All 4 The Thursday Murder Club Books, Ranked
TheThursday Murder Club mystery series is continuing to grow in popularity, even if the quadrilogy maintains a bit of a margin in quality between the different entries. Set in a quiet retirement community, the book series, written by Richard Osman, examines a handful of murder mysteries through the lens of the eponymous Thursday Murder Club, which gathers once a week to take a crack at unsolved cases. The saga of elderly sleuthing has become popular enough to warrant an upcoming Thursday Murder Club Netflix film adaptation, set to bring the first book to life.
At four novels in, the Thursday Murder Club series is still going strong with no signs of stopping, with plans announced for a fifth and sixth book in the pipeline. The elderly quartet of retired spy Elizabeth, former union leader Ron, retired psychiatrist Ibrahim, and ex-nurse Joyce make for a captivating set of protagonists for the comedy murder mystery antics to be explored through. While the entire series is quite entertaining, it's interesting to see how Richard Osman's writing evolves for the better over time as the books progress.
4 The Thursday Murder Club
A Somewhat Shaky Start To A Great Series
Despite the rave reviews received by the first book in the series, simply titled The Thursday Murder Club, the premiere entry still maintains somewhat of a divisive appeal. The first book discusses Elizabeth, Ron, Joyce, and Ibrahim's transition from a social club with a morbid shared interest to a genuine group of detectives when they find themselves in the midst of their first live case. After a developer turns up dead with a mysterious photograph left on their corpse, it's up to the Thursday Murder Club to go from speculative sleuthing to active detective work.
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As the first book in the series, The Thursday Murder Club endures a few awkward stumbling blocks as Richard Osman is still yet to hit his stride with the series. The sometimes confusing plotlines and intimidating number of characters to keep track of caused many readers to sadly bounce off the initial installment, making the original book a bit of a shaky start to the series. Not bad by any means, and still an engaging read, The Thursday Murder Club is definitely a cruder template that later books were able to refine and perfect.
3 The Bullet That Missed
A Bit Overloaded, But Still A Classic
The third entry in the series, The Bullet That Missed sports an ominous title for the overarching quality to be found within, but still at least outdoes the series' uneven beginnings. This time around, a decade-old cold case turns red hot once again when an old enemy resurfaces in Elizabeth's life, putting both of their lives on the line in a mad gambit. Meanwhile, the rest of the Thursday Murder Club scrambles to make sense of the freshly re-ignited mystery, recruiting close friends both new and old.
The Bullet That Missed's biggest problem is being overloaded with ideas, introducing another slew of new characters including a child and a possibly problematic depiction of a gay man. The relationship drama, copious amounts of references to daytime TV, and expanded team dynamic with the club's two new members are all a double-edged sword, intriguing but unwieldy. While the actual core mystery is done just as well as ever, ensuring a solid overall quality, The Bullet That Missed is one classic murder mystery that's perhaps a bit bogged down by a deluge of ideas.
2 The Man Who Died Twice
Thursday Murder Club In Its Prime
After the first book hit a few minor stumbling blocks, Richard Osman sprinted to full winning form with the sequel, The Man Who Died Twice. The James Bond movie-esque title betrays a plot concerning one of Elizabeth's old flames coming forward for help after a long time following the success of their previous caper. The new case pulls the Thursday Murder Club into some of the most danger they've ever been in throughout their long lives as they face a truly frightening mafia-connected villain with a daunting body count.
The dynamic of the four septuagenarians is arguably at its best in the second book, which doesn't need to bother with introducing their dynamic and is instead able to simply revel in their rakish but sweet relationship.
The dynamic of the four septuagenarians is arguably at its best in the second book, which doesn't need to bother with introducing their dynamic and is instead able to simply revel in their rakish but sweet relationship. The mystery itself is also one of the series strongest, with a charged hunt for missing diamonds adding some palpable stakes to the story beyond the typical murder plot, improving on the first book's puzzling riddles. Packed with sharp and exceedingly British dialogue and taut tension, the only sticking point in the second book is the fractured narrative that blindingly hops between characters.
1 The Last Devil To Die
The Formula Perfected
Recency bias is always a tricky thing to look out for, but there's little doubt that the latest entry in the Thursday Murder Club series, The Last Devil to Die, is easily the best. This time around, the case is quite personal as a close friend of the Thursday Murder Club's is horribly killed. Obviously taking on the investigation themselves, the Thursday Murder Club is soon thrust into a hectic world of heroin dealers, antiques more ancient than themselves, and dangerously hot stolen works of art.
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The mystery itself in The Last Devil to Die takes a bit of a backseat to the emotional journey, which explores the club's fear of death in their old age more alarmingly than ever. That's not to say that the murder mystery itself isn't a captivating one, and the book even finds the space to stuff in a bonus side mystery. While the other books put Elizabeth front and center, The Last Devil to Die gives other characters like Joyce a bit more spotlight, making it the premiere entry in the Thursday Murder Club series combined with its poignant wit.
Thursday Murder Club
- Created by
- Richard Osman
- Upcoming Films
- The Thursday Murder Club
- Cast
- Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, Celia Imrie, David Tennant, Jonathan Pryce, Naomi Ackie, Daniel Mays, Richard E. Grant
- Character(s)
- Elizabeth Best, Ron Ritchie, Ibrahim Arif, Joyce Meadowcroft, Ian Ventham, Stephen Best, DC Donna De Freitas
The Thursday Murder Club franchise is a series of cozy mystery novels authored by Richard Osman, focusing on a group of retirees who delve into solving murders. The series has garnered significant acclaim, leading to adaptations in film and theater.
