(A four of five star read.)

*****

Well!

You know how it is when you SO WANT to love a book; you SO EXPECT to love it, and … meh!

Yeah, hashtag ‘awks’.

Look, it’s still a lovely, entertaining read. It’s also a nice, light read with some funny lines and a gentle humour backing the whole story up.

It’s just, I feel at four hundred and forty-four pages, there must have been a lot of padding. Then I think, no – actually there wasn’t. So what then kept me reading to the end, when on reflection I can’t recall too many fast-paced, exciting, confrontational or suspense-filled moments?

I’m still not sure, exactly! Richard Osman has a delightful, easy-going, fluid style to his writing which had me bobbing along like a lilo on the gently lapping waves of a warm, still day at the seaside.

Perhaps it was the juxtaposition of a rising body count and the seemingly casual and calm manner in which this was regarded by the main characters, considering their lives were in danger too.

The characters though, I didn’t find as strong and identifiable as those in the first book of Osman’s earlier series. In fact, I regularly found myself having to backtrack and re-read some passages / pages as I’d lost track of who was who. Perhaps it’s a case of too many characters involved in more minor roles – or perhaps it’s just my attention span is lessening with age. 😉

I have to say also, I’m convinced there’s a continuity error involving Amy and the handcuffs between pages 86 and 87.

Anyway. As usual, you’ll get no spoilers here, so other than saying the plot revolves around a security / protection officer, her father-in-law and a best-selling author being chased around the globe by someone determined to end their days.

It’s a nice read, helped I think by most readers knowing who the author is and being familiar with his personable sense of humour. However, I can’t get away from the fact I feel it’s a bit ‘much odo about nothing.’

The follow-up should give a better impression of where it stands in relation to ‘The Thursday Murder Club’ tales – and especially the characters.

And yes, I’ll probably buy and read that one too. 🙂

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