A group of pensioners (Elizabeth Best; Ron Ritchie; Joyce Meadowcroft; and Ibrahim Arif)[1] set about solving the mystery of the murder of a property developer[2] in the luxurious Cooper's Chase
retirement village near the fictitious village of Fairhaven in
Kent.[1]
Publication
Osman's inspiration for the book came from a visit he made to an upmarket retirement village.[1] He wrote the book over 18 months in secret.[2]
The book was published on 3 September 2020. It sold 45,000 copies in its first three days on sale[4] and became a Sunday Times number one bestseller.[5] As of 8 September, it had been sold in 16 countries.[4] In the week leading up to 19 December, it sold 134,514 copies, making it the first debut novel ever to be Christmas number one.[6]
On March 5, 2020,
Steven Spielberg's production company
Amblin Entertainment bought the book's global film rights, to be written and directed by
Ol Parker.[10][11] Filming was reportedly set to start in March 2024, with
Viola Davis and
Meryl Streep rumored to be attached.[12][13] On April 18, 2024,
Chris Columbus was announced as director, replacing Parker.[14] On April 23, Osman confirmed via an episode of The Rest Is Entertainment that
Helen Mirren would play Elizabeth,
Pierce Brosnan would play Ron, and
Ben Kingsley would play Ibrahim with Joyce yet to be cast.[15] Two day later,
Netflix acquired distribution rights to the film.[16]
Sequels
Book number two of the series, The Man Who Died Twice, was released on 16 September 2021, a third, The Bullet That Missed, in September 2022 and a fourth, The Last Devil to Die, in September 2023.[4] A fifth book in the series is planned for release in 2025.[17]
^Abridged: Sara Davies; Reader:
Haydn Gwynne; Producer: Mary Ward-Lowery; Music: Tom Constantine (25 January 2021).
"The Thursday Murder Club: Episode 1". The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman. BBC.
BBC Radio 4.
Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 27 January 2021.