Cozy crime has Osman's unique twist

by Richard Osman, Viking, $37

Reviewed by Louise Ward, Wardini Books

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T.. .. .. he Last Devil to Die is the fourth instalment in Richard Osman’s series, The Thursday Murder Club. If you’re a fan of cosy crime stories with humour, bite and great plotting, then this is for you.

In the previous novels, we have come to know and love the residents of Coopers Chase, a Sussex retirement village where four of the residents have a cold case club relevant to their skills. Elizabeth is a retired MI6 agent, Joyce is a nurse, Ibrahim is a psychiatrist and Ron is a trade unionist. It’s a formidable team.

The narrative is mostly third person and the action unfolds through snappy, humorous dialogue that goes a long way in the creation of these lovable, diverse characters. Elizabeth is no-nonsense, caring for her husband Stephen as he moves through the cruel stages of dementia; Ibrahim is thoughtful, organised and well-informed; Ron is bluff, nononsense, with a slightly dodgy celebrity ex-boxer son. Joyce, smart as a whip, and delightful in her observations, is the only one to have a first-person narrative in the form of a diary in which she jots the often bizarre events of the day.

This highly skilled team move from cold cases to very warm ones throughout the series, becoming the bane of local coppers Chris and Donna who end up needing the Thursday Murder Club far more than the crew needs them.

In this book, an old friend is murdered and the club find themselves knee-deep in heroin and antique dealers whilst Chris and Donna are ousted from the case by a special team with an unknown agenda.

The body count is high, the humour regular and well-observed, and the characters delightful. There is real danger at every twist and turn but the team are sanguine about their survival. There are wry observations on life and death, poignantly written.

You will laugh and you will cry and you will have made some friends.