Richard Osman’s crime novels invite readers to return for the people as well as the mystery. Fans can follow a familiar group of amateur detectives or join a newer team on another case. A festival conversation is a chance to hear the novelist behind those characters and share the evening with fellow readers.
Quick facts
Best known for
The Thursday Murder Club and We Solve Murders series
Osman is a novelist, producer and television presenter. Penguin publishes his two continuing crime series, with different detective teams at their centre. Readers can stay with one group or move between them, following the relationships alongside the work of solving a crime.
The Thursday Murder Club is the series for which he is best known, and Penguin describes it as an international bestseller. Its adaptation was produced by Amblin Entertainment and released on Netflix. Screen viewers therefore have another way into the characters, while readers can return to the novels and spend longer in their company.
Viking published We Chase Shadows on 10 September 2026. It is the second novel in the separate We Solve Murders series, which introduces a different detective trio. Both strands are continuing projects. For a fan who has followed the older team, the newer books offer another set of people to get to know without closing the door on the first series.
Where to start with their books
The Thursday Murder Club
Four friends in a retirement village meet to discuss unsolved murders, then find themselves facing a killing close to home. Start here to meet Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron at the beginning of their cases and spend time with the friendships that continue through the series.
The Man Who Died Twice
An old colleague asks Elizabeth for help, bringing stolen diamonds and a dangerous pursuer into the group’s lives. This second novel is a next step once you know the four friends; the mystery opens another route into their loyalties while the danger reaches towards the detectives themselves.
We Solve Murders
Retired investigator Steve Wheeler is drawn out of his quiet life when his daughter-in-law Amy, a private security officer, needs help. Her assignment protecting author Rosie D’Antonio turns dangerous. Begin here for the newer detective team and a story that sends its characters across the world.
Festival appearances
For tickets, use the host festival’s official box office. Confirm the date, venue and access details before paying.
Bloody Scotland brought Osman together with Mark Billingham at The Albert Halls in Stirling on 18 September. Their shared crime-writing conversation gave fans the company of another novelist on stage.
On 17 October, Osman appeared at Cheltenham in The Times and Sunday Times Forum. Both autumn visits came after the latest novel’s publication. The appearances table links to the official event pages and programme, for readers looking back at those conversations.
Where to see them next
No 2027 appearances announced yet. Check the festival guides for programme dates.
Plan your trip
If you are going with a fellow fan, pick a favourite character to talk about over the journey. That can be a more enjoyable starting point than comparing who has read furthest; agree to keep later plot turns quiet if one of you is still catching up.
A book-club outing works best with time to meet before the session and talk afterwards. Keep the rest of the day relaxed and ask about signing plans before bringing several books. Use the festival guides below for a base that lets the group enjoy the evening without rushing straight back to a train.
The 2026 programmes featured Richard Osman at Bloody Scotland, Cheltenham Literature Festival; follow those guides for event information and practical visit details.
Do I need to know his television work to enjoy an event?
No. Your enjoyment of the novels is enough to bring to a book conversation. A favourite detective, a relationship between characters or a mystery you loved can be your way into hearing the writer.
Where should a new reader start?
Begin with the first novel in the detective series you want to follow. The reading choices below introduce the older amateur-detective team and the newer trio, so you can choose the company you would enjoy spending time with.
How do I buy tickets to hear Osman?
Use the host festival’s official box office. Check the individual session’s date and venue, book-inclusive terms and any signing information. If you are organising a group visit, settle everyone’s access and travel needs before paying.
