Please Note:  I received an advance audio copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

It's the following Thursday.

Elizabeth has received a letter from an old colleague, a man with whom she has a long history. He's made a big mistake, and he needs her help. His story involves stolen diamonds, a violent mobster, and a very real threat to his life.

As bodies start piling up, Elizabeth enlists Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron in the hunt for a ruthless murderer. And if they find the diamonds too? Well, wouldn't that be a bonus?

But this time they are up against an enemy who wouldn't bat an eyelid at knocking off four septuagenarians. Can The Thursday Murder Club find the killer (and the diamonds) before the killer finds them? 

Review:

I really enjoy mysteries, and the series called The Thursday Murder Club is quickly becoming a favorite.  The first book introduced us to a group of retirees who are not sitting quietly in an old folks home.  These four solve murders!  

The second book in the series, The Man Who Died Twice, continues the adventures of Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim, and Ron, as we learn a lot more about the people in this group.  What was hinted at in the first book is confirmed:  Elizabeth was a spy for MI-5!  This story encompasses murder, spying, and a healthy dose of personal antics on the part of the group.  I loved it.  

What I Liked:

Narration:

Leslie Manville does a superb job as the narrator of this series.  She knows how to show each character's personality and seems to have a lot of fun with the various British accents.  She also knows how to slowly build suspense, and this book gave her plenty of opportunities to do that.

Characters:

I read this book just as I was watching the latest season of The Great British Bake Off on Netflix.  So, when I read the book, I instantly equated several of the characters with people on that show.  Here are my picks for who should play the characters, should this become a television series:

Elizabeth:  The clear choice for the assertive former MI-5 spy of course is on of the judges, Prue Leith.  I love this character!  Elizabeth is a smart, no-nonsense former spy who is not content to sit on the sidelines, watching the world go by.  She wants to continue to solve crimes.  But she also has to (and wants to) take care of her husband who has dementia.

Joyce:  This character seems mild-mannered and quiet.  But Joyce has a lot more depth to her.  I see Val Stones from GBB Season 2016.  I loved Joyce's patience with the other members of the group.  And she is not one to be underestimated!  She often finds to solutions to problems the gang encounters.

Ibrahim:  Ibrahim is the quiet, introspective former psychiatrist.  Although he is way too young, I would love to see Rahul the winner of the 2018 season of Bake Off in the role.  Like Ibrahim, Rahul is very quiet and shy, but also very smart!

Story:

I really liked that we saw more of who the four main characters were, particularly such a complex character as Elizabeth.  She is both incredibly kind and amazingly brutal (when she needs to be).  While she is the epitome of the caring partner to her husband, she also has no qualms about putting her friends in danger, or even killing someone. 

Ibrahim is also quite a complicated character.  At the beginning of the book, Ibrahim is the victim of a crime.  This leaves him really shaken.  He begins to suffer from PTSD.  Now, Ibrahim is a retired psychiatrist, so he knows what is happening to him.  But that doesn't prevent his brain from suffering.  I really felt for this character, but also for his friends who have a hard time knowing how to help him. 

The murder, itself, is quite a who-done- it.  There are several possibilities, each stranger than the next.  It's quite a thrill ride to be sure.

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release Date:  September 28, 2021

Author:  Richard Osman

Genre:  Mystery

Audio Publisher:  Penguin Audio

Audio Narrator:  Lesley Manville

Audio Length:  11 hours, 50 minutes

Print Publisher:  Penguin 

Print Length:  336 Pages

Review Format:  Audiobook

Source:  Random House Audio

Recommendation:  Start with the first book, and then dive into this fun mystery.  You will want to spend all your time with these wonderful pensioners.

Please Note: I received an advance audio copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

The Vignes twin sisters will always be identical. But after growing up together in a small, southern black community and running away at age sixteen, it's not just the shape of their daily lives that is different as adults, it's everything: their families, their communities, their racial identities. Many years later, one sister lives with her black daughter in the same southern town she once tried to escape. The other secretly passes for white, and her white husband knows nothing of her past. Still, even separated by so many miles and just as many lies, the fates of the twins remain intertwined. What will happen to the next generation, when their own daughters' storylines intersect?

Weaving together multiple strands and generations of this family, from the Deep South to California, from the 1950s to the 1990s, Brit Bennett produces a story that is at once a riveting, emotional family story and a brilliant exploration of the American history of passing. Looking well beyond issues of race, The Vanishing Half considers the lasting influence of the past as it shapes a person's decisions, desires, and expectations, and explores some of the multiple reasons and realms in which people sometimes feel pulled to live as something other than their origins.

Review:

I've heard of The Vanishing Half before I saw it on offer from Penguin Audio.  I was hesitant because I didn't want to read a "heavy" book right now.  But when my book club chose it, I grudgingly loaded it up.  Yes, this is a serious book.  But it's also a epic family saga you can lose yourself in.  How much do we really know our family?  How much are people willing to give up to get the lives they want?  Some of this book made me very uncomfortable. But it also was a book that made me think.  It was definitely worth my time.

What I Liked:

Narrator:  

Shayla Small does a wonderful job with creating distinct characters.  She projects each character's emotions with clarity and empathy. I especially liked that she didn't overdue it with the male voices.  Her performance was subtle, but effective.

Time Eras:

The novel takes place in various eras from the nineteen-fifties to the nineteen nineties.  Each era is distinct from the clothing to the the attitudes about race and gender.  While these things change, the older characters particularly do not.  This is common.  But showing the different times gives these character's staunch views a context that helps us understand them better.

Characters:

Desiree and Stella are twins who dream of a better life away from their small town.  But other than their desire to leave, they could not be more different.  Desiree is the more dominant personality, speaking for Stella and pushing for them to run away.  But silent Stella is more of a quite planner.  She wants to make her own way, not just away from Mallard, their hometown, but away from Desiree as well.  I liked that these two twins were very different from each other.  It was their experiences that shaped who they were, not their biology.

I liked Jude and Reese (although I did have some issues with their relationship).  Jude was determined and worked so hard to obtain her dreams, while Reese was just surviving until he met Jude.  Together, they make a life.  I was so pleased because they deserved to be happy.

Kennedy, Stella's daughter, is the opposite of Jude.  Everything is given to her and she can't appreciate what she has.  Unlike Jude, Kennedy is constantly running from career to career to find meaning in her life.  But, again, they are shaped by their experiences.  Jude comes from a loving home, while Kennedy's upbringing is filled with lies and parents who can't seem to show their feelings.

What I Was Mixed About:

Improbable Situation:

What I Didn't Like:

Characters:

While the other characters grow and develop, Stella remains mostly stagnant.  Yes, she did grow from being a housewife to becoming a teacher.  But I wanted her to come to terms with her big secret.  She has done something extreme to obtain a comfortable life.  But, aside from crushing guilt, she never really deals with it.  I really liked Stella and wanted her to make things right. 

TRIGGER WARNING: Extreme racist violence, use of the "N" word, and other forms of racism.  

Rating:

Release Date:  June 2nd, 2020

Author:  Brit Bennett

Genre:  Historical Fiction

Audio Publisher:  Penguin Audio

Audio Length:  11 hrs, 35 mins

Narrator:  Shayna Small

Print Publisher:  Riverhead Books

Page Length:  343 Pages

Source:  Penguin Audio

Format:  Audiobook

Recommendation:  I family saga that will sweep you away.  Be aware of use of the "N" word and other forms of racism.