I absolutely loved The Thursday Murder Club and this second book in the series proves that wasn’t just a one-hit wonder! Book 2 is another warm, witty murder mystery – this time packed with spies, mafia thugs, drug dealers and, of course, the ubiquitous pensioners of the TMC.

Within the pages of this superb crime romp you will find some romance, some pathos, and lots of mystery, tension and humour. I smiled until my face ached while reading and couldn’t put it down between the first word and the last.

One of the aspects I love most here is that, while the antics of Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron, Ibrahim and co. cannot possibly be taken too seriously – partly due to the pinch-of-salt plots and partly due to the exquisitely dry humour – the central concept of the books, that the skills and life experiences we acquire throughout our lives are not erased by grey hair and wrinkles, is very real and painfully true. This core tenet allows the reader to joyfully suspend their disbelief and buy into the wonderful idea that a small group of very disparate elderly people can run rings around murderers and other assorted criminals (to the perpetual surprise of anyone who dares underestimate them). And with it comes the secret hope that we, too, will retain our ‘special strengths’ even as our legs and eyesight may weaken.

Plus, having already followed their previous adventure, the characters now feel like dear old friends, who I know and love. I can’t even pick a favourite any more, because the magic is in the interplay between them all.

I’m already desperate for Book 3 in this wonderful series (The Bullet That Missed, out in Sept!) to go with my Kindle, hardback and audiobook copies of books 1 and 2. You can never have too much of a good thing!

What else can I say? Top author, firm favourite, must-buy, etcetera etcetera. Go and find out for yourselves!

Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog

It was an ok story if unbelievable at times. I liked the characters in the book, even annoying Elizabeth . If you love a gentle crime book, then this is for you!

Can't help but hear Richard Osmond in your head reading this to you.

The is the second in the series and I heavily recommend reading the first before hand.. I had to put this down and come back to it and the background of the characters is reliant on it.

Good read and thoroughly enjoyed the humour.

A fun, enjoyable read!
Or was great to catch up with the gang again as they got involved in their latest caper. Plenty of action, plenty of humour, plenty of talk about sweet treats and confectionary, perfect!
I enjoyed the twists and the turns and the character development for all our favourites, Joyce joining twitter was a delight!
I look forward to the third installment, The Bullet That Missed.

Richard Osman has this lovely style of writing that just pulls you in to the story, no matter how far-fetched it all seems - you could almost believe it. (And that's not just Joyce's voice). All four of the Thursday Murder Club were on top form, showing their razor-sharp observation skills, compassion and trademark naivete that just sets this apart in terms of cosy murder fiction!

For me, one of the downsides was that this one was really all about Elizabeth. Elizabeth's mysterious past, Elizabeth being smart, Elizabeth being clever. Her skills and smarts make her the souped-up star of the show, although there are plenty of touching moments from the rest of the team.

Donna and Chris (and Patrice) are potentially some of my favourite characters, though, and I was disappointed that we didn't see more of them, rather than just bringing in the police when it was convenient for our murder team.

I also found the portrayal of the (female) drug boss a little frustrating. She spends most of her time swooning and dressing up to impress Bogdan (who is excellent), despite clearly being a capable and dangerous crime boss. I couldn't quite gather whether having her preen about was to say 'hey, this is funny, she's a person too' or to just disempower her ...

However it was still a fun mystery for the group to solve, as long as you don't think too much about all the wanton, gruesome murders ...

3.5 stars overall for me.

Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron are back in this hilarious book that saved my sweaty Italian summer and made my day. This time, the plot centres on the disappearance of diamonds, and on how this involves Elizabeth’s ex husband, Douglas. It’s difficult to talk about this book without spoiling it, so I’m going to keep it brief and to just say it’s a great novel. Richard Osman did it again! This book made me laugh out loud and I also found it very moving, sometimes. If you enjoy audiobooks, this is definitely the perfect novel to listen to: Lesley Manville is an amazing narrator, and she really knows how to make these incredible characters come to life. Absolutely recommended, both the book and the audiobook.

•thanks to #netgalley and the publisher for the #arc in exchange for an honest review•

Excellent follow-up to a highly enoyable debut. More to come I'm sure from the Thursday Murder Club and I look forward to the next in the series. Grateful to Random House for a pre-publication copy. Highly recommended.

Great fun. Lovely to catch up with Joyce and the gang. I love the relationships between the characters and the witty narrative. It was another good story, full of humour, thrills and poignancy. Already looking forward to The Bullet That Missed!

Richard has done it yet again with this clever crime novel with fantastically funny characters that I have missed dearly since the first novel. I added it to my pre-order list as soon as I finished it and will definitely be getting my hands on every book in this series.

The Man Who Died Twice is hilarious. Escapism at it's best and a thoroughly enjoyable read that you don't want to end.

