Reviews tagging 'Blood'

The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman

17 reviews

oxfordcommas91's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Another absolute winning cozy mystery by Osman! The way this author can do no wrong and he has stepped it up a considerable notch in this book with a bit of a different tone. I appreciate that all of these books are interconnected and thoughtful but have different paces and intents. This book brings us back to Cooper’s Chase retirement home where our favorite squad of retirees are once again investigating murders and this time the global heroin trade. Some of our favorite supporting characters including Kuldesh and Connie are back for the ride, too. 
What makes this book different from prior books is that it allows us to sit more deeply into the reality of death for those in the last phase of their lives. Grief factors more meaningfully into this book than it has in the past, with our whole crew coming face to face with their own mortality - and that of their loved ones - multiple times. It expertly touches on the reality of grief and loss at an old age, the morality of euthanasia, and the meaning of our fleeting lives here on earth without feeling overly precious or macabre.
Osman has once again woven an incredible web of side characters, red herrings and interesting plot points that leads us all on an epic chase to the satisfying conclusion. I tend to pick these books up and read them in large chunks - I read this one in three sittings because I find it hard to put down once I start. 
I am definitely a huge fan of Osman’s work and cannot wait for the (eventual) fifth installment of the Thursday murder club! 

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moon2001's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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jlaz_13's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5


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camoo3032's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny lighthearted mysterious relaxing sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75


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sasha_drinks_ink's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

A wonderful book - possibly my favourite of the 4 in the series. 
The plot and mystery are interesting, multi-layered, and plausible. The character development and character arcs are all rich, engaging, and keep me wanting more of this tremendous bunch of humans. 

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cait's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted mysterious reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5


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kfquarium's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0


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yvo_about_books's review against another edition

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4.25

 Finished reading: November 21st 2023


“There are so many ways to die when you're almost eighty, it seems unfair to add murder to the list.”

I enjoyed the first three books of this series, so it comes as no surprise that I wanted to read the newest sequel sooner than later. Add the fact that reading this sequel ment that I would have read at least one of the mystery/thriller nominations for the Goodreads Choice Awards, and I decided to not pospone reading The Last Devil To Die any longer. And of course I ended up having a great time reading it! I do have to say that the focus in this fourth book seems to be a bit different than the previous books... It seems like the story pays a lot more attention to the cast of characters and their interactions than to the actual case they are investigating. Not a bad thing, because I did love spending more time with them, but I also kind of wish their would have been more focus on the actual mystery itself and them solving it. Sure, the banter is there and there are plenty of hilarious moments (and other unexpected ones that were profoundly sad). Sure, the cast once again finds lots of clever ways to best the police and do their own investigation instead. But somehow, it just all felt like it was somewhat pushed into the background by certain other topics. Those are only minor niggles though, and there is no denying that The Last Devil To Die was another more than solid sequel. The wait for the next book is going to be a long one though, because it seems that the author is going to write something different instead... 

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kimveach's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was such a beautiful story.  Due to its thoughtful and lovely depiction of a family dealing with dementia, it became so much more than a typical cozy mystery.  I love listening to this series, but since I mainly listen in the car, I nearly came undone with tears at certain moments.

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luxton's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This was my favourite book in the series so far. The murder mystery aspect felt well constructed, the kind of story where if you're observent enough you can put the pieces together yourself as a reader.

As usual the characters were beautifully written too. 

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