The Bullet That Missed: The third novel in the multi-million copy bestselling murder mystery series: 3 (The Thursday Murder Club, 3)

Richard, please hurry up and do number 4, as I can’t wait! I have devoured 1, 2 and now 3 and loved all of them. I think it is the characters you really get behind them and in number 3 we meet some new ones, who are equally as captivating and I doubt we have heard the last of them, also hope we get some clarity in book 4, as intrigued about Connie and what will happen to her going forward and even to find out what happens to the chief inspector and can Elizabeth and Viktor please take the trip to Dubai, they have to follow up. The characters all mesh together and create a page turning story. Humorous, interesting and some of it is very sad, you start to see deterioration of health for one and the realisation from some that they will not live forever. Joyce has some very good lines about living for today, as you might not be here tomorrow, so do the things you want to now before it is too late. Alan is a dark horse, well actually he’s a dog, but he is a highly intelligent dog and he reminds me of the dog from another book I’ve read this year, lessons in chemistry (try it couldn’t put it down.) dogs with their own minds and thoughts, which is now I like to think they are in real life as well. There is a good plot throughout the book and it sweeps you in, which is why I read it cover to cover in 3 sittings. Although you could read this as a stand alone, I would highly recommend that you don’t as otherwise you will miss out on the back history of the characters, which Richard has built in the previous 2 books. I love a good murder, not undertaking one personally, that would be against the law folks, but true crime, fiction, you name it, I love it and these books are some of the best I’ve read and if I can find a retirement complex that has it’s own murder club when I am a bit older, i’m in, put my name down at once. Tell my son please, in case I can’t decide myself, I only want a complex with a weekly murder club, not knitting or conversational French, murder. These books show so much of people’s nature, a theme throughout for me is Chris and Donna’s tolerance of what could be seen as interfering old people, putting their noses in where the police should be only. I also love Bogden who really grows as a character in number 3 and how he is with Stephen is how you hope others would be when confronted with a gentleman in decline. He has such a good heart and something really good happens for him in this novel. No spoilers, but it will make you take a deep sigh and say “you deserve this mate.” In this one there is television involved, so the author can talk about that I imagine without much research given his day job and I loved the line that the make up room is where you can catch up on all the gossip, as I imagine that is a fact. I recently read a book that was compared to these books, big splash on the advert about if you enjoyed Richard’s books, you’ll enjoy these. No, they were terrible, also I love Rev Richard Cole’s and they have compared his first novel to these, again, I read it based on that, again was so disappointed. Nothing compares to these (are you all humming the tune now, sorry,) they are brilliant, buy them, read them and I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.

I was hooked from the start. I’ve read the 1st and 2nd book of the series before this one and this is by far the best one yet (however all are extremely entertaining and joyful to read). I’ve become so attached to the characters and feel a sense of comfort and warmth when reading these books (despite the fact it’s about murders..) definitely recommend. Absolute pleasure!

Richard Osman is back with the third installment of the Thursday Murder Club series, The Bullet That Missed, and if you enjoyed the first two, you will almost certainly enjoy this one. It retains that distinct "cozy but deadly" charm that Osman has perfected. The Good: The Characters: As always, the quartet of Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron, and Ibrahim is the heart of the book. Osman manages to make them feel like real friends. Joyce’s diary entries remain a highlight—she is the perfect balance of innocent and incredibly sharp. The new additions, including a "frenemy" KGB agent named Viktor, add a fantastic dynamic to the group. The Humor: It is genuinely funny. The banter is witty, and the absurdity of octogenarians kidnapping people or dealing with money launderers is handled with such a light touch that you can’t help but smile. The Emotional Core: Beneath the jokes, there are touching moments about aging, friendship, and dementia that give the story real weight without being depressing. The Honest Critique: The Plot Complexity: While the characters are 5-star, the actual murder mystery plot is a little convoluted this time around. There are a lot of moving parts—cryptocurrency schemes, ex-KGB spies, VAT fraud, and a cold case involving a TV reporter. At times, it feels like the plot is just a loose excuse to get the characters in a room together. Suspension of Disbelief: You have to be willing to just go with it. The idea that these retirees can outsmart the MI5 and the KGB so easily is getting increasingly far-fetched. If you prefer gritty realism, this might be too silly for you. Verdict: It’s a comfort read in the best way possible. It might not be the tightest mystery ever written, but it is warm, clever, and hugely entertaining. It feels like catching up with old friends who just happen to attract trouble.

