Richard Osman is a British television producer and presenter best known as co-host of the quiz show Pointless on the BBC. He is also, as of 2020, one of the bestselling crime fiction writers in Britain. The Thursday Murder Club, his debut novel, sold more than a million copies in the UK within its first year — an extraordinary number for a debut — and was followed by four sequels, all of which have been number-one bestsellers. A film adaptation starring Helen Mirren, Ben Kingsley, Pierce Brosnan, and Celia Imrie was released by Netflix in 2024.
The conceit is wonderful: four elderly residents of a luxury retirement community in Kent meet every Thursday to look at unsolved cold cases. When a real murder lands on their doorstep, they investigate it themselves, assisted variously by a confused local police force, a sympathetic detective, and the particular advantages of being old enough that nobody takes you seriously. The books are genuinely funny, the characters are drawn with warmth and real psychological depth, and the mysteries are properly constructed. Joyce, Elizabeth, Ibrahim, and Ron are four of the most entertaining fictional characters created this decade. If you haven't read them yet, you're in for a treat.
The Thursday Murder Club Series
Four elderly friends, a retirement village, and a surprising number of murders. Read in order for the character development.
All Books
Best Starting Point
Start with The Thursday Murder Club. It's one of the most enjoyable first books in any series published this decade. You will love Joyce immediately and not want to stop.
Book 1
The Thursday Murder Club
2020
Begin here — four retirees, a real murder, an accidental investigation
Are the Thursday Murder Club books a series or standalones?
They're a series with recurring characters and a deepening relationship between the four friends — read in order. Each book also has a self-contained mystery that resolves by the end, so you won't be left on a cliffhanger if you read them individually, but the character arcs reward reading straight through.
Is the Thursday Murder Club similar to Agatha Christie?
In structure, yes. The books are traditional murder mysteries with proper clues, suspects, and resolutions — in the classic British detective fiction tradition. The tone is quite different, though: Osman is warmer, funnier, and more interested in the emotional lives of his characters than Christie typically was. If you've never read Christie and loved Thursday Murder Club, try The Body in the Library or And Then There Were None.
How many Thursday Murder Club books are there?
There are four books in the series: The Thursday Murder Club (2020), The Man Who Died Twice (2021), The Bullet That Missed (2022), and The Last Devil to Die (2023). Osman has confirmed he intends to write more. Read them in order — the character relationships deepen significantly across the series.
Is Richard Osman's writing suitable for all ages?
Yes — the Thursday Murder Club books are among the most genuinely all-ages crime novels published in recent years. There's no explicit content, violence is handled with a light touch, and the books are funny, warm, and emotionally intelligent. They're equally beloved by readers in their 70s and readers in their 20s. A reliable choice for book clubs and family gift-giving.
What should I read after Thursday Murder Club?
If you want more British cosy mysteries: try The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith (warm, character-driven, episodic), A Great Deliverance by Elizabeth George (darker but procedurally satisfying), or The Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz (a mystery nested inside a mystery). For something with Osman's exact blend of humour and heart, The Man Who Died Twice is the obvious next read.
Is there a Thursday Murder Club TV show or film?
Yes — a film adaptation starring Helen Mirren, Ben Kingsley, Pierce Brosnan, and Celia Imrie was released by Netflix. It follows the first book. If you've seen the film, the books go substantially deeper into the characters' backstories, and Osman's narration adds considerable warmth that the film couldn't fully replicate.