The Bullet That Missed

Joyce can be considered the protagonist of the novel because the only chapters written in the first person are from Joyce’s diary. She is 77 years old, a widow (her late husband is named Gerry), and lives in Coopers Chase with her dog, Alan. Bethany’s case was Joyce’s idea. Mostly, she wanted to meet Mike from South East Tonight because she has a crush on him. Eventually, she learns that Mike is gay and then develops a crush on Mervyn, a new resident of Coopers Chase. Over the course of the novel, Joyce begins to write a detective story and bases the protagonist on her late husband. This, and being part of the Thursday Murder Club, are ways Joyce copes with his loss. Her love of writing increases alongside her reading list. Joyce reading Andrew’s books helps crack the case—she notices Andrew uses the name for a character in the VAT fraud.

The Bullet That Missed is an ensemble piece, so Joyce is often defined by her interactions with others. She is a “kind, hugely over-talkative friend” (161). However, she sometimes annoys her daughter and her best friend: “Joanna has little patience for her mother. Elizabeth knows the feeling sometimes” (110).