The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman

Being a fan of the Thursday Murder Club, it is not clear why there was a delay in reading this book, but it was hilarious and well worth the read. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron, and Ibrahim are up to their usual tricks of solving cold cases, widening their group of friends and turning a few enemies into potential friends. The cold case these four look into this time around is that of a missing TV anchor that was presumed dead, but the body was never found, and the case she was working on at the time still had loose ends (like where did all the money go?). Of course the 4 friends figure out what happened, but spoiler the last chapter means maybe their didn’t really find out but they have a hint of to follow. Elizabeth is trying to keep Stephen’s dementia a secret, but Bogdan realizes it is getting worse and Joyce hears him say it is nice to meet her. Ron starts dating someone, which also means he has to do some things he may not like (or thinks he may not like). Ibrahim faces some of his fear and starts working with someone in prison. The mystery is just half of the fun when reading this book, the four friends at the heart of the club and the people they bring into their lives during their adventures is just as entertaining. Bogdan buying the statue Donna saw in Kuldesh’s store to show her how he feels, is such a sweet moment and show how the four main characters are not all that this series is about. 

 

Character List/Book Summary:

Elizabeth – former spy, started getting threatening text messages (she ignores them at first). Scared of how Stephen is slipping away and in creating a routine for him realizes she missed the trouble and the two of them are captured. After being told she has to kill Viktor by her captor, she starts coming up with a plan, so that the captor does not kill Joyce instead. In trying to understand the cold case, she suggests Joyce’s daughter, Joanna, look over the financials since the four of them are not seeing what was being done to launder the money. After capturing Henrik, she tasks him with helping the club in their cold case and has him stay with Ibrahim. 

Joyce – has a crush on TC newsman Mike Waghorn and why she suggested looking into the cold case of his former co-host Bethany Waites. Has a new dog named Alan, that Ibrahim wants to stay on Joyce’s good side so that he can keep spending time with Alan. Wants to talk to Pauline about Ron and what she remembers of Bethany the night she disappeared. Asks the Viking about cryptocurrency when he tries to kidnap/kill her and while he is waiting for Viktor (this is when she drugs him). Figured out who Mike Gullis is and tells Elizabeth, who then realizes who probably killed Bethany and who was behind he fraud Bethany was looking into. 

Ron – excited to be on TV to talk about the senior center they live in (how they got Mike Waghorn to talk to the club). Realizes that he doesn’t have many friends anymore because they are dying so when he has a chance to make friends with Viktor and Jack Mason he decides it is worth it. Flirts with Pauline and starts dating her. Figures out who Robert Brown MSC is. 

Ibrahim – convinces Mike Waghorn to stay for dinner, and talk to the club about Bethany. Goes to see Connie (from The Man Who Died Twice) in prison to ask her to talk to Heather and try to convince her not to kill Ron and Bogdan. Connie ends up hiring him and agreeing to talk to Heather, and ends up wanting to solve the mystery because she does not like not knowing what happened. Agrees to be Connie’s psychiatrist, which ends up with him not telling Andrew about Connie since she is a client. Figures out who Carron Whitehead is. 

Bethany Waites – was investigating a massive VAT fraud when she died and was co-hosting with Mike when it happened. Had been receiving threatening notes before she disappeared. Visited Pauline the night she disappeared. 

Mike Waghorn – suggests the club look at Bethany’s case (when they already were) and gives them some information about what was happening around the time she disappeared. Gets a new female co-host about every 5 years, has stayed local because he was shot down once and didn’t want to try for the bigger news again. 

Pauline Jenkins – make up artists for the local news, flirts with Ron. Makes a comment about the Bethany on a date with Ron about how Bethany had just started dating a camera guy, and tells Ron Mike is gay (which dashes any hope Joyce had). Gives Joyce vague answers about Bethany’s clothes and blurry CCTV. Lives in Jupiter Court and has since before Bethany disappeared. Threatens Henrik when he threatens Ron and the club. 

