Mystery / Thriller

Thursday Murder Club reading order

Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club novels in publication order through The Impossible Fortune, and why We Solve Murders is a different series.

Richard OsmanChecked September 13, 2026

Start here

The Thursday Murder Club

It is book one (2020). Later cases assume Joyce, Elizabeth, Ibrahim, and Ron. Do not start with The Impossible Fortune. Do not start with We Solve Murders.

Five novels when this page was checked. Publication order is the path. Penguin’s own FAQ says you can hop; the people still accumulate. For a first read, written order is the honest path.

The novels

#TitleYearNotesAmazon
1The Thursday Murder Club2020Start here.Amazon
2The Man Who Died Twice2021Amazon
3The Bullet That Missed2022Amazon
4The Last Devil to Die2023Amazon
5The Impossible Fortune2025Latest TMC novel when this page was checked.Amazon

We Solve Murders starts a different Osman series. It is not Thursday Murder Club 6.

The Netflix film is a cousin of book one. It is not a reason to skip to book five.

Common mistakes

  • Starting with the newest hardcover.
  • Treating We Solve Murders as a continuation.
  • Using the film as a table of contents for the later novels.
  1. Cormoran Strike (Robert Galbraith) — If you want another partnership that gets more expensive book by book, in a colder register.
  2. Rivers of London (Ben Aaronovitch) — If you want another British series where the city keeps being the case.
  3. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (Holly Jackson) — If you want a shorter YA case-file trilogy.
  4. [The Thursday Murder Club, then stop.] Book one is a complete visit if you want it to be.
  5. Agatha Christie paths (Agatha Christie) — If you want the older club of one detective, in publication order, without treating every standalone as book six.

FAQ

Do I have to read them in order?
For a first pass, yes. The cases are separate; the people are not.

Is We Solve Murders book 6?
No.

Film first?
The film is a cousin of book one.

Sources