Finished the Thursday Murder Club books and feeling bereft? You're not alone - and you're in luck. These ten mysteries share the Osman formula: unlikely detectives, proper puzzles, real wit and a body count that never spoils the cosiness.
Editor's Picks
- The Windsor Knot - the Queen turns detective
- Death and Croissants - gleefully silly French fun
- The Twyford Code - her cleverest puzzle yet
01The Marlow Murder Club
A retired crossword-setter, a dog-walker and a vicar's wife turn detective on the Thames. The closest thing to more Osman that isn't Osman - bright, funny and fair-play plotted. Now a series, with television following.
02The Appeal
A murder told entirely through emails and texts - you play detective with the evidence. Ingenious, gossipy and completely addictive. Give it to someone who says they have gone off crime fiction; the format wins them back.
03The Man Who Died Twice
The obvious answer: book two is even better than the first - sharper plot, bigger laughs, and Elizabeth's past comes calling. Then there are two more waiting. Read the first book first.
04The Windsor Knot
The Queen quietly solves a murder at Windsor Castle between engagements. A delicious premise executed with wit and surprising warmth. First of the Her Majesty mysteries.
05Death and Croissants
A British B&B owner in the Loire gets dragged into a mystery involving a missing guest and a hen called Ava Gardner. Gleefully silly, genuinely funny. Very funny, very light, very French.
06The Twyford Code
An ex-con unravels a code hidden in a children's book, told through transcribed voice notes. Hallett's cleverest puzzle - and her most moving. Best experienced without any spoilers.
07Still Life
Inspector Gamache investigates a death in a Québec village you'll want to move to. Seventeen more books follow - the deepest well on this list. Start at book one and go in order, because the village and its people are the real draw.
08The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
Precious Ramotswe solves Botswana's mysteries with tea and shrewd kindness. Less murder, more warmth - perfect between heavier reads. Over twenty gentle books follow.
09The Body in the Library
Where the formula began: a corpse, a country house and a sharp old lady the police underestimate. Marple is the Thursday Murder Club's great-grandmother. Marple is underestimated by everyone, always.
10A Murder Is Announced
An advert invites a village to a murder at 6.30pm - and one duly occurs. The most ingenious Marple of all. Post-war rationing detail makes it sing.
11The Maid
Molly the hotel maid, who reads rooms better than people, finds a guest dead in a suite. Warm, clever and quietly moving - a word-of-mouth favourite. A comfort read with a mystery attached, and a strong choice for anyone easing back into reading.
12Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone
A snowbound family reunion narrated by the one Cunningham who hasn't killed anyone. Yet. Golden Age rules, modern jokes - huge fun. A sequel takes it aboard a train.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I read first after Thursday Murder Club?
The Marlow Murder Club is the closest match in tone. If you haven't read Osman's own sequels, start with The Man Who Died Twice - the series gets better as it goes.
Is there a next Richard Osman book?
Osman alternates between the Thursday Murder Club series and his We Solve Murders books - there's a healthy backlist if you're new, and roughly a book a year.
I want the puzzle, not the cosiness - what then?
Janice Hallett is your author: The Appeal and The Twyford Code are fiendish fair-play puzzles told in wildly inventive formats.
Do I need to read the Thursday Murder Club books in order?
Yes, more than most cosy crime. The four regulars develop across the series and the later books lean on what happened earlier, particularly where the characters' own lives are concerned. Each mystery resolves within its book, but the emotional thread runs straight through.
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