“Shocking news reaches the Thursday Murder Club.

An old friend in the antiques business has been killed, and a dangerous package he was protecting has gone missing.

As the gang springs into action they encounter art forgers, online fraudsters and drug dealers, as well as heartache close to home.

With the body count rising, the package still missing and trouble firmly on their tail, has their luck finally run out? And who will be the last devil to die?”

Hello and welcome to damppebbles. Today I am delighted to share my review of The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman. The Last Devil to Die was published by Penguin Books on 9th May 2024 and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio and digital formats.

Something a little different for you today and a first for damppebbles (so bear with me!). An audiobook review! Now, if you’ve been following damppebbles since last summer, you may be aware that I was offered the opportunity to read and review the fifth book in The Thursday Murder Club series. I, of course, jumped at the chance but then realised that I had only read book one (The Thursday Murder Club). A lot had probably happened/changed between books one and five, so I decided to ensure I caught up with the latest goings-on in Coopers Chase before making a start on The Impossible Fortune. If you’ve been following my reviews over the last few months, then you will know that I was successful in my quest and managed to read all of the books I hadn’t gotten around to. And I did that by both reading physical copies and also listening to the audiobooks (big shout out to the local library service, which, cards on the table, I do work for, but I was easily able to borrow audio copies via Libby and BorrowBox). By listening to the audio copies, I was able to carry on adulting (you know the sort of thing, ensuring the children were fed and watered!) whilst still keeping on top of my reading target. It was a bit of a mash-up! With the other books (by which I mean The Man Who Died Twice and The Bullet that Missed), I physically read more of the books than I listened to. With The Last Devil to Die I only listened to the audiobook (which is why I feel comfortable calling this an audiobook review today!). But enough of my waffle, let’s get on with the review.

What a deeply emotional and heartbreaking book. The Last Devil to Die starts with a mysterious box being delivered to Kuldesh, owner of an antique shop and friend of the Thursday Murder Club. Shortly afterwards, Kuldesh is found dead. Clearly, he’s been murdered. But why? He was a harmless, elderly antiques dealer and no threat to anyone. When it becomes clear the box and its contents have gone missing, the Thursday Murder Club start asking tricky questions, coming up against the usual drug dealers, art forgers and con people (all in a days work for The TMC). Of course, the antiques trade can be a little…hairy at times with dodgy, off-the-record dealings. But what had Kuldesh got himself caught up in? In the midst of investigating another tricky case, things take a turn for the worse for Elizabeth.

There have been, to date, two narrators of The Thursday Murder Club series. Lesley Manville narrated the first two books, with Fiona Shaw taking over from book three onwards. Both of these narrators are exceptionally good at what they do, and the changeover, for me, was seamless. But we’re talking specifically about The Last Devil to Die today, so I’m going to focus on Fiona Shaw’s reading of book four. I love how Shaw brings these familiar characters to life for the listener. Whilst reading The Impossible Fortune (book five), I found myself reading it with the voices she gives the characters! This was particularly true for my two favourite characters, Ibrahim and Bogdan. Her delivery is believable and engaging, and I loved every second of being immersed in the Thursday Murder Club world with Fiona Shaw by my side.

The Last Devil to Die is another brilliant addition to a series I ADORE! This one packs an emotional punch that I certainly wasn’t ready for. Osman handles the situation with care and tenderness, exploring grief and the gradual, heartbreaking loss of a loved one. Osman’s words and Shaw’s delivery had me in FLOODS of tears, bawling my eyes out. For me, this book was less about the mystery aspect (which is still strong and highly compelling) and more about one of the characters’ decline. A supporting character who, if you’ve been with The TMC since book one, you will be really rather fond of. The dementia storyline has been handled with a great deal of care and thoughtfulness. Highly emotional and superbly done.

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. The Last Devil to Die is an excellent addition to a superb series. I wholeheartedly recommend both the print copies and the audiobooks. Reading or listening to this series is like being reconnected with old friends after some time apart. The characters are expertly written. Nice to see Joyce step up a little more in this one. The mystery aspect is well-written and intriguing. But as I said, I couldn’t help but feel that the mystery faded into the background a little in this one, due to the devastating storyline. Oh, my heart! The Last Devil to Die deserves all the stars. Fiona Shaw has done a stand-out job of narrating the book, bringing the characters to life and performing the story in an engaging and believable way. I loved it! Highly recommended.

The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman was published in the UK by Penguin Books on 9th May 2024 and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio and digital formats (please note, the following links are affiliate links which means I receive a small percentage of the purchase price at no extra cost to you): | amazon.co.uk | Waterstones | bookshop.org | Goodreads | damppebbles bookshop.org shop | damppebbles amazon.co.uk shop | damppebbles amazon.com shop |

Richard Osman is an author, producer and television presenter. The Thursday Murder Club is his first novel. He is well known for TV shows including Pointless and Richard Osman’s House of Games. As the creative director of Endemol UK, Richard has worked as an executive producer on numerous shows including Deal Or No Deal and 8 Out of 10 Cats. He is also a regular on panel and game shows such as Have I Got News For You, Would I Lie To You and Taskmaster.