charmingly portrayed – I like that they all have back-stories and insecurities and flaws in the same way as the main characters do.

I also listened to the audiobook, which is brilliantly read by Lesley Manville. I’d recommend this whole-heartedly as she brings out the warmth of the characters, especially in the Joyce chapters.

This is a strong sequel to ‘The Thursday Murder Club’ and I’ll keep going with the series – hopefully in a slightly more timely way than with this book!

Photo by Li Zhang on Unsplash

November 2021 Wrap-Up and December TBR

This has not been a great reading month for me – I was taking part in NetGalley November and had so many plans to zip through lots of lovely ARCs (including some that have been on my shelf for far too long).

The reality was work, work, work with a side order of insomnia! I managed to read 6 books this month, which isn’t many for me at all. Still, I’m on 121/100 on my GoodReads Challenge so this is a blip in an otherwise great year.

October 2021 Wrap-Up and November TBR

It’s been a surprisingly busy reading month – helped by school half term holidays and the desire to clear some of my proofs before I embark on NetGalley November (more of that in a bit!)

This month, I’ve read 14 books which puts me on 115/100 on my Goodreads Challenge.

September 2021 Wrap-Up and October TBR

It’s been a slow reading month for me – being back in the classroom is busy and reading has taken a back seat to work.

Still, I managed to read 8 books in September and finished my Goodreads challenge for the year – 100/100 books read! That won’t stop me reading on though – I have some gorgeous October reads planned…

All my books this month were 3 or 4 stars – my favourite was ‘The Royal Art of Poison’ by Eleanor Herman which was an unexpected treat of an audiobook.

August Wrap-Up and September TBR

It’s been a slower reading month after July’s 17 books (a record for me!) Still, I’ve read some brilliant books this month – 11 in total. All were 4 stars with the exception of one FIVE STAR read at the start of the month…

This puts me on 92/100 on my Goodreads challenge – the end is in sight!

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My Top 10 Crime Fiction Books of 2020

I love crime fiction and there have been some brilliant books published in this genre in 2020! I’ll admit that I’m particularly partial to a police procedural and love a twisty crime thriller.

I have included only contemporary crime in this list – historical crime fiction features rather heavily on my top 10 historical novels of the year here.

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Here are my top 10 crime novels of this year, starting at number 10…

10 – ‘Neon’ by G S Locke

This is serial killer thriller with a very unconventional detective duo who are working very much outside the law themselves! It’s an absolute page -turner set on the gritty streets of Birmingham – you can read my original review here.

9 – ‘Knife Edge’ by Simon Mayo

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Simon Mayo’s novel as I’m always a bit sceptical when people in the public eye turn to writing. However, I needn’t have been worried – this is a tense, tightly-plotted novel with terrorism at its fore. It keeps you reading from the very first pages when the first attacks take place in rush-hour London. You can read my full review here.

8 – ‘The Cutting Place’ by Jane Casey

I’m a huge fan of the DS Maeve Kerrigan series – this is the ninth book and I think could work as a stand alone (but why miss the other 8?!) This story is about uncovering corruption at the highest levels in society and it is another excellent police procedural. My review is here.

7 – ‘Their Silent Graves’ by Carla Kovach

This is the seventh book in the crime series featuring DI Gina Harte – I personally think this is one of the best in an always-excellent series. In this book (which I think could be read as a stand alone), Harte and her team are called in to investigate some particularly chilling Halloween murders in which a serial killer stalks the residents of a town. You can read my review here.

6 – ‘The Watcher’ by Kate Medina

I could not put this book down when I read it for a blog tour earlier in the year! It is gruesome, gritty and absolutely edge-of-your-seat tense. The story is about a killer who stalks their victims and leaves horrific crime scenes, but what I really loved was the fact that one of the investigators is a police psychologist, Dr Jessie Flynn. This gives a different flavour to the police procedural and I’m hoping Dr Flynn will feature in many more books. My review is here.

5 – ‘The Postscript Murders’ by Elly Griffiths

This one is a slightly cosier option than some of my other choices. In this, an unusual mix of characters come together to solve the killing of a ‘murder consultant’ who helps authors with their crime novels. I really enjoyed the combination of a cleverly-plotted murder mystery with the literary backdrop to it all. My original review can be read here.

4 – ‘Lost Cause’ by Rachel Lynch

This is the eighth instalment in the brilliant crime series featuring DI Kelly Porter and set in the Lake District. I think this is a high-point in a series that can always be relied upon to deliver solid police procedurals with plenty of twists. In this book, Porter and her team are investigating the brutal death of a woman whose abused body is found in a bin – but is she the only victim? It is grim and gritty but absolutely compelling. My review is here.

3 – ‘All Fall Down’ by M J Arlidge

In a kind of modern twist on the classic ‘A Murder is Announced’, victims are being warned of their own impending demise in a phone call. DI Helen Grace and her team are called in to investigate and begin to find connections to events eight years before. This is tense and twisty and really quite creepy – full review here.

2 – ‘The Thursday Murder Club’ by Richard Osman

This was a highly-anticipated debut from Richard Osman and I was charmed by this mystery set in a retirement village. Although the mystery plot was well handled, the real strength of this book was the characterisation and emotional punch. You can read my review here.

