Osman fires subtle dig at Thursday Murder Club film as new novel lands amid fan backlash

Richard Osman used his official newsletter to deliver a pointed nod about the divisive Thursday Murder Club film adaptation as he promotes Impossible Fortune, the fifth installment in his cosy crime series, which is published today. In the message, Osman celebrated the return of the gang—Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron—and joked about the different “pub day” rhythms in publishing versus television. He also noted that Bogdan, the Polish handyman central to the film’s disruption of canon, “must have somehow got out of prison,” a line that several readers interpreted as a sly aside to the adaptation’s reception.

The Netflix film, directed by Chris Columbus and released on Aug. 26, has drawn sustained backlash from fans who objected to a major plot pivot: Bogdan’s motive in terminating Tony Curran is framed differently from the book. In Osman’s novels, Bogdan’s actions flow from a long-running grievance tied to Kaz’s past death, and his eventual confession is delivered in a way that preserves a thread of moral complexity. Viewers and readers online, including Reddit users, criticized the movie for smoothing edges, altering relationships and sidelining elements that many fans consider essential to the character’s arc. The film also changes Bogdan’s trajectory in relation to other storylines—most notably his romance with Donna De Freitas depicted in the books—prompting questions about future installments in the screen franchise.

Meanwhile, critics continue to weigh in on Impossible Fortune, which is already drawing strong notices from mainstream outlets. Telegraph contributor Jake Kerr gave the fifth novel four stars, noting that the book sustains the franchise’s vitality at a moment when the screen adaptation has unsettled some fans. Kerr wrote that the latest entry reinforces the series’ function in light of a high-profile Netflix misstep, praising Osman’s ability to blend brisk puzzle plotting with warmth and humor. The i’s Moira Redmond praised the source material for its sharp writing, arguing that the novel demonstrates why Osman’s books remain compelling even as the film’s reputation lingers in readers’ minds.

The Guardian’s Laura Wilson described the plot as tightly engineered around a high-tech bitcoin mystery and a high-stakes wedding, with the quartet navigating a web of secret codes, drug trafficking and aristocratic entanglements. She highlighted the dynamic among Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron as still central to the appeal, even as the cast of peripheral players grows more intricate. Radio Times’ Helen Daly offered a four-star take as well, noting that Osman continues to use the cosy crime frame to probe loneliness, loss and aging with sensitivity, though she suggested the latest chapter might benefit from lingering a touch longer on certain emotional threads.

The book’s central mystery centers on Nick and Holly, who own a secure storage facility and are embroiled in a bitcoin dispute linked to a potentially uncrackable code. The narrative expands to include Connie, the former cocaine queenpin; Donna, the police officer who becomes a key ally; Bogdan and Ron’s grandson, adding a breadth of relationships that fans have come to expect from the series. In contrast to the film’s streamlined approach, Impossible Fortune leans into character history and the interplay among the pensioner sleuths, a hallmark that Osman’s readers say remains its greatest strength. Some critics praised the novel for reaffirming the franchise’s charm and emotional resonance, even as the cinematic adaptation lingers in the public conversation.

As Osman’s newsletter underscored, the author is mindful of the shifting tides between book publishing and screen adaptations. He balanced celebrating a new “pub day” for readers with a light, self-deprecating jest about television’s perpetual publish cycle. For fans of the books, the release of Impossible Fortune offers a fresh entry that many hope will remind audiences why the printed pages remain a steady anchor for Osman’s beloved retiree sleuths. For viewers who engaged with the Netflix film, it may also serve as a reminder that adaptations can diverge from source material, sometimes provoking debate that outlives the screen’s initial reception.