The Bullet That Missed

A Thursday Murder Club Mystery, Book 3

By: Richard Osman

Narrated by: Fiona Shaw, Richard Osman, Steph McGovern

Length: 11 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

The third installment in the beloved and New York Times bestselling series from Richard Osman, also author of We Solve Murders

“The quartet of aging amateur sleuths…remain wonderful company.” —The New York Times Book Review

It is an ordinary Thursday, and things should finally be returning to normal. Except trouble is never far away where the Thursday Murder Club are concerned. A decade-old cold case—their favorite kind--leads them to a local news legend and a murder with no body and no answers.

Then a new foe pays Elizabeth a visit. Her mission? Kill or be killed. Suddenly the cold case has become red hot.

While Elizabeth wrestles with her conscience (and a gun), Joyce, Ron, and Ibrahim chase down the clues with help from old friends and new. But can the gang solve the mystery and save Elizabeth before the murderer strikes again?

From an upmarket spa to a prison cell complete with espresso machine to a luxury penthouse high in the sky, this third adventure of the Thursday Murder Club is full of the cleverness, intrigue, and irresistible charm that readers have come to expect from Richard Osman’s bestselling series.

“The Bullet That Missed hits on every front.” —the Wall Street Journal

©2022 Richard Osman (P)2022 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Osman concocts a satisfyingly complex whodunit full of neat twists and wrong turns. But unlike most crime novelists, he ensures his book’s strength and momentum stem not from its plot or its thrills but rather its perfectly formed characters. Once again, the quartet of friends makes for delightful company… Heartwarming and enthralling. ‘They carried a kind of magic, the four of them,’ a policeman muses. That magic is still there in abundance.”—Washington Post

“The Bullet That Missed hits on every front. Its quandaries stymie, its solutions thrill, its banter is worth reciting and its characters exemplify an admirable camaraderie. One can only hope that the Thursday Murder Club’s next outing appears before long.”—Wall Street Journal

“The Thursday Murder Club is back, and that should make everyone happy—except, of course, murderers. Richard Osman's engaging series about a group of crime-solving retirees has delighted readers since the first book. The Thursday Murder Club, an international bestseller, was funny, original, baffling, poignant and thoroughly engaging. That's a high bar to set from the get-go, but Osman has easily achieved it in subsequent books… This book is as delightful as the others. A remarkable achievement, Osman up there effortlessly balancing on that very high bar.”—Minneapolis Star-Tribune

Killer story, terrific narration

I was hesitant to download this one because I adored Lesley Manville’s narration and thought it might be difficult to readjust expectations for Fiona Shaw (plus a lot of people seemed to be really upset). Fiona’s not Lesley because of course she’s not, they’re two different people. But, Fiona knocks it out of the park here. She captures all the humor and heart and nuance of every scene and character.

As far as the book itself goes, it might be the best one yet. The characters are fascinating and endearing, the scenes are thrilling and funny, and the plot is paced extremely well, with plenty of mysteries and twists. The writing is squeaky-clean.

Most importantly, it’s very, VERY fun. I made time to listen whenever I could.

These stories are gems, and so is Osmond. What a rich and rewarding world to be immersed in for 10 hours at a time. Can’t wait for the next one.

Wish this was my gang

Yay! Another Thursday Murder Club! Wish that I could hang out with this gang, solve murders, drink tea, and eat cake. Not as laugh out loud funny as second book, but it’s 3 am as I type this, not willing to stop listening till the end. I don’t get the complaints about Fiona Shaw (who strikes me as a good choice to play Elizabeth or Joyce). She could read the phone book and I’d listen.

Thank you, Richard Osman

Once again, my favorite characters have entertained me, made me smile, and made me wonder “who dunnit” and why. Fiona Shaw’s narration was soothing. Cannot wait to listen to the next book in the series. Thank you for adding interesting characters and giving them a personal life. I want to live in their retirement community!

Wonderful!

Great story, as usual. Love all the characters and can't wait for the 4th book. Keep writing Richard Osman!

Good Story Not So Good Narration

I've really enjoyed this series and visiting with the Thursday Murder Club again. The plot for book 3 has more moving parts and leaves a lot open at the end. The Thursday Murder Club's world is growing and therefore becoming more complex. I hope the series can continue to deliver.

For this series, I listened to the audio version. Books 1 & 2 were read by Lesley Manville. She is a wonderful narrator and brought the characters to life. Book 3 introduced a new narrator, Fiona Shaw. I wasn't happy with the change. Fiona Shaw reads in a breathy tone and whispers throughout much of the book. I don't particularly like this style of narration. If Fiona Shaw continues narrating, I will most likely read the next installment instead of enjoying via audio.

Overall, the narration was lacking which is no fault of the story. Therefore, I'm still giving the book a fair rating.

We need Leslie Manville back as the narrator

I love this series. But we definitely need Leslie back as the narrator. The exchanges with Joyce and Elizabeth were way too harsh, and really seemed to take away from their wonderful friendship. When I read the review from foralark, I was apprehensive. After listening to book three, I could not agree with the comments more. The series is great. Love the interview with Richard afterwards just so fabulous but please please bring back Leslie as the narrator. Really looking forward to book number four. Thank you

A cleaver entertaining book. Can’t wait to find out what happens next.

Did not care for the narrator. She talked too fast, did not enunciate well and seemed to overuse the whispery mystery voice.

Narrator Ruins the Story

it would not be so bad if Leslie's Manville hadn't totally established the characters so completely. But do all Swidish people have Hindi accents????

What’s up with all

What’s up with all the whispering? It’s ANNOYING and it makes it IMPOSSIBLE to listen with earphones. Please stop this performance technique.

Excellent story, but new narrator

I have fallen in love with the Thursday Murder Club books. The introduction of new characters joining in on their antics was enjoyable and entertaining! Looking forward to see if they will be around in the next book.

My only issue was having a new narrator! After listening to Leslie Manvill for the first two, I was thrown out of the story slightly by Fiona Shaw's narration. I love Ms. Shaw's work, but her reading was a bit "breathy" and I missed Leslie's character voices.