It’s cosy, so he lives to fight another day with the Thursday Murder Club but he goes through it and it was kinda heartbreaking! It is important to stop sometimes and just have a drink and gossip with friends, even as corpses start to pile up around you. Douglas is being held in a safe house under the supervision of MI5 operatives Sue Reardon and Lance James.

The heist atmosphere was very well done, with all the intrigue of MI5, the tension surrounding the American mob, adding a great deal of complexity to the mystery. It’s all this plus the friendships, the loyalty and support that exist between the gang of four and their growing band of associates that makes this such a delight to read. UPDATE: There's a good article and interview with the author about these two books in 'The Guardian' here'.It sits beneath the surface most of the time, but is very effective when it floats to the top, as a sobering reminder of the limitations and personal background stories of our favorite characters. Richard Osman on The Man Who Died Twice: 'Celebrity novelist is the worst phrase in the English language' ".

Septuagenarians, Elizabeth, Ron, Ibraham and Joyce, are on a new case and they have their hands full with this one! When one of their own, Ibrahim, is seriously injured during a violent mugging for his phone, there is no way the TMC, or local Fairhaven cops, DCI Chris Hudson and Donna De Freitas, are not going to seek vengeance.Polish builder Bogdan completes the eclectic band of justice seekers determined to solve the mystery behind a letter addressed to Elizabeth that appears to be written from the deceased Marcus Carmichael. When people close to the events and in cost contact with her colleague start turning up dead, Elizabeth enlists the help of her friends Ron, Ibrahim and Joyce to decipher the numerous and rather elaborate clues her colleague has left for her to solve the crimes. Not that she’s worried about being killed, it doesn’t feel to her like that’s what is happening here, but it’s always important to remember best practice. Leslie Manville does a lovely job as a narrator even though she is incapable of doing a realistic man’s voice.