One of the most recognizable faces (and physique) of English television, Richard Thomas Osman, is a man with many talents. He is a television presenter, producer, comedian, and a very recently turned novelist as well.
Osman published his first book in the year 2020 as an independent fiction writer. He published non-fiction books along with Alexander Armstrong and Alan Connor way back in 2012.
With a towering six-foot-seven height, Osman has successfully managed to write and publish four great fiction novels, with the fourth book coming to the readers in 2023. His writing style is witty, the plots are interesting, and the characters are captivating.
While there are few books Osman has penned, it is still better to have a complete list of all the books written by the author in the reading order to get an idea of where to start.
When it comes to book series, Richard Osman has written one fiction series and one non-fiction series (co-authored by Alexander Armstrong and Alan Connor separately.)
Let’s take a look at the fiction novel series by the author, the books in the series, and the reading order.
| Sr. No. | Title | Publication Date | Print Length | Publisher | Where to Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thursday Murder Club | September 22, 2020 | 368 pages | Pamela Dorman Books | Amazon |
| 2 | The Man Who Died Twice | July 26, 2022 | 400 pages | Penguin Books | Amazon |
| 3 | The Bullet That Missed | September 27, 2022 | 464 pages | Random House Large Print | Amazon |
| 4 | The Thursday Murder Club 4 | September 19, 2023 | 352 pages | Pamela Dorman Books | Amazon |
| 5 | Non-Fiction Books | January 1, 1701 | Coronet | Amazon |
Thursday Murder Club
Thursday Murder Club is the one and only fiction book series written by Richard Osman. Despite the series being very new (started in 2020) and very short (with three books released and the fourth planned for 2023), it has gathered a sizable fanbase; and the readers are eagerly waiting for the latest release.
So what is so special or unique about this book series? Let’s take a look at the four books and what story they have for the readers.
1. Thursday Murder Club
The first book in the “Thursday Murder Club” established the entire base of this book series. What happens when you take four interesting, almost-eighty years old people having a keen interest in murder mysteries and put them in a real-life murder mystery? An engrossing and fun murder mystery novel.
Despite being the first major writing project by Richard Osman, the writer has successfully managed to work on a vast ensemble of characters and the complex relationship that develops within them.
Many people would call the story of this book not a murder mystery or thriller but a story of relationships and friendship. While the plot contains a very interesting and fun whodunnit murder mystery, the fellowship of the four protagonists of the story will be in the spotlight.
So what’s the story about? Meet the four protagonists of a luxury retirement home; Ron, Ibrahim, Elizabeth, and Joyce. Each of these four people brings some expertise and skill to the table.
They establish the “Thursday Murder Club,” where they sit and find all the unsolved murder mysteries of the past years. They look at crime records, news mentions, etc. But then something extraordinary happens.
A murder happens in their retirement home. A man named Tony Curran is murdered. While the police are on the job of solving the mystery, the Thursday Murder Club members start their own investigation.
The plot gets interesting as it progresses. There is a significant amount of character development, and readers will see the characters getting into complex relationships. There is also a bit of romance and a lot of mysteries regarding the murder.
An excellent first book by the author, but a world of advice for the readers; do not pick this book thinking it is a brilliant read. There are some shortcomings evident of Osman being a new writer, but the book is enjoyable.
2. The Man Who Died Twice
The second book in the series and the adventures of the mystery enthusiast septuagenarians continue. This time, it is not a murder mystery they are solving but something completely different, and this time, it is their life that’s under threat.
In the second book of the series, “The Man Who Died Twice,” one of the four members of the Thursday Murder Club, Elizabeth, gets a letter from an old colleague. This single letter contains so much mystery that it drives the entire plot of the novel.
The man needs Elizabeth’s help. For the people who do not know, Elizabeth is a former member of the highly skilled and covert M15. She is the only one who can help the man. The letter says that the former agent stole diamonds from the Mafia, diamonds worth $20 million!
Elizabeth then gets the other three members to join in solving this mystery, and if they find the diamonds, that will make this mission even better. But this time, it is not just solving the case but also putting their lives on the line.
