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Richard Osman books: read or listen?

Seven Richard Osman books checked so far: 3 better read and 4 that work either way.

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The 7, at a glance
3 Read0 Listen4 Either
About the author

Richard Osman

Richard Osman was born in Billericay, Essex, in 1970. He created the BBC quiz Pointless, co-presented it with Alexander Armstrong from 2009 to 2022, and fronted Richard Osman’s House of Games.

His first novel, The Thursday Murder Club (2020), sold almost 700,000 copies in the UK in its first four months and became a Netflix film in August 2025. We Solve Murders (2024) started his second series.

Sources: Wikipedia, read 6 November 2026.

Richard Osman’s books on Read vs Listen

Scroll for every verdict so far.

Read, 54%The Thursday Murder ClubEither, 52%The Man Who Died TwiceRead, 58%The Bullet That MissedEither, 52%The Last Devil to DieEither, 52%We Solve MurdersEither, 52%The Impossible FortuneRead, 76%We Chase Shadows
Read54% confidence

The Thursday Murder Club

Richard Osman

Four club members, the police officers investigating and one member’s private diary take turns across 115 short chapters that end on cliffhangers.Close call: Read it if you like to keep track of who's who. The story rotates between the four club members, the police and Joyce's diary, all read by one narrator, and in print Joyce's chapters are headed with her name. Listen for Lesley Manville, whose reading won the Sounds of Crime Award at CrimeFest 2021.

Audiobook
12h 26m
Narrated by
Lesley Manville
Print
368 pages
Our pick: the Kindle edition
Get it on KindleAudiobookRead the full verdict →
Either52% confidence

The Man Who Died Twice

Richard Osman

A few days after their first case ends, a letter from Elizabeth’s past draws the four friends at Coopers Chase into a mystery involving stolen diamonds, the security services and a local drug dealer.Close call: Listen for Lesley Manville, whose reading won the Audible Sounds of Crime Award at CrimeFest 2022. Read it if you like to keep track of who's who, as the chapters move between Elizabeth, Donna and Joyce's diary, all read by one narrator, which is easier to follow on the page.

Audiobook
12h 30m
Narrated by
Lesley Manville
Print
448 pages
Either works: pick your format
Get it on KindleListen on AudibleRead the full verdict →
Read58% confidence

The Bullet That Missed

Richard Osman

A ten-year-old cold case leads Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron to a well-known local TV newsreader and a murder with no body, in the third Thursday Murder Club novel.Close call: Read it if you like to keep track of who’s who. Chapters move across the four club members with Joyce’s diary entries between them, and Library Journal found the characters hard to tell apart on audio. Listen for Fiona Shaw, whose reading Kirkus calls a multilayered joy.

Audiobook
11h 17m
Narrated by
Fiona Shaw
Print
432 pages
Our pick: the Kindle edition
Get it on KindleAudiobookRead the full verdict →
Either52% confidence

The Last Devil to Die

Richard Osman

When the antiques dealer Kuldesh Sharma is found dead, Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron take on the case, in the fourth Thursday Murder Club novel.Close call: Read it if you like to keep track of who’s who. The story moves between the club members and Joyce’s diary, all in one voice, which is easier to follow on the page. Listen for Fiona Shaw, whose reading won an AudioFile Earphones Award and is praised by Kirkus and Library Journal.

Audiobook
10h 55m
Narrated by
Fiona Shaw
Print
432 pages
Either works: pick your format
Get it on KindleListen on AudibleRead the full verdict →
Either52% confidence

We Solve Murders

Richard Osman

A retired policeman, his bodyguard daughter-in-law and the bestselling novelist she protects end up racing round the world after a body and a bag of money turn up.Close call: Kirkus praises Nicola Walker’s unhurried, restrained reading, and it makes a 464-page caper easy to fit in. But one reader voices fast-switching viewpoints and a large cast, which are easier to track in print.

Audiobook
10h 38m
Narrated by
Nicola Walker
Print
464 pages
Either works: pick your format
Get it on KindleListen on AudibleRead the full verdict →
Either52% confidence

The Impossible Fortune

Richard Osman

A wedding, a best man who goes missing, half of a two-part code to a bitcoin fortune and a murder: the fifth Thursday Murder Club case, with Elizabeth grieving.Close call: Listen for Fiona Shaw, whose reading won an AudioFile Earphones Award for its inviting narration and distinct character voices. Read it to keep track of who’s who, as Kendrick’s chapters and Joyce’s diary run alongside the Elizabeth, Ron and Ibrahim storylines, all with one narrator, which is easier to follow on the page.

Audiobook
10h 29m
Narrated by
Fiona Shaw
Print
448 pages
Either works: pick your format
Get it on KindleListen on AudibleRead the full verdict →
Read76% confidence

We Chase Shadows

Richard Osman

Protection officer Amy, her father-in-law Steve, a retired policeman, and the novelist Rosie D’Antonio follow a case from an Italian villa to Barcelona, Palm Springs and Steve’s village pub.Why read: Short chapters rotate between Amy, Steve, Rosie, Felicity and the villains, all read by one narrator, which can be hard to follow over audio. The story also breaks back to Malaga in 2001, and on the page you can see where each jump starts.