I rather enjoyed this second offering from Osman (though not quite so much as the first). Characters and relationships are deepened, the mystery interesting but not quite the punch I was hoping for. I am excited for book three though!

Loved this one so much more compared to the first! Felt it was more fast paced and believable. The ending was spot on and really enjoyed the climax! The main characters are brilliant and I love how their different personalities show through. Looking forward to book number 3 and seeing what the Thursday Murder Club have to contend with next.

I loved being back with The Thursday Murder Club. Being back with these characters was like settling down for tea and cake with a group of old friends.

The mystery in this book was intriguing with brilliant red herrings.

My favourite part of these books are the tongue in cheek parts, usually involving Joyce.

I would highly recommend this book and have pre-ordered the third in the series because I can't wait to see what happens next.

I hoped that the second installment would be as good as the first (thursday murder club), but I did not expect it to be even better!
Funny, thoughtful and exciting at once!
I can't wait for the third ...

Writing a follow up book can be risky authors. But this was a risk worth taking in my opinion.

If you lived The Thursday Murder Club then you will love this even more.

Richard Osman had raised the stakes and the characters all fall in line nicely with his writing.

A ghost from Elizabeth’s past sends a message her charismatic, unfaithful ex husband! The Thursday murder club gets back together taking you on adventures you never thought possible!

You will not want to put this book down!

A must read!

The Man Who Died Twice is a witty, charming and brilliant return to Coopers Chase. The unforgettable characters bring their charisma and intellect to an exciting new mystery.

The story is told in three parts, each part with a subheading which cleverly hints to some of the focus within. It’s a definite hint rather than a tell-all and expertly reflective of the characters within!

The chapters are a collection of third person perspective, some specifically following Elizabeth, Ibrahim and Ron, amongst a couple of others, and Joyce’s first person perspective via her diary. I enjoyed this and extra perspective from Joyce is always welcome, as she is a real character and a wonderful grandmotherly figure.

Thrown straight back into The Thursday Murder Club’s following meeting, chronologically it’s as though you barely ever left. The escapades are equally as interesting as in book one and the multiple mysteries running alongside each other only makes the focus even more entertaining.

Each of the characters quirks and amusing personality traits are back with renewed vigour and the familiarity of each of them is like visiting old friends. Additionally, the return of other characters from the previous novel, such as Police Officers Chris and Donna, was a nice addition. It really feels like much of the community is back on an unorthodox crime fighting mission.

The wit and humour from the characters is as wonderful as ever and I really enjoyed gaining more of an insight into their personalities and backstories. The quirks of each and the tangents they find themselves following make each more lifelike.

Joyce’s fabulous stream of conscious returns in her chapters and once again it feels like you’re in her head. The way she flits subject matter without warning is extremely realistic.

The story flows seamlessly into each mystery and I really raced through the pages. I was eager to know what happened with the diamonds and Douglas, amongst other things!

A brilliant revisit to Coopers Chase and The Thursday Murder Club gang. Can’t wait for The Bullet That Missed, which is out in September!

I read the first book and liked it but that was it. I wanted to keep up with the characters so picked this up and found this much more enjoyable and fast paced than the first one

If you've already read and enjoyed The Thursday Murder Club, then you know exactly what to expect - it's the same great characters as previously, doing what they do best. Gotta love Joyce!

This is the second in the series by Osman, you don't have to have read the first to read this and I actually prefer this of the two. I think Osman has found his feet and certainly more comfortable with his craft in this one. Back with our favourites in the retirement village, The Thursday Murder Club, elderly resident who pull together and their resources to solve mysteries/murders. DCI Hudson and PC Donna Freitas are back too investigating and also us getting to know them and each other more personally.

When a letter comes to Elizabeth from an old flame we head into a mystery of stolen diamonds, Elizabeth's past and how she has so many connections. Local dodgy dealers, drug runners, thugs and allmanners of skulduggery.

I think I liked this one better because we already know our characters strengths and weaknesses orflaws. This time we get a bit more depth and insight into Elizabeth and the team work together to solve her mystery and the assault of one of their nearest and dearest.

The book is super busy but not in a distraction type of way, we are offered page turning intrigue, interest, murder, investigation, shade or past reveal. We also have Joyce's diary style entries so along with the case we get those insights too.

The characters are older but anything but dull. Loyal, nosey, fierce, interesting and very human. They have ailments, fears, vulnerabilities, snipes, moods and humour, more than a few chuckles had throughout this one. I hope he has more than a few of these still to pen as I think they will just become better and better as the series goes on, 4/5 for me.

Richard Osman, has done it again with a fabulous compelling story that is entertaining while not forgetting the heart of the book, its four loveable character: Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron. Another fantastic outing by the Thursday Murder Club and our four loveable septuagenarians full of American gangsters, the Mafia, conmen, middle men and M15 all involved in a race against time to recover millions of pounds worth of diamonds and find a murderer.