The Impossible Fortune — Reader’s Companion & Study Guide

A wedding. A secret code. A murder. And the Thursday Murder Club is back in action.

After a relatively quiet year, life has moved on for the friends at Coopers Chase. Joyce is occupied with wedding preparations, Elizabeth is grieving, Ron has family concerns and Ibrahim continues his unusual therapy sessions with a familiar criminal.

But the peace does not last.

When Elizabeth encounters a wedding guest who believes their life is in danger, the Thursday Murder Club is drawn into a new investigation. At its centre is an apparently uncrackable code—and a ruthless adversary determined to gain access to it.

This comprehensive Coleman’s Notes® Reader’s Companion helps readers navigate the characters, relationships, clues, codes and twists of Richard Osman’s fifth Thursday Murder Club mystery.

Inside the guide: Story in Five Minutes; where The Impossible Fortune fits in the series; main characters; character relationships; Coopers Chase; the wedding; central mystery at a glance; detailed chapter companion; suspects; clues and red herrings; the code and its importance; the mystery explained; Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim & Ron; the wider Coopers Chase circle; themes and literary background; friendship, family, ageing and grief; humour and mortality; meaning of the title; ending explained; 25 book-club and discussion questions; and Quick Recall.

Particular attention is given to how the four central characters have developed across the series and how Osman combines a new mystery with the friendships, losses and changing family relationships that have become central to the Thursday Murder Club novels.

Ideal for readers who have completed the novel, want to revisit its clues and solution, or need a convenient reference to the characters and events of the series.

Full spoiler warning: This companion discusses the complete novel, including the mystery, solution and ending.

Individual guide — £6.95

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Coleman’s Notes® is an independent publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Richard Osman, Penguin, the publisher or rights holders.