The Bullet That Missed.
My January reads.
Hello! And welcome to a new segment in Jeremy’s Journal. On the first Monday of each month I’ll highlight a great book that I’ve read in the previous month. For example, today you will be reading about The Bullet That Missed, a fantastic mystery novel written by British author and television producer Richard Osman, which I read in January. I’ll also include a list of all the other books I read in that month for your perusal.
Hooked really is the right word. I have only really read a handful of books that I don’t want to put down; this is absolutely one of them. The plot follows the murder of a young journalist on the cusp of a big story. This curious circumstance piques the interest of The Thursday Murder Club, a quartet from a retirement village that get together each Thursday to work on cold cases. Chaos and fun ensue when these unassuming amateur detectives prove that they are neither amateurs nor easily ignored.
At first glance I thought that this was a story about a club that committed murders strictly on Thursdays. I was wrong. The murder plot is very interesting, of course, and satisfying to sink your teeth into. The real magic of this story for me, though, is in the characters. They are all in their 60’s or 70’s (I believe) and we so often overlook people of that age, only seeing grey hair or wrinkles. The book explores the patronising tone older people usually receive from younger generations. But these characters have lived wild and colourful lives, they are quite comfortable challenging that condescending tone. The social networks, knowledge, breath of skill that they have accumulated in their years are an advantage, rather than a set back. I so enjoy it when a young person takes one of these characters at face value, only seeing an old lady, and how that oversight allows the sly, competent mind of that little old lady to manipulate her environment. How fun! It makes me curious about the grey haired people I see every day, what lives have they lived?
The other books I read last month were: Ready Player Two, a fast paced science fiction sequel to Ready Player One.. When I read the first book I couldn’t put it down, this one stuck to my fingers a little less. The Four Loves, a beautiful exploration of different expressions of love. C. S. Lewis has such a rich and expansive vocabulary, he used more eloquent words in this one book than I will in a lifetime. The Diary of a Bookseller, endlessly hilarious, full of dry wit. I am now overwhelmed with sympathy for the tiresome work of owning a second hand bookshop.