A matter of personal preference
With hundreds of books on my shelves awaiting their turn I’ve been resisting purchasing new ones but I keep hearing about Richard Osman‘s novels being big-time bestsellers, so when I saw The Man Who Died Twice advertised as even better than its debut predecessor, I bought it hoping it would give me a flavour of his style.
In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely septuagenarians investigate a case of stolen diamonds, drug heists, and a ruthless murderer. Hmmm. OK, Osman has a nice line in gentle humour. His elderly sleuths remind me of Alexander McCall’s No 1 Detective Agency: you can’t help warming to them. Their improbable success is reminiscent of GK Chesterton’s Father Brown: irritatingly poking their noses in where the police fail to tread, and making sense of a crime scene which has baffled the responsible adults.
As the critics say, offbeat, warm, full of heart, with a not too shabby body count. An undemanding diversion. Gave me a welcome break from some serious contemplation of weighty ethical issues. And maybe even a different angle on just how people with widely disparate opinions can, in spite of the odds, manage to work together. Better get back to the study …
Blue-Eyed Son Learning from the master storytellers