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richard osman has long been a household name in the uk, but has only recently become better known outside the uk (with people who aren’t yet anglophiles or fans of british tv, of course). In 2020, he published the first book in the Thursday Club series and it was an instant success.
You are reading: Richard osman books in order
Now, the series has grown, Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment has bought the film rights, and Osman has retired from his on-screen presenting duties due to all the demands on his time. people can’t get enough of elizabeth and the team, and we hope to see many, many more books in the series (ideally more than one per year, but it seems that’s how traditional publishers like to operate).
The Thursday Murder Club books follow a group of four seventy-something residents of a retirement community who come together each week to discuss old murder cases. The main characters are:
- joyce meadowcroft – former nurse and narrator of the book. she is a member of the Thursday murder club
- elizabeth, the founder of the Thursday murder club, and a woman with an intriguing past
- stephen – elizabeth’s third and current husband
- ibrahim – former psychiatrist and current member of the Thursday murder club
- ron ritchie – former union leader and current member of the Thursday murder club
- donna de freitas – a police officer who is used (graciously ) by the members of the Thursday murder club. assassin club
Thursday Murder Club, Book 1 | the thursday murder club
In a peaceful retirement community in southeastern England, four friends come together each week for a meeting of the Thursday Murder Club – a group that discusses unsolved crimes. It seems like a bit of harmless fun to keep their minds active, but that will soon change…
When a local developer is found murdered and in possession of a mysterious photograph, you’ll find yourself in direct contact with a very real and current homicide investigation. Will their combined skills be enough to solve the murder before too many bodies pile up?
See Also: Top Ultrabooks of 2015 – High Powered Laptops
get it: kindle | audiobook | pocket book | bookshop.org (supports independent bookstores)
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Thursday Murder Club, Book 2 | the man who died twice
In the aftermath of their recent murder case, the members of the Thursday Murder Club are settling in for a bit of much needed rest and relaxation. Unfortunately, the arrival of a visitor – an old friend of Elizabeth’s – sees their peaceful existence upended once again.
Elizabeth’s friend reveals that he has been accused of stealing millions in diamonds and is desperate for her help. Before long, the bodies are piling up and the friends find themselves in grave danger.
See Also: Top Ultrabooks of 2015 – High Powered Laptops
get it: kindle | audiobook | pocket book | bookshop.org (supports independent bookstores)
See Also: The Best Books on Ancient Rome – Five Books Expert Recommendations
Thursday Murder Club, Book 3 | the bullet that missed
Trouble is becoming a habit for the members of the Thursday Murder Club. They find themselves hot on the trail of two murders that took place ten years apart – and Elizabeth is assigned a deadly mission. Kill, or be killed.
To catch the culprit and stop their friend from becoming a killer, the gang will team up with everyone from TV stars to money launderers to former KGB colonels. nothing like a quiet retirement, huh?
See Also: Top Ultrabooks of 2015 – High Powered Laptops
get it: kindle | audiobook | pocket book | bookshop.org (supports independent bookstores)
While many of the main locations in the Thursday Murder Club series are fictional, we do know the Cooper’s Chase retirement community is said to be located off the A21 in Kent, in “the Kentish Weald”. In real life, that would place it somewhere in the neighbourhood of Royal Tunbridge Wells, Wadhurst, Robertsbridge, etc.
Unfortunately, the descriptions within the book, while detailed, make no sense. As much fun as tracking down the locations of the good books can be, he’ll send himself on a wild goose chase if he tries to track down Cooper’s chase.
…head into the heart of kentish weald, eventually you’ll pass an old phone booth, still in working order, on a sharp left turn.
Continue for about a hundred meters until you see the sign for ‘whitechurch, abbots hatch and lents hill’, then turn right.
Head across Lents Hill, past the blue dragon and the small farm shop with the large egg outside, until you reach the small stone bridge over Robertsmere.
officially, the robertsmere is a river, but don’t get confused and expect nothing great.
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The members of the group often visit the nearby (and fictional) seaside town of Fairhaven. Based on descriptions in the book, the town could be loosely based on real-life Hastings in East Sussex. It is described as being “about 30 minutes the other way from Tunbridge Wells” and has a police station, pier and access to the A21 to get in and out of the city.
If you’re a fan of the ww2 era period drama foyle’s war, it’s worth noting that hastings was the filming location for much of the series, including foyle’s house.
As much as we love stories of people who begin their writing careers later in life (Osman was 50 when his first novel took off), the sad part about that is that there isn’t a great list of juicy backgrounds. to devour In Osman’s case, however, luck is not entirely lost.
Prior to his career as a successful novelist, Richard Osman was an active television host and participant in comedy panel shows. Comedy panel shows are usually irregular rotations of different famous comedians and hosts, so you’ll have to hunt around to find Richard Osman’s appearances, but he’s the no-nonsense main host.
- nonsense
- celebrities nonsense
- insert name here
- 8 out of 10 cats counts down
- would I lie? for you?
In 2017, Osman also put together a non-fiction book, The World Cup of Everything: Bringing the Fun Home. It’s based on a series of polls he did on Twitter, and while it’s very different from his mysteries, it’s still a fun read.
It’s also a great education in a lot of ‘things british’ if you haven’t spent much time in the uk. jaffa cakes, wotsits, skips, wagon wheels, nando’s, maltesers, flake, etc…
Since the third novel is currently a pre-order (for a September 2022 release), we know there will definitely be more than two, but the question is how many more. Given the success of the first two books and the fact that Richard Osman is in his early 50s, it seems likely that we will see quite a few more books in the series and maybe even some other series in the future. we’ll update this list when we know more.
See Also: The Best Books on Ancient Rome – Five Books Expert Recommendations
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See Also: The Best Books on Ancient Rome – Five Books Expert Recommendations