The Impossible Fortune

The Impossible Fortune

A Thursday Murder Club Mystery

About the Book

The unmissable new mystery in the Thursday Murder Club series from #1 New York Times bestselling author Richard Osman

Who's got time to think about murder when there's a wedding to plan?

It’s been a quiet year for the Thursday Murder Club. Joyce is busy with table plans and first dances. Elizabeth is grieving. Ron is dealing with family troubles, and Ibrahim is still providing therapy to his favorite criminal.

But when Elizabeth meets Nick, a wedding guest asking for her help, she finds the thrill of the chase is ignited once again. And when Nick disappears without a trace, his cagey business partner becomes the gang’s next stop. It seems the duo have something valuable—something worth killing for.

Joyce’s daughter, Joanna, jumps into the fray to help the gang as they seek answers: Has someone kidnapped Nick? And what’s this uncrackable code they keep hearing about? Plunged back into action once more, can the four friends solve the puzzle and a murder in time?
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Praise for The Impossible Fortune

Praise for The Impossible Fortune:

“The Thursday Murder Club is back and better than ever. . . . There are satisfying red herrings and a well-constructed answer to the puzzle. . . And you’ll be happy just to have spent some time in Osman’s delightful world. If you’re coming to the series from the Netflix movie, start at the top. If you’ve read the others, this is a high point.”
Kirkus (starred review)

Praise for Richard Osman and the Thursday Murder Club:

“Joyous fun. . . No wonder readers, myself included, have surrendered to [the Thursday Murder Club members’] abundant charms.”
—The New York Times Book Review


“Skulduggery and laughs abound as our favorite gaggle of amateur-detective retirees tackle drug runners, dodgy antique dealers, art forgers and Battenberg cake recipes.”
—People

“By now, Osman’s ‘Thursday Murder Club’ books are the flagship of cozy mysteries. . . What makes the series so delightful is Osman’s wicked sense of humor, and the empathy suffused throughout.”
—The New Yorker

“So what is it about the Thursday Murder Club books that make them so broadly appealing? The simple answer is that they are really good. The writing is pithy and fresh, so much so that I kept writing down lines from The Last Devil To Die. . . But there’s more than just quotable sentences at work here. Osman’s plots play fair with the reader, carefully placing 'red herrings' to fool the reader into picking the wrong possible murder suspect—a gambit that has improved with each successive book. The endings feel both inevitable and earned: the exact combination one wants in a good mystery. . . Osman’s greatest strength is fusing the puzzle-mastery of Christie and her Golden Age peers with emotional earnestness and wry humor.”
—Esquire

“There may be other aged detectives in print and on television, but for wit, intelligence and humanity, the Thursday Murder Club outranks them all.”
—Wall Street Journal


“Richard Osman’s books are a slyly sophisticated bunch, boasting emotional development equal to the memorable mysteries. . . Thursday Murder Club mystery stands up well on its own, but given the richness of character and relationships, as a set, they’re bloody brilliant.”
NPR

“A thing of joy.”
Kate Atkinson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Jackson Brodie series

“Osman doesn’t disappoint. . . . We all need a regular injection of the Thursday Murder Club to keep our spirits up.”
—The Guardian

“The Thursday Murder Club is back, and that should make everyone happy — except, of course, murderers. Richard Osman's engaging series about a group of crime-solving retirees has delighted readers since the first book. The Thursday Murder Club, an international bestseller, was funny, original, baffling, poignant and thoroughly engaging. That's a high bar to set from the get-go, but Osman has easily achieved it in subsequent books. . . A remarkable achievement, Osman up there effortlessly balancing on that very high bar.”
—Minneapolis Star-Tribune

“Not to be missed.”
—Parade

“The mysteries are complex, the characters vivid, and the whole thing is laced with warm humor and—remarkably, considering the body count—good feeling. Your next must-read mystery series.”
—Kirkus
, starred review

“It’s balm for the soul.”
Daily Express (London)

“It’s an unalloyed pleasure to spend time with Osman’s sparkling, well-observed characters who are also wittily perceptive about our foibles and the quirks of modern life.”
Sunday Express (London)
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A Thursday Murder Club Mystery Series

The Impossible Fortune
The Thursday Murder Club (Netflix Tie-In)
The Last Devil to Die
The Bullet That Missed
The Man Who Died Twice

About the Author

Richard Osman
Richard Osman is an author and television presenter. His novels, The Thursday Murder Club, The Man Who Died Twice, The Bullet That Missed, The Last Devil to Die, and We Solve Murders were number one international bestsellers as well as New York Times bestsellers. He lives in London with his wife, Ingrid, and their cats Liesl and Lottie. The movie adaptation for The Thursday Murder Club will release in 2025, produced by Amblin Entertainment. The Impossible Fortune, the fifth book in the Thursday Murder Club series, is forthcoming. More by Richard Osman
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