Reviews with content warning for Terminal illness - The Last Devil To Die

Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

The Last Devil To Die by Richard Osman

30 reviews

oxfordcommas91's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Another absolute winning cozy mystery by Osman! The way this author can do no wrong and he has stepped it up a considerable notch in this book with a bit of a different tone. I appreciate that all of these books are interconnected and thoughtful but have different paces and intents. This book brings us back to Cooper’s Chase retirement home where our favorite squad of retirees are once again investigating murders and this time the global heroin trade. Some of our favorite supporting characters including Kuldesh and Connie are back for the ride, too.
What makes this book different from prior books is that it allows us to sit more deeply into the reality of death for those in the last phase of their lives. Grief factors more meaningfully into this book than it has in the past, with our whole crew coming face to face with their own mortality - and that of their loved ones - multiple times. It expertly touches on the reality of grief and loss at an old age, the morality of euthanasia, and the meaning of our fleeting lives here on earth without feeling overly precious or macabre.
Osman has once again woven an incredible web of side characters, red herrings and interesting plot points that leads us all on an epic chase to the satisfying conclusion. I tend to pick these books up and read them in large chunks - I read this one in three sittings because I find it hard to put down once I start.
I am definitely a huge fan of Osman’s work and cannot wait for the (eventual) fifth installment of the Thursday murder club!

Content Warnings

agathajanemaud1908's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective relaxing sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

This book was definitely an improvement from the last one in the series. I was hanging on to every word.
Warning: there is a storyline that begins in the first book that I knew was going to develop more and more into something bad as the series went on. Something that couldn’t be stopped even in fiction. I can’t remember the last time I’ve sobbed that hard over something not related to deaths in my family. Just a warning. It’s pretty explicit in my content warnings.
But I still ended this book on an up note because that’s what these books do for me. And I still laughed out loud at lots of passages even after the Bad Thing.

Content Warnings

skbat's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional lighthearted mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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torfinn's review against another edition

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emotional funny sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Probably the best one in the series yet. You want to laugh and you want to cry, what’s not to love about that?

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cerysl's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

cerysl's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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cb1984's review against another edition

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funny mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Loved the characters and the humour. Some of it was absolutely heartbreaking and really well written. Enjoyed most of the new characters.

I just felt like the plot was a bit weak and generic. The mystery wasn't particularly mysterious, the who dunnit became very obvious towards the end.

Overall, still really enjoyable, but my least loved of the series to date.

Content Warnings