ARC Review: Thursday Murder Club #4

The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman

Publication Date: September 14, 2023

Summary from NetGalley:

ARC provided by Penguin Group via NetGalley for an honest review.

Confession:

It was such a treat to spend time with this group of pensioners, who are of course up to their old tricks. We learn a bit more about some of them, and we get to see new sides of them too, all while they are working on a new and interesting murder mystery.

All of our old friends are here, and we pick up a couple of new ones who I hope will stick around. Joyce is her usual bubbly self, but she decides that she needs to take more of a leadership role within the group, which she does and ends up doing an amazing job as well. We learn a bit more about Ibrahim’s past, which was a bit sad, but I am glad that he was able to persevere through it and become the person he is. Ron is having relationship issues, but managed to work through them. And finally Elizabeth has the most difficult choice to make, but it is handled well and with her usual grace.

I also want to mention Chris and Donna, who come to the realization that sometimes you might have to bend the rules a bit to get the arrest in the end. I also enjoy their relationship as coworkers and with the Murder Club as well. I like that there is a bit of competition to see who can solve the murders first.

The overall murder mystery was of course well done, with lots of twists and turns and plenty of mayhem. Many people die in this book, both the good and the bad and at times I was never sure who would be the last one standing. I loved that the TMC is not intimidated by the criminals and often end up having lunch or tea with them. There is a second story line with Elizabeth and Stephen and dealing with his dementia. It is handled very well, and I really liked the chapters from Stephen’s perspective and how hard it is for him to know and yet not know what is happening to him. The decision that the two of them make was the saddest and hardest part to their story, but it was handled remarkably well by the author.

The writing and the pacing was also well done and what I have come to expect from this author. The dialogue is often witty and fun to read, especially when Joyce takes charge but is still being Joyce. There are some other side stories, one that I thought was a good one, how seniors are often the target of scammers. I wasn’t sure I agreed with how that was resolved but it was an amusing side story. I also enjoyed the addition of new characters and hope see them in the next book.

This was a great addition to this series that I really enjoyed. The author mentions at the end of the book, that this is not the last story, but there will be break while he works on a new series. If you have not read the other books, I highly recommend that you do. This is a step above your usual cozy mystery series.