Gangs all back!

I honestly don't know how the 3rd book in a series can feel so fresh, so funny, and yet so familiar! So good, so, so, so good. We have the gang and some fun new faces in this new book solving yet another mystery.
Truly, all I can say is Kudos to the author. Can't wait for the next one. ( )

4.5 stars. I finally found my way around to finishing this book after I bought it when it came out last year. I forgot how much I love a they pacing and characterization of these characters. They all feel so familiar and as if I already know them. There is an element of coziness that has come with this series, but every book has added a layer of suspense, as well as increased the character circle. The new characters are lovable but keep you on your toes. A very nice palette cleanser type of book in between large fantasy novels. ( )

Got my copy on publication day (U.S.) and I’ve been glued to it all day! It was certainly worth the wait!

In the third installment of the Thursday Murder Club series, a ten-year-old unsolved murder (assumed suicide by driving her car over a cliff) of a journalist/co-host of a television news show, has our favorite residents of Coopers Chase Retirement Village- Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron- going all out in their search for old facts, discovering new leads, meeting new people (and reconnecting with old acquaintances) and trying to keep from getting into trouble. Helping them are their friends PC Donna de Freitas and DCI Chris Hudson. To complicate matters for Elizabeth, she is receiving anonymous texts and threats from an unknown nemesis who orders her to kill a former KGB colonel she had connections with during her old days as an MI5 agent, failing which would endanger not only her life but also the life of one of her friends.

What follows is an exciting sequence of events involving a multitude of suspects (old and new), the world of television journalism, financial fraud, kidnapping, murder, blackmail and much more. People are killed, graves are dug, unlikely alliances and friendships are formed, romance blossoms for some of the characters and while some mysteries are solved, there is much more to the story than what everyone assumes.

I love how the author not only entertains us with riveting mysteries but also pays attention to character development as the series progresses. Each of the characters has an important role to play in these stories. Elizabeth is a very interesting character and we get to know more about her past while also witnessing the love and tenderness she feels for her husband Stephen and her concern for her friends. Joyce is definitely coming into her own as the series progresses and I loved how she uses her presence of mind to get out of the sticky situations. Her journal entries/notes make for some entertaining reading. In addition to the third-person narrative and Joyce’s notes, I liked we also get chapters from the perspectives of Elizabeth, Bogdan, Ibrahim and other characters. I’m loving how Bogdan is becoming an integral part of the series. Alan, the dog, is also a welcome addition to the club!

With its intricately plotted mystery, quirky characters, engaging narrative (short chapters and sharp writing!) and laugh-out-loud humor, The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman is a fun read and a worthy addition to the series. While I’ve enjoyed all three books in this series, the second book remains my favorite to date. I would strongly recommend that you read the books in series order to fully enjoy the characters and the stories. It was great to catch up with the Thursday Murder Club and their friends (both old and new). I can’t wait for Book #4!

My reviews for the other books in the series:
Book#1: The Thursday Murder Club
Book#2: The Man Who Died Twice ( )

Weer zo’n verrukkelijke feelgood-detective over de moordclub (op donderdag). De vier pensionado’s aangevuld met 2 rechercheurs en gaandeweg nog wat halve criminelen met een goed hart. Het borduurt verder op het vorige verhaal,en hopelijk komen er nog veel meer. De vrienden gaan op zoek naar verdwenen geld, BTW fraude en de oude moord op Bethanie Waites, die toch niet dood is maar uitgeweken is (met erg veel geld) naar Dubai. De hoofdcommissaris blijkt zo corrupt als een deur en er vallen nog wat doden. Inmiddels heeft Joyce gelukkig Alan, de hond. ( )

The Thursday Murder Club returns in this third crime-solving adventure, as ex-spy Elizabeth, sweet and always surprising Joyce, rabble-rousing Ron and clever and curious Ibrahim become involved in an unsolved murder from years ago. As the quartet work to solve the murder of Bethany Waites, a journalist whose car was pushed off a cliff just as she was investigating a local crime ring involved in a massive tax fraud, Elizabeth finds herself embroiled in more trouble from her past. Can she find a way to avoid assassinating her old friend Victor, ex-KGB agent and current-day money launderer, or will she have to revert to her old ways, in order to protect newer friends? The gang work together, bringing in friends old and new, as they confront every challenge and solve (almost) every mystery...

Unlike the first two novels about these characters—the eponymous The Thursday Murder Club and The Man Who Died Twice—which I read in stops and starts, despite greatly enjoying both, I had no trouble reading The Bullet That Missed straight through, in a few days. It was immensely engaging, both as a mystery/adventure story, and as a further exploration of the lives of these characters, whom I have come to really love. I was thrilled to see that the relationship between Bogdan and Donna, hinted at toward the end of the last book, was further developed here; and I was touched by the evolution of the relationship between Elizabeth and Joyce, with the former so fiercely determined to protect the latter, and the latter calmly accepting that they had become "best friends." I wasn't sure what to think of the resolution: will Elizabeth and Victor discover that Bethany Waites is still alive? Is the reader supposed to want them to make that discovery, or supposed to hope that they don't? Will the other members of the Thursday Murder Club discover the secret shared between Ron and Pauline, at the end of the book? Despite these and other questions all being up in the air, I finished the book feeling satisfied with the ending. Which isn't to say, of course, that I'm not looking forward to the next installment. ( )