Reviewed
Read Time
9 min read
Age & reading levelAdult
Reader ratingreader ratings, not a LuvemBooks score
4.6
· 94,232 Amazon ratingsShare This Review
Book 3 · Thursday Murder Club
The Bullet That Missed
The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman Review: Charming, Clever Cozy Mystery at Its Peak
The Bullet That Missed is the third entry in Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club series, following four retirees at Coopers Chase — ex-spy Elizabeth, former trade union leader Ron, psychiatrist Ibrahim, and retired nurse Joyce — as they reopen the cold case of journalist Bethany Waites while Elizabeth is simultaneously forced into a deadly assignment by a shadowy adversary. The book debuted at number three on the New York Times Best Seller list and was the UK's bestselling hardcover of 2022, per The Sunday Times.
LuvemBooks Verdict
Best for
Readers already invested in Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron, and Ibrahim who want to spend more time with an ensemble that balances deadpan comedy and quiet emotional depth around ageing, loss, and friendship.
Worth it if
Worth reading if you have followed the Thursday Murder Club from the start and want a multi-stranded, warmly comic mystery that earns its emotional moments without ever pretending the stakes are grimmer than they are.
Skip if
Skip it if you come to crime fiction for dark atmosphere, genuine dread, or gruelling jeopardy — The Guardian's review is direct that those expecting gruesome deaths and heavy tension will be disappointed by the series' deliberately cosy register.
What readers & critics say
Kirkus Reviews awarded the novel a starred review and named it one of the Best Books of 2022, calling it a "must-read mystery series," while The Guardian's Alison Flood highlighted Osman's precise characterisation and controlled comic timing as the engine driving momentum — noting that the emotional thread around Stephen's dementia lands as genuinely heart-wrenching against the book's otherwise light register. Bookmarks Reviews synthesised wider critical opinion, describing the novel as "hugely entertaining, dryly funny and quietly brilliant in its plotting" and one of the most purely enjoyable crime novels of the year.
“Your next must-read mystery series — the pace is breezy, the characters intelligent and varied.”
— Kirkus Reviews4.6from 94,232 Amazon ratings— reader ratings, not a LuvemBooks score
Thursday Murder Club reading order
Book 3 of 5 books + 1 announced
- The Thursday Murder Club2020
- The Man Who Died Twice2021
- The Bullet That MissedThis book
- The Last Devil to Die2023 · on Amazon
- The Impossible Fortune2025 · on Amazon
- Untitled Book 6Announced
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The Bullet That Missed is the third instalment in Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club series, following four sharp-witted Coopers Chase retirees — ex-spy Elizabeth, former trade union leader Ron, psychiatrist Ibrahim, and retired nurse Joyce — as they reopen the cold case of journalist Bethany Waites while Elizabeth simultaneously faces a kill-or-be-killed ultimatum from a shadowy figure known as the Viking. The UK's bestselling hardcover of 2022, the novel earns its commercial success through Osman's rare ability to layer deadpan comedy, a precisely engineered multi-strand plot, and quietly devastating emotional depth around Stephen's dementia. It is essential reading for fans of the series, though newcomers and readers craving genuine darkness may find themselves wanting more context — or more jeopardy — than Osman's deliberately warm, character-first approach provides.
- Is it worth reading?
- For readers already invested in Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron, and Ibrahim, The Bullet That Missed delivers precisely what the series promises: a multi-strand plot that keeps threads converging with precision, sharp comic timing — from a running joke about Joyce and a Hendon police training college to Mike Waghorn's deadpan boast of being sent 'on an impartiality class in Thanet' — and genuine emotional depth around Stephen's worsening dementia. Reviewers called it a book that 'hits on every front,' describing the quartet as 'wonderful company.' The caveat is equally clear: readers hoping for gritty crime, gruesome deaths, or real dread will be disappointed — Osman's deliberate warmth means the stakes, however high on paper, rarely generate genuine tension.
- Similar books
- Readers who enjoy The Bullet That Missed will naturally want the rest of Osman's series: The Man Who Died Twice: A Thursday Murder Club Mystery picks up directly from the first book and features the same Coopers Chase ensemble, while The Last Devil to Die continues the series further. Beyond Osman, Alexander McCall Smith's The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency shares the same character-driven warmth and gently paced mystery format, and M.C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death or Hamish Macbeth: Death of a Gossip offer similarly cosy, community-rooted detective fiction. Anthony Horowitz's Magpie Murders is another strong pick for readers who want their mystery layered with wit and meta-narrative craft.
