The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman

The Last Devil to Die is the fourth part in The Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman. It was published in September this year.

The action takes place shortly after the events of The Bullet That Missed, which in turn took place shortly after the events of the previous two books. (Although if you were pedantic about the dates, you would notice that Covid has happened, as has the Qatar World Cup and there is a King rather than a Queen in this book.)

Someone close to the Thursday Murder Club has been murdered and a package in his possession has gone missing. What was in the package? Where has it gone? Why was he murdered for it? Who did it?

Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim must use all of their contacts to try to track down the murderer. Chris and Donna are mysteriously taken off the case, but the Thursday Murder Club are convinced they can get their answers more quickly than the police anyway. And the body count just keeps on rising…

The Last Devil to Die introduces some new drug dealers and antiques dealers, as well as some new Coopers Chase residents. Bogdan is back, along with cocaine dealer, Connie Johnson, still running operations from her prison cell.

The Last Devil to Die packs an emotional punch the previous books don’t have. Elizabeth’s beloved husband Stephen’s dementia is getting worse. As Stephen slips away from her, it’s time for Elizabeth to take some difficult decisions about his future. With Elizabeth tied up with Stephen, she needs to take a step back from investigations. But after three cases, Joyce is more than ready to take a leading role.

The trademark humour is there as ever. Somehow, the humour manages to be both gentle and hilariously funny – I found myself laughing out loud several times.

After four books, am I bored of Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim? Absolutely not! This could be the best yet. I certainly preferred it to both The Man Who Died Twice and The Bullet That Missed. The moving portrayal of Stephen’s dementia and Elizabeth’s grief really gives it an edge.

If you’ve never read a Thursday Murder Club book before, I really would recommend them. They can’t fail to put a smile on your face.

This isn’t the last Thursday Murder Club novel, but Richard Osman has said he’s taking a break from the adventures of the Coopers Chase residents. He’s working on a new detective series, but will return to Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim in the future.