Richard Osman (The Bullet that Missed; The Thursday Murder Club) revisits the septuagenarian members of the Thursday Murder Club and some of their new friends in The Last Devil to Die. Incredibly clever, with some deeply poignant scenes and laugh-out-loud shenanigans from the elderly friends, this fourth entry in the series is chaotically fun. The four friends--Elizabeth, a brilliant former spy; Joyce, a chatty retired nurse; Ibrahim, a gentle psychiatrist; and Ron, a pugnacious unionist--are supposed to be enjoying life in their English retirement village. But they can't help themselves: when an antique dealer named Kuldesh--an old friend of Stephen, Elizabeth's husband--is found murdered in his car, they have to get involved. As the Thursday Murder Club members dig into the area's antique trade, they discover all kinds of shady things going on--and soon realize that almost no one can be trusted. The intrepid friends face their own mortality in the wake of Kuldesh's murder in a story that is sweet, sad, and incredibly entertaining.
Polish gangsters, irritated cops, Canadian killers, and all sorts of other characters all find themselves stymied by the Thursday Murder Club's inexplicable success. Osman weaves numerous plot lines, both tragic and hilarious, into an irresistible novel, perfect for fans of Mrs. Pollifax or Miss Marple. Although those who have read the first three novels in the series are sure to appreciate learning more about the early lives of Joyce, Ron, Ibrahim, and Elizabeth, The Last Devil to Die could be read as a delightful standalone. --Jessica Howard, freelance book reviewer