The Impossible Fortune Review: I Didn't Expect to Cry Over a Cozy Mystery

I finished The Impossible Fortune - Exclusive Edition - by Richard Osman at 11:47 PM on my couch. I was on the couch. Thinking about Joyce. I was waiting for my dryer to finish, 40 minutes waiting for my laundry to stop, man, and my tea was getting cold. That tea ring on page 112 is still there. I didn't think a cozy murder book would make me cry. But it did. You know?

Why this book hits different

It has been a quiet year for the Thursday Murder Club. Joyce is busy with her daughter Joanna's wedding, table plans, first dance, mother-daughter fights. Elizabeth is grieving after book 4. Ron has family trouble with his daughter Suzi and his grandson Kendrick. Ibrahim is doing therapy with Connie Johnson, who is out of jail. Then a wedding guest disappears. Nick, the best man, says someone put a bomb under his car and asks Elizabeth for help. Then he vanishes.

Look, the case is about 350 million pounds in Bitcoin and an uncrackable code. A villain wants it and will kill for it. To be honest, I thought I would hate the crypto part. But the book is not about money. It is about who you trust. About family. About letters Joyce writes in her diary that feel so real. I was on the train. Reading the middle part. And I laughed out loud when Joyce says she is not much help. Girl, she is everything.

People ask a lot online if you need to read the other books first. Can you read The Impossible Fortune - Exclusive Edition - by Richard Osman as standalone? You can. Osman tells you who everyone is. But you will miss the punch. Elizabeth's grief only hurts if you read The Last Devil to Die. The friendship feels like visiting old friends. I say read at least book 4 first. If you have time, read all four. It is worth it, trust me.

Second big doubt: is the ending sad? After book 4, everyone is scared. I was too. But this one is warm. There is a twist, there are letters that Joyce writes, there is a scene with Joanna at the wedding that made me stop at page 112. I had to put the book down. You will tear up but in a good way. No horrible shock. It has a happy ending. A real one.

Third doubt: is the Exclusive Edition worth it and is the middle dragged? Yes and yes. The middle from page 150 to 210 is slow, man. Lots of talk about the code, lots of new faces. I felt it dragged. Cara, I made more tea. Then the last 80 pages fly. And the Exclusive Edition bonus content? The extra letter at the end wrecked me. This page wrecked me.

My unpopular opinion: Joyce is better than Elizabeth

I know, I know. Everyone loves Elizabeth. Ex-spy, cool, strong. But Joyce? Joyce is better than Elizabeth. She is the heart. Her diary is funny, honest, a little messy. In The Impossible Fortune - Exclusive Edition - by Richard Osman she finally shines because it is Joanna's time. Elizabeth solves it, but Joyce makes you feel it. Bogdan is also wasted here, he is just Donna's boyfriend now. I missed him. Connie and Ibrahim are better together than Elizabeth alone.

Scorecard - My honest thoughts

Plot: 8/10 - The Bitcoin code mystery is clever and the wedding twist got me, but I guessed the villain at page 190.

Characters: 10/10 - Joyce stole the whole book. Her diary entries about Joanna's wedding made me cry on page 112. Elizabeth, Ron, Ibrahim and Penny feel like family now.

Writing: 9/10 - Richard Osman's humor is still gold. One funny line, then a punch about getting old that hits you right in the chest.

Pacing: 7/10 - Middle from 150-210 drags a bit with too much code talk. I had to make more tea. But last 80 pages? Couldn't put it down.

The writing is still so good. Short jokes, then a line about getting old that hits you hard. The Impossible Fortune - Exclusive Edition - by Richard Osman talks about growing old without being sad about it. About still having purpose, joy, love. About letting your kids go. That part about Joyce and Joanna arguing about big vs small wedding? I felt that in my bones. My mom is the same.

Verdict

So should you get it? If you love characters who feel like family, yes. If you want a super tight puzzle with no feelings, maybe not. This is people first, murder second. It is not perfect, the reveal is easy to guess, but it feels like coming home. It made me want to call my mom.

Team Joyce vs Team Elizabeth? I am Team Joyce all day. What about you? Are you Team Joyce or Team Elizabeth? Tell me below.

If this review helped you decide, feel free to drop a like on it, share your thoughts below and follow along for more honest reads.