Clara’s Verdict
I finished The Bullet That Missed on a Sunday evening after a weekend that had been more draining than expected, and it was exactly the right thing for that moment. That is not a compliment I extend to every book – the specific quality of being exactly right for a particular kind of tiredness is something only a small number of novels reliably deliver. Richard Osman has done something that is deceptively hard in contemporary commercial fiction: he has created a group of elderly characters – Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron, and Ibrahim – who feel genuinely inhabited rather than assembled from the charming-pensioner clichés that populate the cosy crime genre, and the warmth of that ensemble is what sustains you through 11 hours of narrative.
The third book introduces a more serious threat than its predecessors while maintaining the tonal balance that made the series successful. A decade-old cold case leads the gang to a local news legend and a murder with no body and no answers. Then a new adversary arrives at Elizabeth’s door with a mission framed in the starkest possible terms: kill or be killed. Osman escalates the stakes significantly here, and the question is whether the cosy register can hold against that escalation. For the most part, it does – which is its own form of authorial skill.
About the Audiobook
Published by Penguin Audio in September 2022, The Bullet That Missed runs to 11 hours and 17 minutes and holds a 4.7-star rating from 90 Audible UK reviews – one of the more substantial review counts in this batch, which reflects the series’ established and loyal audience. It is Book 3 in the Thursday Murder Club Mysteries series. One important note for existing series listeners: this instalment is narrated by Fiona Shaw, replacing Lesley Manville who read the first two books. Shaw is exceptional; the transition is a genuine adjustment rather than a seamless continuation, and series listeners should be prepared for a different vocal interpretation of these characters rather than a continuation of the one they know.
The audiobook includes an exclusive conversation between Osman and presenter Steph McGovern at the end, which is a useful addition for readers who enjoy context alongside fiction. Joyce’s diary entries – one of the series’ signature pleasures – continue here, and they remain a highlight in Shaw’s reading.
The Narration
Fiona Shaw is a formidable talent, and her narration here is not merely competent but genuinely characterful. She handles the multiple POVs with a range that Manville’s lighter touch approached differently but with equal effectiveness. Shaw leans more naturally into the darker emotional register of this instalment – the moral seriousness underneath the cosy surface, the genuine danger that Elizabeth faces – and that fits the material. Book 3 is a somewhat grimmer book than its predecessors, and Shaw’s interpretation acknowledges that without abandoning the comedy entirely.
Listeners who are particularly attached to Manville’s warmth and her specific vocal interpretation of Joyce or Elizabeth should adjust their expectations; those coming to the series fresh via this instalment will have no frame of comparison and will simply encounter Shaw’s excellent work on its own terms.
What Readers Say
Ninety reviews averaging 4.7 stars is a strong result by any measure. The dominant response is affection for the characters rather than analysis of the plot mechanics. Cornish Lass urged Osman to hurry up with Book 4 and expressed specific interest in the futures of Connie and the chief inspector, suggesting the series’ secondary characters have generated the same investment as its principals. Nikki Barnett described feeling a sense of comfort and warmth when reading despite the fact it is about murders, which is a precise and rather lovely articulation of what the series does at its best. Robin Foster offered a considered four-star response, praising the characters and Joyce’s diary entries while noting that the cosy-but-deadly charm was consistent rather than significantly escalated – a fair assessment of where this instalment sits. Fluffyluggage on the US store called it the best so far, noting both the new characters and the continued storylines from prior books.
Who Should Listen?
Read Books 1 and 2 first. The emotional investment in the characters is the engine of this series, and it needs to be built over two books before Book 3’s escalated stakes can land with their full weight. For existing fans, this is an entirely satisfying continuation, darker in places than what came before but never losing its fundamental warmth or its comedy. The narrator change is worth naming plainly: if Lesley Manville’s performance in Books 1 and 2 was a significant part of your enjoyment, give Shaw’s interpretation a couple of hours to settle before judging it against memory. Those new to cosy crime who want to understand why the Thursday Murder Club has become the commercial phenomenon it is should begin at the beginning and be patient; the series builds to something more than the sum of its individual books.
