Top Ten Tuesday – My Favourite Audiobooks of 2023

On December 27, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, List54 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics. The official topic for this list involved listing the ten most recent additions to your bookshelf, which is a topic I would usually try to address. However, I am afraid I’m going to have to skip this topic and instead I will continue my annual end of year wrap up of some of the best books of 2023. In previous weeks I have highlighted some of the best pre-2023 novels, best new-to-me-authors and the best 2023 sequels I read in the last year. However, this week I am going to look at something near and dear to my heart, the best audiobooks of 2023.

Readers of this blog only need to check out my extensive audiobook category to know that I have a lot of love for the audiobook format. In my opinion, the audiobook is often the best way to experience a good book and in many cases this format makes a novel far more enjoyable. As a result, I listened to quite a few audiobooks this year, and while a good chunk of them were books released before 2023 and featured in my Throwback Thursday posts, most were released this year. There were some truly outstanding and impressive audiobooks released in 2023 and I knew going in that I was going to have an extremely hard time coming up with a final version of this list.

For this list I have only included audiobooks released in 2023 that I have listened to, which left me with a long list of extremely impressive audiobooks which I wanted to include in this post. To help cut this down, I considered a range of factors, including the quality of the original novel, the skill of the narrator, production value, pacing and other features. Looking at all this I was eventually able to cut the list down to the absolute best 10 audiobooks, with my typical generous honourable mentions section. I had to make some very hard decisions here, and I ended up excluding several extremely good audiobooks from the main list. Still, I think it really represents the best audiobooks I enjoyed this year and there are some amazing productions below.

Honourable Mention:

The King of the Spoil, written by Jonathan D. Beer and narrated by Gabrielle Nellis-Pain

A fun and intense Warhammer 40,000 book that effortlessly blends gothic science fiction with a great crime fiction narrative.

The Last Kingdom, written by Steve Berry and narrated by Scott Brick

Intriguing European history and modern-day espionage combine perfectly in this new Cotton Malone novel by Steve Berry, which is expertly brought to life by veteran narrator Scott Brick

Cypher: Lord of the Fallen, written by John French and narrated by Jon Rand

The very talented Jon Rand does a wonderful job of bringing one of the most mysterious Warhammer 40,000 figures to life in this cryptic and fast-paced audiobook by John French.

Murtagh, written by Christopher Paolini and narrated by Gerard Doyle

Christopher Paolini cleverly adds to his iconic Inheritance Cycle with original series audiobook narrator, Gerard Doyle, returning as well, bringing some familiar and compelling voices to this epic piece of fantasy fiction.

Top Ten List:

Son of the Poison Rose/Cave 13, written by Jonathan Maberry and narrated by Ray Porter

In 2023, we were lucky to get two novels from one of my favourite authors, Jonathan Maberry, as he continued some of his best series. These novels were the dark fantasy epic, Son of the Poison Rose and the science fiction thriller, Cave 13, which continued the outstanding Rogue Team International series. Both books were awesome in their own way, but I chose to combine their audiobooks into a single entry here, due to the fact both shared the same narrator in the legendary Ray Porter. Porter, who is one of my favourite audiobook narrators, is synonymous with Maberry, having lent his voice to most of his books, and he always provides an exceptional performance that works so well with Maberry’s style and captures his complex and damaged protagonists. The combination of Maberry and Porter is always a winner, and the resulting audiobooks are something extremely special. As such, both come highly recommended, and both are some of the best audiobooks of the year.

Holly, written by Stephen King and narrated by Justine Lupe

I have been really enjoying some of the legendary Stephen King’s more recent books and my favourite so far is his latest novel, Holly. A continuation of the adventures of Holly Gibney that started in Mr Mercedes, Holly was a complex and dark thriller that saw the protagonist investigate a missing persons case, only to discover something truly disturbing and horrifying. This was such an incredible novel, that featured great characters and some shocking twists, and I can honestly say that my love for Holly was even more enhanced because of its amazing audiobook as the producers cleverly brought in actress Justine Lupe to narrate the book. Lupe, who played the character of Holly Gibney in the Mr Mercedes television series, once again dove into the character and really brought her to life. Combined with her great take on several other impressive characters, including two of King’s most surprisingly sinister villains, and Holly was a joy to listen to from start to finish, and indeed proved to be an excellent accompaniment for a fun road trip.

The Will of the Many, written by James Islington and narrated by Euan Morton

One of my favourite fantasy novels of 2023 was the inventive and exciting release from Australian author James Islington, The Will of the Many. A powerful read that saw a clever teenager with secrets attend a prestigious magical academy while also trying to bring down a destructive empire, The Will of the Many was one of the most impressive books of the year and I got really addicted to its elaborate storytelling and unique new world. The audiobook version of The Will of the Many proved to be extremely good, especially as it allowed me to absorb more of the compelling world detail and envision some of the more elaborate elements of the story. Narrator Euan Morton also provided a unique voice to the story, and this ended up being on of the best fantasy audiobooks of the year.

The Last Devil to Die, written by Richard Osman and narrated by Fiona Shaw

After wowing me with his previous Thursday Murder Club books, including The Thursday Murder Club (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2020), The Man Who Died Twice (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2021) and The Bullet That Missed (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2022), Richard Osman produced another outstanding release this year with The Last Devil to Die. Thanks to its clever mystery, subtle humour, and some of the best character work you likely to see, The Last Devil to Die was Osman’s best book yet, and I cannot emphasise how wonderful and moving it ended up being. The audiobook version proved to be particularly good, as they once again brought back actress Fiona Shaw to narrate. Shaw has an amazing handle on all the characters, and her excellent voice conveyed all the intense and powerful emotional that this book contained. I honestly teared up in placed while listening to this audiobook and I cannot recommend it enough as a result.

The Fall of Cadia, written by Robert Rath and narrated by Mark Elstob

I’m still listening to this next entry; however, I’m having such a great time with it that I had to include it here. This book is a fantastic Warhammer 40,000 book, The Fall of Cadia. Covering one of the most important events from the Warhammer 40,000 canon, the end of the 13^th Black Crusade, The Fall of Cadia follows the epic last stand of the fortress planet of Cadia to the forces of Chaos. Massive in its scope and carnage, The Fall of Cadia is a difficult book to pull together but Robert Rath, who massively impressed me with his prior novels Assassinorum: Kingmaker and The Infinite and the Divine, does an incredible job of tying everything together into an exciting and manageable read. I am particularly loving the audiobook version as narrator Mark Elstob moves the lengthy novel along at an excellent pace and provides a huge range of voices to cover all the over-the-top personalities featured in the book. His narration also perfectly captures the full intensity of the many battles featured within The Fall of Cadia and he makes it sound as epic and brutal as possible. I am loving every second with this audiobook and I look forward to seeing how well the big finish comes out.

City of Last Chances, written by Adrian Tchaikovsky and narrated by David Thorpe

Probably one of the cleverest fantasy books I got to read in 2023 was City of Last Chances by the unstoppable and highly talented Adrian Tchaikovsky. Set in an occupied city loaded with rogues, revolutionaries and other lost souls, City of Last Chances was a clever, character-driven read, loaded with unique personal stories and unusual scenarios. This fascinating and entertaining narrative was expertly expressed by narrator David Thorpe who really dove into the strange characters and showcased all the absurdities and deep dramas perfectly. A wonderful audiobook from start to finish that I honestly could not stop listening to.

Burner, written by Mark Greaney and narrated by Jay Snyder

One of the leading authors of spy thriller fiction, Mark Greaney, produced another outstanding entry in his Gray Man series this year with Burner. Setting his infamous protagonist against both his former lover and a desperate Russian special forces unit, Burner was an amazing and intense read that expertly and tastefully utilised contemporary events to tell a complex story. The resulting action, spy craft, personal drama and carnage was expertly showcased by narrator Jay Snyder, who has lent his voice to all the Gray Man books. The resulting audiobook was extremely moving and intense, and Burner was one of Greaney’s best releases yet.

