Books
Thursday Murder Club books in order
Looking for Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club books in order? Look no further!
From one of television’s best-loved presenters and producers comes one of the most exciting, refreshing, original and fun new crime series that we’ve seen in some time.
The first book, The Thursday Murder Club, introduces four eighty-year-old friends – Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron – who meet up in their retirement village once a week to investigate unsolved murders, only to find themselves on the hunt for a killer who’s struck much closer to home. What follows is a clever, witty and heart-warming story that doesn’t fail to delight. This is contemporary crime fiction with a classic and quintessentially British twist, penned by a true crime fan and executed to perfection. We can’t recommend it enough!
The most recent book in the Thursday Murder Club series is The Impossible Fortune, which was released in September 2025.
Can’t get enough of the Thursday Murder Club series? Check out our review of the much-loved adaptation here.
If you’re looking for Richard Osman’s latest release,We Chase Shadows, is available to pre-order now ahead of its September 2026 release. The novel is the latest instalment in the We Solve Murders series. If you’d like to catch up before it arrives, you can read the We Solve Murders books in order.
Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club books in order:
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
1. The Thursday Murder Club (2020)
In a peaceful retirement village off the A21 in Kent, four unlikely friends meet up once a week to investigate unsolved murders. But when a brutal killing takes place on their very doorstep, the Thursday Murder Club find themselves in the middle of their first live case.
Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron might be pushing eighty but they still have a few tricks up their sleeves.
Can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer before it’s too late?
Read an extract from The Thursday Murder Club here.
The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman
2. The Man Who Died Twice (2021)
It’s the following Thursday. Elizabeth has received a letter from an old colleague, a man with whom she has a long history. He’s made a big mistake, and he needs her help. His story involves stolen diamonds, a violent mobster, and a very real threat to his life.
As bodies start piling up, Elizabeth enlists Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron in the hunt for a ruthless murderer. And if they find the diamonds too? Well, wouldn’t that be a bonus?
But this time they are up against an enemy who wouldn’t bat an eyelid at knocking off four septuagenarians. Can the Thursday Murder Club find the killer (and the diamonds) before the killer finds them?
Read an extract from The Man Who Died Twice here.
The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman
3. The Bullet That Missed (2022)
It’s an ordinary Thursday, and things should finally be returning to normal. Except trouble is never far away where the Thursday Murder Club are concerned. A local news legend is on the hunt for a sensational headline, and soon the gang are hot on the trail of two murders, ten years apart.
To make matters worse, a new nemesis pays Elizabeth a visit, presenting her with a deadly mission: kill or be killed…
While Elizabeth grapples with her conscience (and a gun), the gang and their unlikely new friends (including TV stars, money launderers and ex-KGB colonels) unravel a new mystery. But can they catch the culprit and save Elizabeth before the murderer strikes again?
Read an extract from the Bullet That Missed here.
The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman
4.The Last Devil to Die (2023)
You’d think you would be allowed to relax over Christmas, but not in the world of the Thursday Murder Club.
On Boxing Day, a dangerous package is smuggled across the English coast. When it goes missing, chaos is unleashed. The body count starts to rise – including someone close to the Thursday Murder Club – as our gang face an impossible search and their most deadly opponents yet.
With the clock ticking down and a killer heading to Cooper’s Chase, has their luck finally run out? And who will be ‘The Last Devil To Die’?
Read an extract from The Last Devil to Die here.
The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman
5. The Impossible Fortune (2025)
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 favourite criminal.
But when Elizabeth meets a wedding guest who’s in trouble, kidnap and death are hot on their heels once more. A villain wants access to an uncrackable code, and will stop at nothing to get it. Plunged back into action once more, can the gang solve the puzzle and a murder in time?
In what order should I read Richard Osman’s books?
It’s best to start with the first book in the series, The Thursday Murder Club. While you can technically jump in anywhere in the series, as each book has a self-contained plot and mystery to solve, the characters develop throughout the books. It’s much more satisfying to see Ron, Elizabeth, Ibrahim and Joyce’s characters evolve if you start reading from the beginning – plus, you’ll be better able to understand their in-jokes.
What is Richard Osman’s latest book called?
Richard Osman’s most recent book is The Impossible Fortune, which is the fifth in the Thursday Murder Club series. It came out in September 2025, and it sees the gang pull together to find a cutthroat villain who wants an uncrackable code.
Richard Osman’s next book release will be We Chase Shadows on 10th September 2026. This is the second in his separate series, We Solve Murders, and will see the return of detective duo Steve and Amy Wheeler as they jet set around the world, trying to track down a ruthless killer.
Which Richard Osman book is best?
Each of Osman’s warm and witty mysteries is brilliant but, if we had to pick our favourite, we’d choose The Bullet That Missed. This is the third book in Osman’s Thursday Murder Club series and while, like the other books in the series, the plot is exciting and the writing is witty, The Bullet That Missed has an additional emotional depth that makes it stand out. By the third book, you’re properly invested in the characters, meaning you empathise even more with Elizabeth’s predicament with her husband (we won’t give spoilers here).
However, others will argue that the best book in the series is the first: The Thursday Murder Club. After all, this is where we first meet our lovable gang of unlikely detectives as they solve their first murder. It also introduces Osman’s funny storytelling style, which continues throughout the rest of the series.
Looking for Richard Osman’s latest release? Preorder We Chase Shadows now
There you have it – Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club books in order! Read them all? Let us know in the comments below
Loved both books
Had me laughing out loud in several places. I still chuckle as I recall the funny bits.
As a US mystery writer, I chose recommendations for my book club carefully. I recommended #2 for my book club and everyone loved it! We’ll be ordering #3 in September. (I loved #1, too) Keep on writing this clever series please. Just the right amount of heartwarming humor and intriguing plot twists.
Read both books and couldn’t put them down, absolutely brilliant
I’m so excited it feels like Christmas. Hurry up Richard, I just can’t wait this long for your 3rd book. Asked the other two.
I have read the first two in the series and can’t wait fir the 3rd to be released in September. I have passed my books on to family members and they all love them as well. Brilliant and enjoyable reads