In what can only be described as simultaneous excitement and disappointment, at the time of publishing we are now halfway through the third season of Only Murders in the Building. This is one of my favourite shows of all time, and I feel like it truly evokes that feeling of an Agatha Christie mystery while keeping a hint of humour throughout. This show has really re-ignited my love of mysteries, a genre I tend to turn to when I’m not reading history. Today I’m sharing the best books to read if you love Only Murders in the Building!
In case you have missed it somehow, here is the trailer for the third season of OMITB!
These are contemporary mysteries, as I felt that they fit in better with the theme. However, I do have a post scheduled with historical mysteries for October!
The Thursday Murder Club, Richard Osman (series)
In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet up once a week to investigate unsolved murders.
But when a brutal killing takes place on their very doorstep, the Thursday Murder Club find themselves in the middle of their first live case. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron might be pushing eighty but they still have a few tricks up their sleeves.
Can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer before it’s too late?
Why You Should Read This…
This is really a series of three books (will be four as of mid-September 2023) but I’ve only included the first book here. This now-beloved murder mystery series follows a group of lovable seniors who solve multiple mysteries together while wading through some hot water of their own. Charles and Oliver from Only Murders give me Thursday Murder Club vibes, so I think that if you love them from the show, these are books you need to read!
Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide, Rupert Holmes
A devilish thriller with a killer concept: The McMasters Conservatory for the Applied Arts, a luxurious, clandestine college dedicated to the fine art of murder where earnest students study how best to “delete” their most deserving victim.
Who hasn’t wondered for a split second what the world would be like if a person who is the object of your affliction ceased to exist? But then you’ve probably never heard of The McMasters Conservatory, dedicated to the consummate execution of the homicidal arts. To gain admission, a student must have an ethical reason for erasing someone who deeply deserves a fate no worse (nor better) than death. The campus of this “Poison Ivy League” college—its location unknown to even those who study there—is where you might find yourself the practice target of a classmate…and where one’s mandatory graduation thesis is getting away with the perfect murder of someone whose death will make the world a much better place to live.
Prepare for an education you’ll never forget. A delightful mix of witty wordplay, breathtaking twists and genuine intrigue, Murder Your Employer will gain you admission into a wholly original world, cocooned within the most entertaining book about well-intentioned would-be murderers you’ll ever read.
Why You Should Read This…
This was an audiobook for me, and I think may be one of the best audiobooks I’ve listened to. Neil Patrick Harris narrates the majority of it, and his work is spectacular. He infuses so much of the character’s personality into it- I am already planning a re-listen!
This book is rather the inverse of OMITB– we are coming at this story from the side of the murders rather than those trying to solve the crime. I think that part of the reason that Murder Your Employer reminded me of Only Murders is the three different plots running throughout. It definitely gives me the vibes of Charles, Oliver, and Mabel all leading their separate lives but connecting through a murder.
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The Golden Spoon, Jessa Maxwell
For six amateur bakers, competing in Bake Week is a dream come true.
When they arrive at Grafton Manor to compete, they’re ready to do whatever it takes to win the ultimate The Golden Spoon.
But for the show’s famous host, Betsy Martin, Bake Week is more than just a competition. Grafton Manor is her family’s home and legacy – and Bake Week is her life’s work. It’s imperative that both continue to succeed.
But as the competition commences, things begin to go awry. At first, it’s small acts of sabotage. Someone switching sugar for salt. A hob turned far too high.
But when a body is discovered, it’s clear that for someone in the competition, The Golden Spoon is a prize worth killing for…
Why You Should Read This…
I have already shared The Golden Spoon in a Book Bite (see here) but I knew that I wanted to include it here because it definitely fits the feeling of Only Murders. This is similiar to And Then There Were None (for the classic mystery fans out there) and The Great British Bake-off, which is an unbeatable combo if I do say so myself. Although the murders are in fact very real in The Golden Spoon, it still has the cosy feeling that OMITB has. And I think that one of this book’s strong suits is that like the show, there is a wide range in age and personality for the characters.
Finlay Donovan Is Killing It, Elle Cosimano (series)
Finlay Donovan is killing it…except, she’s really not. A stressed-out single mom of two and struggling novelist, Finlay’s life is in chaos: The new book she promised her literary agent isn’t written; her ex-husband fired the nanny without telling her; and this morning she had to send her four-year-old to school with hair duct-taped to her head after an incident with scissors.
When Finlay is overheard discussing the plot of her new suspense novel with her agent over lunch, she’s mistaken for a contract killer and inadvertently accepts an offer to dispose of a problem husband in order to make ends meet. She soon discovers that crime in real life is a lot more difficult than its fictional counterpart, as she becomes tangled in a real-life murder investigation.
Why You Should Read This…
Much like our lovable OMITB trio, Finlay accidentally finds herself smack-dab in the middle of a murder. And she also cannot extricate herself from the situation, either, no matter how much she tries to. So, she does what any Arconiac (a follower of Only Murders in the Building) would do and she embraces it. The crime is not quite as smooth as television would have you believe, and she runs into many of the same hurdles.
I’ve only read the first book in this series and loved it, but as of publishing, I am still waiting for books two and three to come through from the library!
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, Holly Jackson (series)
The case is closed. Five years ago, schoolgirl Andie Bell was murdered by Sal Singh. The police know he did it. Everyone in town knows he did it.
But having grown up in the same small town that was consumed by the murder, Pippa Fitz-Amobi isn’t so sure. When she chooses the case as the topic for her final year project, she starts to uncover secrets that someone in town desperately wants to stay hidden. And if the real killer is still out there, how far will they go to keep Pip from the truth?
Why You Should Read This…
This is a Young Adult series (where I’ve again included the first book here) that I think is the most similar to OMITB. Pip and her friends solve a murder together (albeit a cold case) and end up turning it into a podcast. It has a slightly different feeling because she is solving her first case for a school assignment but the podcast theme feels familiar (in a good way).
My only irritation with this series and it fully rests with the publisher is that the series is set in the UK, but for some reason, they have made the first and second audiobooks with an American cast and changed the location. However, they haven’t changed it that well because it doesn’t really “fit” in the US. (Train stations are not the same common location in North America as they are in the UK, and I feel like a publisher should have known this.) I would recommend going with the book form, or the UK audiobooks if you can get ahold of them.
I hope you’ve enjoyed my list of the best books if you love Only Murders in the Weekend! Which books would you include?
Cheers,
The Historian
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