The Shadow Casket, written by Chris Wooding and narrated by Simon Bubb

The longest audiobook I listened to in 2023 was the epic fantasy novel, The Shadow Casket by Chris Wooding. The sequel to Wooding’s previous novel, The Ember Blade, The Shadow Casket was an outstanding listen that saw a desperate group of freedom fighters try to turn the tide against their relentless oppressors. Perfectly continuing the story set up in The Ember Blade while also featuring some impressive character interactions and a ton of worldbuilding, The Shadow Casket was a brilliant book, and I was so glad to get a continuation of this series. I deeply appreciated the audiobook version of The Shadow Casket, narrated by Simon Bubb, as it really helped me absorb this massive read so much better. Bubb did an outstanding job of making this lengthy story easy to follow, and I loved the fitting voices he gifted to all the complex characters. A captivating and extensive listen, I don’t think I would have enjoyed The Shadow Casket as much in any other format.

The Traitor, written by Anthony Ryan and narrated by Steven Brand

Bestselling fantasy author, Anthony Ryan, brought his Covenant of Steel trilogy to an awesome end this year with The Traitor. The fantastic follow-up to The Pariah and The Martyr, The Traitor showcased the end of Ryan’s scribe protagonist’s big adventure, and the inevitable fall to darkness that accompanied it. Intense, highly detailed, and featuring an outstanding antagonist, The Traitor was such a good conclusion, and I had such an incredible time listening to the audiobook version. Steven Brand, who did such a great job narrating The Pariah and The Martyr, provided another brilliant bout of narrating in this finale, and he perfectly captured the protagonist’s despair and determination as they fought to do the right thing one final time. A highly recommended audiobook and the only way to enjoy the Covenant of Steel books.

The Lion: Son of the Forest, written by Mike Brooks and narrated by Timothy Watson

The final entry on this list is another Warhammer 40,000 audiobook, The Lion: Son of the Forest by Mike Brooks. Brooks, who is quicky becoming one of the best authors of Warhammer 40,000 fiction (a quick shoutout to Brook’s other 2023 release, Warboss), sought to bring back one of the canon’s most significant characters, and did so with this deeply personal and symbolism laced novel. Intense, moving, and featuring some compelling characters, The Lion: Son of the Forest was extremely good, especially in the audiobook format narrated by Timothy Watson. While all Warhammer 40,000 audiobooks are pretty special and fun, I really enjoyed this one as Watson captures the gravitas of the main character perfectly while also highlighting the complex plot and pivotal action. One of the best Warhammer 40,000 audiobooks of 2023 as a result, this is really worth a listen.

Well that is the end of this latest Top Ten list, and as you can see, I have been lucky enough to listen to some awesome audiobooks this year (although I clearly focused a little too much on Warhammer fiction). All the above audiobooks are extremely good and I would highly recommend each of them in their audiobook format. Let me know what your favourite audiobooks of 2023 were in the comments below, and make sure to check back next week to see what my overall favourite novels of the year were.

The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman

On December 2, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Murder Mystery16 Comments

Publisher: Penguin Audio (Audiobook – 12 September 2023)

Series: Thursday Murder Club – Book Four

Length: 10 hours and 50 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The exceedingly talented and amazing Richard Osman returns with another exceptional entry in his acclaimed Thursday Murder Club series, with the entertaining and emotionally rich The Last Devil to Die.

Over the last few years I have been blown away by the incredible Thursday Murder Club novels, the debut series of British television personality Richard Osman. This amazing series follows four residents of a retirement village who solve murders as the Thursday Murder Club. Featuring a perfect blend of gripping mystery, brilliant and likeable characters, a fantastic sense of humour and a certain amount of tragedy, the series has been a real joy to read. This includes The Thursday Murder Club (one of my favourite books, debuts and audiobooks of 2020), The Man Who Died Twice (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2021), and The Bullet That Missed (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2022), each of which got full five-star reviews from me. As such, I have been eagerly awaiting the fourth book in this series, and The Last Devil to Die was one of my most anticipated books for 2023. Unsurprisingly, Osman did not disappoint and presented another compelling and highly addictive read that I absolutely adored.

Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron are the Thursday Murder Club, four bored and bright retirees living at Coopers Chase retirement village, spend their spare time keeping busy with an unusual hobby, solving murders. Already responsible for bringing several crooks to justice, the club hope to enjoy a nice Christmas without any deaths. However, murderers are rarely so considerate, and the four friends soon find themselves involved in a complex case that hits close to home.

Antiques dealer Kuldesh Sharma, an acquaintance of the group and an old friend of Elizabeth’s husband, Stephen, has been found shot dead on a dark country lane, apparently the victim of a professional hit. Determined to get justice for their friend, the club and their associates jump into action and begin their usual unconventional investigation. Their prying soon uncovers connections between Kuldesh and a local gang of drug importers who were using Kuldesh’s shop as cover for one of their deals.

It quickly becomes apparent that Kuldesh’s death is related to a box of heroin that was in his possession and which has since gone missing. To find Kuldesh’s killer, the members of the club will need to discover where the heroin is hidden, as well as why Kuldesh decided to steal it. Their investigation will take them into the dark world of drug dealers, art forgers and stolen antiquities, and force them up against several different groups of criminals each searching for the same prize. Can the Thursday Murder Club once again solve the case before the murderer escapes, especially when an even greater tragedy waits on the horizon?

This honestly might be one of the very best books I have read all year. Osman, who I have extremely impressed with in recent years, did a remarkable job with this fourth entry in the series, producing another superb and emotionally charged novel with a clever mystery around it. Thanks to some high-intensity inclusions and some brilliant character work, The Last Devil to Die is easily one of the strongest entries in this entire exceptional series, and I was hooked the entire way through. This latest book gets an easy five-star rating from me, and I doubt I will ever forgive Osman for everything I was forced to feel while getting through it.

The Last Devil to Die has an outstanding story behind it, and I was once again deeply impressed by how Osman effortlessly combines an elaborate mystery with intriguing character driven storylines. The book starts with Kuldesh Sharma, who appeared in the prior novel, getting murdered apparently over a missing box of heroin. This quickly sets off the new investigation, and the protagonists and their continuously growing group of associates utilise their usual unorthodox methods to get a good picture of events and pull together a group of unusual suspects. Of course, it doesn’t take long for the case to go in some very interesting directions, especially with extra murders and a segue into the world of antiquities forgeries. I really got caught up in the intriguing mystery, especially as there are some great complexities, an array of fun professional villains, and some highly entertaining encounters, including a remarkably fun lunchtime meeting with all the suspects. At the same time, I was also there for the characters, as Osman dove into their unique lives and provided some fantastic development. However, one major piece of character development proved to be the most compelling part of the entire book and really knocks you for six with a major event around two-thirds of the way through. This bit of development has been building for the entire series, but when tragedy finally hits you are not ready and it strikes you very hard in the feels. I honestly was near tears at parts of the book, it was that damn sad, and Osman works to ensure that every major character is affected in a noticeable and gloomy way.

Following this major event, Osman moves towards solving the various murders featured within the book. This last part of The Last Devil to Die is noticeably more subdued, which was honestly very fitting and completely understandable. Despite this darker tone, the reader is still very invested in the plot, especially as a solution to the mystery promises to bring some much-needed emotional relief. Osman delivers this in spades, and there are several clever and thoughtful solutions chucked in as a result. While I saw a few reveals coming, the way the characters solved the compelling case was impressive and quite brilliant. Several subtle and well-placed clues were masterfully exploited, and the way that Osman hid them in plain sight is exceedingly clever. The solutions to the other killings were great as well, especially as they tied into a fun longer-running storyline around a secondary character, and I loved how many of the villains got an appropriate reward for their deeds. The conclusion of the plot is very well handled, and the reader comes away from The Last Devil to Die both highly satisfied and very sad, much like the protagonists. This was such a brilliant and moving narrative, and Osman does a wonderful job of fitting in his mystery while wrapping up several long-running narrative threads.