- Who should read this?
- The Bullet That Missed is ideal for adult readers who prize character over cliffhangers — specifically those who enjoy an ensemble cast of wry, deeply drawn retirees navigating both a KGB cold case and the indignities of old age with wit and grace. It rewards readers who have already spent time with Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron, and Ibrahim in the first two books, as the supporting cast of Donna, Chris, Bogdan, and Connie Johnson is rich enough to require some orientation. Fans of cosy, community-rooted British crime fiction — think warm humour, emotional undercurrent, and plot threads that converge neatly — will find it, as critics put it, 'wonderful company.'
- About Richard Osman
- Richard Thomas Osman is an English television presenter, producer, and novelist. His Thursday Murder Club series, of which The Bullet That Missed is the third instalment, has become one of the most commercially successful crime fiction franchises in recent British publishing history.
- How does this compare to the earlier books?
- The Bullet That Missed continues the formula established by The Thursday Murder Club and The Man Who Died Twice, but with a notably more personal and high-stakes parallel narrative for Elizabeth — a kill-or-be-killed ultimatum from the Viking that intersects with her past as an ex-spy and her relationship with the former KGB hitman Viktor Illyich. The ensemble comedy remains intact, including a standout scene of 'three old men — the gangster, the KGB colonel and the trades union official' playing snooker and contemplating life, while the emotional thread around Stephen's dementia deepens meaningfully. Critics suggested it 'hits on every front,' and the commercial reception — debuting at number three on the New York Times Best Seller list — indicates the series maintained rather than lost momentum with this third entry.
- What are the main themes?
- At its surface, The Bullet That Missed is a comic crime novel about cold cases, VAT fraud, and a former KGB hitman — but its deeper preoccupations are ageing, friendship, and the tension between mortality and purpose. The most emotionally resonant thread is Stephen's dementia: Osman handles it, per The Guardian, without milking it for easy pathos, letting the weight accumulate quietly in moments like Stephen asking Bogdan, 'Can I ask you something, as a pal… Am I alright, do you suppose?' The novel's broader argument — that four retirees can still be the most capable, witty, and resourceful people in any room — runs as both comedy and quiet defiance against a culture that sidelines the old.
- Tell me about the adaptation
- The Thursday Murder Club series has a Netflix adaptation in development, a natural extension of what the review describes as a publishing phenomenon — a franchise that has expanded to five books and whose predecessors sold millions of copies worldwide. The adaptation covers the broader series rather than a single book, and its announcement has reinforced Coopers Chase's status as one of the most commercially successful fictional retirement communities in crime fiction history. Specific casting and release details are best confirmed via current entertainment sources, as production details evolve.
Summarize this book
Is it worth reading?
Who should read this?
About Richard Osman
How does this compare to the earlier books?
What are the main themes?
Tell me about the adaptation
Summarize this book
The Bullet That Missed centres on the Thursday Murder Club's cold-case investigation into Bethany Waites, a television reporter whose car was driven off a cliff while she was probing a multimillion-dollar VAT fraud — and whose body was never recovered. To crack the case, Joyce draws South East Tonight presenter Mike Waghorn and his makeup artist Pauline into their orbit, while the investigation stretches from Staffordshire to the Sussex coast and draws in money launderers, bitcoin, and a former KGB hitman named Viktor Illyich — known as the Bullet. Running in parallel is a deeply personal crisis: a shadowy figure called the Viking threatens to kill Joyce unless Elizabeth eliminates Viktor, who turns out to be a former rival and former lover. The multi-strand plot — cold case, VAT fraud, KGB intrigue, and Elizabeth's ultimatum — is structured to keep all threads active and converging with precision.
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Our Review
This review covers the book's content, premise and published critical reception, not a first-hand reading.
Character and plot momentum drive this series forward more reliably than any single mystery.
