BOOK REVIEW: THE IMPOSSIBLE FORTUNE by Richard Osman

BOOK REVIEW: THE IMPOSSIBLE FORTUNE by Richard Osman
Viking Fiction via Penguin Australia
Paperback, $34.99, September 2025
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar
80%

After the loss of her beloved husband in the fourth Thursday Murder Club book The Last Devil To Die, Elizabeth has been quietly grieving and keeping herself to herself, but a volatile death and ensuing mystery begins to spark her innate interest in spycraft and puzzle solving.

This, of course, brings her back to the fold of the Thursday Murder Club, a ragtag group of old aged pensioners who have almost accidentally become unofficial (and sometimes unwelcome) substitutes for the police in matters of murder.

Being independent and non-official works in their favour: former spy Elizabeth isn’t bound by such petty things as rules and regulations, so can employ unorthodox means to uncover the truth. Sometimes this involves retired unionist Ron Ritchie, sometimes deceptively dotty former nurse Joyce Meadowcraft, sometimes retired psychiatrist Ibrahim Arif, and sometimes close friend Bogdan, an eastern European heavy with a heart of gold who just happens to be dating local policewoman Donna De Freitas.

As millions around the world know by now, Osman’s characters are wonderfully drawn and engaging. We care about what happens to them, the murder mysteries they investigate are merely the reason to tune in to follow their lives.

The first book in the series has already been adapted into a film for Netflix and has blown up, inviting even more fans into Osman’s world. I’d expect this book – like the others – to follow suit.

 

Category: Book Reviews