The Impossible Fortune, by Richard Osman

A new mystery sparks some stirrings of a return to life for former spy Elizabeth, following the death of her beloved husband. It comes up at the wedding of Joyce’s daughter when the best man has a meltdown and asks for help before disappearing. Is it possible her new son-in-law is too good to be true? Meanwhile Ron’s daughter has had enough of her violent criminal husband – and the whole family is at risk - can he protect his daughter and grandson? In the end everyone turns to Ibrahim for advice, guidance and care, even the criminals. Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club is so much more than the sum of its parts, laced with wry humour and keen insights into grief and relationships of all kinds – in this one especially the fraught quagmire of mother-daughter. Interactions. A very enjoyable read.

The Last Devil to Die, by Richard Osman

This fourth outing of the Thursday Murder Club sees the team of retirees – Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim - investigating the murder of an elderly antiques dealer. He was known to them, a friend of Elizabeth’ husband Stephen, and his death appears to have been a professional hit connected to a missing cache of heroin. Meanwhile, Stephen’s descent into dementia has reached a tipping point – making Elizabeth less focussed than usual on the task at hand. This means the other three must step up, with the help of the usual local police officers, whose case has been taken over by outsiders. The usual undercurrent of humour is heightened by the pathos of the team dealing with the travails of ageing, particularly Elizabeth and Stephen. Osman has gradually built this thread over the previous three novels and deals sensitively and movingly with its inevitable outcome. This does come at the expense of the actual plot of the novel, so it’s probably best that he has decided to leave the Murder Club here for now and focus on other stories.

The Bullet that Missed, by Richard Osman

The Thursday Murder Club has decided to look into the 2013 disappearance of Bethany Waite, an investigative journalist deemed murdered, although her body has never been found. At the same time former spy Elizabeth faces a deadly threat dredged up by her past that also puts her friends at risk. Once again it will take all the ingenuity of the fabulously ageing four, as well as allies old and new, to stay alive and solve the mystery – or do they? The short chapters and fast pace make this series an easy read, but there is no lack of depth to the characters. Several love stories enliven this third book, not least the poignant tale of the decline of Elizabeth’s beloved husband. The plot keeps twisting and turning to the end, requiring considerable suspension of disbelief, and it is all very entertaining. Roll on book four.

Brunswick Street Blues, by Sally Bothroyd

Brick Brown (yes really) is working in the PR department of an inner city Melbourne council (despite having no qualifications or experience). She aims to find out who is behind the endless series of complaints about her uncle Baz’s dive jazz bar in Fitzroy. When her investigations turn up the sleazy mayor’s decaying body in the archives, she reports it via an anonymous message on her boss’s phone. Then the body and her uncle both go missing. What follows is a fast-paced and sometimes confused mishmash of political corruption, underworld heavies, dodgy developers, media rivalry and determinedly colourful characters who make very questionable decisions. Set in 2007, the novel has a vibe more of the 1990s. Its depiction of a council PR department is ridiculous, but not in an amusing way. The wry tone takes too many cheap shots at easy targets. This seems to be intended as a romp in the vein of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum books, but it falls short on every level.

The Thursday Murder Club, by Richard Osman

Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron live in a luxurious English retirement village that is about to undergo its next stage of development. The former spy, nurse, psychiatrist and union leader, all aged between 70 and 80, keep their brains active by solving cold case murders from old police files. When the thuggish business partner of their village’s smarmy developer is murdered, the club leaps in to help the police with their inquiries. The local police are not always appreciative of this expert assistance, but another murder increases the mystery of the first and all hands are needed to get to the bottom of it all. The phrase ‘this will be fun’ is used rather too often by rather too many people and the dialogue doesn’t always work. But the characters are appealing and the pace speeds up as the plot becomes more convoluted and the red herrings get juicier. At times the tale is gripping, even if the many coincidences are far-fetched. Third person narrative alternates with newbie Joyce’s diary entries, which is a little odd but does allow greater insights into her thoughts and actions than those of the others. Rapier sharp natural leader Elizabeth is the most intriguing of the unlikely gang of four, but no doubt they will all be further teased out in the inevitable sequel.

Good Money, by JM Green

Stella Hardy is a burnt out social worker in Melbourne’s western suburbs. When the son of a client is murdered and her next-door neighbour disappears, Stella finds herself pulled into a murky world of high finance and low-life drug dealers. Along the way she has to deal with her dysfunctional family, consider a potential new lover with his own dark secrets and repair an old friendship with a cop who could be helpful. The setting is refreshing, but there is a lot of unnecessary detail of local streets, landmarks and directions. The action zips along, but the characters are curiously flat and the role of coincidence in the plot is hard to swallow. Some of the writing, particularly around the family relationships, is striking in its clarity and precision. There is a lot to like about the book, but there is too much reliance on action over credibility and Green tries a bit too hard for entertaining and quirky and it doesn’t quite come off.

Murder With the Lot, by Sue Williams

A take-away shop in a decaying country town in rural Victoria is an unlikely setting for a murder mystery, but it makes for a good jumping off point. There is an enormously appealing heroine in Cass Tuplin, a hard working widow, put upon, but flawed, who finds out that her husband was not quite who she had thought he was. Her loving but troubled relationship with her sons is very credible; although the eldest is so frustrating you want to thump him. A slightly tongue-in-cheek style sets the scene for an entertaining tale, but somehow it doesn’t quite work. The author seems to be trying a bit too hard for laughs, from the truly stupid names of the towns – Rusty Bore, Hustle and Muddy Soak - to the almost impenetrable stupidity and grossness of the town’s characters. It’s a pity because there are a lot of good elements – a fast-paced story, sympathetic heroine, some well-drawn supporting characters, but it’s all a bit too deliberately quirky in a way that doesn’t ring true.