You Should Be Reading: The Thursday Murder Club

The star-studded feature film comes to Netflix August 28!

The Thursday Murder Club, the first book in the bestselling mystery series by Richard Osman, serves as the basis for the Netflix film, premiering on August 28. The star-studded cast includes Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, and Celia Imrie as an intrepid squad of crime-solving septuagenarians. Here are the five books in the series:

• The Thursday Murder Club—In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet weekly to discuss unsolved crimes. When a local developer is found dead, they find themselves in the middle of their first live case.
• The Man Who Died Twice—Stolen diamonds and a killer on the loose. Can our four friends catch the killer before the killer catches them? And if they find the diamonds, too?
• The Bullet That Missed—There's a new cold case to be solved and a new foe threatening to kill anyone who gets in her way.
• The Last Devil to Die—The gang receives word that an old friend has been killed, and a dangerous package he was protecting has gone missing.
• The Impossible Fortune—After a quiet year, The Thursday Murder Club is plunged back into action with a new puzzle to solve.

The series is filled with fun cozy intrigue! And if you're looking for more like that, we've got recommendations for you.

What to read next

Here are twelve great reads with similar vibes to The Thursday Murder Club series.

We Solve Murders by Richard Osman

Solving murders is a family business. Retired cop Steve Wheeler thinks his days of adventure are behind him. But when his daughter-in-law Amy, a bodyguard protecting bestselling thriller author Rosie D'Antonio, finds herself in a real-life murder mystery, she enlists Steve's help to root out the killer.

How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley

When Lydia starts running the Senior Citizens' Social Club, she's surprised to find that the members have some rather nefarious quirks from kleptomania to hidden pasts to subversive knitwear. But these tendencies come in handy when the Social Club joins forces with the daycare next door to save their building.

Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Vera Wong spends her days spying on her Gen-Z son on the internet. But when she finds a dead man in her tea shop one morning, she coolly swipes the evidence and sets about solving the crime on her own—because nobody sniffs out wrongdoing like a Chinese mother with time on her hands.

The Killer's Christmas List by Chris Frost

In the picturesque village of Kibblesworth, DI Tom Stonem is dreaming of a quiet Christmas alone. But a serial murderer has already taken his first victim in this quiet community. As a blizzard rages, the body count is snowballing. Can Stonem stop the killer before they get everyone on their Christmas list?

Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz

Editor Susan Ryeland has no reason to think Alan Conway's latest novel will be different from his others, even after the troublesome author turns up dead. But the more Susan reads, the more she sees another story hidden in the manuscript: one of real-life jealousy, greed, and murder.

Still Life by Louise Penny

Book #1 in the award-winning Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series introduces the thoughtful homicide detective, who is called to investigate a suspicious death in the woods of the tiny hamlet of Three Pines, Québec. Locals think it's just a hunting accident, but Gamache smells something foul in these woods.

Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn

Billie, Mary Alice, Helen, and Natalie have worked for the Museum, an elite network of assassins, for forty years. But at sixty, their talents are considered old-school. And, as it turns out, retirement actually means death. In this business, it's kill or be killed. This is the first in a series.

The Body in the Library: A Miss Marple Mystery by Agatha Christie

The Bantrys wake to find the body of a young woman in their library. Who is she? How did she get there? And is there a connection with another dead girl, whose charred remains are discovered in an abandoned quarry? Dolly Bantry calls the one person who can help them: her dear friend Miss Marple.

The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood

Meet Judith: a seventy-seven-year-old whiskey drinking, crossword puzzle author living her best life in a dilapidated mansion on the outskirts of Marlow. When Judith hears her neighbor get murdered and the local police don't believe her story, she takes up the investigation on her own.

When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole

Sydney Green is Brooklyn born and raised, but her beloved neighborhood is undergoing startling changes. Condos are sprouting like weeds, FOR SALE signs are popping up overnight, and the neighbors she's known all her life are disappearing mysteriously. Rear Window meets Get Out in this gripping thriller.

The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose

With her flair for cleaning and proper etiquette, Molly Gray has risen through the ranks to become the esteemed Head Maid of the Regency Grand Hotel. But when a high-profile death threatens the hotel's pristine reputation, Molly knows she alone holds the key to unlocking the killer's identity.

The Dog Sitter Detective by Antony Johnston

Penniless Gwinny Tuffel is delighted to attend her good friend Tina's upmarket wedding. But when the big day ends not-so-happily with a dead body, the situation seems as crooked as a dog's hind leg. When her friend is accused of murder, Gwinny takes it upon herself to sniff out the true culprit.

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Read more by Ashly Moore Sheldon