⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½
If you’re already a fan of The Impossible Fortune, you can relax—you’re in very good hands. And if you’re new to Richard Osman, this is a lovely place to start.
Life is humming along—wedding plans, personal worries, the usual business of growing older—when trouble shows up, as it always does, right on cue. A guest disappears, an uneasy romantic partner raises more questions than answers, and whispers begin to circulate about something extremely valuable that people might be willing to kill for. Before long, Joyce, Elizabeth, Ron, and Ibrahim find themselves knee-deep in cryptic clues, hidden motives, and a con that keeps shifting shape.
Osman once again proves he’s a master of the cozy mystery with brains. The plot is twisty without being exhausting, clever without showing off, and gently paced in a way that lets the characters shine. And shine they do. Spending time with this group feels like settling into a favorite chair—comfortable, familiar, and quietly rewarding.
There’s plenty of humor, often slipped in sideways, and just enough emotional weight to give the story depth without bogging it down. A couple of threads linger a bit longer than necessary, which is the only reason this doesn’t quite hit five stars for me.
Still, this is smart, warm, and enormously enjoyable. I closed the book smiling—and already missing these characters.
** Thanks to NetGalley and Pamela Dorman Books for a comp. Opinions are my own.