Opinion
The 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, no-nonsense, with a slightly dodgy celebrity ex-boxer son.
Joyce is a joy: insightful in so many ways, smart as a whip, and delightful in her observations and 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.