Just as he has with the previous novels in the Thursday Murder Club series, Osman backs up his excellent story with some top-notch writing that drags you in with its tone, subtly and entertainment. The Last Devil to Die features Osman’s typical exquisite blend of mystery, humour and character development, which is expertly featured in every scene. While the main mystery is great, watching the brilliant characters grow as they solve it in the most entertaining way is so much fun, and you will be glued to the book as you go. The comedic charm of a Thursday Murder Club novel is very subtle and undeniably British, but it constantly flows into every scene, with the restrained and often topical jokes and observations of the characters working well with the other story elements. This includes a large amount of sombre and darker moments, as many of the characters experience a certain amount of tragedy, especially related to the woes of getting older. Osman honestly turns the heartbreak up to 11 in certain parts of The Last Devil to Die, and readers are in for some powerful emotional blows in this novel, which works both in the context of this single novel but the series as a whole, as it cleverly builds on prior events from the earlier books. Due to this, I would strongly recommend that readers start the series back at the first book, rather than diving into The Last Devil to Die first, as it will allow you to get the full emotional impact. However, Osman does ensure that The Last Devil to Die is open enough for new readers to experience, and they honestly will not be spared from the feels either. Osman does such a good job wrapping together the hurt with the humour, and the emotional combination really strengthens both the character arcs and the mystery elements of this outstanding read.

While the story, mystery and humour are all outstanding parts of The Last Devil to Die, without a doubt the high point of any Thursday Murder Club novel are the characters. Osman has an incredible knack for producing compelling, delightful, and impressive characters who you cannot help but fall in love with. Thanks to his split between different perspective characters (which includes a change in writing style for Joyce’s journal entries), you get to see so many different angles of this mystery, and I loved the amazing personal arcs that emerged as well. Osman does a great job of balancing the narrative between the many characters featured in the novel, including the recurring protagonists from the previous books and several new intriguing figures. These characters form the emotional heart of The Last Devil to Die and Osman really amps up the feelings, tragedy and love for this latest book to produce an exceptional and memorable read.

At the centre of the story are the members of the titular Thursday Murder Club: Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron, four cheeky and brilliant retirees who pass their time solving murders. Osman has done such a good job setting these characters up as a group throughout the previous books, and they each have a well-defined role in the group, with Elizabeth the hard-nosed former spy serving as leader, Joyce the loving grandmother figure who is a lot more devious and strong then people realise, Ron the tough larrikin who is starting to come to terms with his feelings, and Ibrahim the sensitive soul who can connect with everyone. These fantastic characters prove to be the usual dedicated and brilliant investigators, and it is always fun to see them utilise their unique skills and their old age to solve their crime. Much of the book’s humour is derived from them leveraging their advanced years and apparent helplessness to trick or manipulate the younger suspects, and I always enjoy their direct and hilarious take on crime solving. However, while there is a certain humorous element around these characters in The Last Devil to Die, certain significant events throw them into an emotional tailspin and watching them become unstuck and devastated really hits the reader hard.

Elizabeth in particular is hit the hardest and this is honestly the most significant novel for her, especially as the great tragedy she has been expecting for the entire series finally comes to pass, and your heart hurts at seeing such a strong character broken down so much. Joyce proves to be the emotional rock the novel, stepping up when the others are down and trying to keep the investigation going. I loved seeing Joyce the leadership role, and watching her come out of her shell proves to be quite heartwarming in light of other tragedies. Ron probably gets the least amount of focus in The Last Devil to Die, but he still has his moment to shine throughout this book. Not only does he have one of the funniest scenes when he has to pretend to be traumatised at discovering a body, but his chaotic romantic relationship raises some fun questions about when Christmas gifts should be opened. I also deeply enjoyed Ibrahim’s character focus, not only because of his warmth and insights, but because of his unusual friendship with imprisoned criminal Connie Johnson and his fantastic patter with Ron. Osman also finally reveals some secrets about Ibrahim’s past that have been hinted at in previous books, and I loved the extra layer of understanding about Ibrahim that results. Each of these main characters are so well featured and their emotional struggles prove to be such an important part of the plot and help to turn The Last Devil to Die into in a very powerful and moving novel.

In addition to the main cast, Osman’s ever expanding collection of supporting characters were very well featured in The Last Devil to Die, and while they are primarily there to assist the main characters with their investigation, the author always takes the time to develop some intriguing and heartfelt storylines around them. This includes the duo of DCI Chris Hudson and PC Donna De Freitas, who find themselves once again competing against their retiree friends to solve the case, despite their futile attempts to keep them out of trouble. While many of their scenes are played for laughs, especially as they get exasperated trying to stop the club members, they add in a good official police presence and move the story along in some interesting ways. There is also a continued focus on their personal lives, especially as they have both found true happiness thanks to the events of the prior books. Cocaine queen and jailbird Connie Johnson proves to be another great recurring figure here, especially as much of her story deals with her simultaneously manipulations of Ibrahim and her attempts at rehabilitations. Her scenes opposite the team’s psychiatrist are pretty hilarious, and it’s going to be fun to see how her storyline continues. The always dependable Bogdan is also a fantastic presence in The Last Devil to Die, and I loved how he proves to be both a supportive partner to Donna and a reliable assistant in Elizabeth’s attempts to undermine the police. Bogdan is also hit emotionally hard in this book and you really have to feel for this wonderfully written character who has the body of a thug and a heart of pure gold. Throw in several great new antagonists, an unpopular elite police officer and several entertaining new residents at Coopers Chase, and this proves to be an amazing book when it comes to supporting characters.

However, the character I need to talk about the most is Elizabeth’s academic husband, Stephen, who honestly has been one of the strongest and saddest figures in the entire series due to his growing dementia. A caring and intelligent figure, despite his ailment and his wife’s attempts to hide him from the world, Stephen is such an impressive character you honestly cannot help but fall in love with. It is always so tragic to see Stephen slowly lose his mind while Elizabeth’s heart breaks next to him, and I really appreciate how well Osman portrays the complexities of dementia when it comes to this figure. Despite that, he proves to be an essential part of the plot, and his insights into his friend have some major impacts on the case, even if you do not realise it at the time. Osman also makes sure to enhance the misery around Stephen again in this book, especially as he finally becomes aware of his condition in one of his lucid periods, and the resulting scenes are so damn moving and emotional as a result. Everything about Stephen in The Last Devil to Die, from his continued warmth, his love for Elizabeth even when he doesn’t know who she is, his sad friendship with a local fox, and his journeys back inside the past of his mind, is handled perfectly and powerfully, and he honestly steals every moment he is in. Stephen steals the show in his own way in The Last Devil to Die, but honestly every character in this book is pretty exceptional, and you will find yourself falling in love with them again, even if it breaks your heart.

Due to my previous experiences with this series, I chose to check out The Last Devil to Die on audiobook, rather than reading the physical copy I received. Coming in with a runtime of just under 11 hours, this is a relatively quick audiobook to get through, especially once you get caught up in the story, which you definitely will. I find that the audiobook format is pretty damn good at getting so many elements of Osman’s story across, including the characters, the powerful emotions and the fun humour, and you really will have a hard time turning off this audiobook of as a result. It also definitely helps that they keep getting such awesome narrators in to read these books. The first two entries in the series were narrated by Lesley Manville, who did such a great job bringing the characters to life, especially Joyce. Unfortunately, Lesley left after narrating the first two books, which I was initially sad about. However, they did a really good job of replacing her in the third audiobook with acclaimed actress Fiona Shaw, who also returns for The Last Devil to Die.

