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The Bullet That Missed audiobook vs book: which should you choose?

A ten-year-old cold case takes the club to a well-known local TV newsreader and a murder with no body.

Read vs Listen·Verdict last reviewed 29 October 2026·5 min read

Short answer: for The Bullet That Missed audiobook vs book choice, we say read it on Kindle (59% confidence, close call). This is the first Thursday Murder Club audiobook read by Fiona Shaw instead of Lesley Manville, and critics split on her: Kirkus loved it, Library Journal found the characters hard to tell apart. With four club members and Joyce’s diary sharing the story, print edges it.

The verdict

Read it on Kindle

Four club members and Joyce’s diary in one voice, and critics split on the new narrator, so print edges it.

Definitely readDefinitely listen

59%

Read

Get it on Kindle432 pages (UK edition)Listen on Audible11h 17m, read by Fiona Shaw

Affiliate links: we may earn a small commission, at no cost to you. It never changes a verdict.

Confidence 59%, which puts it in the close call band. Bands run from close call at 50 to 64, through leaning at 65 to 79 and clear at 80 to 94, up to clear cut at 95 and above.

The audiobook at a glance

Recording	UK edition, our verdict	US edition
Narrator	Fiona Shaw	Fiona Shaw
Length	11 hours 17 minutes (11h 17m), unabridged	11 hours 16 minutes (11h 16m), unabridged
At 1.5x	about 7h 31m	about 7h 31m
At 2x	about 5h 39m	about 5h 38m
Audio publisher and date	Penguin Audio, 15 September 2022	Penguin Audio, 20 September 2022
Bonus	Conversation with Richard Osman and Steph McGovern at the end	The listing also credits Richard Osman and Steph McGovern
Audiobook price	£15.51 on Audible UK	$20.25 on Audible US
Kindle price	£5.99 on Amazon UK	Not confirmed
Print	Viking hardback, 432 pages	Hardcover 368 pages, paperback 384
Listener rating	Performance 4.55 from 8,054 ratings	Performance 4.33 from 4,386 ratings

The UK and US listings differ by one minute. Whether they sell one recording or two is not confirmed.

Ratings and prices checked 29 October 2026. They change often. Amazon US does not show Kindle prices outside the US, so US Kindle prices are not given.

Lengths checked 29 October 2026. Speed times are calculated.

Why this verdict What it is Case for reading Case for listening The audiobook Who should ignore it Questions

The Bullet That Missed

Richard Osman

Genre: Cosy crime
Series: Thursday Murder Club, book 3
First published: 2022
Length: 432 pages (UK edition)
On audio: 11 hrs 17 mins, Fiona Shaw

On this page

Why we reached this verdict
What this book actually is
The case for reading it
The case for listening to it
The audiobook in detail
Who should ignore this verdict
Questions people ask

Why we reached this verdict

Every book on this site is checked against the same thirteen questions. They are based on research into what most people find easier to follow in each format, not on whether the book is any good.

Two criteria point to reading

✓

Three or more points of view, one narratorChapters move across the four club members, with Joyce’s diary entries between them (Publishers Weekly, Tampa Bay Times). Fiona Shaw reads all of it. Same reading as the live Thursday Murder Club page.

✓

Narration criticisedLibrary Journal (Cynthia Jensen, 1 December 2022) found the characters hard to tell apart and the accents weak. The Audible Performance ratings, 4.55 from 8,054 on Audible UK and 4.33 from 4,386 on Audible US, are above 4.0.

–

Story depends on images or layoutThe diary chapters are text, and nothing depends on page layout.

–

Literary or dense proseReviewers describe it as swift, light and witty. None calls it dense.

–

Jumping timelinesA ten-year-old cold case drives the plot, but no named source says the story moves between time periods, so it does not count.

–

Many similar-sounding namesNo source says the names are easy to confuse, so it does not count.

–

Maps, family trees or footnotesNo maps, family trees or footnotes are mentioned.

Two criteria point to listening

✓

Award-winning or praised narrationKirkus’s audio review calls it a multilayered joy. No award was found.

✓

Long book432 pages in the UK edition.

–

Full cast or produced audioFiona Shaw reads the story on her own. The bonus conversation at the end is not a cast.

–

Read by the authorIt is a novel, and Richard Osman does not read the story.

–

Single point of view and narratorOne narrator reads it, but chapters move across the four club members, with Joyce’s diary between them.

–

Unfamiliar names or dialectLibrary Journal calls the accents weak, which is not the same as unfamiliar names or dialect, so it does not count.

