The Last Devil to Die

I love this gang of elderly sleuths, and I hope this was not their last caper. I adore books with older characters, and these are fully drawn with real-life tragedies. This book was hilarious and heartbreaking. A line regarding the title: Waiting for the last devil to die? What a joke. New devils will always spring up, like daffodils in springtime.

Richard Osman isn't for everyone, but I adore the Thursday Murder Club series. Over four books I've grown to love the characters. I really enjoy Osman's writing style, which gets better with each book. He really knows these characters and it shows. His wry, observational humour is balanced perfectly with the poignancy of older people determined that the last chapters of their lives will be as fun and meaningful as the first.
As an aside, this is the first book that has made me cry in a very long time. If you've read it, you will know exactly what I… show more.

This is book 4 in the series, so please don’t read it first. Richard’s four main characters, all interesting people in their own rights with complex relationships, formed “The Thursday Murder Club” in Book 1. 

Okay – not a romantic comedy, more a cozy crime mystery set in an old people’s home, but you get the impression reading any of his books, that Richard really loved writing them and spending time with his characters, which makes all of them such a joy to read.

Lots of twists and turns, but the crime is solved in the end – so a… show more.

The Last Devil to Die is the fourth Thursday Murder Club Mystery. Having read them all, I looked forward to reading this book, and I wasn't disappointed.

I so enjoy reading about the series' protagonists, four pensioners, as the English call retired people living on their pensions, who reside in a senior residence somewhere in Kent. Somehow, they manage to get involved in solving murders that often involve criminals from other countries.

What I love about this series—and this book especially—is the friendship these four older, very different people share.

In The Last Devil to Die, Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim,… show more.

Not only did I read The Last Devil to Die this year, but Richard Osman wrote it this year. Bless his heart. It’s the 4th in the Thursday Murder Club series by this British game show host-turned-novelist, and it is the best one yet.

You’d think “retirees solve mysteries” would be the tamest of cozies, but you’d be wrong. These pensioners know more about drug smuggling and untraceable poisons than any grandma has a right to, and your average murderer should be terrified of them.

But the funny, unexpected detectives and the well-constructed plots are not what I love most… show more.

I loved this book and the previous three books in this series because Richard Osman’s ensemble cast of four retirees—a group of formidable UK pensioners, each with unique life skills and personalities helpful to solving murders—are so enjoyable to spend time with.

The storyline is good. The plot is twisty. The mystery is interesting. The dialogue is snappy. And the way the author uses point of view is masterful. But above all, it’s the characters. You will miss them as soon as you reach the last page.