In the sleepy English village of Coopers Chase, all is well until a decade-old cold case leads the intrepid Thursday Murder Club down a rabbit hole of secrets, lies, and startling revelations. But when a mysterious foe threatens the life of Elizabeth’s dear friend Joyce unless she carries out a shocking assassination, the stakes have never been higher. Joined by their allies PC Donna de Freitas and DCI Chris Hudson, these clever septuagenarian sleuths must untangle a web of blackmail, betrayal, and buried truths to unmask a killer and save one of their own in this delightfully devious third installment of Richard Osman’s beloved series.
The Backdrop: “The Bullet That Missed” marks a triumphant return to the world of the Thursday Murder Club, the smash hit series that has captivated readers worldwide with its perfect blend of cozy charm and devilishly clever plotting. Following on the heels of Osman’s sensational debut “The Thursday Murder Club” (2020) and equally winning sequel “The Man Who Died Twice” (2021), this third outing cements the series as a crown jewel of the cozy mystery genre, effortlessly balancing warmth, wit, and page-turning suspense.
The Engrossing Plot:
When the Thursday Murder Club, a group of septuagenarian amateur sleuths, decides to investigate the decade-old presumed suicide of a famed television journalist, they have no idea the hornet’s nest they’re about to kick over. As Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron start digging into the cold case, a shadowy figure from Elizabeth’s MI5 past resurfaces with a chilling ultimatum: assassinate a former KGB colonel, or watch your beloved best friend die.
With the clock ticking and the body count rising, our fearless pensioners find themselves in a deadly game of cat and mouse stretching from the luxe penthouses of the uber-rich to the grim halls of a mob-connected prison. Banding together with their police confidantes Donna and Chris, they’ll chase leads through the cutthroat world of broadcast journalism, the shady underworld of financial fraud, and buried scandals someone is willing to kill to keep secret.
From a mysterious prisoner with an espresso machine to an ex-KGB mastermind with a target on his back, the suspects and potential victims just keep piling up as the Thursday Murder Club races to connect the dots and unmask “Viking” before one of their own takes a bullet. Throw in an unlikely romance, an ill-advised kidnapping, and more than a few freshly dug graves, and Osman has crafted yet another cozily compulsive puzzler that deftly walks the knife’s edge between charm and menace.
Inimitable Charm:
While the page-turning plot mechanics are as impressively engineered as ever, it’s really Osman’s inimitable wit, warmth, and character work that makes “The Bullet That Missed” such an unalloyed pleasure. He has an uncanny knack for imbuing even the most minor players with instant personality and pathos, from world-weary journalists to ruthless Russian oligarchs to small-town bobbies dreaming of a big break.
But it’s the core quartet of the Thursday Murder Club that keep us coming back, each member sketched with such knowing affection and perfectly-timed punchlines that it’s impossible not to be utterly won over. The way Elizabeth’s steely MI5 competence clashes against Joyce’s good-natured busy-bodying, the way Ibrahim’s psychologist’s clarity balances against Ron’s pugnacious impulsiveness – there’s such specificity and depth of feeling to these characterizations that spending time with them feels like a cozy visit with old friends, even as the plot plunges them into ever-escalating peril.
Cozy Subversion:
“The Bullet That Missed” beautifully showcases Osman’s gift for imbuing cozy tropes with his signature blend of sly self-awareness and genre-savvy subversions. On its surface, the book hits all the classic cozy mystery beats – amateur sleuths, quaint village setting, more butlers and vicars than you can shake a crumpet at. But dig a little deeper and you’ll find a sharply modern sensibility lurking beneath the tea-and-jumpers charm.
Osman has a knack for lightly sending up cozy conventions even as he deploys them masterfully – our sleuths may bicker charmingly over Shepherd’s pie and Werther’s Originals, but they’re also gleefully tampering with evidence, casually ordering mob hits, and merrily abusing police resources with impunity. It’s a testament to his consummate skill as a plotter and humorist that we go along for the slightly bonkers ride so willingly, always confident that beneath the hijinks, something real is at stake.
Beneath its irresistible charm and whip-smart plotting, “The Bullet That Missed” is ultimately a poignant meditation on the power and peril of secrets. Whether between nations, lovers, or friends, the lies we tell to protect ourselves and others have a way of metastasizing over time, growing in power and malevolence the longer they go unconfronted. It’s only through the steadfast loyalty and determination of communities like the Thursday Murder Club, Osman suggests, that we can find the strength to face down our darkest deceptions before they destroy us.
The Lasting Verdict:
Hilarious yet humane, cozy yet cutting, “The Bullet That Missed” proves yet again that Richard Osman is the reigning master of the modern cozy mystery. Cracking wise and cracking cases with equal aplomb, it’s a warm-hearted romp of a novel that deftly balances page-turning suspense against the undeniable pleasures of watching good-hearted octogenarians gone gleefully rogue. Most importantly, amidst all the homicidal hijinks, Osman never loses sight of the series’ true heart: the unshakable friendship and community that binds the Thursday Murder Club together through thick and thin.
Whether you’re a die-hard cozy addict or a mystery neophyte, you’ll find yourself utterly beguiled by this third sparkling entry in a series that just keeps getting better. Settle in with a fresh cuppa and a few cheeky biscuits, and prepare to be delighted anew by the literary phenomenon that is the Thursday Murder Club. Just be sure to guard your teapot – as Elizabeth and Joyce would surely agree, you never know which sweet-faced septuagenarian might be plotting murder most foul.