How the score adds up

Listening 9 points, reading 13

Listening: award-winning or praised narration (6), long book (3), 9 points. Reading: three or more points of view, one narrator (8), narration criticised (5), 13 points. 59% of the confirmed points favour reading, so the verdict is read it on Kindle at 59% confidence (close call).

The recording in detail

One narratorMulti-voiceFull castDramatised

Scored: Fiona Shaw, Penguin Audio, 2022, 11h 17m, unabridged
Critic review: Kirkus audio praises it; Library Journal (Cynthia Jensen) criticises the character voices and accents
Alternatives: None
What you miss: Nothing confirmed

What this book actually is

The Bullet That Missed is the third Thursday Murder Club novel, published in 2022. A ten-year-old cold case takes Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron to a well-known local TV newsreader and a murder with no body. The new foe, the fate of the key suspects and Elizabeth’s past are not covered here.

There is no film of this book: the 2025 Netflix film adapts the first book only.

The case for reading it

The story is shared between Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron, with Joyce’s diary breaking in, and Library Journal’s reviewer struggled to tell the voices apart. The change of narrator is also what listeners mention most.

In print the switches are clear on sight.

The case for listening to it

Kirkus rates Shaw’s reading highly, and listeners on Audible UK give the performance 4.55 from more than 8,000 ratings.

At 432 pages the book runs long, and the audiobook comes down to about 7 hours 31 minutes at 1.5x.

The audiobook in detail

Lesley Manville read books 1 and 2. She stepped back from book 3 because of scheduling, as Richard Osman’s agency, Mushens Entertainment, announced on 5 September 2022. Fiona Shaw has read every Thursday Murder Club book since.

Penguin Audio publishes the unabridged recording at 11 hours 17 minutes on Audible UK (15 September 2022) and 11 hours 16 minutes on Audible US. The UK audiobook ends with a bonus conversation between Richard Osman and Steph McGovern; neither reads any of the story. No PDF companion is listed.

Who should ignore this verdict

Lean towards audio if you have no trouble following Shaw across the four club members, or if a long book is easier for you to finish by listening.

Get The Bullet That Missed

Both editions, so you can go with the verdict or ignore it entirely.

Our pick

Kindle

432 pages (UK edition)
Viewpoint switches clear on sight

Get the Kindle edition

Audiobook

Read by Fiona Shaw
11h 17m, or about 7h 31m at 1.5x
Unabridged; bonus conversation at the end

Listen on Audible

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Read differently from most people? The app, coming soon, will let you switch off any of the thirteen checks. Get notified →

Related verdicts

Same author

The Thursday Murder Club

Award-winning narration, against several viewpoints and a diary all read by one narrator.

Same author

The Impossible Fortune

The Last Devil to Die

Book 4, new in this batch.

Opposite verdict

Gone Girl

A narrator for each viewpoint, praised narration and a 512-page book pull towards listening; Amy’s dated diary timeline pulls towards reading.

Start here

How we decide

The thirteen questions behind every verdict on this site.

Questions people ask

Who narrates The Bullet That Missed audiobook?

Fiona Shaw, not Lesley Manville.

Why did the narrator change?

Lesley Manville withdrew from book 3 because of scheduling, according to Richard Osman’s agency.

How long is it?

11 hours 17 minutes in the UK, unabridged.

Does Richard Osman read any of it?

Only a bonus conversation with Steph McGovern at the end.

How many pages is it?

432 in the UK edition.

Is there a film of The Bullet That Missed?

No. The 2025 Netflix film adapts the first book only.

Should I read or listen?

Read, at 59%, a close call.

Do you agree with this verdict?

We said read it on Kindle. One tap, no sign-up.

Spotted a mistake on this page? Tell us and we will fix it. Or tell us how the site could be better.

How this verdict was reached

Every book on this site is checked against the same thirteen questions, set in advance and applied identically to every title. They are based on research into what readers and listeners generally find easier to follow in each format, not on personal preference, and they are published in full so you can check the reasoning yourself. Verdicts are never paid for, sponsored or influenced by affiliate partners.

The criteria: read the thirteen questions in full.
What we checked for this book: Audible UK and US, Amazon UK, Penguin Random House US, Kirkus, Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, the Tampa Bay Times and Mushens Entertainment (5 September 2022).
Verdict last reviewed: 29 October 2026. Editions and narrators change, so verdicts are rechecked annually.
Prefer different criteria? The app, coming soon, will let you change which of the thirteen questions matter to you.

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