Book: The Last Devil to Die
Author: Richard Osman
Pages: 432
Read on: Kindle
Read in: ~4 hours
Plot Summary:
Shocking news reaches the Thursday Murder Club.
An old friend in the antiques business has been killed, and a dangerous package he was protecting has gone missing.
As the gang springs into action they encounter art forgers, online fraudsters and drug dealers, as well as heartache close to home.
With the body count rising, the package still missing and trouble firmly on their tail, has their luck finally run out? And who will be the last devil to die?
Things I Liked:
1. It was so good to be reunited with the four octogenarians and their cop friends! The Thursday Murder Club series of books has been an annual favourite and it is always nice to visit with the fun and fearless senior citizens as they poke their noses into police matters to solve a murder or two. Previous books in the series have been reviewed - The Thursday Murder Club, The Man Who Died Twice and The Bullet That Missed. This is a good series to pick up if you enjoy "cozy" (ugh! have such mixed feelings about this term) murder mysteries and like characters with chutzpah.
2. When I'd read the very first book in this series, I was concerned if all the stories would be set within the confines of the Cooper Chase Retirement Community, where our main characters lived and if that were to be the case, then all future stories would seem really contrived! After all, how many murders and murder-y shenanigans can seniors get up to in a Retirement Community?! Thankfully, all books have been set in places/ locations outside of the Retirement Community and have added to my continued enjoyment of the series.
In this book, the murder is set in the world of antiques and antiquities. The victim is Kuldesh Sharma, an antique dealer and close friend of Elizabeth's husband- Stephen. Kuldesh is murdered on a cold, snowy night in the middle of nowhere and there are no clues of any kind for the cops to work with till our Fantastic Four get involved.
3. As with all the books in this series, I loved the dynamic of the characters involved. The seniors not giving a f*ck about procedures and rules ('cos at almost 80, what do they have to lose?!) and the cops trying their best to keep their investigation close to the chest but succumbing and letting the Thursday Murder Club help them. There is a lot more willing collaboration between Chris and Donna (the cops) and our four octogenarians in this book and I loved the different routes of enquiries undertaken by each of them.
4. The body count is higher in this book as well and it adds to the overall mystery and gives us several decent red herrings as well. When key suspects are found murdered and newer suspects are also found murdered, it makes you wonder what the heck is going on and if there are yet-to-be-unveiled players in the background?
5. These books are about old people - their memories, lived experiences and struggles with mortality. So, they always make me think about the passage of time, growing old and losing the people we love and sometimes, even losing our own minds. So, there were parts of this book that made me think and ruminate and feel melancholy about how quickly life goes by.
6. The reveal of the killers is nicely done and you may not see it coming, which is always a pleasant surprise in this genre.
Rating: 4.5/5
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