Utterly delightful from first to last! This is the debut novel of Richard Osman, a script writer. This is a mystery with plenty of twists and turns, a few red-herrings, and deaths in spades. It is well-played so that nothing is obvious and then oh-so-satisfying when it is connected in the conclusion. Beyond being a classic mystery, the characterization is first-rate and so nuanced; no cardboard cut-out characters here. Osman has a gentle hand but effectively touches on themes around relationships, love and loss, and the intricacies of physically aging when one actually isn’t aging on the interior. Pitch-perfect, this is a must read–even if one isn’t usually a mystery reader because this is so much more than a mystery.

Do yourself a favor and get to know this charming cast of characters and for those so sad to see it end, there is another book that picks up right where this one left off. Hot tip: audiobook version is fantastic.

Review of an unabridged audiobook

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language: 1 religious exclamation; 3 religious profanities; 1 anatomical term.

Violence/Gore: Character murdered, bludgeoned to death, mention of pooling blood; character thinks about disposing of a body; group of friends meet weekly to talk about unsolved murder cases and speak dispassionately/factually about how a knife wound might have been inflicted, circumstances of death, clues, etc.; recollection of the shooting of a young man (probably a teenager) and another man in a drug deal, referred to many times; recollection of illegal activities involving deaths, non-specific; a character commits suicide and leaves letters for others to read; report of a suicide (long in the past); finding of bones, murder suspected; relating of a hypothetical experience involving violence and murder, mention of blood; character confesses to a murder and tells how he did it (no gory details); character relates experience where he euthanized an old man; character murdered with drug; character confesses to murdering someone; recollection of an unsolved crime; implied/understood that a person is going to take their life later in the evening; implied/understood that someone has been euthanized by someone else; crime is solved and explanation about how it happened; character confess to another how they killed someone, no details.

Sex/Nudity: Reference to gay grand-daddy; said that a character was having many affairs; one character wonders aloud if someone is banging a particular woman; passing question from one old man to another old man about whether they still are potent; implied/inferred sex (woman is said to be getting dressed-no scene); a few separate remarks about various women’s looks; character does dating via the internet even though he is married; reference to ex-boyfriend; reference to a date groping her; report of out of wedlock pregnancy; relating of a hypothetical experience with some innuendo and mention of naked body, non-graphic; reference to dating apps Tinder and Grinder (reference to Grinder being for homosexual individuals); a male character says that a woman came to visit him frequently at night, implied/understood this was a sexual meeting; character thinks about dating; pregnancy out of wedlock

Matter Subject Matter:

Suicide, Drug Dealing/Crime, Murder, euthanization, pregnancy out of wedlock

Drug and Alcohol Use:

Adults smoke cigarettes, cigars; frequent social drinking by adults drink wine, whisky, brandy, etc.; reference to drug dealing; drug used to kill someone.