“The Man Who Died Twice” by Richard Osman – The Diamonds of Old Age

 

Short Summary

Richard Osman has created a unique and endearing cast of sleuthing septuagenarians when he published the first installment of A Thursday Murder Club Mystery series, and in the second book, The Man Who Died Twice, he pits them against some real danger. 

An old acquaintance of one of the club's members rears his head, and asks for their help in clearing his name for the theft he didn't commit of a diamond collection. When the first body hits the floor, it becomes obvious the killer will stop at nothing to get what's his, having no qualms with murdering the four pensioners hot on his tail.

Osman Richard Puts the Thursday Murder Club in Danger

When I stopped to think about it, I realized that one of the greatest appeals of traditional detective stories was the comfort they brought along, always living up to the promise of keeping the protagonist alive and the villains behind bars. While there's certainly a lot to be said for the classic approach, I do think it's necessary for authors to put their sleuths and detectives in danger from time to time, something Richard Osman has done in The Man Who Died Twice.

This is the second novel in A Thursday Murder Club Mystery series, but you are by no means required to read the previous instalment. Nevertheless, I highly recommend you do so for the quality of the novel itself, as well as the fact you would also be benefiting from being better-acquainted with the four protagonists. If you're intent on diving into this book first though, you are more than welcome to.

For the uninitiated, Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim are a group of septuagenarians living out their glorious days of retirement as the founding members of the Thursday Murder Club. Up until recently they had only been preoccupied with cold cases, but the events which transpired in the previous novel finally gave them some field experience, something they're going to need in spades for what's coming.

Elizabeth's old friend comes knocking at their door, begging the group for their help in clearing his name. Apparently, he has been falsely accused of stealing diamonds worth millions of dollars and is now being pursued by some incredibly dangerous people. The case doesn't seem too bad or dangerous, until a body is found, heralding the beginning of a grim adventure.

As more and more people suddenly join the ranks of the dead, it becomes apparent the murderer lacks any kind of moral compass or ethical agenda, and bumping off a quartet of old pensioners would be child's play for them. Nevertheless, the Thursday Murder Club marches on, intent on catching the killer before he catches them.

The Silliness of Murder in The Man Who Died Twice

Death is one of those concepts we're still struggling to accept in our lives and explain in terms of a grander scheme, leading to people developing their own methods and worldviews for acknowledging it as a natural part of life (and its one true guarantee). In my opinion, treating the subject with humour requires one to walk a fine line between good and bad taste, between the appropriate and inappropriate.

In the first book of the series, Richard Osman did a great job, at least in my opinion, in walking the perfect tightrope when dealing with death from a comedic perspective, successfully highlighting its more absurd aspects while still giving it the respect it very much deserves. In The Man Who Died Twice, it felt to me like the author went a bit harder on the amount of comedy filling the pages.

The observations by the author are always on-point, witty, and sometimes carry interesting ideas and messages about life, especially in relation to its later stages. There were never any moments which felt out of place or inappropriate, and I'm glad to say Osman still treated death with the respect and reverence it deserves, never making a joke out of it.

As a result, the story feels extremely lively from start to finish, with seemingly every character and situation being fine-tuned to bring the comedy out of it. There is however, in my humble opinion, a downside to such an approach: when the murders start taking place and our protagonists find themselves in danger, the situation feels more silly than anything else.

While there are certainly some serious passages here and there, as well as moments which successfully tugged on my heart strings, on the whole I'd say the spirit of comedy is prevalent to the point where it works against the sense of danger Richard Osman has been trying to build. However, I think it's a minor gripe in and of itself, ultimately failing to prevent me from enjoying the mystery.

The Accelerating Investigation

To get the negatives out of the way first, once again, I find myself comparing this book to the first one for the contrast it offers. Whereas in the previous outing it took us little time to jump right into the heart of the matter, in The Man Who Died Twice the events take a little longer to unfold, and I was sad to see there were times when it felt like the investigation was meandering a bit.

When these moments happen, it's generally to follow some of our main characters on various little escapades and side adventures, which admittedly does help bring them closer to the reader. While I do find the author's portrayal of the aged to be a little on the generous side, I still find it much preferable to stories where the old are described as useless and out of their minds.

The chapters themselves, however, are quite short and the writing is far from being elaborate or demanding to any extent. Personally-speaking, this greatly helped to alleviate the moments where little progress was being made, helping to maintain my level of engagement with the plot. On the plus side, the further we get into the book, the less prominent this problem becomes.

Though it might meander at the start, when the investigation begins to pick up some speed it feels like the acceleration doesn't stop, with increasingly wacky and nutty events finding their way into the story. I will admit there were times when I had a bit of trouble following the investigative thread, but once again, the author's concise prose came to the rescue and sorted everything out in short order.

As far as the mystery itself is concerned, it's definitely closer to the realm of modern stories than classics, taking us on a veritable roller-coaster where one would be hard-pressed to predict where the next twist might come or where the next turn might lead. Ultimately, it feels like an exciting joy ride made a little spicier but the atmosphere of danger Richard Osman successfully injects at key moments.

The Final Verdict

The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman might have a couple of faults, but they're not enough to significantly detract from the pleasure of all it has to offer, and in my opinion stands as a worthy successor to the previous bestselling entry in A Thursday Murder Club Mystery series.

If you've enjoyed the first book and are aching for more, or simply in search of a wacky murder mystery which will doubtlessly leave you surprised, then I think this novel is very much worth checking out for you.

---

Richard Osman Richard Osman is an English comedian, producer, television presenter, and most importantly, a novelist. His career as an author began in 2012 with the publication of The 100 Most Pointless Things in the World, and has recently continued with the release of The Thursday Murder Club and The Man Who Died Twice, both part of A Thursday Murder Club Mystery series.