Sujoya(theoverbookedbibliophile)'s Reviews > The Last Devil to Die

4.5⭐️

A murdered antiques dealer and a mysterious package that has smugglers, drug dealers and art forgers racing to get their hand on it, online scammers targeting the elderly and their own life situations – the members of the Thursday Murder Club have a lot on their plate! DCI Chris Hudson and PC Donna de Freitas would have preferred to keep our senior sleuths from getting involved in the murder investigation but when has anyone or anything ever stopped the very capable Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim from doing what they do best? When Donna and Chis are sidelined by the National Crime Agency who take over the case, guess who they team up with?

With Bogdan pitching in, the Thursday Murder Club, Chris and Donna leave no stone unturned as they try to figure out who murdered Kuldesh Sharma, the eighty-year-old antique dealer who was a friend of Elizabeth’s husband Stephen, try to locate the mysterious package that everyone suspects Kuldesh had received before his death, and also identify an online scammer who has targeted one of their fellow residents at Cooper’s Chase retirement community.

The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman is a cleverly crafted cozy mystery that combines a suspenseful plot with a perfect balance of humor and emotion. The author deftly weaves several subplots into the primary narrative without detracting from the murder mystery or adversely impacting the pace. The subplot revolving around Elizabeth and Stephen was deeply moving and I appreciated the insight and compassion with which the author has tackled several sensitive issues, including aging, age-related illness, loss and grief. I enjoyed Joyce’s journal entries, which are always a joy to read. I also liked how Joyce had a more active role to play in this installment. The author does justice to all of our main characters, each of whom has a distinct role to play. I particularly like how each story in this series not only revolves around new mysteries but also features supporting characters introduced in previous installments, which gives us a sense of continuity while also contributing to the character arcs of our main characters.

With its riveting plot with plenty of twists and turns, deeply moving depiction of sensitive themes and the author’s signature wit and humor, this installment ranks as one of my favorites in the series.

I paired my reading with the audiobook narrated by Fiona Shaw, which made for a thoroughly enjoyable immersion reading experience.

Please note that this book does not work as a standalone. I would strongly recommend reading these books in series order.

The author has mentioned that we will have to wait for the next book in this series as he is currently developing a new series. I‘ll be eager to meet these characters again and also look forward to reading the author’s new series.

My reviews for the first three books in the series:
Book#1: The Thursday Murder Club
Book#2: The Man Who Died Twice
Book#3: The Bullet That Missed

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