I pre-ordered Book 3 as soon as I could, and it arrived a couple of days after a disparaging review in a Sunday broadsheet. The journalist couldn’t understand the fuss, apparently. I asked myself what Joyce would do. I carried on regardless. The Thursday Murder Club is now veering into a cold case land via the previous slaying of a popular female TV presenter. It’s comfortable territory for the author, and it feels as such for the reader. Introducing Mike the TV anchor and Pauline the helpful make-up artist as the main side ‘cast’, our Fab Four once more persuade those closest to the victim to assist them in their investigations. Of course, now that we know more about Elizabeth’s ‘secret service’ past things invariably means murkier waters. I don’t want to have to include spoilers - perhaps, suffice to say that she is who Villanelle of ‘Killing Eve’ might hope to be one day, when she knocks on in age. This book is different in that our four detectives aren’t quite as closely intertwined as they were way back in book one, and I missed that a little bit, but there has to be some progression. Donna and Chris are on hand once more to provide some sort of police back-up, headed up by a very confident boss who also runs a side hustle as a murder fiction writer. What keeps us involved, rooting and cheering are the relationships, loyalty, belief and trust in each other that our four faves have. It is unwavering and without condition. It is what my mum Doreen would have called ‘a lovely turn of phrase’ which Richard Osman injects both warmth and charm into. When he describes Joyce as wishing the TV presenter Mike would undress her cardigan with his eyes, it is simply beautiful to read. Joyce feels very much like the star of this book - her optimism, sense of romance and flirtation remind us all that a lust for life doesn’t end when the pension payments have long since kicked in. Osman paints his minor characters with just as much detail - like Elizabeth, we long for the moments of clarity as her husband’s memory continues to dwindle. When those moments are delivered, they are just as winning as the solving of crimes. This book provided familiar comfort during a week that felt that winter, and this one may be filled with discontent, was finally on its way. For a reader like myself, and I’m certainly not unique when you see the bestseller list, this is another outing for a Club we are not just invested in, but now feel very much a part of. If other reviewers long for a bigger, more intellectual picture, then I’m sure they know where to find it. I wanted a book to read while my husband was downstairs watching a documentary-series about a notorious serial killer, and I found it in this delightful, charming and infectiously funny thriller, where the author delivers pure joy in the details. And now I have finished it and have to wait for the next one, I’m definitely thinking there is a market for a ‘What Would Joyce Do?’ mouse pad. Book 3 is a whodunit with some twists, from a beloved bunch who revel in their quiet notoriety. Oh, and if I happened to join the gang for real then Ron would definitely be my type of fella. Just don’t tell my husband….

The third title in the now-famous and highly-popular Thursday Murder club series is the one I've most enjoyed. I thoroughly appreciated the first two books but The Bullet That Missed shows Richard Osman at his best - he's in his stride and clearly enjoying his writing life. The gang at the retirement village are assembled to investigate the case of Bethany Waites' death many years ago...another cold case for the intrepid retirees under the leadership of ex-MI5 agent Elizabeth Best, her friends Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim - and Alan, Joyce's dog. This time we also have a tv studio, a quiz show, and a few of Elizabeth's old adversaries in the mix. More deaths...more threats...a cast of many new characters. It's all here. And Stephen, Elizabeth's forgetful and less than well husband, also gets involved with surprising results. Bogdan is back and there are love interests for several characters too. Let Richard Osman entertain you with 91 chapters that whizz along taking us from Sussex to Staffordshire and into the heart of London, with in-jokes - not slapstick comedy - all told in Osman's inimitable spare prose, so well-crafted it never gets in the way of the reader's enjoyment or speed. My own hobby of looking up places on an internet map has been well catered for - see the sky pool, the new American Embassy and the nearby publishing house. All these places are referenced in Osman's acknowledgement and his sense of fun is woven throughout this novel. He is a generous author who uses his own intellect and quiz knowledge to keep his readers glued to the pages as the mystery and adventure unfolds. This is more than a cracking good tale - it is a masterclass in making writing look easy - because Richard Osman has truly found his calling. Book Four, due in September 2023, will be much-anticipated.

To be honest, I started reading the first book in the series, "The Thursday Murder Club", due to all the hype surrounding the film about to be released. That book was fun, but a little bit slow-paced..... 😉 However it was just interesting enough to make me push on and read the second one - which was so much better and lots more fun! I felt the author really got into his game in that one - and into his rhythm. Now I have just finished this third book in the series - and it just keeps getting better and better! I love the sneaky cleverness of each of the characters - and the almost matter of fact way they have of discussing murder!! 😁 Elizabeth reminds me of the Helen Mirren character in the movie "Red" - and I loved those two movies! There are some sad moments, some poignant moments - and some LOL moments!! A total delight!! Can't wait to get into the next book in the series!!!

As per his others, great read

Rating: 4.2/5 Given the phenomenal success success of the first two books in the "Thursday Murder Club" series, it is unlikely that many regular readers of fiction will not be aware of them. More pleasing is the fact that many lapsed (or perhaps even "never were") readers have been tempted back by Richard Osman's cosy crime novels. Of course, there will be the haters out there who are determined to dislike or dismiss his work purely because they have already taken against him for other reasons - but this prejudiced and disdainful attitude is increasingly lacking in justification. Whilst I agree that the favourable reaction that greeted his first book was a little over-the-top for a debut that was good but not great, each of the two sequels have been an improvement on the one before and Richard Osman is now proving to be an accomplished writer of this genre. "The Bullet That Missed" is his best offering so far. I won't go into detail about the plot and risk spoilers. Suffice to say that the septuagenarian residents of Coopers Chase, who make up the eponymous "Thursday Murder Club", are back again, but with a new mystery to get their dentures into. Although the plot is not directly related to the previous books, there are occasional references to events that took place in those earlier stories. "The Bullet That Missed" could be read as a standalone and be enjoyable enough, but I would suggest that potential readers would derive even more from the experience if they were already familiar with the main cast of characters. Over the course of the three books it is apparent that Richard Osman is learning from experience and developing as a writer. His style in "The Bullet That Missed" is noticeably more assured, more relaxed and more fluent than it was at the outset. The plotting is more robust and has a perfectly sound mystery adventure at its heart and there is greater attention to detail. As you would expect, there is still plenty of clever observational humour along the way and Richard Osman draws on his background in television and game show development to good effect. But, beyond that, there are moments that are touchingly poignant and moving, which when combined with all the other elements, helps to move this onto a higher level than the vast majority of cosy crime mysteries out there.