The much-loved gang of pensioners is back, but this time, they’re hoping to investigate something less serious than murder – perhaps just the simple case of a new resident of the retirement village and his almost certainly fraudulent online beau. Nothing doing. An old acquaintance turns up dead, and the four take on the case.
“Friendship, and Joyce flirting unsuccessfully with a Welshman who appears to be the subject of a fairly serious international fraud. Elizabeth could think of worse ways to spend the holidays.”
Richard Osman has outdone himself with this latest instalment, the fourth in the Thursday Murder Club series (sad to say it will be the last for a while, according to Osman, who is soon to release the first in a new series). The bodies pile up, and Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim, and Ron investigate as only they can, extracting information from people and places in manners that the police cannot.
“It’s 90 per cent this, 5 per cent paperwork and 5 per cent killing people.”
The mystery in this book is as elaborate, deadly, and humorous as the preceding three, but I would have to say that The Last Devil to Die is my favourite in the series. The well-rounded, poignant, and often unexpected subplots of this instalment had me laughing out loud and, at times, wiping away tears as each character is put through the wringer in their own way.
‘I know a woman,’ says Ibrahim. ‘A cocaine dealer, who can kill people with the click of a finger. Yet, on Monday, she laid her hand on my arm like a lover.’
I would suggest reading the previous three novels (The Thursday Murder Club, The Man Who Died Twice, The Bullet That Missed) rather than just diving in with this one. It reads much better if you’re already familiar with the characters and their backstories, many of the details of which are not provided in this instalment.
“That’s the thing about Coopers Chase. You’d imagine it was quiet and sedate, like a village pond on a summer’s day. But in truth it never stops moving, it’s always in motion. And that motion is ageing, and death, and love, and grief, and final snatched moments and opportunities grasped. The urgency of old age. There’s nothing that makes you feel more alive than the certainty of death.”
With Elizabeth more occupied than ever as her beloved Stephen’s dementia progresses, Joyce takes more of an active role in the investigations. Since I’ve always especially loved Joyce’s point of view in the series, I enjoyed her stepping forward as more of a leader. I will warn you, though, when it comes to Elizabeth and Stephen’s storyline, you will need tissues. Osman tackles heavy topics around aging, dementia, facing death, and the loss of a loved one with a realistic and empathetic voice.
“But my brain is doubling back on itself. Even now, back I go. It feels like a bathtub, when someone pulls out the plug. Circles, circles, circles, and, every time around, something new, something not understood, and there’s me trying to scramble up the sides.”
“There comes a point when you look at your photograph albums more often than you watch the news. When you opt out of time, and let it carry on doing its thing while you get on with yours.”
Osman masterfully interweaves comedy and heartbreak throughout, developing characters that are truly endearing and genuine. I have become so fond of this hilarious band of elderly detectives – who, by the way, are soon to be immortalized on the screen as well. Hopefully, his hiatus from the series won’t last too long, although I’ve read a sneak peek at his next mystery novel featuring a daughter-in-law/father-in-law duo, which quickly captivated me.
“Waiting for the last devil to die? What a joke. New devils will always spring up, like daffodils in springtime.”
Aly Writes 