books

It has been two years since we last visited Coopers Chase, and the return is both a comfort and a mild comedown. The Impossible Fortune - Richard Osman's fifth Thursday Murder Club novel - opens on the joyful occasion of Joyce's daughter Joanna's wedding before swiftly plunging into the kind of chaos that only this particular group of octogenarian sleuths could stumble into. A drunken best man confides in Elizabeth that someone has planted a bomb under his car. When he then vanishes entirely, Elizabeth alerts the rest of the Thursday Murder Club and the game, as ever, is afoot.

The central mystery this time involves cryptocurrency, an unbreakable code worth a staggering Bitcoin fortune, and a growing list of suspects who all had reason to want Nick Silver out of the picture. It is a modern setup - perhaps too modern for its own good, as the cryptocurrency element never quite generates the tension it should. There is also the matter of a dubious aristocrat, some satisfying red herrings, and a well-constructed final reveal that ties the various threads together with Osman's characteristic neatness.

But the mystery has never really been the main attraction with these books, and The Impossible Fortune is no exception. The real draw is the characters - and on that front, there is both cause for celebration and a nagging sense that the formula is starting to stretch. Elizabeth's grief following Stephen's death hangs over the entire novel, lending it a more subdued quality than its predecessors. She is not quite herself, and her reduced presence shifts the dynamic in ways that feel both realistic and slightly deflating. Meanwhile, Ron is dealing with family troubles of his own, Ibrahim continues his unlikely friendship with the recently paroled Connie Johnson, and Joyce channels her energy into wedding logistics before being pulled back into the thrill of investigation.

These emotional undercurrents are where Osman is at his best. The book handles grief, ageing and the renegotiated relationships between parents and their adult children with genuine warmth and a light touch. The scenes exploring domestic abuse through one of the supporting storylines are handled sensitively rather than glibly. And the dry, sarcastic banter between the four leads remains a genuine pleasure - the dialogue is sharp, witty, and often quietly profound in ways that sneak up on you between the punchlines.

Where The Impossible Fortune falters is in its increasingly crowded cast. Five books deep, the supporting roster has grown unwieldy - familiar faces like Chris and Donna are sidelined, new characters are introduced to fill the gap, and some long-standing allies barely register. The expanded role for Joanna adds family texture but comes at the cost of time with the core group, who are, after all, the reason anyone picks up these books.

It is a quieter, gentler instalment than The Last Devil to Die - which remains the series' emotional high point - and it does not quite match the freshness of the earlier entries. But Osman's gift for balancing humour with heart is still very much intact. The Impossible Fortune is warm, cleverly plotted, and full of characters who feel less like fictional creations and more like old friends you are checking in on. It may not be the series at its sharpest, but it is still an unqualified pleasure to spend time in this world.