Now I was already a fan of Fiona Shaw before her work here, and I think she was honestly the best possible replacement they could have gotten for Lesley Manville. Utilising her trademark Scottish accent, Shaw hits the story with a soft and gentle voice that perfectly fits the more relaxed tone of these murder mystery novels. These gentler tones are excellent at conveying the unique humour and emotions of the Thursday Murder Club books, and I really got enveloped by the powerful story as a result. Shaw also does an outstanding job voicing each of the brilliant characters featured within this book and I have a lot of love for the vocal choices she makes here. Now, while there is a little difference between Shaw’s performances and the previous audiobooks with Manville (Manville is a natural Joyce, while Shaw more of an Elizabeth), Shaw really keeps the magic from the first two books going. She does a great job of matching many of the key voices Manville originally used, while also adding her own flairs to make the characters her own. I really loved how effortlessly Shaw slipped into the various members of the cast, and this honestly helps you fall in love with all the characters and the story as a whole. This entire audiobook honestly comes up pretty perfectly, and there is even a fantastic and cosy chat at the end between Osman and Shaw discussing the series. As such, I would strongly recommend the audiobook version of The Last Devil to Die to anyone interested in checking out this novel, and it is easily the best way to enjoy this fantastic series. One of the best audiobooks of 2023!

Look, I could go on about how good The Last Devil to Die is, but the bottom line is that this was an exceptional read and one of the best entries in the already great Thursday Murder Club series. Richard Osman did a wonderful job of producing an elaborate and compelling book that featured both an amazing mystery, and some outstanding character work. Funny and tragic in equal measures, and with some of the most emotionally charged scenes of 2023, The Last Devil to Die was an incredible book from start to finish and I cannot recommend it enough. This fantastic book is going to top all my end-of-year best of lists and I cannot wait to see what Osman releases next.

Top Ten Tuesday – My Favourite Audiobooks with Special Narrators

On August 22, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, List6 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics. For this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, participants get a freebie list that they can build around a specific genre. As such, I’m going to go back to my favourite format for enjoying all things fiction and craft a list around audiobooks, which fans of this blog will know I have a major liking for. In particular, I am going to look at those very awesome audiobooks that make excellent use of a special narrator.

All audiobook fans know that the one thing that can make or break an audiobook is the narrator. A talented narrator with a great voice can turn any book into something spectacular, while a bad narrator can tank even the very best story. In some very awesome cases, the audiobook’s producers manage to get their hands on someone particularly special to narrate their product for them, and this usually works out to be pretty damn epic. Now, when I talk about special narrators, I’m talking about either major celebrities, or someone who already has a significant connection with the book/franchise, and whose inclusion ensures that the listener can really get absorbed into the resultant audiobook. I have had the very great pleasure of listening to several amazing examples of these special narrators turning already epic books into first-class listens, and I thought this would be a fantastic time to highlight them here.

To appear on this list, the audiobook had to feature the voice of a celebrity or an actor best known from another media, and whose inclusion as a narrator was particularly significant. I chose to exclude a couple major audiobook productions that went out of their way to get a ton of celebrity voices, such as World War Z or The Sandman, mainly because they recently appeared on another Top Ten List, but also because that felt a little like cheating. Despite this, I still had a good collection of first-rate audiobooks that featured very special narrators. All these epic and unique narrators helped to deeply enhance the audiobook they lent their voices to, and I would strongly recommend the resulting products as a result. So let’s see who made the cut.

Honourable Mentions:

The Law, written and narrated by Jim Butcher

It often doesn’t work when an author narrates their own audiobook, especially if their series is already well known for having an excellent narrator, but I felt Jim Butcher did a pretty good job voicing his most iconic character in this audio adaptation of The Law novella.

The Padmé Trilogy, written by E. K. Johnston, narrated by Catherine Taber

The Padmé trilogy of Star Wars novels was an intriguing young adult series that worked to expand on the story of Padmé Amidala from the prequel trilogy. Now, while this series from E. K. Johnston, made up of Queen’s Shadow, Queen’s Peril and Queen’s Hope, is quite good in its own way, the audiobook versions are deeply enhanced by the inclusion of narrator Catherine Taber, the voice of Padmé from The Clone Wars animated series. Taber really brings this iconic character to life again in this new format, and her voice work deeply enhances this fantastic read.

The Night Fire, written by Michael Connelly and narrated by Titus Welliver and Christine Lakin

The audiobook versions of Michael Conelly’s books are usually pretty damn awesome, but I had a particularly good time with The Night Fire, mainly because it had a great voice cast behind it. While Christine Lakin does an excellent job, for the purposes of this list I am mainly highlighting the inclusion of Titus Welliver, who plays the character of Harry Bosche in the Bosche television series. His use as a narrator here is brilliant, and I loved the continuity in these latest audiobooks.

The Final Girl Support Group, written by Grady Hendrix and narrated by Adrienne King

Grady Hendrix’s outstanding horror thriller, The Final Girl Support Group, featured a ton of amazing homages to classic slasher films, but its best is probably the inclusion of Adrienne King as the audiobook narrator. King, who is best known for her role as the final girl in the original Friday the 13^th film was an inspired choice for narrator, and I loved the added authenticity her performance gave this fantastic audiobook.

Top Ten Tuesday:

The Lord of the Rings, written by J. R. R. Tolkien and narrated by Andy Serkis

Let’s start with a true classic and focus on the latest The Lord of the Rings audiobooks. While The Lord of the Rings books are always pretty damn awesome, these new audiobooks are further enhanced by the inclusion of legendary actor Andy Serkis as narrator. Serkis gives a 110% performance in these audiobooks, gifting wonderful voices to all the characters, not just Gollum, and even trying to emulate the voices of fellow Lord of the Rings film cast members. His exceptional voice work and elaborate performance greatly enhances these amazing audiobooks, and The Unseen Library strongly recommends this format as a result.

Dresden Files audiobooks, written by Jim Butcher and narrated by James Marsters

I doubt anyone familiar with my blog will be too surprised that I am featuring the Dresden Files audiobooks on this list. I have had such an epic time with this series over the last few years, and part of the reason why is because each of the audiobooks is narrated by actor James Marsters, who I have been a huge fan of since Buffy the Vampire Slayer first came out. Marsters is such a talented narrator, and he really dives into the various characters featured in the Dresden Files books, including series protagonist Harry Dresden. The actor’s fun and emotional take on the protagonist really makes these audiobooks come to life, and every single one of them that I have listened to, including Storm Front, Fool Moon, Grave Peril, Summer Knight, Death Masks, Blood Rites, Dead Beat, Proven Guilty, White Night and Battle Ground, are so much better with Marsters’ expert narration. I cannot recommend this audiobook series enough as a result, and Marsters will make you fall in love with this exceptional urban fantasy series.

Welcome to Night Vale and It Devours!, written by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor, narrated by Cecil Baldwin

Another series I have to recommend thanks to my Guest Review section are the fantastic Welcome to Night Vale audiobooks. Welcome to Night Vale is a beloved and weird sci-fi podcast that has been ongoing for several years now, picking up a dedicated following. As part of this, the creators have also written several books, including Welcome to Night Vale and It Devours!, which provide some extra fun insight into this crazy series. The audiobook versions of these novels are particularly fun because they are narrated by Cecil Baldwin, who serves as one of the main voices of the Welcome to Night Vale podcast. While I haven’t personally listened to these books, my editor and occasional contributor Alex swears by them and I had to include them on this list as a result. Alex really loved Baldwin’s voicework in these two audiobooks and she assures me that his inclusion as narrator ensures that these are required listening for all fans of this iconic podcast.

