I'm always sad when I get to the end of another book in the Thursday Murder Club series but I know there's more to come from these septuagenarians. It may be a bit longer wait this time around for Book #5 but I'll be here for it when it's published. If you haven't started on your journey with Joyce, Elizabeth, Ron, & Ibrahim, then I'd suggest you get a move on. Seriously. Go! There’s also a subplot about a romance scam. As someone who dealt with a mother taken in by one, I loved how the team dealt with it. I have to warn you though, this book feels like the series' most intimate and emotional one yet, so get the tissues ready. Osman doesn't shy away from talking about growing old and dying. In fact, couched in all that humor and sleuthing is the ever-present specter of death coming for everyone, especially when you are of a certain old age.

Because of course, there is always more than one mystery to solve in these, and the little reveals at the end are usually even more fun than the BIG REVEAL.There may be other aged detectives in print and on television,but for wit, intelligence and humanity, the Thursday Murder Club outranks them all.”

This series keeps getting BETTER and BETTER, and this time Richard Osman has combined a cozy mystery with some thoughtfully written sub plots which include the themes of “romance fraud” and “end of life decisions”. Usually by the fourth book in a series, my interest starts to wane and I don’t continue on, but I have grown fond of this gang, and look forward to what’s next! Richard Osman’s books are a slyly sophisticated bunch, boasting emotional development equal to the memorable mysteries. . .Thursday Murder Club mystery stands up well on its own, but given the richness of character and relationships, as a set, they’re bloody brilliant.” There's not much detail about the story, other than the Waterstones listing saying: "Osman's beloved ageing investigators return in another captivating mystery that blends wry wit and deft characterisation with fast-paced, intricate plotting."I’ll miss my yearly September visit with the gang next year, as Osman is taking a break from the series to write a father-daughter mystery. Though I’m looking forward to seeing where his creative mind takes him with that story, I hope to see my Thursday Murder Club friends again soon. Fall just isn’t the same without them! As the cold case turns white hot, Elizabeth wrestles with her conscience (and a gun), while Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim chase down clues with help from old friends and new. But can the gang solve the mystery and save Elizabeth before the murderer strikes again? That’s the thing about Coopers Chase. You’d imagine it was quiet and sedate, like a village pond on a summer’s day. But in truth it never stops moving, it’s always in motion. And that motion is aging, and death, and love, and grief, and final snatched moments and opportunities grasped. The urgency of old age. There’s nothing that makes you feel more alive than the certainty of death.” Richard Osman has been an extremely productive and creative author for the past few years, so much so that there now seems to be a plethora of writers who try and duplicate his formula. Once again, Osman proves he is at the top of his game as he treats us to his usual assortment of seniors who assist the police in solving crimes. Elizabeth is the leader, Joyce her friend and diarist, Ron the former union leader and Ibrahim who is a psychogist. Here we have one of their friends, an antique dealer, who is murdered after he is given an old box filled with heroin. The dealer is dead, and the box with the heroin is missing. They care less about the heroin, but need to discover who killed their friend. We also are treated to a side issue of Romance Fraud on the internet as a new resident at their apartments has fallen for an internet romance and shipped a large amount of funds to Lithuania to help his "true love" pay her bills. Add to this, Elizabeth's husband Stephen is suffering from dementia and we have many segments of the book dealing with the condition, aging, death, etc. Finally we also have University professors, Afghan drug smugglers, a cocaine dealer who Ibrahim counsels at her prison cell, and a rival antique dealer and her male Canadian partner. I am telling you, the plot is interesting, we get to also meet Bob the Computer Guy who also has just moved into the complex, and we are treated to Joyce with her diary entries which also help tie things together, and who has surprisingly taken the lead when Elizabeth is indisposed. 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…Osmanweaves numerous plot lines, both tragic and hilarious, into an irresistible novel, perfect for fans of Mrs. Pollifax or Miss Marple.”

I cannot think of another series with a more moving exploration of love after a lifetime together, and The Last Devil To Die reduced me to tears at more than one point.” This is a series where the characters have been drawn so deftly they seem real. These are people I wished they lived in my community! The Last Devil to Die is a Cozy Mystery I devoured in two big gulps. It's full of eye-opening perspectives into the antiques business, drug-smuggling, fine-art fraud, and on-line romance fraud. But who am I kidding? I'm here for the four main characters in this series, their comradery and banter, along with Joyce's journal entries that keep me listening time and time again. I did crave a bit more of Joyce's loyal pooch Alan, but that's just the dog-lover in me chiming in. The format continues to work well, combining “real time” events with Joyce’s journal recapping other scenes. This is the fourth book in the series, and while it can be read as a standalone, the emotional aspects of the narrative might not resonate if you are not familiar with the characters or the series.A new mystery is afoot in thethird bookin the Thursday Murder Club series from million-copy bestselling author Richard Osman. With Elizabeth preoccupied with Stephen’s care, Joyce takes the lead. Ron is Ron, while the reader finally learns more about Ibrahim’s past. A new friend comes into the fold, and some new residents of Coopers Chase find themselves in scandalous situations. Also, the criminal characters are entertaining, and I especially enjoyed Garth’s character. Donna, Chris, and Bogdan also play significant roles.