THE BULLET THAT MISSED - Book review

Richard Osman’s third Thursday Murder Club mystery lives up to the promise of the previous two books. Although each novel can be read as a self-contained mystery, much is lost if you haven’t read the earlier books.

Yet again we we’re back with the gang from Coopers Chase – Ex-MI6 agent Elizabeth Best, Joyce, Ron, Ibrahim, and Bogdan. Aided and abetted as usual by detectives Chris and Donna. The cold case they’re interested in is the murder of investigative TV journalist Bethany Waites who was pushed off a cliff in her car; her body was never found.

To help with their enquiries, they enlist TV personality Mike Waghorn who worked with Bethany at the time and was probably in love with her. ‘Mike finds it hard to cry, because he started having Botox treatments before they’d really got the hang of them, and his tear ducts are blocked.’ (p77)

However Elizabeth has other concerns. It appears someone is threatening to kill her friend Joyce unless Elizabeth kills Victor Illyich, previously known as the Viking. He used to be her foe behind the Iron Curtain but eventually they seemed to accommodate a kind of détente, possibly along physical lines. Victor was a successful KGB interrogator, surprisingly averse to violence. ‘Victor does have a persuasive tone… He makes everything feel like was your idea in the first place.’ (p271)

This time around we do get a hint of Elizabeth’s background – she had a violent father. This is a particularly poignant scene, especially as she reflects on her good fortune to be married and loved by her husband Stephen, who is gradually succumbing to dementia. ‘And she will cry the lifetime of tears she has denied herself.’ (p240) Beautifully evoked. In other scenes Stephen's situation is handled sensitively and understated depth.

An additional complication is Connie Johnson, presently in prison (as a result of book two’s investigations). She knows a fellow inmate who was accused of Bethany’s murder. Another associate of Bethany’s is Fiona Clemence (did she do away with Bethany to get her job and then went on to great success?):’That auburn hair, so famous from the shampoo adverts, the full smile, so famous from the toothpaste adverts, and the cheekbones honed by genetics and Harley Street.’ (p261)

As before, the interaction between the characters provides the amusement and the story’s impetus. Despite introducing new characters, Osman manages to imbue each with their own voice.

If there is a criticism, perhaps it is that nobody seems unduly nasty, even the alleged murderers! Cosy is as cosy does, I guess.

Minor irritations.

The editor should have vetoed some things. Whenever anyone is introduced, we have: ‘I’m Connie Johnson,’ says Connie. When ‘she says’ would suffice or in fact nothing at all.

When there are only two people in the scene, Osman persists in telling us who says what: most of the time it is not necessary. He has given the characters distinctive voices. For example on p166 we have ‘says Connie’ five times when there is only her and Ibrahim in the scene. ‘She says’ would suffice and is more invisible; most of the time it’s obvious she is talking anyway. This occurs a great deal – it’s not as if he was being paid by the word, is it?