The Thursday Murder Club and The Man Who Died Twice, written by Richard Osman and narrated by Lesley Manville

I have a lot of love for Richard Osman’s first two Thursday Murder Club novels, especially in their audiobook format. That is because the awesome narration of actress Lesley Manville is so damn exceptional and she gives perfect voices to all the great cast members. Manville really showcases her vocal skills in these first two books, and thanks to her outstanding narration, The Thursday Murder Club and The Man Who Died Twice both ended up being amongst my favourite audiobooks of 2020 and 2021 respectfully.

Sylvanas, written by Christie Golden and narrated by Patty Mattson

There are some pretty awesome Warcraft/World of Warcraft audiobooks out there, but probably one of the best in terms of narration has to be last year’s outstanding listen, Sylvanas. Not only does Sylvanas have a great story behind it that examines one of the most complex characters in the Warcraft cannon, but the production team sought to bring some major authenticity and power to the audiobook version by utilising voice actor Patty Mattson as narrator. Mattson is probably best known for voicing Sylvanas Windrunner in World of Warcraft, so her inclusion here as narrator is an epic choice, as she already embodies the book’s main character/narrator perfectly. Having Sylvanas’ story told to you in her own voice is so damn cool, and it turns this audiobook into an epic listen, especially for dedicated Warcraft fans.

The Salvage Crew, written by Yudhanjaya Wijeratne and narrated by Nathan Fillion

I must admit that one of the main reasons that I originally listened to the compelling and freaky science fiction audiobook, The Salvage Crew, was because it featured Nathan Fillion as narrator. Fillion, who voices the machine protagonist, unsurprisingly does an amazing job in The Salvage Crew, and his silky tones really drag you into this elaborate tale. While I did deeply enjoy Wijeratne’s clever writing, I doubt I would have checked it out without Fillion, who really does an amazing job as a narrator.

Redshirts, written by John Scalzi and narrated by Wil Wheaton

Redshirts by amazing author John Scalzi is a hilarious and exceedingly clever parody/homage to the classic Star Trek series that shows the perspective of the doomed redshirts who are highly aware of their lack of survivability. I have a lot of love for this novel, and the audiobook is particularly cool, especially because they chose the perfect narrator for it, with Star Trek: The Next Generation star, Wil Wheaton. Wheaton has a lot of fun narrating this outstanding book, and there is something particularly fun having an iconic cast member reading this a clever Star Trek parody. I was laughing myself silly the entire time I was listening to this book, and I doubt I would have had as much fun without Wheaton’s fantastic inclusion.

Star Wars: Ahsoka, written by E. K. Johnston and narrated by Ashley Eckstein

With the Ahsoka television series starting up tomorrow night, I definelty needed to highlight an awesome audiobook from a few years ago that makes perfect use of a special narrator. This audiobook is Ahsoka by E. K. Johnston and it features the excellent voice work of Ashley Eckstein, who is the definitive Ahsoka for The Clone Wars fans. This novel follows the character in the immediate aftermath of Revenge of the Sith and Eckstein unsurprisingly kills it, showcasing her impressive vocal range while also telling a unique Ahsoka tale that only she can.

The Bullet That Missed, written by Richard Osman and narrated by Fiona Shaw

Now I am slightly cheating here by including the third Thursday Murder Club novel, The Bullet That Missed, separately on this list, but I’m justifying it because it features a different special narrator. The Bullet That Missed was a particularly impressive entry in this great series, and I made sure to grab the audiobook version as soon as possible. While I was initially disappointed that Leslie Manville wasn’t returning, I swiftly got over that the moment I found of Fiona Shaw of Harry Potter, Andor and Killing Eve fame was replacing her. Shaw also does an exceptional job narrating this novel and while she does emulate Manville in places, Shaw really puts her own spin on the narration, producing an exceptional listen. I really loved how Shaw effortless stepped in for this third book and her narration deeply enhances some of the best elements of The Bullet That Missed, including the pure Britishness of the story. I am very happy that Shaw will be returning for the upcoming Thursday Murder Club book, The Last Devil To Die, and I cannot wait to hear her bring this new novel to life.

The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line, written by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham and narrated by Kristen Bell

The final audiobook I want to highlight is the awesome Veronica Mars tie-in novel, The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line, which is set after the Veronica Mars film. While I really did enjoy the clever mystery, intense personal story and intriguing expansion of the Veronica Mars mythos it contained, the true highlight of this audiobook has to be the fact that they get Kristen Bell to narrate it. Bell obviously has no problem bringing this elaborate Veronica Mars story to life and her narration is exceedingly impressive, cleverly capturing not only her own character, but several other figures from the show. This is probably one of my favourite pieces of tie-in media and Bell’s amazing narration is a key reason for this.

That’s my latest list. As you can see, I have had the pleasure of listening to several outstanding audiobooks that feature some brilliant and distinctive special narrators. All 10 entries above come very highly recommended and you are guaranteed to love all of them, especially with their outstanding narrators.

Top Ten Tuesday – My Favourite Audiobooks of 2022

On December 20, 2022December 25, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, List63 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics. The official topic for this list was Books I Hope Santa Brings, and, while this did sound like a fun topic, I instead decided to continue my annual end of year wrap up of some of the best books of 2022. In previous weeks I have highlighted some of the best debuts of 2022, as well as the best pre-2022 novels I read in the last year, but this week I am going to look at something near and dear to my heart, the best audiobooks of 2022.

Readers of my blog only need to check out my extensive audiobook category to know that I have a lot of love for the audiobook format. In my opinion, the audiobook is often the best way to experience a good book, and in many cases, this format makes a book a lot more enjoyable for me. As a result, I listened to quite a few audiobooks this year, and while several of them are books that had been released before 2022 and featured in my Throwback Thursday posts, a large majority of them were released this year. There were some truly outstanding and impressive audiobooks released this year, and I already know that I am going to have an extremely hard time coming up with the final version of this list.

For this list I have only included audiobooks released in 2022 that I have listened to and completed, so I am excluding a few audiobooks that were probably pretty awesome, but which I didn’t have a chance to listen to. Despite this, I still ended up with a long list of extremely good audiobooks, all of which were extremely worthy of appearing on this post. To help cut this down, I too into account a range of consideration, including quality of the original novel, skill of the narrator, production value, pacing and other factors, including any featured music or sound effects. Looking at all this I was eventually able to cut the list down to the absolute best 10 audiobooks (as well as an extended honourable mentions section). I had to make some very hard decisions here, and I ended up losing several extremely good audiobooks from this list. Still, I think it really represents the best audiobooks I enjoyed this year, and there are some amazing productions down below. So let us see what made the cut.

Honourable Mentions:

Sylvanas, written by Christie Golden and narrated by Patty Mattson

An outstanding tie-in audiobook to the Warcraft video game franchise, Sylvanas provides a fresh retelling of the origins of one of the game’s most complex characters, Sylvanas Windrunner, all narrated by the voice of Sylvanas herself, Patty Mattson, in an awesome performance.

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Steel Tread, written by Andy Clark and narrated by Remmie Milner

The first of many Warhammer 40,000 novels that are going to appear on this list, Steel Tread is a dark and gritty war story that follows a ragged tank crew into the hell of war, all of which is deeply enhanced by a fantastic audiobook format.

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Star Wars: The High Republic: The Fallen Star, written by Claudia Gray and narrated by Marc Thompson

Star Wars audiobooks are always pretty damn awesome, but the one for The Fallen Star, which details a disastrous day in the High Republic, was exceptionally good, especially as the music, sound effects and excellent narration, helped to bring the listener right into the heart of the chaos.

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Outgunned, written by Denny Flowers and narrated by Phillip Sacramento

Denny Flowers continues to grow as an author with his second Warhammer 40,000 novel, Outgunned, this time following a propaganda expert as he follows a chaotic pilot into a strange new warzone. This entire compelling scenario, as well as the distinctive main characters, are perfectly showcased in this audiobook, which is really worth a listen.