While the first book in the series focused more on the relationships and the characters, the current one focuses more on the threat, the dangers, and the mystery at hand. However, one should not construe that character building and development are lost entirely.
The characters in the story and their qualities, humor, and interaction are what breathe life into this book. Richard Osman has improved a lot, learning from the shortcomings of his first book and improving upon them.
A great dash of mystery, the real threat to the characters’ lives, and a race against time to find and secure the diamonds before the mob leader does. If the mob leader finds them before they find the diamonds, he won’t think for a second before taking their lives.
3. The Bullet That Missed
It seems that the four lovely septuagenarians can never sit down, relax, and have a typical day. They have a knack for danger, mystery, and thrill, and that is precisely what they get in the third book in the series.
“The Bullet That Missed” is about a murder mystery, and since Richard Osman could not execute a murder mystery in the perfect way in the first novel, he decided to give it a try in the third book – and what a remarkable improvement it is over the first one.
A murder case that is ten years old is opened again by the illustrious and talented members of the Thursday Murder Club, and they are diving in deep, trying to see what really happened.
A journalist named Bethany Waite was murdered while she was investigating a money-laundering scheme. But the case was closed. The question that itched was where did the body go? Or what happened to the money laundering scheme? Why was there no proper investigation?
While to the world, it seemed that Bethany drove her car off a cliff, committing suicide, this is far from the truth. Now, ten years after the case went cold, Bethany’s co-anchor, Mike, contacts the members of the TMC to help him find out what happened to his partner.
Apart from this plot, there is one more plot that makes things more interesting in this series. Elizabeth meets a man that goes by the name “The Viking,” and he gives Elizabeth the task of killing someone. If she refuses or fails, he will kill her and one of their friends.
Despite there being multiple plots, the story is fascinating and easy to understand because of how well the author has structured it. Everything is perfectly balanced, from the arc of the character, their humor, and their interaction, to the serious elements of the story.
The fun parts of the story are fun to read, while the serious features do make the readers concerned about the characters. This is very important for any excellent murder mystery novel to work.
4. The Thursday Murder Club 4 (Expected 2023)
The fourth book in the series is still untitled. It is expected to be released somewhere around September 2023. But from what we have seen in the previous books and the writing improvement of Richard Osman, we are sure that this book is going to be the best one in the series yet.
It is also speculated that this book will put Joyce or Ron in the spotlight, exploring their pasts and bringing something from them.
Non-Fiction Books (With Alexander Armstrong And Alan Connor)
Richard Osman started his literary career by writing non-fiction books. The first book that he co-authored came out in 2012, a decade ago. Osman has written some of the most intriguing and exciting non-fiction books.
Along with Alexander Armstrong and Alan Connor, Osman has penned seven non-fiction books that need a little description as the title of the book is enough to explain what is in it.
Since these books are nonfiction and not related to each other, there is no reading order for them. Despite having a hilarious and silly name, these books have some great content that would interest readers of all ages.
Here is the list of all the non-fiction books written by Osman:
- The 100 Most Pointless Things in the World
- The 100 Most Pointless Arguments in the World
- The Very Pointless Quiz Book
- The A-Z of Pointless: A Brain-Teasing Bumper Book of Questions and Trivia
- A Pointless History of the World
- The World Cup of Everything
- Richard Osman’s House of Games: 1,054 Questions to Test Your Wits, Wisdom, and Imagination
Conclusion
Despite being in the entertainment industry and having only a handful of experience in the writing field, Richard Osman has proved his mettle with the highly successful “Thursday Murder Club” book series.
He has made it clear that despite writing murder mysteries and thrillers, the central focus of his books is the characters, and it shows. The four elders are exciting, engaging, and intriguing.
What works so well for his fiction book series is that since the main characters are pushing their eighties, there is so much that can be brought from their past. Osman might write standalone book series for each character during their young days.
It would be interesting to see where Osman takes his fiction series and what he comes up with for his non-fiction books. So pick one from this collection and start reading.