The Thursday Murder Club: Netflix Movie, Books & Sequel Guide

Retirement usually means slow mornings and early dinners — not cold-case investigations with a cup of tea in hand. Yet that’s exactly what the four retirees of Cooper’s Chase get up to in Richard Osman’s bestselling mystery series, now adapted for Netflix with an all-star cast.

Books in series: 5 · Film release year: 2025 · Streaming platform: Netflix · Director: Chris Columbus · Author: Richard Osman

The key specifications at a glance cover the genre, platform, book count, release year, source material, director, and runtime.

Is The Thursday Murder Club on Netflix a movie or a series?

The Thursday Murder Club is a Netflix film, not a series — at least for now. It landed on the streaming platform on 27 August 2025, though some sources list the date as 28 August 2025. The runtime sits at 118 minutes, making it a feature-length comedy mystery rather than a multi-episode commitment.

Film details

Chris Columbus (Home Alone, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone) took the director’s chair for this adaptation. The script was written by Katy Brand, with additional writing contributions from Suzanne Heathcote. The film was produced under Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment banner, which gives it a certain prestige pedigree. The cast reads like a British acting hall of fame: Helen Mirren plays Elizabeth, Pierce Brosnan takes on Ron, Ben Kingsley portrays Ibrahim, and Celia Imrie brings Joyce to life.

Release info

The film follows the first novel fairly closely but makes notable changes. Most significantly, the character Bogdan undergoes a transformation — in the film he is arrested and portrayed as more honest and noble than his book counterpart. This shift potentially sets up different story threads for any future installments.

How many books are in The Thursday Murder Club series?

There are five books in The Thursday Murder Club series, with the fifth arriving in autumn 2025. Richard Osman has built a remarkably consistent release schedule, dropping each installment in September across five consecutive years.

Series overview

The debut novel, simply titled The Thursday Murder Club, launched in September 2020 and immediately became the No. 1 bestselling Christmas title in the UK for a debut novelist — an impressive feat for any author, let alone someone new to fiction at that stage of life. The series follows four retirees in a retirement village who meet weekly to investigate unsolved cases, stumbling into actual murders in the process. The group meets in what they call the Jigsaw Room, where they pore over evidence and clues with the enthusiasm of amateur detectives and the free time of people who’ve earned their rest.

Kindle edition details

• The Thursday Murder Club (September 2020)
• The Man Who Died Twice (September 2021) — involves missing diamonds
• The Bullet That Missed (September 2022) — cold case turns hot with threats
• The Last Devil to Die (September 2023) — highest-rated entry at 4.47 on Goodreads
• The Impossible Fortune (23 September 2025 UK / 30 September 2025 US) — plot centers on Joyce’s daughter’s wedding and a missing guest

Goodreads lists five primary works in the series. The fourth book, The Last Devil to Die, stands out with the highest Goodreads rating in the series at 4.47, earning praise as the strongest entry so far.

Will there be a second Thursday Murder Club film?

No sequel has been officially confirmed as of the latest reports. However, discussions are clearly happening behind the scenes, and the franchise potential hasn’t been dismissed.

Sequel status

CBR reports that there is no official confirmation of movie sequels yet. Screen Rant notes that “Netflix clearly hopes that Murder Club could become a franchise,” suggesting strategic interest in expansion. The film made notable changes to the source material — particularly Bogdan’s character arc — which some analysts interpret as groundwork for different narrative directions in potential follow-ups.

Trailer and cast rumors

Fan anticipation runs high, with speculation about which book would be adapted next. Screen Rant has suggested adapting The Last Devil to Die as the sequel rather than The Man Who Died Twice, arguing that the fourth book is “the best in the series” and that audiences shouldn’t wait years for it. The publication states that “The Last Devil To Die needs a movie.”

In what order should I read Thursday Murder Club books?

Chronological order is the recommended approach — start with The Thursday Murder Club and work forward. The books build on each other’s character development and running plot threads, so skipping around means missing connective tissue that enriches later entries.

Reading order

• The Thursday Murder Club (2020) — introduces the four leads in Cooper’s Chase retirement village
• The Man Who Died Twice (2021) — missing diamonds complicate the investigation
• The Bullet That Missed (2022) — a cold case heats up with personal threats
• The Last Devil to Die (2023) — art and antiques, highest-rated entry
• The Impossible Fortune (2025) — Joyce’s daughter’s wedding goes awry

Richard Osman books sequence

Each book was published in September of its respective year, forming a reliable autumn release pattern. The first book became a UK bestseller; subsequent entries maintained commercial momentum. Goodreads confirms five primary works in the Thursday Murder Club sequence, with Osman simultaneously developing the We Solve Murders spin-off series.

Who is the killer in The Thursday Murder Club?

This section contains major spoilers for those who haven’t read the first book or seen the film. The killer revelation in the source novel is a central twist that changes how the investigation reframes itself.

Ending explained

In the first novel, the killer turns out to be Bogdan, a seemingly minor character whose appearances seemed peripheral to the main investigation. The book reveals his involvement through accumulated evidence and his suspicious behavior during interviews. This spoiler has significant implications for the film adaptation, which changed Bogdan’s characterization notably.

Bogdan’s role

The film altered Bogdan’s character substantially — he is arrested and portrayed as more honest and noble than his book counterpart. CBR confirms the film “changed Bogdan’s character, making him more honest and noble, potentially impacting sequels.” This shift means the Netflix adaptation diverges from the novel’s mystery structure, potentially setting up different narrative possibilities for any sequel.

How to watch The Thursday Murder Club

Netflix is the exclusive streaming home for the film in most regions. The 118-minute runtime makes it a manageable single-evening commitment, whether you’re watching alone or hosting a movie night.

Step-by-step viewing guide

1. Open Netflix on your preferred device — the film is available in the UK and US libraries.
2. Search “The Thursday Murder Club” — it launched on 27 August 2025 (or 28 August, depending on regional listing).
3. Set aside roughly two hours including any breaks.
4. Consider reading the first book afterward if you enjoy the mystery — or beforehand if you prefer book-first immersion.
5. Check Netflix periodically for sequel announcements if they come.

The film is produced under Amblin Entertainment, giving it a family-friendly adventure sensibility that balances the murder-mystery elements. It’s crime comedy rather than hard thriller, so viewers expecting sharp horror will find something lighter.

The implication is that Netflix’s strategy prioritizes accessibility for broad audiences over gritty mystery conventions.

The Thursday Murder Club franchise sits at an interesting inflection point. The books have proven commercial staying power across five years and four entries; the Netflix adaptation brought the story to a new medium with an A-list cast. Whether that translates to a lasting film franchise depends on viewership numbers that haven’t been released publicly. What is clear: Osman’s parallel We Solve Murders series shows he isn’t slowing down, and the creative universe he built with these retirement village sleuths has genuine staying power.

For Netflix, the calculation is straightforward: if the film performs well in its opening weeks, sequel development becomes much more likely. For readers on the fence: the books offer richer character development and more complex plotting, while the film delivers a polished two-hour entertainment package with legendary performers inhabiting these quirky roles.

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