Top Ten List:

The Hunger of the Gods, written by John Gwynne and narrated by Colin Mace

After really wowing me with the first book in The Bloodsworn Saga series, The Shadow of the Gods (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2021), John Gwynne returns with the epic sequel, The Hunger of the Gods. Perfectly continuing the incredible narrative from the first book, The Hunger of the Gods was an exceptional book, which really comes to life in the audiobook format. Featuring amazing narration by Colin Mace, The Hunger of the Gods was a remarkable listen that I cannot recommend enough.

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Ghazghkull Thraka: Prophet of the Waaagh!, written by Nate Crowley and narrated by Kelly Hotten, Paul Putner and Jon Rand

I had a lot of success listening to Warhammer 40,000 novels in 2022, so it is no surprise that a few are going to show up on this list. Easily one of my favourites would have to be the new novel by Nate Crowley, who previously did such a great job with The Twice Dead King books, Ruin and Reign. His latest release was Ghazghkull Thraka: Prophet of the Waaagh!, which retold the tale of the legendary ork warlord from a crazy new perspective. While the story itself is pretty damn clever and highly entertaining, the real joy came from the amazing audiobook production which featured three talented narrators. I loved how the narrators switched around multiple times throughout the production to correspond with which character was telling the story and it made for a distinctive and highly exciting listen that was a great deal of fun.

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Sierra Six, written by Mark Greaney and narrated by Jay Snyder

Mark Greaney had a very good year in 2022 as, in addition to his Gray Man movie and action-packed novel, Armored, he also produced another impressive Gray Man thriller with Sierra Six. I have had an amazing time with Greaney’s previous Gray Man novels, including The Gray Man, Mission Critical, One Minute Out and Relentless, and Sierra Six was another excellent addition to the series. Featuring an intense and highly addictive narrative that set protagonist Court Gentry against a dangerous threat in India while also diving into his deadly, tragic past, Sierra Six was an exciting and powerful read that I had a wonderful time listening to. The audiobook format of this book was extremely good, primarily thanks to the excellent narration of Jay Snyder, and I was dragged right into the middle of the action when I listened to Sierra Six on audiobook.

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Assassinorum: Kingmaker, written by Robert Rath and narrated by Gareth Armstrong

Another exceptional Warhammer 40,000 audiobook I enjoyed in 2022 was the brilliant and high-octane Assassinorum: Kingmaker by Robert Rath, which saw three elite assassins travel to a feudal Knight World and attempt to reign in the mecha-suit wearing elite by killing a deranged king permanently bonded to a massive war machine. This book was as awesome as it sounds and Rath wove together an exceptional and complex story of politics, conspiracies and assassins, focused around several impressive characters. I deeply enjoyed the elaborate and powerful plot of this great book, which was further enhanced by the exceptional audiobook format. Not only did narrator Gareth Armstrong perfectly encapsulate the fantastic characters, but his amazing tones allowed you to envision all the epic carnage in amazing detail. I had so much damn fun listening to this audiobook and it is a must read for all Warhammer fans, as well as anyone who is interested in seeing assassins go up against mechas.

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Kagen the Damned, written by Jonathan Maberry and narrated by Ray Porter

One of my absolute favourite authors, Jonathan Maberry, made an interesting leap this year from science fiction thrillers to dark epic fantasy with Kagen the Damned. Combining his typical writing style with a compelling new fantasy world, Maberry wove together the captivating tale of Kagen Vale, a once noble warrior and hero who is broken and damned after the royal children he was sworn to protect are ruthlessly murdered during a sudden and destructive military invasion. An exceedingly intense and brutal fantasy read, I got extremely hooked on this impressive novel, especially as I made sure to grab the audiobook version. I have always had an exceptional time with Maberry’s audiobooks and I was very excited to see that one of my favourite audiobook narrators, Ray Porter, was returning for this book. Porter always captures the dark tone of Maberry’s writing perfectly, and Kagen the Damned was no exception as he imparts every gruesome detail of this story in his powerful tones. At the same time, Porter effortless inhabits the multiple complex characters in this book, and really brings them to life in some amazing ways. I absolutely loved this amazing audiobook and I cannot wait to grab the sequel, Son of the Poison Rose, in a few weeks time.

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The Bullet That Missed, written by Richard Osman and narrated by Fiona Shaw

There was no way that the new Thursday Murder Club audiobook by Richard Osman, The Bullet That Missed, was going to be excluded from this list. Following on from his awesome first two novels, The Thursday Murder Club (one of my favourite books, audiobooks and debuts of 2020), and The Man Who Died Twice, The Bullet That Missed sees your favourite group of crime solving pensioners return for another complex mystery. Osman came up with another exceptional mystery storyline in this third book and I loved seeing his delightful and utterly hilarious protagonists once again use their unique insights and skills to solve it. The audiobook version was once again exceptional, and I deeply enjoyed new narrator, Fiona Shaw, who I have been a fan of for years. Shaw does a remarkable job narrating this third Thursday Murder Club book, and I loved how she provided a great range of fitting accents and tones for the distinctive characters, while also moving the plot along quickly with her fantastic voice. An incredible audiobook that is near impossible to turn off.

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The Martyr, written by Anthony Ryan and narrated by Steven Brand

Next up we have the outstanding second book in Anthony Ryan’s Covenant of Steel fantasy series, The Martyr. The sequel to Ryan’s excellent 2021 novel, The Pariah, The Martyr continues to tell the unique story of Alywn Scribe, a former bandit turned scribe, who finds himself in the middle of tumultuous events that will change the world forever. This time he must accompany his religious fanatic master on a deadly military mission to a foreign land, which will see him get involved in politics, espionage, assassinations and two epic sieges. I actually held off reading this book until I got the audiobook copy, mainly because of how much I enjoyed the audiobook version of The Pariah last year. Steven Brand provides some amazing narration for this compelling read and I really found myself absorbing more of the complex details of this fantasy word when listening to it. Easily the best way to enjoy this exceptional read, I cannot wait to get my hands on the third Covenant of Steel audiobook.

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The Wraithbone Phoenix, written by Alec Worley and narrated by Harry Myers

The final Warhammer 40,000 audiobook on this list is the gripping Warhammer Crime book, The Wraithbone Phoenix by Alec Worley. Set in a massive and crime-ridden city, The Wraithbone Phoenix follows an unlikely duo of abhuman criminals as they attempt to pay off their debts by recovering an ancient artefact from decommissioned space ship. However, when the entire city becomes aware of their scheme, they are soon forced to go up against a range of over-the-top killers, thieves and bounty hunters, all determined to kill them and take the prize for themselves. This was an extremely fun and captivating read, which was even more enjoyable as an audiobook as narrator Harry Myers had to voice a ton of unusual characters. I had an outstanding time listening to The Wraithbone Phoenix and I look forward to more fun and fantastic Warhammer Crime audiobooks in the future.

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In the Shadow of Lightning, written by Brian McClellan and narrated by Damian Lynch

One of the best fantasy books of 2022 had to be the epic and captivating In the Shadow of Lightning by Brian McClellan. McClellan, who already created magic with his Powder Mage novels (such as Promise of Blood), did a remarkable job of creating a new elaborate fantasy universe where all magic is tied into glass. Following several complex and damaged protagonists as they attempted to navigate war, politics and a dark conspiracy, In the Shadow of Lightning was a remarkable book that perfectly set up McClellan’s planned Glass Immortals series. I had a wonderful and incredible time with In the Shadow of Lightning, and I absolutely loved how well it came out in its audiobook format. Featuring the amazing voice of Damian Lynch, who dove right into the complex roles before him, this audiobook is extremely addictive and I powered through it extremely quickly. A highly recommended audiobook, I am so damn excited for the sequel.

