Thursday Murder Club Books in Order
Four friends at Coopers Chase, a luxury retirement village in Kent, meet every Thursday to look at unsolved murders: Elizabeth, a former spy; Joyce, a retired nurse; Ron, a former union leader; and Ibrahim, a retired psychiatrist. Then real murders start happening around them. Warm, funny and clever.
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Series facts
- Books
- 5
- Published
- 2020 to 2025
- First book
- The Thursday Murder Club
- Latest
- The Impossible Fortune (2025)
- Setting
- Set in the fictional Coopers Chase, Kent
The reading order
Every Thursday Murder Club book in publication order. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
- 1The Thursday Murder Club2020With Elizabeth Best and Joyce MeadowcroftIn a peaceful retirement village in Kent, four friends meet every Thursday to look at unsolved murders.Buy on Amazon
- 2The Man Who Died Twice2021With Elizabeth Best and Joyce MeadowcroftElizabeth receives a letter from an old colleague who has stolen a fortune in diamonds from the Mafia, and the Thursday Murder Club is drawn in.Buy on Amazon
- 3The Bullet That Missed2022With Elizabeth Best and Joyce MeadowcroftThe club looks into the death of a television reporter ten years ago, while Elizabeth is given a deadly ultimatum by an old enemy.Buy on Amazon
- 4The Last Devil to Die2023With Elizabeth Best and Joyce MeadowcroftAt Christmas, an antiques dealer friend of the club is found dead, and a valuable package has vanished.Buy on Amazon
- 5The Impossible Fortune2025With Elizabeth Best and Joyce MeadowcroftAt the wedding of Joyce’s daughter, a guest asks Elizabeth for help, saying someone is trying to kill him.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
Read in order, starting with The Thursday Murder Club. The friends’ lives develop through the series.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | Elizabeth Best | Joyce Meadowcroft | Ron Ritchie | Ibrahim Arif | Stephen | Chris Hudson | Donna De Freitas | Bogdan Jankowski |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 The Thursday Murder Club | LLead | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor |
| 2 The Man Who Died Twice | LLead | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor |
| 3 The Bullet That Missed | LLead | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor |
| 4 The Last Devil to Die | LLead | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor |
| 5 The Impossible Fortune | LLead | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor |
Characters in the Thursday Murder Club books
8 characters from Richard Osman’s chart, with the number of Thursday Murder Club books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| Elizabeth BestFormer intelligence officer | 5 | The Thursday Murder Club 2020 |
| Joyce MeadowcroftRetired nurse whose diary narrates part of each book | 5 | The Thursday Murder Club 2020 |
| Ron RitchieFormer trade union leader | 5 | The Thursday Murder Club 2020 |
| Ibrahim ArifRetired psychiatrist | 5 | The Thursday Murder Club 2020 |
| StephenElizabeth’s husband | 5 | The Thursday Murder Club 2020 |
| Chris HudsonDetective Chief Inspector | 5 | The Thursday Murder Club 2020 |
| Donna De FreitasPolice constable | 5 | The Thursday Murder Club 2020 |
| Bogdan JankowskiPolish builder and friend of the club | 5 | The Thursday Murder Club 2020 |