59 pages • 1 hour read
Richard OsmanThe Man Who Died Twice
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2021A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
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BetaPart 2, Chapters 30-39Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Part 2, Chapters 30-39 Summary
Chris’s girlfriend, Patrice, is staying with him for the week. Their evening is interrupted when Donna calls, confirming that she has arrested Ryan for theft and possession with intent to supply.
Elizabeth and Joyce are blindfolded and taken to MI5 premises in Godalming. They are questioned by Sue and Lance in an underground isolation cell. Elizabeth claims she has mislaid her phone when Sue asks to see it. Sue gives Elizabeth a locket found on Douglas’s body. It is inscribed with Elizabeth’s name and has a mirror inside. Shortly after Elizabeth and Joyce leave, Siobhan arrives in Godalming and confirms that the body is Poppy. Sue reveals that Douglas will be identified by DNA analysis as he has no next of kin.
Elizabeth returns to her apartment, where Bogdan has been looking after Stephen. She searches the locket for hidden clues but finds nothing. Bogdan agrees to retrieve Elizabeth’s phone from Hove and drive her to Martin’s home later that day. Elizabeth then calls Chris inviting him over for a debriefing. When he says he has other plans, Elizabeth asks to speak to Patrice. She persuades Chris’s girlfriend to accept the invitation, having no idea that Patrice is Donna’s mother.
On the day of his garden party, Martin calls mafioso Frank Andrade Jr. He tries to assure Andrade that his family’s diamonds will be returned as soon as possible. Andrade vows to kill Martin if the diamonds are not found within a week.
Elizabeth, Joyce, and Ron arrive at Martin’s home, pretending to be interested in the gardens. Elizabeth then confronts Martin, accusing him of involvement in the deaths of Douglas and Poppy. Martin admits that he sent Andrew Hastings to Coopers Chase but only intended to scare Douglas into revealing the diamonds’ whereabouts. He discovered Douglas’s location through a “leak” in MI5. Martin denies responsibility for the second hit on Douglas and Poppy, claiming he did not know the location of the second safe house. Martin agrees to cooperate in finding the killer but warns Elizabeth and her friends that he will kill them if they find the diamonds and do not inform him. Before they leave, Joyce sells Martin a friendship bracelet.
That evening, Sue joins Elizabeth and her friends at Coopers Chase. Elizabeth tells Sue they visited Martin, and she does not believe he was involved in the deaths of Douglas and Poppy. She theorizes that Douglas may have killed Poppy, faked his death, and escaped with the diamonds. Sue says the DNA test identifying Douglas could have been tampered with. She agrees to investigate while Elizabeth tries to find the diamonds.
After Sue leaves, Elizabeth says she knows where Douglas might have left a clue. Leading her friends into the woods, she finds a letter in the hollow tree trunk Douglas pointed out on their walk. Douglas’s letter reveals that the diamonds are hidden in locker 531 at Fairhaven train station. If Elizabeth finds the locker empty, he has escaped to Antwerp, where his friend Franco will sell the diamonds. If the diamonds are still there, he is dead. Douglas adds that if he gets away with the crime, he will seek out Elizabeth in hope of reconciliation when it is safe.
Part 2, Chapters 30-39 Analysis
In the aftermath of the murders, the plot’s pace gains momentum. The story’s scope broadens as the New York mafia character Frank Andrade Jr. is introduced. Chapter 30 incorporates elements of an espionage thriller as Elizabeth and Joyce are blindfolded and taken to a secret location for interrogation. Joyce is “thrilled” by the experience, demonstrating her character’s love of excitement and adventure.
Chapter 31 is written from the third-person perspective of Sue as she questions Elizabeth and Joyce. Her mistrust of both women is conveyed without revealing her as the murderer. Sue considers Elizabeth a worthy adversary and is not fooled by Joyce’s impersonation of a forgetful old lady. Accurately assessing Joyce as “a tiny, formidable woman” (155), Sue reflects she would make an excellent spy.
The interrogation scene also introduces the locket. Inscribed with Elizabeth’s name with a mirror inside, the trinket is found on Douglas’s body. Failing to find any secret messages, Elizabeth concludes it to be an unexpectedly loving gift from Douglas. However, later, the locket is shown to be a vital physical clue, helping Elizabeth work out the diamonds’ whereabouts. Douglas’s desire for Elizabeth to have the diamonds in the event of his death indicates the locket is also a symbol of his love.
Chapter 33 provides insight into Siobhan’s emotional state as she prepares to identify Poppy’s body. While her inner monologue seems to express the emotions of a bereaved mother, the effect is designed to mislead the reader. Siobhan’s anxiety reflects her concerns about pretending to be Poppy’s mother. This may indicate moral qualms about her role as an accomplice to murder but could equally reflect doubts about performing the job convincingly. On meeting Sue in person for the first time, Siobhan reflects she is “Exactly the type she pictured” (167). The observation is a clue to Siobhan’s real identity, as her former husband was consistently attracted to similar women. Sue’s revelation that Douglas will be identified by dental records as he has no next of kin is ironic, considering that his ex-wife and lover are both at the morgue.
In Chapter 36, the disparity between Martin’s immaculate home and his corrupt business dealings is again highlighted. The Thursday Murder Club visits his garden party in the quintessentially English village of Hambledon. Martin’s meager donation of £5 to Living With Dementia in exchange for Joyce’s friendship bracelet highlights his mean-spirited nature. It also foreshadows the much larger donation the charity will receive once Martin is dead and the diamonds are sold.
Chapter 38 highlights Elizabeth’s uncharacteristic lapse of judgment concerning Sue. Her strong identification with the younger woman leads her to share information with Sue over pizza at Coopers Chase. However, Elizabeth stops short of telling Sue about her latest theory. Only when she has gone does she lead the Thursday Murder Club to Douglas’s letter hidden in the tree trunk. The letter’s contents create narrative tension as two possible scenarios unfold: Douglas may be dead, or he may have killed Poppy, faked his death, and escaped with the diamonds.
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By Richard Osman
