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A review by ariana3
The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I actually really liked this book! Very similar vibe to the first one. It's been a while since I read the first one and I was afraid I'd forget things that may have been important. But the characters came right back. There were some references back to the first one, but they were fairly light and didn't have any big bearings onto the plot. I really love just seeing the friendship the 4 main characters have forged, especially Joyce and Elizabth's friendship.
Plot summary:The Thursday Murder Club have been going on about their business and things seem to be "slow" at the community with no exciting murders happening. Until someone from Elizabeth's spy past comes back (turns out it's her ex-husband). He's stolen some diamonds from a surveillance job and is in hiding and wants Elizabeth's help to protect him so he moves into the community. Someone comes after him but is killed, so he has to be relocated. All-in-all he ends up being killed by the spy agency (MI5) because the lead investigator was his new lover but he had pressed his continued love for Elizabeth. Elizabeth finds the diamonds and lures a confession out of her as to everything she did. Ibrahim was attacked while out in the main town, so now he refuses to leave the community. That part made me incredibly sad. He knows he needs to be brave but he's just too scared to overcome that trauma. Joyce gets him out of that shell in her own way at the end which I loved! Chris (the local police boss) is dating Donna's (his partner) mom and he professes his love for her at the end- it was so cute! And during the last moments you find out Bogdan, who was a huge part of book #1 and this book, has a secret crush on Donna - I'm excited to see where that goes!! Anyways, Elizabeth finds the diamonds of course and you're made to believe they keep them and split the money 4 ways. But the very last page shows they donated the money to the Living with Alzheimers charity, likely as an oder to Elizabeth's old friend and partner Penny, as well as her current husband Stephen. It was also an ode to the title of the book - with Alzheimers/dementia, you die twice. Once for your mental self/soul, a second time for your physical body. Actually quite a sad book title when you think about it.
Plot summary:
Graphic: Death, Dementia, and Murder
Moderate: Gun violence and Grief
Minor: Injury/Injury detail