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Star Wars: The High Republic: Convergence, written by Zoraida Córdova and narrated by Marc Thompson

Finally, I had to feature at least one Star Wars book on a list about great audiobooks (it is an Unseen Library rule), and boy was I spoiled for choice this year. While books like Path of Deceit, Midnight Horizon and Brotherhood all had excellent audiobooks, I ended up going with the Star Wars book I am currently listening to, Convergence by Zoraida Córdova. Despite the fact that I still have a little more to listen to (I’m probably going to finish it tonight), I have been deeply impressed with Convergence and I think it has the best combination of narrative, characters and audiobook features of all the Star Wars novels I listened to in 2022. The first adult book in the second phase of The High Republic, Convergence has a great story that explores a deadly war between two planets, while simultaneously introducing elements from an earlier period of Star Wars history. This excellent story is greatly enhanced by the usual outstanding Star Wars production values of cool sound effects, emotionally charged music, and the fantastic voice work of Marc Thompson, who is one of the best audiobook narrators in the world today. This was a remarkable read and I look forward to seeing how this new phase of The High Republic continues in 2023.

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Well that is the end of this latest Top Ten list, and as you can see, I have been lucky enough to listen to some awesome audiobooks this year (although I clearly focussed a little too much on Warhammer fiction). All the above audiobooks are extremely good and I would highly recommend each of them in their audiobook format. There is still a little time for me to listen to a few more great audiobooks this year, and I cannot wait to see how they all turn out. Let me know what your favourite audiobooks of 2022 were in the comments below, and I will have to try and check them out as well.

The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman

On December 20, 2022April 12, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Five-Star Books, Murder Mystery22 Comments

Publisher: Viking/Penguin Audio (Audiobook – 15 September 2022)

Series: Thursday Murder Club – Book Three

Length: 11 hours and 17 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Murder, comedy and the most badass team of investigators you are every likely to read about come together perfectly in the new Thursday Murder Club novel, The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman.

Over the last three years, some of the most impressive and outright entertaining murder mystery novels have been part of the Thursday Murder Club series by British television personality Richard Osman. Set in a luxury retirement village in the English countryside, the Thursday Murder Club books follow the adventures of four outrageous pensioners who spend their free time solving cold cases. However, their lives get even more complicated when several murders occur around their village, and they endeavour to find out who committed them. The series started with The Thursday Murder Club in 2020, which had an outstanding blend of mystery, great characters and humour, all of which came together in a perfect and deeply addictive read. The Thursday Murder Club ended up being one of my favourite books, audiobooks and debuts of 2020, and I cannot rave about it enough. Osman followed this first book up last year with The Man Who Died Twice, an excellent sequel that presents the reader with another great mystery, while also exploring the characters even further. I had another amazing time with The Man Who Died Twice, and it also ended up being one of the best things I read all year, making my top books and audiobooks of 2021 lists. Needless to say after the first two epic books, I have been very excited for the third Thursday Murder Club novel, and The Bullet That Missed has been one of my most anticipated reads for 2022 for a while now.

After their last exciting adventure, Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron, are continuing to solve murders in their spare time. Their latest case sees them dive into an infamous cold case in which a young, highflying television reporter was murdered just before breaking a story on a major crime ring, with her body never recovered from the ocean. Teaming up with the reporter’s famous presenter colleague, the Thursday Murder Club eagerly begin their investigation, hoping to shed light on her murder while having fun with their new high-profile friends.

However, it soon becomes apparent that the people behind the reporter’s death might still be active and are attempting to cover their tracks. Their only witness in the case is found dead in her prisoner cell shortly after the club attempts to question her, and even the notorious crime lord many believe responsible for killing their original victim is afraid to talk.

Not ones to be deterred, the club continues their investigation and soon long-hidden secrets from the past come spilling out. However, as they close on the killer, a completely different threat emerges from Elizabeth’s past. A mysterious new nemesis wants Elizabeth to return to her assassin roots and kill an old contact from her spy days, if she does not, everyone close to her will die. Forced to choose between her friends and her conscience, Elizabeth needs to find a way to defuse the situation before someone gets hurt. But is this new encounter just the thing the Thursday Murder Club needs to solve their latest crime before the murderer strikes again?

Well damn, what another brilliant and impressive read. Richard Osman went all out for his third book and I honestly think that The Bullet That Missed is some of his best work yet, possibly even eclipsing the original The Thursday Murder Club. Bringing together an elaborate and deeply enjoyable mystery storyline with some brilliant characters, outstanding humour, and a heck of a lot of great twists, I was instantly addicted to this latest book from Osman and couldn’t wait to find out how everything ended. An extremely captivating read, The Bullet That Missed gets a very emphatic five-star rating from me, and I had an incredible time reading it.

I loved, loved, loved the exceptional story that Osman came up with for The Bullet That Missed, especially as Osman provided a perfect blend of mystery, character growth and genuine human moments that the reader can’t help but eat up. Starting off shortly after the events of the last book, The Bullet That Missed sees the Thursday Murder Club using their usual charm and manipulative practices to investigate another cold case, gaining insight through the victims’ old colleagues, while also dragging in their usual friends and police colleagues. They soon find themselves in the middle of a cracking mystery and use their connections and well-earned insights to examine the various clues and persons of interests associated with the case. At the same time, Elizabeth is quite literally dragged into a dark place by a mysterious new figure who knows about her past and who forces her to choose between killing an old colleague from her spy days or watching Joyce and the rest of her friends die. This side plot adds quite a bit to the overall story, especially the introduction of several awesome new characters, and I really enjoyed how Osman tied it into the main mystery.

Combined with the various scenes that show the day-to-day lives of the many characters in the book, as well as some genuinely heartbreaking moments of love and loss, this proves to be one heck of a story that I was particularly rivetted to. I loved the unique investigation that resulted from the mystery, and the characters have so many clever and hilarious ways of getting to the truth. Osman throws in an appropriate number of red herrings and suspects, which serves to effectively muddy the water and keep the readers in suspense as they try to work out which of the many suspicious characters might have had a hand in the killings. I was able to pick out the main villain a fair bit in advance, although the journey to getting there and the eventual reveal was really good, and I loved every single second of it. I also didn’t see a bunch of the final twists coming, and you really appreciate all the cleverly hidden hints and clues that Osman seeded throughout the book. I came away from The Bullet That Missed exceedingly satisfied with how the story unfolded, and I really cannot emphasise just how amazing and awesome the plot was.

On top of this, Osman has an awesome writing style that I feel really enhances the elaborate and powerful narrative of The Bullet That Missed. I particularly enjoyed how the author made great use of multiple character perspectives throughout the book to tell the elaborate narrative. While the focus is generally on the four members of the Thursday Murder Club, the perspectives of all the other characters in the book are shown several times throughout the story. Not only does this allow you to get multiple intriguing views of the main mystery and the club’s actions, including from the book’s many suspects, but it also ensures that the reader gets closer to all these characters by learning their motivations, feelings, and personal histories. This makes for a much more compelling narrative, especially as you grow attached to the new characters quickly, while also getting to experience the powerful human developments impacting the main cast. Osman does a great job of keep the pace pretty consistent and enjoyable throughout the entirety of The Bullet That Missed, and you are constantly exposed to intriguing mystery developments, deeper emotional moments from the characters, or a ton of entertaining humour which can’t help but make you chuckle. This keeps up throughout the entire book, although it does pick up at several points, especially when the club are making some big moves, and it always works out well.