Connie Johnson – looking forward to killing Bogdan and Ron for setting her up, but she is still running her multi-million dollar drug business from inside the jail. Hires Ibrahim to be her psychiatrist and says she will pay him $100 an hour because she can afford it. Is not sure she wants to reflect and look at all that she has done in life, but continues to see Ibrahim. 

Bogdan – does not tell Elizabeth that Donna is with him when she calls saying she and Stephen need a ride they had been kidnapped and released. Asks Stephen about love and the responses he gets from Stephen make him realize he should tell Elizabeth about Bill Chivers. Brings Stephen to see his friend in Brighton and brings Donna along so Stephen can meet her.

PC Donna Freitas – dating Bogdan, discusses how to commit murder because Elizabeth asked Bogdan about Bethany’s case and so she and Chris also start looking into it. Figures out that Bethany visited someone in Juniper Court the night she died. 

Fiona Clemence – the female co-host who took over for Bethany after she disappeared. Her and Bethany disliked each other, but she was not the one sending threatening notes and she was receiving them too (it was the creepy producer after they turned him down). 

Heather Garbutt – arrested as the person behind the VAT scheme, says she did not kill Bethany and wont tell Connie who did. Found dead in her cell with a note saying only Connie can help her now. 

Jack Mason – ran in the same circles as Ron, now owns a company and was possibly connected to the VAT scheme. Bought Heather’s house after she went to prison. Tells Ron he didn’t kill Bethany but he knows she is dead. When Viktor and Ron go over to play snooker with him Jack tells them that his partner killed Bethany and they couldn’t find a way to get the cash back nor could he find the body. 

Stephen – Elizabeth’s husband, calls their captor the Viking. Plays chess with Bogdan, and says he needs to pay a visit to his friend Kuldesh about Bill’s library because he remembers being in that library and the rare books he saw in the library. 

DCI Chris Hudson – in love with Patrice (Donna’s mom), and is thankful for the Thursday Murder Club. While helping with the Bethany Waites case discovers Jack Mason’s dead body, and knows who the partner that he told Ron and Viktor about is and is able to get evidence he killed Jack. 

Andrew Everton – Chief Constable of Kent, is giving an aware to Donna and Chris for catching Connie Johnson. Writes books and goes to the senior center to talk to the Thursday Murder Club about what they are doing. Ibrahim explains he can’t tell him about the visits to Connie as she is a client and Joyce wants to read his books. 

Viktor Illyich – once the most dangerous man in the Soviet Union, and the man the Viking wants Elizabeth to kill. Elizabeth thinks of him as a friend, and he tells Ron and Bogdan about what a great lover Elizabeth was. Agrees to help the Thursday Murder Club look into the VAT scheme Bethany was looking into while he is hiding out in Joyce’s apartment (and briefly considers joining the senior center to live with all of them). Helps the Henrik get a confession from Andrew.

Viking – what Stephen calls him and what the Club calls him until his real name is revealed by Stephen talking to Kuldesh. Tells Elizabeth she has two weeks to kill Viktor or he will kill Joyce. He has imposter syndrome and doesn’t feel his competition, Viktor, is really dead so he goes to check. Launders money through crypto and Viktor telling clients it is too dangerous upsets the Viking. When he breaks into Joyce’s apartment he helps Joyce with her cryptocurrency before he is drugged and then agrees to help the club. Finds out that Michael Gullis is connected to the company Bethany found. 

Kuldesh Sharma – tells Stephen that what he saw in the library cannot be accurate, and it would not be in Bill’s library. Stephen asks him to find out who has all the books he saw, which Kuldesh tells him that Henrik Mikael Hansen is the owner of all those books (aka the Viking). Agreed to look into who owns the books because Bogdan explained he thinks the person who does own them is trying to hurt Elizabeth. Sells Bogdan a statute Donna liked at a very discounted rate because Bogdan loves her. 

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