Audiobook
11h 0m
Narrated by
Nicola Walker
Print
432 pages
Our pick: the Kindle edition
Get it on KindleAudiobookRead the full verdict →

Richard Osman’s books at a glance

#BookYear (UK)SeriesUK audiobook narratorUK lengthVerdict
1The Thursday Murder Club2020Thursday Murder Club, book 1Lesley Manville12h 26mRead, 54%
2The Man Who Died Twice2021Thursday Murder Club, book 2Lesley Manville12h 30mEither, 52%
3The Bullet That Missed2022Thursday Murder Club, book 3Fiona Shaw11h 17mRead, 58%
4The Last Devil to Die2023Thursday Murder Club, book 4Fiona Shaw10h 55mEither, 52%
5We Solve Murders2024We Solve Murders, book 1Nicola Walker10h 38mEither, 52%
6The Impossible Fortune2025Thursday Murder Club, book 5Fiona Shaw10h 29mEither, 52%
7We Chase Shadows2026We Solve Murders, book 2Nicola Walker11h 0mRead, 76%
ComingUntitled Thursday Murder Club 62027Thursday Murder Club, book 6Not announcedNot announcedOut 9 September 2027

Publication order across both series; the reading order for each series is below. Narrators and lengths are from the Penguin recordings on Audible UK, checked 6 November 2026. Some UK listings also credit Richard Osman with Marian Keyes (book 1), Steph McGovern (book 3) or Fiona Shaw (book 4) for a bonus interview at the end; each story is read by one narrator. The sixth Thursday Murder Club book is due on 9 September 2027 (Penguin UK), with no title or narrator announced. His non-fiction and quiz books are left off.

Reading order, series by series

Thursday Murder Club

Five books so far, read in publication order. Book 6 is due on 9 September 2027 (Penguin UK, untitled).

  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)

We Solve Murders

A separate series with new characters, which Audible lists as its own series. Two books so far.

  1. We Solve Murders (2024)
  2. We Chase Shadows (2026)

Across the series

None of the sources we checked says one series must be read before the other, and we found no crossover between them. The publication order in the table is there if you want it.

Which series to start with

  • Start with The Thursday Murder Club if you want the longer series: five books so far, with a sixth due in September 2027.
  • Start with We Solve Murders if you want something newer: a separate series with new characters, two books so far.

Why the narrator changes

Lesley Manville reads the first two Thursday Murder Club books. She withdrew from book 3 because of scheduling conflicts (Mushens Entertainment, Richard Osman’s agency, 5 September 2022), and Fiona Shaw has read the series since. Nicola Walker reads the We Solve Murders books.

How long are the audiobooks?

SeriesAudiobook, UKAt 1.5xAt 2x
Thursday Murder Club, books 1 to 557h 37m38h 25m28h 48m
We Solve Murders, books 1 and 221h 38m14h 25m10h 49m
We Solve Murders on its own10h 38m7h 5m5h 19m

Penguin recordings on Audible UK, checked 6 November 2026. Totals and speed times are calculated from the lengths in the table above.

Questions about Richard Osman’s books

What order should I read Richard Osman’s books in?

Read each series in publication order: the Thursday Murder Club from The Thursday Murder Club (2020) to The Impossible Fortune (2025), and We Solve Murders (2024) before We Chase Shadows (2026).

Is We Solve Murders part of the Thursday Murder Club series?

No. It starts a separate series with new characters.

Do I need to read the Thursday Murder Club before We Solve Murders?

No. None of the sources we checked says so, and the two series can be read separately.

How many Thursday Murder Club books are there?

Five so far. A sixth is due on 9 September 2027 (Penguin UK; title not announced).

What is Richard Osman’s new book?

The sixth Thursday Murder Club novel, due on 9 September 2027. His most recent book is We Chase Shadows (2026).

Who narrates the Thursday Murder Club audiobooks?

Lesley Manville reads books 1 and 2, and Fiona Shaw reads books 3, 4 and 5.

Why did the narrator change after book 2?

Lesley Manville withdrew from book 3 because of scheduling conflicts (Mushens Entertainment, Osman’s agency, 5 September 2022).

Who narrates We Solve Murders?

Nicola Walker reads both We Solve Murders books.

Does Richard Osman read his audiobooks?

No. Some editions end with a short bonus interview with him, but the stories are read by the narrators above.

Is there a Thursday Murder Club film?

Yes. The Netflix film, released in August 2025, adapts the first book.

Should I read or listen to Richard Osman?

It depends on the series. None of the five Thursday Murder Club books leans Listen: read The Thursday Murder Club and The Bullet That Missed; The Man Who Died Twice, The Last Devil to Die and The Impossible Fortune are close calls, so either format works. In the newer series, We Solve Murders is a close call where either format works and We Chase Shadows leans Read.

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