The Man Who Died Twice

The Man Who Died Twice is a mystery novel by British television presenter Richard Osman. Published in 2021, it is the sequel to Osman’s first novel, The Thursday Murder Club (2020). Both books were New York Times best sellers, ranking among the best-performing novels since sales records began. Steven Spielberg acquired the movie rights to The Thursday Murder Club.

Set in a retirement village, The Man Who Died Twice combines narrative tension and a fast-paced, complex plot with humor and naturalistic dialog. Although its tone is witty, the text addresses serious themes such as aging, mortality, friendship, and revenge. At first, the title appears to refer to the faked death of one or more of the characters. In reality, The Man Who Died Twice refers to the effects of dementia, another of the novel’s themes.

The story is told through dual narratives. Chapters alternate between the first-person diary entries of Joyce Meadowcroft and a third-person narration covering multiple viewpoints. Chapters move rapidly from one scene and perspective to the next. Much of the novel’s emotional depth derives from Osman’s empathetic portrayal of elderly characters.

This guide refers to the 2021 Penguin Random House e-book edition.

Plot Summary

The Thursday Murder Club is a group of residents from Coopers Chase retirement village. The club’s members (Elizabeth Best, Joyce Meadowcroft, Ron Ritchie, and Ibrahim Arif) face a new adventure when Elizabeth’s ex-husband, Douglas Middlemiss (an MI5 agent), moves to a safe house in Coopers Chase.

Douglas contacts Elizabeth and reveals that he stole £20 million worth of diamonds from the home of Martin Lomax, a middleman for several criminal organizations. The diamonds belong to New York mafioso Frank Andrade. Douglas’s life is threatened by Martin and Andrade. He hopes to get to Antwerp, sell the diamonds, and disappear. He denied his involvement in the theft to MI5.

Ibrahim is robbed and beaten up by a youth named Ryan Baird. The attack leaves Ibrahim frightened and withdrawn. Meanwhile, Detective Chief Inspector Chris Hudson and PC Donna de Freitas attempt to build evidence against drug dealer Connie Johnson. They question Ryan about the assault on Ibrahim but cannot prove his guilt. The police officers suggest that the Thursday Murder Club could find an alternative way to bring Ryan to justice.

Elizabeth agrees to help Douglas in exchange for information on Ryan. At Elizabeth’s request, her friend Bogdan buys a large quantity of cocaine from Connie Johnson and hands it to Ron. Pretending to be a plumber, Ron plants the cocaine and Ibrahim’s credit card in the tank of Ryan’s toilet. After an “anonymous” call to Donna, Ryan Baird is arrested.

Martin sends an armed man to Coopers Chase. However, Douglas’s handler, Poppy, shoots the intruder. MI5 agents Sue Reardon and Lance James take Douglas and Poppy away to debrief and relocate them. Later, Joyce discovers a note in her pocket asking her to call Poppy’s mother, Siobhan.

Douglas contacts Elizabeth asking her to visit his new safe house in Hove. When Elizabeth and Joyce arrive, they find Douglas and Poppy dead. Both have been shot in the face and are barely recognizable. Sue and Lance question Elizabeth and Joyce after the discovery. Sue gives Elizabeth a locket inscribed with her name found on Douglas’s corpse. Shortly afterward, Siobhan identifies Poppy’s body.

Elizabeth visits Martin, who admits to sending a man to Coopers Chase. However, he claims he was not responsible for the shootings in Hove. He is desperate to find the diamonds, as Andrade has threatened to kill him if he doesn’t return them. At MI5, Lance notes that Andrade has booked a flight from New Jersey to an airport near Martin’s home.

Elizabeth finds a letter from Douglas in the hollow of a tree (a location he once described as an ideal “dead-letter drop”). In the letter, Douglas claims he still loves Elizabeth and reveals that the diamonds are hidden in locker 531 at Fairhaven train station. He states that if the diamonds are gone, he has escaped with them. If they are still there, he is dead. Elizabeth wonders if Douglas killed Poppy and faked his death.

Chris is dating Donna’s mother, Patrice. Connie Johnson visits Chris, threatening to harm Patrice if he continues the investigation. Meanwhile, Ryan fails to turn up for his trial, fleeing to Scotland.

In locker 531, Elizabeth and Joyce find an empty potato chip packet. Using infrared light, they read a secret message suggesting that Elizabeth should know where the diamonds are. Acquiring CCTV footage of the lockers, the Thursday Murder Club discovers that Poppy’s mother, Siobhan, opened the locker the day before her daughter was killed. Although she wore a motorcycle helmet, the video revealed her identity because she wore a friendship bracelet Joyce gave her.

Elizabeth realizes that the mirror inside the locket is a clue. It signifies that the diamonds are in locker 135 (531 reversed). She and Joyce retrieve the diamonds and hide them at Coopers Chase. Elizabeth now suspects Poppy killed Douglas, faked her death, and sent Siobhan to steal the diamonds.

Elizabeth engineers a meeting between Martin, Andrade, and Connie. Connie believes her role is to exchange diamonds for cash on behalf of a London gangster (aka Ron). Andrade is told that he will get his diamonds back. Ryan is hired as Connie’s driver.

Martin, Andrade, and Connie meet while Bogdan and Lance pose as bodyguards. When Connie reveals she has only two diamonds (Elizabeth has hidden the rest), Andrade shoots Martin. Connie then shoots Andrade before he can kill her. She runs to her car, where Chris and Donna arrest her and Ryan.

Following events from an MI5 van, Elizabeth confronts Sue, accusing her of murdering Douglas and Poppy. Elizabeth realizes it was Sue who planted the note in Joyce’s pocket, leading them to believe that her accomplice, Siobhan, was Poppy’s mother. Sue admits that she was romantically involved with Douglas, and they planned to escape together with the diamonds. However, after seeing the hidden letter in the tree, she realized that Douglas still loved Elizabeth and planned to betray her. She tried to have Douglas killed by telling Martin his whereabouts. When the first assassination attempt failed, Sue moved Douglas and Poppy to Hove and killed them.

Sue receives a message from Siobhan announcing she has found the diamonds in Joyce’s apartment. She directs the driver to Coopers Chase, warning Elizabeth and Joyce that three armed men are waiting for them. However, Bogdan has already disposed of the men and shoots Sue in the shoulder on her arrival.

In the concluding chapters, Elizabeth goes to Antwerp to cash in the diamonds. She anonymously donates the proceeds to the charity Living With Dementia.