The Man Who Died Twice is the second instalment in Richard Osman’s insanely popular Thursday Murder Club series. Is it as enjoyable as its predecessor? Yes indeed! Will it be as popular? I would absolutely guess yes! It gives readers everything they want by essentially picking up where book one left off and giving us a brand new murder mystery to get enthralled in.

Our quartet of septuagenarian lead characters, Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim are getting on with their lives at their retirement village when Elizabeth receives a letter from a man she thought was dead… this kick-starts a chain of events involving her ex-husband, stolen diamonds, international crime and domestic drug dealers (plus a trip to my hometown of Brighton!)

Yep, there is a lot going on in The Man Who Died Twice but all the plot threads weave together wonderfully and play their part in the cleverly crafted story.

I really enjoyed how we learn a little more about Elizabeth’s past here. Having an ex-secret agent as one of your lead characters is a brilliant move – she’s always going to be one step ahead and have a skill set that no-one can predict.

Joyce is her charming Miss Marple-esque self (her first steps setting up her Instagram really made me laugh), while Ron and Ibrahim reveal more about themselves due to a traumatic incident that happens to Ibrahim.

These are characters that are all fleshing out nicely and are really the hook and heart of both of the Thursday Murder Club novels. I look forward to finding out more about them in (what I hope will happen) book three.

Overall, The Man Who Died Twice is a delight to read. It has the warm, witty tone of its predecessor and, obviously, Richard Osman. If you’ve ever seen Pointless or House of Games, you’ll know his distinct voice and way of speaking and he translates this perfectly to the page.

Blending cosy, clever and entertaining in the very best way, while being full of emotional moments, The Man Who Died Twice is another stellar outing for the Thursday Murder Club.

Let me just put this out there - I liked this sequel even more than The Thursday Murder Club - the characters have now had the chance to ‘bed in’ and we have started to genuinely care and root for them.

The Man Who Died Twice is infinitely easy to read, with humour, surprises and little pleasures in every chapter. , Richard Osman has delivered an absolute treat on so many levels.

I am already eagerly anticipating the third instalment in the series. Long live the Thursday Murder Club!

Many thanks to Penguin Viking, to Mr Osman and to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this terrific novel.

I was sent a copy of The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman to read and review by NetGalley. Well, what can I say? This novel was an absolute joy to read! It brings us back into the lives of Joyce, Elizabeth, Ron and Ibrahim – and not forgetting Bogdan, who is also an integral part of the group. The writing is a delight, witty, sparky and often downright funny. The plot is lovely and twisty with a good deal of death but treated with such a lightness of touch. I couldn’t put this book down but I really didn’t want it to end. Dare I say it…. It even surpasses the wonderful Thursday Murder Club! I can’t wait for the next instalment so I might just have to re-read the first two books again while I wait!

The Coopers Chase gang are back in action as a new mystery starts to unfold when Elizabeth’s ex-husband arrives in hiding following some secret squirrel activity. Murders, mystery and diamonds follow.

As with the Thursday Murder Club, this is a light hearted and fun read. The characters remain engaging and adorable, particularly Ibrahim, and the plot is interesting (even if a bit far fetched at times).

It is absolutely clear that more books are to follow as you can see some of the ground work being laid for future adventures. This can at time mean that there is a lot to remember, and I’d definitely recommend doing a recap of the first book before you dig into this one so you can follow events as they happen.

I really enjoyed this and am looking forward to the next instalment. I’m also hopeful that it may be adapted for the screen, that would be great fun.

It was lovely to be back at Coopers Chase again and be reacquainted with the gang of the Thursday Murder Club and their associates. Similar to the first book, there is mystery and intrigue aplenty, but first and foremost this is a story about people, their interactions with others and the need for friendship. This story has lots of laugh out loud moments and the inner dialogue of Joyce in her diary is wonderful. A fast paced story which will keep your hooked til the very end.

Another good book from Richard Osman with the same residents investigating murder. At times the plot was too unrealistic for me, hence 4 stars not 5. The highlights of the book are the descriptions of life and thoughts of older people, which is again written with such empathy it’s hard to believe they weren’t written by an octogenarian. The relationships between the group are also movingly portrayed. I’m already looking forward to the third book in this series.

Not meaning to give much away, I am not one for “spy” books at all but I really enjoyed this. It made me giggle out loud a few times. The plot is a bit daft but that adds to the charm. Would recommend!

