The Last Devil to Die

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.

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… it might be nice for the Thursday Murder Club to have a new project that moved at a gentler pace than usual. Something a bit less murdery would be quite a novelty.

What’s The Last Devil to Die About?

What a nice thought—and for a minute, it looked possible.* But no reader expected it to continue, and it doesn’t. In fact, the murder strikes pretty close to home—a character the reader had met recently, but who had strong ties to Stephen and Elizabeth. Which, of course, is how the Thursday Murder Club gets involved. Since the reader does know him, though, we’re invested from the get-go.

* And I’d absolutely read that.

The Club encounters art forgery, a different group of drug smugglers, and some people who make others they’ve faced down seem downright cuddly. (not all of them, obviously, these retirees have faced off with some scary people) The path they have to follow to find the killer—and the object their friend died over—is probably the twistiest they’ve gone down yet.

Yes, there is the “less murdery” case as well—a fellow resident of Coopers Chase is getting fleeced by an online romantic interest, but he can’t see it. So the Club takes it upon themselves to expose the fraud to protect him before he’s totally broke (and maybe get a little of the money back).

Loss, Grief, and Death

Life continues, whatever you do. It’s a bulldozer like that.

This series has always featured death—not just murder. Given the age and health of the protagonists—and the community they live in—it’s a constant presence. But not just death, going on, grieving, learning to cope with the absence of a loved one—and maybe not learning.

We’ve watched Joyce, for example, grieving for her husband from Day 1. Everyone since that time has lost people that were important to them, talked about losing others, and so on. It’s one of the dominant themes of this series.

In The Last Devil to Die, dominant seems to be an understatement. Osman doesn’t let you get away from it—not in a mawkish, maudlin, or over-the-top manner. It’s just there, it’s what the characters are facing and dealing with in a variety of ways (even some of the bad guys!). It doesn’t leave you (too?) despondent, however. There’s hope, there’s life, there’s a tomorrow for the living. It is a bulldozer.

I’ve always been impressed with the way that Osman treats these subjects, he’s at his best in this installment.

So, all in all, I ’ve had a lovely Boxing Day, and am going to fall asleep in front of a Judi Dench film. All that’s missing is Gerry working his way through a tin of Quality Street and leaving the wrappers in the tin. Irritating at the time, but I’d give everything I own to have him back. Gerry liked the Strawberry Delights and Orange Crémes, and I liked the Toffee Pennies, and if you want to know the recipe for a happy marriage it is that.

So, what did I think about The Last Devil to Die?

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.

This summer, when I did the Mid-Year Freak Out Book Tag, I said that while no book had made me cry this year, I figured something would by the end of the year. I didn’t think it would be a cozy mystery that did it. Almost twice.

But I was laughing—or at least chuckling—within a couple of pages both times. And it didn’t feel like emotional whiplash or like he was undercutting the seriousness of what elicited the tears or almost tears. Osman was just honestly portraying these characters in all their aspects which brings laughter and tears.

I’ve talked a lot about this book’s “downer” parts. Let me assure you that the comedy is great—watching Ron try to understand his son making Cameos, for example. Other things with Ron, too, actually. I’m having trouble coming up with examples—well, Joyce is a reliable source of humor, obviously. Everyone is, as you know if you’ve read one of these books (and if you haven’t, but are reading this post…there’s your homework, go pick up the first one and thank me later). I’m having trouble coming up with other specific examples that I can use in this post, sadly. But they’re there, I assure you.

As always, the characters are Osman’s strong suit. Our regulars are in fine form, as are the some returning characters (including some I was pleasantly surprised to see), and the new characters are great additions to the cast (however temporary some of them might be). They all practically jump off the page fully formed and it’s hard to ask for more.

