Either

The Last Devil to Die audiobook vs book: which should you choose?

When antiques dealer Kuldesh Sharma is found dead, the Thursday Murder Club take on the case.

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

Short answer: for The Last Devil to Die audiobook vs book choice, we say either works (53% confidence, close call). Fiona Shaw’s reading won an AudioFile Earphones Award and the book is long, which favours audio; the story still moves between the four club members and Joyce’s diary in one voice, which favours print.

The verdict

Either works

An award-winning reading and a long book balance four club members and Joyce’s diary in one voice.

Definitely readDefinitely listen

53%

Either

Get it on Kindle432 pages (UK hardback)Listen on Audible10h 55m, read by Fiona Shaw

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

Confidence 53%, 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	10 hours 55 minutes (10h 55m), unabridged, with a closing interview with Richard Osman	10 hours 51 minutes (10h 51m), unabridged
At 1.5x	about 7h 17m	about 7h 14m
At 2x	about 5h 28m	about 5h 26m
Audio publisher and date	Penguin Audio, 14 September 2023	Penguin Audio, 19 September 2023
Audiobook price	£15.51 on Audible UK	$20.25 on Audible US
Kindle price	£6.99 on Amazon UK	Not confirmed
Print	Viking hardback, 432 pages; Penguin paperback (2024), 422 pages	Hardcover 368 pages, paperback 384
Listener rating	Performance 4.70 from 4,368 ratings	Performance 4.77 from 2,665 ratings

The UK listing includes the interview and runs 4 minutes longer. Whether UK and US 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 Last Devil to Die

Richard Osman

Genre: Cosy crime
Series: Thursday Murder Club, book 4
First published: 2023
Length: 432 pages (UK hardback)
On audio: 10 hrs 55 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.

One criterion points to reading

✓

Three or more points of view, one narratorBetter Reading notes Osman’s handling of multiple viewpoints, alongside Joyce’s first person diary; Kirkus confirms Shaw reads the diary too.

–

Jumping timelinesNo source describes the story jumping between time periods.

–

Story depends on images or layoutNothing in the book depends on pictures or page layout.

–

Literary or dense proseReviewers call it delightful and witty. None calls it dense.

–

Narration criticisedAudible Performance 4.70 from 4,368 ratings on Audible UK and 4.77 from 2,665 on Audible US. No named critic criticises it.

–

Many similar-sounding namesKirkus names six characters, and none is called confusable, 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 narrationAudioFile Earphones Award (reprinted on The Big Thrill, January 2024); Kirkus’s audio review and Library Journal (Laura Hammond, 1 March 2024) praise Shaw by name.

✓

Long book432 pages in the UK hardback, 422 in the UK paperback.

–

Full cast or produced audioFiona Shaw reads the story on her own. The closing interview 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 the story moves between several viewpoints plus Joyce’s diary.

–

Unfamiliar names or dialectLibrary Journal notes a Canadian accent for one character, but no source calls the names or dialect unfamiliar, so it does not count.

How the score adds up

Listening 9 points, reading 8

Listening: award-winning or praised narration (6), long book (3), 9 points. Reading: three or more points of view, one narrator (8), 8 points. The confirmed points are close to even (53% listening), so either format works, at 53% confidence.

The recording in detail

One narratorMulti-voiceFull castDramatised

Scored: Fiona Shaw, Penguin Audio, 2023, 10h 55m, unabridged
Critic review: AudioFile Earphones Award; praised by Kirkus and Library Journal (Laura Hammond)
Alternatives: None
What you miss: Nothing confirmed

What this book actually is

The Last Devil to Die is the fourth Thursday Murder Club novel, published in 2023. When antiques dealer Kuldesh Sharma is found dead, Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron take on the case. The murderer and the fate of the package are not covered here.

Stephen’s dementia is a central thread of the book. There is no film of this book: the 2025 Netflix film adapts the first book only.

The case for reading it

The same structure as the earlier books applies: chapters pass between Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron, with Joyce’s diary in between, and one narrator voices everyone.

Some Audible listeners say the quieter, whispered passages are hard to catch. Reading keeps every switch clear.

The case for listening to it

Fiona Shaw’s reading won an AudioFile Earphones Award and named praise from Kirkus and Library Journal. Listeners rate the performance 4.70 in the UK and 4.77 in the US.

At 10 hours 55 minutes, it comes down to about 7 hours 17 minutes at 1.5x.

The audiobook in detail

Penguin Audio publishes the unabridged recording, read by Fiona Shaw, at 10 hours 55 minutes on Audible UK (14 September 2023), including a closing interview with Richard Osman. Audible US lists 10 hours 51 minutes (19 September 2023).

Shaw has read every Thursday Murder Club book since book 3; Lesley Manville read books 1 and 2. No PDF companion is listed.

Who should ignore this verdict

Lean towards print if you found the earlier books’ viewpoint switches hard to follow on audio, or if quiet passages are hard to catch where you listen.

Get The Last Devil to Die

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

Audiobook

Read by Fiona Shaw
10h 55m, or about 7h 17m at 1.5x
Unabridged; AudioFile Earphones Award

Listen on Audible

Kindle

432 pages (UK hardback)
Viewpoint switches clear on sight

Get the Kindle edition

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Two narrators and an award-winning recording pull towards listening; chapters alternating between the 1950s and the present pull towards reading.

Start here

How we decide

The thirteen questions behind every verdict on this site.

Questions people ask

Who narrates The Last Devil to Die audiobook?

Fiona Shaw.

How long is it?

10 hours 55 minutes in the UK, unabridged.

Did the audiobook win an award?

It won an AudioFile Earphones Award.

Does Richard Osman read any of it?

Only a closing interview with Fiona Shaw on the UK listing.

How many pages is it?

432 in the UK hardback.

Is there a film of The Last Devil to Die?

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

Should I read or listen?

Either, at 53%. The award-winning reading and the length balance the rotating viewpoints.

Do you agree with this verdict?

We said either format works. 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 UK, AudioFile (via The Big Thrill), Kirkus, Library Journal and Better Reading.
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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