The Man Who Died Twice - Richard Osman

Published by Viking Press/Penguin Random House: London, UK, 2021.
Audiobook by Penguin Audio. Released 16-09-2021. Narrated by Lesley Manville.
Book 2 in the 'Thursday Murder Club' series. Preceded by 'The Thursday Murder Club.' Followed by 'The Bullet That Missed.'

At the end of my review for The Thursday Murder Club I said "I will definitely be returning to this series."

Voila.

The Man Who Died Twice picks up soon after the events of Book 1, with our four heroes settling back into 'regular life' in their retirement community. However, the new peace is upended when Elizabeth's ex-husband, Douglas Middlemiss, arrives in the community incognito, hiding from a gangster who wants him dead. Elizabeth and the gang must try to protect Douglas, whilst also solving a few mysteries that arise during the proceedings.

Meanwhile, Ibrahim - venturing out to town for an afternoon - is savagely assaulted by a local hoodlum, and the rest of the gang - particularly Ron (with help from Bogdan) - start planning how to get revenge on Ibrahim's behalf.

With the plot going in a number of different directions, I want to steer clear from saying too much about this one, but once again it is a well-written, surprisingly sweet (considering the genre) story with some unexpected turns that nevertheless fit the world and the characters well. Returning narrator Lesley Manville once again does all the roles well... I am enjoying hearing this series in her voice, and am considering whether I keep working my way through it via Audible as a result.

Even the title works on a few levels, with a mention of that phrase near the end of the book adding a touch more emotion and pathos to round things off.

Maybe not quite as good as the original, but a close second.

Completed 18 February 2025.



(Thursday Murder Club Series)

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