The Man Who Died Twice audiobook vs book: which should you choose?
The second Thursday Murder Club mystery, read by Lesley Manville, whose recording won a CrimeFest award.
Short answer: for The Man Who Died Twice audiobook vs book choice, we say either works (53% confidence, close call). The audiobook won the Audible Sounds of Crime Award and the UK paperback runs to 448 pages, which favours audio. The chapters move between several characters and Joyce’s diary, all in one narrator’s voice, which favours print. The two sides come out close to level.
Either works
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.
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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. Is listening the same as reading? See what the research says.
The audiobook at a glance
| Recording | UK edition, our verdict | US edition |
|---|---|---|
| Narrator | Lesley Manville | Lesley Manville |
| Length | 12 hours 30 minutes (12h 30m), unabridged | 11 hours 49 minutes (11h 49m), unabridged |
| At 1.5x | about 8h 20m | about 7h 53m |
| At 2x | about 6h 15m | about 5h 55m |
| Audio publisher and date | Penguin, 16 September 2021 | Penguin Audio, 28 September 2021 |
| Audiobook price | £15.51 on Audible UK | $20.25 on Audible US |
| Kindle price | £5.99 on Amazon UK | Not confirmed |
| Penguin paperback, 448 pages, 12 May 2022 | Pamela Dorman Books hardcover, 368 pages, 28 September 2021 | |
| Listener rating | Performance 4.91 from 11,438 ratings | Performance 4.91 from 7,942 ratings |
Lesley Manville reads both editions, but the UK and US lengths differ by 41 minutes. Whether they are one recording or two is not confirmed; the checks come out the same either way.
Ratings and prices checked 2 November 2026. They change often. Amazon US does not show Kindle prices outside the US, so US Kindle prices are not given.
Lengths checked 2 November 2026. Speed times are calculated.
The Man Who Died Twice
Richard Osman
- Genre
- Cosy crime
- Series
- Thursday Murder Club, book 2
- First published
- 16 September 2021
- Length
- 448 pages (Penguin paperback)
- On audio
- 12 hrs 30 mins, Lesley Manville
On this page
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.
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
- Scored
- Lesley Manville, Penguin, 2021, 12h 30m, unabridged
- Critic review
- Audible Sounds of Crime Award, CrimeFest 2022
- Alternatives
- US Penguin Audio edition, also read by Lesley Manville
- What you miss
- Nothing confirmed
What this book actually is
The Man Who Died Twice is the second Thursday Murder Club novel by Richard Osman, after The Thursday Murder Club. It opens a few days after the first book ends, when a letter from Elizabeth’s past draws the four friends at Coopers Chase into a case involving stolen diamonds, the security services and a local drug dealer.
It includes murder, gun violence, a street robbery in which an older man is badly hurt, and drug dealing. Who the killer is, and where the diamonds end up, is not covered here.
The case for reading it
The chapters move between Elizabeth and Donna in the third person and Joyce’s first-person diary, with one narrator reading all of them. In print the chapter headings show you whose story you are in.
Bookreporter calls it “a joyful page turner”, so the prose itself is easy going on the page.
The case for listening to it
Lesley Manville’s reading won the Audible Sounds of Crime Award at CrimeFest 2022, and listeners rate it 4.91 on both stores.
At 12 hours 30 minutes on Audible UK it comes down to about 8 hours 20 minutes at 1.5x. The US edition is 11 hours 49 minutes.
The audiobook in detail
Penguin publishes the UK recording (16 September 2021, 12 hours 30 minutes) and Penguin Audio the US one (28 September 2021, 11 hours 49 minutes). Lesley Manville reads both, and she also read the first book. Fiona Shaw reads the series from book 3.
No PDF companion is listed.
Who should ignore this verdict
Lean towards audio if you listened to the first book with Lesley Manville and want the same voice. Lean towards print if you like to see whose chapter you are in, or you want Joyce’s diary entries set apart on the page.
Audiobook
- Read by Lesley Manville
- 12h 30m, or about 8h 20m at 1.5x
- Unabridged; award-winning narration
Kindle
- 448 pages (Penguin paperback)
- Chapter headings show whose story you are in
Read differently from most people? The app, coming soon, will let you switch off any of the thirteen checks. Get notified →
Related verdicts
The Thursday Murder Club
Book 1 in the series.
The Bullet That Missed
Book 3 in the series.
The Last Devil to Die
Book 4 in the series.
We Chase Shadows
Several viewpoints and a jump between 2001 and the present, all read by one narrator, favour the page. Only the length, over 400 pages, favours audio.
Start hereHow we decide
The thirteen questions behind every verdict on this site.
Questions people ask
Who narrates The Man Who Died Twice audiobook?
Lesley Manville reads it on both the UK and US stores. She also read book 1. Fiona Shaw took over from book 3.
How long is The Man Who Died Twice audiobook?
12 hours 30 minutes on Audible UK and 11 hours 49 minutes on Audible US, as of November 2026.
Is it abridged?
No. Both editions are unabridged.
How many pages is The Man Who Died Twice?
The UK Penguin paperback has 448 pages. The US hardcover has 368.
Did the audiobook win an award?
Yes. It won the Audible Sounds of Crime Award at CrimeFest 2022.
Is there a The Man Who Died Twice film?
No film of book 2 had been confirmed as of November 2026. Netflix released a film of the first book on 27 August 2025.
What order do the Thursday Murder Club books go in?
The Thursday Murder Club, The Man Who Died Twice, The Bullet That Missed, The Last Devil to Die, The Impossible Fortune.
Should I read or listen?
Either works, at 53%, a close call. The award-winning narration and the length point to audio, and the switching between Joyce’s diary and other characters points to print.
Do you agree with this verdict?
We said either format works. One tap, no sign-up.
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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.co.uk, Penguin Random House, Mushens Entertainment (CrimeFest 2022), Dear Author, Bookreporter, Crime Fiction Lover, the Ullstein reading sample, Open Library and Wikipedia.
- Verdict last reviewed: 2 November 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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