While one of the best things about The Bullet That Missed is the compelling mystery, a discussion of this book really would not be complete without mentioning the fantastic humour loaded into it. Osman is undeniably a very funny man, and he puts his excellent comedic skills to great use in this series, and particularly in The Bullet That Missed, with nearly every page containing some subtle, fun, comedic elements that I absolutely loved. A large amount of this humour revolves around the various ways in which the older characters of the book manage to outwit and manipulate the younger people they come across, whether it be by acting senile, or forcing them to accommodate them out of politeness. At the same time, the main characters’ very diverse and highly amusing viewpoints of the world around them, especially involving modern society or pop culture, are extremely funny, and it is entertaining to see an older perspective on this crazy modern world. Osman fits in quite a huge number of references to British culture throughout the course of the book, and I had a lot of fun hearing all the clever references to iconic shows and products that the character’s mention throughout the book, especially as they often talk about them in a very clever way. Throw in some fantastic coincidences, a lot of jokes about turning old, several hilarious self-referential jabs about the trouble with writing crime novels, and the perfect banter that occurs between the four main protagonists and their exasperated cohorts, and The Bullet That Missed was an exceedingly funny read that is guaranteed to keep you wildly amused with its various antics.

As always, one of the strongest parts of this latest Thursday Murder Club novel is the characters. Osman has created an amazing group of protagonists for this series, and he continues to build on them with each book, showcasing their strengths, personalities, and inherent vulnerabilities, as the find themselves in dangerous and unique situations. Most of the focus is again on the four members of the Thursday Murder Club who, by this third book, are really quite well established, and the reader is already very attached. Osman keeps up the wonderful interpersonal dynamic that was such an impressive feature of the first two books, and it continued to work extremely well in The Bullet That Missed, with several great new developments added in. Elizabeth and Joyce are once again set up as the book’s main characters, with a huge chunk of the book dedicated to them. Elizabeth, the former spy, proves to be an excellent manipulator, and it is always fun to see her talk about her days as a trained assassin, especially when her past comes back to haunt her. Joyce, on the other hand, is a legitimate sweetheart, and she really is the heart and soul of the book. I love how Osman changes the perspective in all her chapters to reflect her journalling the events of the story, and she provides some of the best descriptions of the events going on in the book. It is also very fun to see her in action as, despite appearing to be a harmless, sweet old lady, she is a tough as nails and can be just as manipulative as Elizabeth when she needs to be (the scene in which she meets the Viking was perfect).

Ron and Ibrahim are also used to great effect in The Bullet That Missed and both have some impressive outings in this book. I loved the many scenes featuring Ron, especially as he really stands out from the rest of the crowd by being a blue-collar rabble rouser who holds on to the old-school tough guy mentality. A lot of Ron’s story in The Bullet That Missed revolves around the other characters breaking through his tough exterior, especially as he has a new love interest in this book who gets him to open up in several amusing ways. I also loved the sense of vulnerability that surrounds Ron when he starts to realise that a lot of the men of his generation are starting to go and he suddenly doesn’t have as many people to connect with anymore, which gets used to great effect when he manages to get information by playing snooker with an old criminal with a similar mindset to him. The final main character is Ibrahim, who is honestly one of the nicest, most genuine characters you are ever likely to meet in fiction. Ibrahim gets an outstanding showing in this book, and it was really a relief to see him recovered after the terrible beating he received in The Man Who Died Twice. I loved how he was able to use his psychology skills in this book, and he even spent time working with the woman responsible for his beating, which results in some excellent scenes. All four of these main characters continued to impress me in this latest book and I cannot wait to see how their next adventure unfolds.

Aside from these major characters, The Bullet That Missed also contains a substantial supporting cast of entertaining characters who Osman uses to great effect throughout the course of the narrative. These characters include a combination of some entertaining new figures, as well as many returning characters who made such an impact in the previous novels. Many of these returning characters have been built up in a big way in the previous books, and it was great to see a lot of their character development continue, especially as they are generally better off after having met the Thursday Murder Club. I really loved that the three main supporting characters from the first novel, DCI Chris Hudson, PC Donna De Freitas and Bogdan, each come into The Bullet That Missed with some positive storylines surrounding them, and the new romance between Donna and Bogdan was so damn nice.

All the new characters in The Bullet That Missed were also very entertaining: an older makeup artist who takes a liking to Ron, a gigantic Scandinavian crime lord known only as the Viking, an eccentric local TV news host, and the local Chief Constable who also moonlights as a less-than-successful mystery writer. These great characters added a lot of flavour to the narrative, and it was fascinating to see how many were worked into the plot, especially as Osman was setting several of them up for returning appearances. I particularly loved the retired KGB officer turned criminal finance advisor, Viktor Illyich, who is an old contact of Elizabeth and who finds himself being hunted. He was a brilliant and entertaining addition to the plot, especially with his great methods of manipulation. You have to love that amazing scene where he applies his techniques to a young Virgin Media representative.

However, the best recurring character has to be Elizabeth’s husband, Stephen, who has been a bit of a tragic figure throughout the series due to his dementia, which Elizabeth tries to hide from the world. Stephen is perhaps the best character Osman has written, as the author provides a deep and extremely powerful view of the impacts dementia has on the sufferer and those closest to them. Watching Stephen slowly lose himself while Elizabeth suffers beside him has provided some of the most heartbreaking parts of this series. Stephen still proves himself to be a brilliant and caring figure, and Osman writes some great scenes for him in the series, especially when he plays chess with Bogdan, and it is always fun when he provides fantastic insights into Elizabeth’s cases. He was particularly effective in this book, especially after being kidnapped, and his knowledge and surprising criminal contacts allow Elizabeth to outsmart one of their enemies in several amazing scenes. Of course, these scenes are also loaded with sadness; with every positive step Stephen takes, he also loses a little, and every time he forgets a detail or a person it breaks your heart a little bit more. Honestly, every character in this book is pretty damn epic, and clearly creating amazing characters is one of Osman’s biggest strengths as a writer. I look forward to all the amazing character work that is bound to appear in the next Thursday Murder Club, and I am sure that I will fall in love with every single cast member once again.

While I did receive a physical copy of The Bullet That Missed, I chose to instead grab the audiobook version of this novel, as I had such an amazing time listening to the first two books in this format. As it was, I ended up being surprised and slightly disappointed to discover that Lesley Manville, who narrated the first two Thursday Murder Club books, wasn’t returning for this third entry. However, my disappointment was exceedingly short lived when I found out that she had been replaced by the amazing Fiona Shaw, who I have loved for years in things like the Harry Potter films, Killing Eve and Andor. Unsurprisingly, Shaw did an outstanding job narrating The Bullet That Missed, and she masterfully portrayed all the characters in a very fun and entertaining way. I loved all the great voices she used for this awesome audiobook, and each character got their own distinctive tone that allowed the reader to easily pick up who they were. Shaw brings a huge range of different accents to the table, and while her Swedish accent was purposely a little silly, it still fit the character extremely well. However, what really impressed me was the effort that Shaw took in matching the voices of most of the recurring characters with Lesley Manville’s previous take on them. All the four main members of the cast, as well as supporting characters like Donna and Bogdan, sounded extremely like their appearances in the previous two audiobooks, and while Shaw did do her own take on a couple of figures, I personally deeply appreciated her attempts to keep some continuity with the previous audiobooks. Shaw also kept the audiobook rolling along at a brisk pace, and the 11 hour and 17 minute runtime passed along in no time whatsoever, especially as you get deeper and deeper into the plot. Throw in another lovely interview with Richard Osman at the end and I felt that this was an absolutely incredible audiobook, and definitely the best format by which to enjoy The Bullet That Missed. I will be extremely happy if Shaw chooses to come back for the fourth Thursday Murder Club audiobook next year.

Richard Osman continues to show the world just how much talent he has a murder mystery writer with the third exceptional entry in the amazing Thursday Murder Club series, The Bullet That Missed. Continuing to follow his brilliant pensioner protagonists as they solve a complex murder in some clever and funny ways, The Bullet That Missed was an incredible addition to the series that is guaranteed to have you hooked from start to finish. I cannot recommend this book enough, and if you haven’t started reading the Thursday Murder Club books yet, you are really missing out.