Who’s got time to think about murder when there’s a wedding to plan?

It’s been a quiet year for the Thursday Murder Club. Joyce is busy with table plans and first dances. Elizabeth is grieving. Ron is dealing with family troubles, and Ibrahim is still providing therapy to his favorite criminal.

But when Elizabeth meets Nick, a wedding guest asking for her help, she finds the thrill of the chase is ignited once again. And when Nick disappears without a trace, his cagey business partner becomes the gang’s next stop. It seems the duo have something valuable—something worth killing for.

Joyce’s daughter, Joanna, jumps into the fray to help the gang as they seek answers: Has someone kidnapped Nick? And what’s this uncrackable code they keep hearing about? Plunged back into action once more, can the four friends solve the puzzle and a murder in time?

It’s always a treat to pick up another Thursday Murder Club book — and now that I’ve finished The Impossible Fortune, I’m all caught up!

This installment picks up a year after the events of book #4, The Last Devil to Die. The gang is as close as ever, but they’re getting a bit itchy to solve more murders. When Joyce’s daughter Joanna’s wedding rolls around, the best man reaches out to Elizabeth for help. He thinks someone is trying to kill him… and based on the bomb placed under his car, it looks like he’s right.

As the group dig into Nick’s worries, they learn about a top-secret storage facility, a potential fortune in Bitcoin, possibly double-crossing business partners and investors, and all sorts of shady secrets. Meanwhile, their personal lives have unanticipated complications, and while Joyce is beaming with joy ever time she gets to mention that she now has a son-in-law, she’s also more than ready to interrogate suspects over tea and baked goods.

The writing in The Impossible Fortune is as clever as always, full of sharp little twists and plenty of humor.

Connie would love to get married. Perhaps she should do something about that? What she really needs is a Tinder for criminals. Everyone could use their most recent mugshot.

The crime is twisty and well-constructed, with a handful of suspects and more than a few red herrings. Meanwhile, there are bad guys to be dealt with, as only our group of septuagenarians can. And even amongst the good guys, there’s room for words of wisdom and the occasional dose of snark.

“We’re not going to be dissuaded,” says Ron. “Don’t try.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” says Elizabeth. “You go right ahead. Perhaps they’ll put you all in the same prison? That would make it easier to visit.”

“No one’s going to prison,” says Jason.

Elizabeth nods, reassured. “I wonder if anyone who ever said that before actually did end up in prison? Surely not.”

The 5th book in a series is obviously not the place to start… but take my word for it, it’s absolutely worth the time to start at the beginning and then keep going. I’ve enjoyed every moment with this terrific cast of characters, and I’m only sorry that I’ve run out of Thursday Murder Club books to read. According to the author’s notes, there’s more to come, although I haven’t seen anything definite yet about an expected date for another book. Whenever it does come along, I’ll be waiting!