The online fraud story goes pretty much like you expect it to—this isn’t a Mrs. Plansky’s Revenge kind of thing. But it was very satisfying. The murder mystery, which is theoretically why people pick this book up, on the other hand…I have mixed feelings about it. But I can’t explain that reaction. Osman knows how to construct a mystery, the red herrings are perfect, the suspects are wonderfully designed, and the reveals and wrap-up were done almost perfectly. I can’t think of a single problem with it. But the entire time I was reading it, something just didn’t click.

I want to stress that this is my only issue with the book—sadly, it’s the A story. Maybe it’s the fact that it didn’t feel like it always. Maybe it’s because everything else in the novel was so good and so emotionally strong, that the mystery couldn’t compete. Maybe the book was just too crowded with storylines and this one didn’t have as much time to develop as it needed? It’s also (very likely) just me. I also thought it was pretty easy to guess the killer’s identity—but the motive and the reveal were so well done that I didn’t care. Also, the herrings were red enough that I doubted my guess more than once.

That ineffable quibble aside, this is the best book in the series thus far. I couldn’t put it down—from the “are you kidding me?” beginning through the emotional body-blows over the course of the book, up to the strong conclusion, and all points in between, Osman kept me guessing, kept me invested, and kept me wondering how he could be so good at this.

I don’t need to tell fans to get this (they’ve probably all read it by now), but I can encourage new readers to catch up.

The fourth book in The Thursday Murder Club series was another delight. In addition to the murder investigation, Osman writes a beautiful insight into the mind of someone living with dementia. This book didn’t have as much humor as the previous ones, though it certainly didn’t lack some. This book had some beautifully written poignant moments. There were also some surprising twists, which is one of the reasons this series is so delightful. I am looking forward to the next book which is supposed to be released sometime in 2025. Once again, I highly recommend.

Do not read this one until you have read the others. The reason is simply because Osman is getting better and better at it and there is a chapter in this book that is so masterfully written that it would deserve a sixth star on its own. But it does because of how Osman sets it up with the previous three books.

Setting: Contemporary England

Language: Straightforward word choices and enjoyable banter.

Characters: Most of the same crew appears with a new addition, Bob.

Story: Aside from the very enjoyable characters this is what you are here for. Drugs, antiques, murder most foul, and then some very poignant discussions of loneliness, aging, and dementia. Really these last three have Osman maybe doing his best writing yet?

After reading and liking the first three books, I wondered if the fourth one would be as good. I'm happy to say it was...with so many surprises and twists! It made me cry in some parts but also made me laugh. It is surprising how much you grow to care about the four main characters - I wasn't prepared for it to be so moving.

4,5⭐️
This series and this book in particular are special they make me smile as much as they make me cry.
I can't wait to see what Else they get into. There was too much death for me and I did not care as much about who did it all. In the previous ones I was always guessing and never right of course but not in this one.

4.5* rounded up.

An extremely enjoyable, and surprisingly moving, adventure with the Thursday Murder Club. As well-written as all the previous with all the twists and turns we've come to expect. I think Osman is becoming the Agatha Christie of our generation and wish him luck with his new direction but hope we don't have to wait too long to join Joyce and company again.

I enjoy this series but this one wasn't my favorite. It had a similar feel to the others but we didn't get to see the four main murder club characters interact as much. The subplots were fairly sad and the rest revolved around the drug world, which I think I'm getting a little tired of. I wish the author would have run with a plot about romance scams or other scams against the elderly, since often they are not individuals but large groups of people who operate them and it would've been appropriate for that group.

Everyone was right: it was amazing, and I did cry. A staggering achievement in managing a murder mystery, the same dry humour, the introduction of a new character (three cheers for Computer Bob!) all bookending an incredibly powerful and sensitive treatment of dementia and assisted dying. The moments of grief shared by multiple characters that gave new insights into their own back stories. Just, so well done. I'm glad to see the author will be continuing the series, but it feels right, after the emotional impact of this one, to take a break. I will definitely be investigating his new series when it comes out! 
⚠️Animal death,  Alzheimer's/dementia, assisted death