The Bullet that Missed (The Thursday Murder Club #3)

Posted On October 28, 2022

Hi Readers! I had a few super hectic weeks at work. Obviously, I was not able to read or write. So, I took advantage of weekends to read books end to end. And now during Diwali holidays, I am making the most use of time by writing all the backlog reviews! Here we go with the latest book in The Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman! You can check the review of The Thursday Murder Club here & of The Man who Died Twice here!

~~GOODREADS DESCRIPTION~~

It is an ordinary Thursday, and things should finally be returning to normal.

Except trouble is never far away where the Thursday Murder Club are concerned. A local news legend is on the hunt for a sensational headline, and soon the gang are hot on the trail of two murders, ten years apart.

To make matters worse, a new nemesis pays Elizabeth a visit, presenting her with a deadly mission: kill or be killed…

While Elizabeth grapples with her conscience (and a gun), the gang and their unlikely new friends (including TV stars, money launderers and ex-KGB colonels) unravel a new mystery. But can they catch the culprit and save Elizabeth before the murderer strikes again?

~~SIMILARITIES~~

After reading two books in the series, I was very well acquainted with the main characters; Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim, Ron, Donna, Chris, Bogdan & Steven. These are now the characters who I know in my bones. I know what they would do in an unpredictable situation, how they will react, what they will do after the situation. So, it is amazing to have such a powerful connection to them. But, on the other side, it also becomes slightly boring.

In terms of the plot, of course it’s unpredictable. But, I also know how the flow of the story is going to be. I know there will not be a big surprise reveal with one murderer. I know there are going to be multiple people complicit in the murder of Bethany Waites & Heather Garbutt & the IVA fraud. So, yes, I don’t really know who killed who until the end. But, still it becomes slightly boring.

This routine of similarities has been ongoing since The Thursday Murder Club, on to The Man who Died Twice & now in The Bullet that Missed. Even if there are 5 more books in the series, I will probably read them as soon as they are published. But, I am not so sure how much I will love them. With the same writing style, even if it’s a new plot, it’s going to take a lot more for readers like me to keep entertained.

~~CHARACTERS~~

I have said it before & I will say it again. I love being with these characters. But, in this book, there were way too many character additions, such as Pauline, Mike Waghorn, Fiona Clemence, Andrew Everton, Victor Illyich, Henrik, Heather Garbutt, Jack Mason, Connie Johnson! Way too many. And I get why. To throw readers off the scent & to make it difficult to find out who dunnit. But because of this, we get very little time with some of our main characters like Ibrahim or Chris. I even would have loved more interactions between the four of them. And also more of Joyce’s diary entries. It was just a bit much. These amazing, quirky, funny & dangerous old people are the reason this murder mystery series stands out, so we got to have more of them.

~~WHAT I ENJOYED~~ (Includes Spoilers)

I loved the highly unusual relationship between Donna & Bogdan. And, it had the perfect amount of visibility as well. Not too much & not too little either. It was also written well. I also loved Donna doing the news segment bit. I would have preferred Chris doing that, for the sole reason that we would have gotten more time with him that way.

I also enjoyed how all the readers must have thought that Bethany might be alive. And then Boom! Jack Mason says with such confidence that she is dead. And then, at the end, she is living peacefully in Dubai. That was a very nice way to get readers to think of other predictions.

What I absolutely loved is how Elizabeth, former MI6 police officer was so spooked about Henrik. And then when Henrik comes to kill Joyce, she just poisons him with her usual ‘I-am-harmless-dear’ demeanor. That was certainly the Joyce highlight for me. I also liked this whole angle about KGB & mafia drama.

The culprit being the Chief of Kent Police & his naivety was stupendous. I quite enjoyed him making a fool of his own greedy ass on a live stream.

~~TO READ OR NOT TO READ~~

If you read & liked the first two books of The Thursday Murder Club, then I don’t need to convince you, because I know you will read this book too. If you have not read the first 2 books, you can still read this one. If you are looking to get out of a reading slump, then you should read this book. If you have one day of break, then you should read it because you can read it in a day. I can’t think of any reason why The Bullet that Missed will not be a reading experience for you.

After reading the book, I had rated the book at 4/5, but after having had the time to contemplate, I think 3.5/5 stars is more apt. I truly hope it doesn’t keep going downward.

Until next time,