Whilst I enjoyed The Thursday Murder Club I readily admit to being somewhat sceptical about my appetite for future books in a series as I certainly wasn’t bowled over. However with this vastly superior sequel that benefits from a pacier and more entertaining plot, Richard Osman has definitely won me over! We return to Coopers Chase, a luxury retirement village in Kent that is home to Elizabeth Best, a former legend of the Secret Service, nurse Joyce Meadowcroft, psychiatrist Ibrahim Arif and trade unionist Ron Ritchie. Collectively known as the Thursday Murder Club, honorary members include Polish builder, Bogdan, and Fairhaven police officers DCI Chris Hudson and PC Donna De Freitas, who all come into play when the club turn from looking at cold cases to being involved with the real thing. As this novel opens Chris and Donna are conducting surveillance on Fairhaven’s ‘kingpin’ of the drugs scene without much success. When Elizabeth receives a letter slipped under her door and signed with the name of a dead man that hails from her days as a spy, she is never going to turn down an invitation to tea. It turns out she knows the actual man behind the letter rather too well and having got himself into a spot of bother that involves twenty million pounds of stolen diamonds and several ruthless, mafioso types on his tail, he has turned up at Coopers Chase with his handler! Before events really kick off however, the violent mugging of Ibrahim sees all parties converge at his bedside with his pals and Chris and Donna all keen to teach the young thug behind his assault a lesson. It turns out that shrewd Elizabeth, who always plays her cards close to her chest, aided by loyal and supremely game Joyce, has a plan and so unfolds a nicely convoluted series of events that not only ties things together but manages to keep the body count in single figures!

Elizabeth and Joyce come to the forefront in this novel with Elizabeth’s background in MI5 making for a far more gripping plot than that of first book which definitely didn’t rivet me. This book did and the double act of Elizabeth and Joyce are in fine form, alternately dazzling, bemusing and bamboozling everyone they encounter. The third-person and tongue-in-cheek narrative is told from multiple perspectives and is interspersed with first-person diary entries by Joyce who goes off on all kinds of tangents and frequently proves hilarious. This follow-up deepens the characterisation of Elizabeth, Joyce and police officers Chris and Donna, revealing more about their pasts, personal lives and friendships. What this novel does also reveal is how one-dimensional the characterisation of Ron is and he feels more of a background character in this caper. Whilst I found the first book intermittently witty with moments of terrific observational humour, this book was absolutely chock-a-block with whimsy and eccentricity. The humanity and compassion of the first book is more than matched with Osman unafraid to broach topics such as loneliness, dementia, PTSD, grief and friendship in this outing with a rare honesty. An entertaining novel that was full of surprises and whilst it might be criticised as being lightweight and cheesy, I found it genuinely great fun and am very keen for a third instalment.

Bravo, Richard Osman. Second books are notoriously difficult, and I must admit to starting The Man Who Died Twice with trepidation

No need! A page turner from start to finish - with a suitable murder mystery (sort of!) twist at the end.

Looking forward to number 3 already, and so pleased to be able to review this for NetGalley. Thank you..

Richard Osman’s debut novel was the runaway bestseller of autumn 2020 and a book that utterly delighted me as a reader. So it’s fair to say I had high hopes for the sequel, along with some trepidation that he might be hobbled by ‘second album syndrome’. Luckily, my hopes were met and my fears assuaged: The Man Who Died Twice is every bit the excellent read that The Thursday Murder Club was. As before, much of the humour comes from the contrast between how the main characters are perceived by wider society – as old, infirm, a little bit dotty, bless them – and what we the reader know of them (incisive, sharp-minded, able to disarm – in the literal sense of the word – when necessary). Meanwhile, the mystery driving the plot is as clever and twisty as the first book.

I’m not sure how well this would work as a standalone (although, with well over a million copies of The Thursday Murder Club sold in the UK alone, there can’t be many readers who haven’t yet picked it up) but as a sequel, it’s a delight.

OK, so somehow Richard Osman wrote a book that is even better than The Thursday Murder Club!! I was hooked from beginning to the end. Highly recommend

Thanks to Netgalley, Penguin; Fig Tree, Hamish, Hamilton, Viking and Richard Osman for this ARC. I've The Thursday Murder Club so I genuinely squealed with happiness when I was invited to review this follow up. So much more than just another cosy mystery. There was a lot going on in this book and I loved how all the different strands came together. Such a delightful read. It's clever and entertaining. Sucked me in from the opening pages.