What the Book Is Actually About
At Coopers Chase retirement village, the Thursday Murder Club's latest case centres on Bethany Waites, a television reporter whose car was driven off a cliff while she was investigating a multimillion-dollar VAT fraud — and whose body was never recovered. To crack open the cold case, Joyce lures Bethany's former on-screen colleague, South East Tonight presenter Mike Waghorn, into their orbit, and he and his makeup artist Pauline are quickly pulled into a sprawling investigation that reaches from the wilds of Staffordshire to the Sussex coast, taking in money launderers, bitcoin, and a former KGB hitman named Viktor Illyich — known in his active days as the Bullet.
Running in parallel is a more personal crisis: a mysterious figure called the Viking threatens to kill Joyce unless Elizabeth eliminates Viktor, a man who turns out to be a former rival and former lover. Elizabeth is effectively operating under a kill-or-be-killed ultimatum while the rest of the club chases clues.
The plot ranges across an upmarket spa, a prison cell equipped with an espresso machine, and a luxury penthouse — and it keeps those threads converging with precision.
Significance and Place in the Series
The Bullet That Missed arrived as the third instalment in a franchise that had already become a publishing phenomenon. Its predecessors, The Thursday Murder Club and The Man Who Died Twice, sold millions of copies worldwide, and The Man Who Died Twice alone moved 114,202 hardbacks in the UK in its first three days of release, according to The Guardian.
Against that backdrop, this third entry debuted at number three on the New York Times Best Seller list and went on to become the UK's bestselling hardcover book of 2022, as reported by The Sunday Times. The series has since expanded to five books and a Netflix adaptation, making Coopers Chase one of the most commercially successful fictional retirement communities in the history of crime fiction.
What Osman Does Exceptionally Well
The series' defining strength has always been its ensemble, and The Guardian's Alison Flood noted that Osman ensures momentum comes not from plot mechanics or raw thrills but from the precision of his characterisation. That balance is on full display here: The Guardian's review highlights his skill with comedy, citing a carefully constructed running joke about Joyce and a police training college in Hendon, and the deadpan boast of TV presenter Mike — who brags of having been sent "on an impartiality class in Thanet" — as examples of the controlled timing that makes the humour land.
Kirkus Reviews observes that the novel engineers set pieces of genuine delight, including a scene of "three old men — the gangster, the KGB colonel and the trades union official" playing snooker, drinking whiskey, and contemplating whether this is all they really need in life. Critics offered the blunt verdict that The Bullet That Missed "hits on every front," while others described the quartet as remaining "wonderful company."
The Emotional Weight Beneath the Comedy
The novel does not limit itself to comic capers. Elizabeth's husband Stephen is slipping further into dementia, and The Guardian notes that Osman handles this thread without milking it for easy pathos, letting the emotional weight accumulate quietly.
The book includes the moment where Stephen asks his chess companion Bogdan, "Can I ask you something, as a pal… Am I alright, do you suppose?… Something is muddled somewhere. Something isn't straight" — a line The Guardian identifies as genuinely heart-wrenching against the book's otherwise light register. This duality — warmth and wit on the surface, real grief underneath — is part of what critics and readers have consistently praised about Osman's approach throughout the series.
Who This Book Is For — and Who May Struggle
Readers who come to The Bullet That Missed in search of a dark, gritty crime novel will find themselves in the wrong village. The Guardian's review is direct on this point: those expecting gruesome deaths and relentless jeopardy will be disappointed.
The book is designed to be cosy, character-driven, and funny — the mystery exists largely as scaffolding for the ensemble to inhabit. For readers already invested in Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron, and Ibrahim from the first two books, the payoff of watching these particular characters navigate a KGB hitman, a media conspiracy, and the indignities of old age is precisely the point.
As a standalone entry for a newcomer, the rich web of supporting characters — including police duo Donna De Freitas and DCI Chris Hudson, builder Bogdan Jankowski, and drug dealer Connie Johnson — may require some orientation, as the series rewards accumulated familiarity.
Sources & Further Reading
The key facts and claims in this review are grounded in the retrieved, verified sources listed below.
- Cited in this review
- 1
en.wikipedia.org
- 2
thebooksuite.com
- 3
penguinrandomhouse.com
- Further reading
- 4
Richard Osman, Wikipedia
- 5
- 6
kirkusreviews.com
- 7
- 8
jenmedsbookreviews.com
- 9
- 10
Age & Reading Level
Recommended age
Adult
1 content note · who it suits
Content to know about
dementia portrayed on the page
Skip if you want a dark, gritty crime novel with gruesome deaths and genuine dread.
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