The Man who Died Twice (by Richard Osman)

(Amazon UK link)

I very much liked Richard Osman’s debut novel ‘The Thursday Murder Club’ when I read it for our local book group just over a year ago. So I put the sequel, ‘The Man who Died Twice’ on my wishlist, and was given it for my birthday a few months ago, although it’s taken me this long to decide to read it. 

The main characters are the same as those in the first book: four people in their seventies, or roughly so, who live in a retirement village. They meet regularly to discuss unsolved crimes. Elizabeth is the driving force - she used to work for some secret organisation, and she has a clear, logical mind. Her friend Joyce is a former nurse who seems to be a bit less sharp, but often has some excellent insights due to her interest in people. 

Ron and Ibrahim are the other two: their characters are less well developed, but they have important parts to play in the book. The action starts when Elizabeth discovers that a new resident is her ex-husband, under a false name, only staying in the village temporarily. He says he has a task for her, but it’s all quite cryptic, though it involves some stolen diamonds. 

Meanwhile the police officers Chris and Donna are staking out a known drug dealer, but with little success. And then Ibrahim is beaten up by some teenage thugs…

So lots is going on, and the viewpoint changes with each chapter: I didn’t always recall whose perspective was being used, other than when it was Joyce’s turn as she writes in the first person, with many detours and apparently minor domestic details, although some of them turn out to be quite significant.

The writing, as with the first book, is racy, with wry observations and some humour, though I only recall one line that actually made me laugh aloud. Crime novels aren’t usually written with humour, and with several murdered characters it could have been gory - but the details are minimal, and only in one instance did I feel shock and regret - shared with Joyce, who becomes more and more adventurous through the novel.

There are lots of false trails which Elizabeth and others follow, and cleverly written red herrings making me uncertain who was still alive, and with no idea at all who might have committed two of the crimes. Nor did I have any idea where the diamonds might have been hidden, or how Ibrahim’s assailant was going to be brought to justice.  

There’s some gentle pathos too, particularly with Elizabeth’s husband Stephen, who stays in their flat all the time as he’s in the early stages of dementia. He forgets a lot of things, but still plays an excellent game of chess.  And there’s romance… understated, but another thread in the novel.

I’m not sure that I liked it quite as much as the first book, but it was a good read; I’m not surprised that this series has become so popular. I’d recommend it to anyone who likes ‘cosy’ crime fiction. There’s a lot of action in this although nothing too suspenseful.  I look forward to reading the third in the series in a few weeks’ time. 

Review copyright 2023 Sue's Book Reviews