Another fantastic installment from the Thursday Murder Club gang. I wasn't sure about a follow up, as I loved the first book so much, I didn't want to to be disappointed or underwhelmed.

That was a fitting follow up to the first book, the Thursday Murder Club (TMC) set at the upscale retirement village, Cooper’s Chase! Just as the TMC is deliberating which cold case to pick up after the excitement of the previous ‘hot’ cases, Elizabeth gets summoned to Ruskin Court to meet with …. a dead man. I won’t go into that particular plot strand but it is relevant to the story. When she gets there though Elizabeth finds her first ex-husband, Douglas Middlemiss and the new waitress at the centre’s restaurant, Poppy. So that explains why she is a crap waitress!

Douglas (from MI5) is hiding out at Cooper’s Chase and Poppy is his partner in spying. Douglas is hiding from a man called Martin Lomax who ‘minds’ property for big criminal gangs as Lomax believes he (Douglas) has stolen £20 million worth of diamonds from him.

There’s a lot going on in this story. We have spies, criminal gangs, drug dealers, corrupt officials, murder and of course the diamonds. Ibrahim is mugged in town and his confidence suffers a severe beating so he does not participate as much as in book 1. Soon Douglas and Poppy find their ‘cover’ is blown and they must go to a new safe house. But things soon turn deadly and Elizabeth wonders if she is still up for it or if her skills have blunted.

It turns out she is still sharp enough to follow the path of the clues laid out by Douglas but this makes her a target so we head to a rather dramatic finale. I think the stakes were a bit higher in this book. Certainly more people died and MI5 got involved. DCI Chris Hudson continues his relationship with Patrice, the mother of DC Donna De Freitas (his police sidekick). And maybe Donna herself will find someone soon too. The character of Bogdan, the Polish jack-of-all-trades managing the building works at the village, is intriguing. He is like an honorary member of the TMC now. There were plenty of laughs among the murder and mayhem so all in all another satisfying read. I wanted to give this 5 stars but there were a couple of things which I found a little kind of unethical but still, it is a cracking read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

Just so so charming!

Occasionally, on here, you'll get an email notice of approval that will make you squeal with happiness. This undoubtedly was one of those times and one of the most memorable.
I burned through this book, binging in as close to one stint as possible - and I bloody loved it. Richard Osman has such a unique writing style that is such a pleasure to read: knowing, sardonic, witty and full of heart. I think Elizabeth's person person diary entries have to be my favourite sections, her tone of voice feels so familiar and perfectly pitched.

A superb sequel that doesn't disappoint at all - can't wait to get my gran her copy!

I so enjoyed this book! All the characters from the Thursday Murder Club are back in their eccentric glory! Another great story which meanders through the Sussex country side keeping the twists and turns coming until the end. It would make a great TV series.. I can't wait til the next book! Many thanks.

Richard Osman has done a great job with this sequel!
A new mystery is brought to the Thursday Murder Club by Elizabeth’s ex husband. Stolen diamonds, multiple murders, MI5, the mafia, the local drug ring & cryptic clues to follow, there’s plenty going on as always but still funny throughout!
If you enjoyed the first book, you’ll definitely want to follow up with the second!

An excellent sequel that is as good as the first book, we continue following the adventures of the Thursday Murder Club and keep guessing who did it till the end, a story told with warmth and humour.

The Thursday following the conclusion of the events in the much-loved Thursday Murder Club, ex-spy Elizabeth receives a letter from her ex-husband. There is a real threat to his life, from gangsters local and mobsters afar, and he needs her help. Of course she enlists the other members of the club, Roy, Ibrahim and Joyce. Other old favourites, local police Donna and Chris make an appearance, along with Donna's mum and builder/fixer/all round heartthrob Bogdan.
Osman has done it again, with skill and grace.
It's another cracker of a plot, with a great sense of pace. As before, there is much humour mixed with genuine sadness and a sense that life changes constantly until it ends.
cried at the end of this one, as I had at the first.
Plus there will be a dog in their lives. 13/10 would recommend.
Can't wait till the Thursday After Next...

Thanks Penguin UK and Netgalley for ARC.

I enjoyed The Thursday Murder Club so much and was delighted to find out there was a second one. I was a bit concerned that this might prove to be the “difficult second novel” but I need not have feared. Richard Osman has done it again. A fantastic plot keeping readers on their toes, humor and empathy and an amazing ability to see life from a range of perspectives.