1 – ‘Broken Silence’ by Liz Mistry

This was one of those books that I was totally unprepared for – the pacing, the twists and the tension all totally took me by surprise and I loved it! It’s a gritty tale of Bradford’s criminal underworld featuring DS Nikki Parekh (who I loved) investigating the disappearance of a fellow police officer and I absolutely raced through it! Full review here.

Header photo by Maggie Yap on Unsplash.

‘The Thursday Murder Club’ by Richard Osman

One of the most hyped new releases of 3rd September – happy publication day to Richard Osman’s debut crime novel!

I’ve long admired Richard Osman on ‘Pointless’ and have read some of the non-fiction quiz/humour books that he has written with Alexander Armstrong. I was, therefore, very keen to see this wit and verve applied to fiction and am very grateful to NetGalley for my ARC.

The story follows four older people living in a retirement village who have, for various reasons, come together to discuss cold crimes in their Thursday Murder Club. When a murder happens connected to the developers working on the retirement home , they are keen to launch their own investigations. Due to their connections and wiliness, they start to run rings around the nice but two-steps-behind police officers assigned to the case.

I really liked that these characters were not diminished by their age and infirmity. Some of them had ailments and frailty, but they were also mentally tough and funny and clever and – to be honest – trying to live their best life in retirement. They drew on their years of experience and the professional skills from their former careers and achieved a lot. The mystery surrounding Elizabeth’s past career was an interesting conceit and allowed the amateur detectives access to important information, while the willingness of them all to play on the stereotypes of infirm old people was humorous – they absolutely knew when to use their age to their advantage!

The setting was also inventive and drew on the conventions of classic crime novels by providing a closed community for the sleuths to work within.

I wasn’t really prepared for some of the poignancy of the novel. It has some very funny lines and situations, but it is also sad in parts about ageing and grief. This really adds depth to the novel and -I will admit – really surprised me.

Overall, this is an enjoyable and fairly light read. I was going to say it was a cosy crime novel, but I think the depth of the emotional hit removes it from this – these are a bunch of real people with real problems, but who are finding comfort in community and crime-solving!

If you would like to buy your own copy of the novel, please use the link below – I may earn commission on this at no extra cost to you.

Header photo with thanks to Sincerely Media for sharing their work on Unsplash.

3rd September: My Picks

Everyone in the book world knows that 3rd September is going to be absolutely massive for new releases. Over 600 books are published that day and – it is far to say – some great books are going to fall by the wayside because of the overwhelming supply.

I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing a number of these titles and will be featuring them on my blog in the coming few weeks. Now would be a great time to follow me here or on Twitter if you’re interested in any of my top picks:

‘Longhand’ by Andy Hamilton

This hand-written novel by comedian Andy Hamilton is published by the excellent crowdfunded publisher Unbound. It is a funny, quirky and ultimately very moving letter from a man to a woman that he is being forced to leave. I cannot praise this one highly enough and will be joining a blog tour for it through Random Things Through My Letterbox.

‘The Watcher’ by Kate Medina

Another blog tour for Random Things Through My Letterbox – this book is a very tense and graphic police procedural. It is part of a series featuring psychologist Dr Jessie Flynn and DI ‘Marilyn’ Simmons (a man – don’t be confused by the nickname!) However, it can also be read as a stand alone novel and is just great – though terrifying and stomach-churning in places!

‘The Gran Tour’ by Ben Aitken

A warm and surprising book that I just loved – this is about Aitken’s travels on various coach tours with (mainly) the older generation. In the vein of Bill Bryson’s travel writing, this is an affectionate look at the lessons learnt from the various coach trips and the lively fellow travellers. It’s gentle and funny and sweet and highly recommended.

‘The Thursday Murder Club’ by Richard Osman

There has been a lot of hype around Osman’s debut novel, set in a retirement community. It is a clever and funny novel and will easily hit the bestseller lists.

‘A Girl Made of Air’ by Nydia Hetherington

This one is still on my TBR, but it looks to be a gorgeous story of circus life with all the contrasting highs and seediness that entails. It was publicised as being ideal for fans of Angela Carter, so I can’t wait to read this one.

‘Shakespearean: On Life and Language in Times of Disruption’ by Robert McCrum

A personal account of what Shakespeare has meant to this writer and journalist, plus musings on what ‘Shakespearean’ has come to mean as a concept.

All of the above were provided to me either by NetGalley or Random Things Tours in exchange for an honest review.

However, I have also spent my own hard-earned pennies pre-ordering the following which I have heard great things about:

‘More than a Woman’ by Caitlin Moran

I would literally read a shopping list written by this woman – she is hilarious while tackling some really big issues for women. I love her and cannot wait to read this.

‘A Tomb with a View’ by Peter Ross

I’ve heard really good things about this book which tells the stories behind graveyards and considers the ways in which we remember the dead. I love history and this promises some really interesting tales from our past.

On Twitter, the lovely @EHawkes13 has a thread of many of 3rd September books – worth keeping an eye on!

Header photo with thanks to Jaredd Craig for sharing their work on Unsplash.