A group of older friends
Meet four retirement-village sleuths in Richard Osman’s series opener.
Start with the Thursday clubGood company. Clever mysteries.
Find your next mystery—with older sleuths worth getting to know.
Spend less time searching and more time with a good story. Compare ten real mysteries, find a series to start, and see which books fit your taste.
New here? Start here.
Choose the kind of mystery you enjoy.
Pick a starting point. Each guide explains the story, who it may suit and what to read next.
A riverside town mystery
Join Judith Potts and two unlikely allies in Robert Thorogood’s first Marlow mystery.
Meet the Marlow sleuthsA classic village puzzle
Meet Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple in her first full-length novel.
Begin with Miss MarpleKnow what you’re choosing
- Real books, named authors and linked factual sources.
- AI-assisted guides—not firsthand reviews or invented ratings.
- Content notes and reading order before you choose.
Ten mysteries to make time for
Begin a new series or return to familiar company. Our spoiler-light guides explain the premise, reading order and reasons each book might suit you.
The Thursday Murder Club
Richard Osman
Thursday Murder Club, book 1
Four retirement-village friends discuss unsolved crimes, until a murder close to home gives them a live case.
See who this book suits →The Man Who Died Twice
Richard Osman
Thursday Murder Club, book 2
An old acquaintance asks Elizabeth for help, drawing the group into a case involving stolen diamonds and dangerous criminals.
See who this book suits →The Bullet That Missed
Richard Osman
Thursday Murder Club, book 3
A decade-old cold case leads the club to a television news figure, while Elizabeth faces a new threat.
See who this book suits →The Last Devil to Die
Richard Osman
Thursday Murder Club, book 4
An acquaintance in the antiques business is killed, and a missing package draws the club toward fraud, forgery and drug dealing.
See who this book suits →The Impossible Fortune
Richard Osman
Thursday Murder Club, book 5
A wedding guest who fears for their life draws Elizabeth into an investigation involving a code and a determined adversary.
See who this book suits →The Marlow Murder Club
Robert Thorogood
Marlow Murder Club, book 1
Seventy-seven-year-old Judith Potts hears a gunshot while swimming in the Thames and investigates with two unlikely allies.
See who this book suits →Death Comes to Marlow
Robert Thorogood
Marlow Murder Club, book 2
A pre-wedding gathering ends with the groom-to-be dead inside a locked study. Judith and her friends suspect murder.
See who this book suits →The Queen of Poisons
Robert Thorogood
Marlow Murder Club, book 3
Marlow’s mayor dies during a council meeting. Judith, Suzie and Becks participate in the investigation as civilian advisors.
See who this book suits →The Murder at the Vicarage
Agatha Christie
Miss Marple, first full-length novel
Colonel Protheroe is found dead in the vicar’s study, and Miss Marple observes a village full of possible motives.
See who this book suits →A Murder Is Announced
Agatha Christie
Miss Marple novel
A newspaper notice announces a murder at Little Paddocks. Curious visitors arrive, the lights go out, and the gathering turns deadly.
See who this book suits →New to an author? Begin at the beginning.
Try The Thursday Murder Club for a retirement-village ensemble, The Marlow Murder Club for Judith Potts and her unlikely allies, or The Murder at the Vicarage to meet Miss Marple in her first novel.
“Gentle” describes our approach—not a promise that every story avoids upsetting material.