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A review by brennanaphone
The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman
5.0
The first book in this series was a quick, delightful, hilarious read, even if the mystery itself never truly grabbed me. This book, however, knocked me off my feet.
Before you even open the book, Osman is teasing you with information, making you wonder who the man who died twice will be. He sprinkles little clues throughout, and I gamely fell for the head fakes throughout, thinking I was clever, a little bit wrong all the time. The revelation of the title was brilliant and, more importantly, indicative of how this book is different from the first book.
The first book was cheeky and fun and a little frothy. There was meant to be a big emotional blow for Elizabeth at the end, but I knew nothing about her friend Penny, so it didn't do that much for me personally. This book lets us watch characters we love falter, lets the specter of age and looming mortality really do the work to fill the reader with grief and longing. It takes place one week after the first book ends because these characters don't have years and decades to spare between mysteries. They are losing people and abilities to the effects of time, but they are still wholly themselves, still brilliant and clever and willing to use their age as camouflage to get access and information. The ending made me cry, and so did a few deaths, but the whole thing made me laugh. What a wonderful balance.
This book is more than a mystery, but it is also a very good mystery.
Before you even open the book, Osman is teasing you with information, making you wonder who the man who died twice will be. He sprinkles little clues throughout, and I gamely fell for the head fakes throughout, thinking I was clever, a little bit wrong all the time. The revelation of the title was brilliant and, more importantly, indicative of how this book is different from the first book.
The first book was cheeky and fun and a little frothy. There was meant to be a big emotional blow for Elizabeth at the end, but I knew nothing about her friend Penny, so it didn't do that much for me personally. This book lets us watch characters we love falter, lets the specter of age and looming mortality really do the work to fill the reader with grief and longing. It takes place one week after the first book ends because these characters don't have years and decades to spare between mysteries. They are losing people and abilities to the effects of time, but they are still wholly themselves, still brilliant and clever and willing to use their age as camouflage to get access and information. The ending made me cry, and so did a few deaths, but the whole thing made me laugh. What a wonderful balance.
This book is more than a mystery, but it is also a very good mystery.