Quick answer: there are five Thursday Murder Club books so far. Start with The Thursday Murder Club (2020) and read them in order. The friendships, and the private lives of the four sleuths, change from book to book.
If you like your murder served with tea, biscuits and a good deal of gossip, Richard Osman’s series is about as cozy as a modern British mystery gets. It is funny, warm, a little sad in places, and very hard to put down.
The premise
Coopers Chase is a comfortable retirement village in the English countryside. Every Thursday, four of its residents meet in the Jigsaw Room to go over old, unsolved police cases. There is Elizabeth, who never quite says what she used to do for a living. Joyce, a retired nurse, who notices everything and writes it all down in her diary. Ibrahim, a retired psychiatrist who likes a system. And Ron, a former union man who has never once lost an argument he cared about.
Then a real murder happens on their doorstep, and the cold-case club suddenly has a live one.
Thursday Murder Club books in order
| # | Title | US publication |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Thursday Murder Club | 2020 |
| 2 | The Man Who Died Twice | 2021 |
| 3 | The Bullet That Missed | 2022 |
| 4 | The Last Devil to Die | 2023 |
| 5 | The Impossible Fortune | 2025 |
A few words on each
1. The Thursday Murder Club. A local developer is killed and the club takes its first live case. This is where you meet everyone, and Osman takes his time letting you fall for them.
2. The Man Who Died Twice. An old friend of Elizabeth’s turns up in trouble over a fortune in stolen diamonds. Faster and more twisty than the first, with Elizabeth’s past finally coming into view.
3. The Bullet That Missed. A ten-year-old case with no body leads the club toward a well-known local face. The best balance in the series, we think, between a clever puzzle and the people solving it.
4. The Last Devil to Die. A friend is killed and a dangerous package goes missing, which pulls the club into the antiques trade. It is the most emotional book of the five. Keep tissues near the teapot.
5. The Impossible Fortune. A wedding guest asks Elizabeth for help and then vanishes. It came out two years after book 4, and it reads like a series settling back in with its friends.
Do you need to read the Thursday Murder Club books in order?
Yes, more than with most cozy series. Each book has its own mystery that is solved by the end, so you will not be lost if you jump in. But the four friends grow older, lose people and make new connections, and those threads run straight through all five books. Reading out of order spoils the parts that matter most.
Where should I start?
At book 1. It is the gentlest introduction, and it is also the book the 2025 Netflix film is based on. If you have already seen the film, you know the shape of the first mystery, but the book gives you far more of Joyce’s diary, and that alone is worth it.
FAQ
How many Thursday Murder Club books are there?
Five, as of November 2026. Penguin Random House lists The Impossible Fortune as book 5 of 5, and shows no sixth title yet.
Is there a Thursday Murder Club movie?
Yes. A film of the first book was released on Netflix in 2025, produced by Amblin Entertainment.
Is the Thursday Murder Club a cozy mystery?
It is not cozy in the strict sense: there is some real danger, and organized crime appears in the background. But the village setting, the amateur sleuths, the humor and the absence of gore put it firmly on the cozy shelf for most readers. If you liked our British cozy mysteries list, you will be at home here.
Who is your favorite of the four, and why is it Joyce? Tell us in the comments.
Keep reading
- British cozy mysteries: 7 series worth starting
- Miss Marple books in order
- Cozy mysteries for beginners
Sources
Series order and US publication years are from Penguin Random House, the US publisher, checked on 1 November 2026:
- A Thursday Murder Club Mystery series page (5 titles)
- Book pages: The Thursday Murder Club · The Man Who Died Twice · The Bullet That Missed · The Last Devil to Die · The Impossible Fortune
Years are the first US edition. The UK editions came out in the same years. Spotted a mistake or a new book announcement? Tell us in the comments and we will fix it.