Richard Osman's The Man Who Died Twice makes a killing

Richard Osman's The Man Who Died Twice (Viking), the sequel to his blockbuster debut The Thursday Murder Club, has thundered into the UK Official Top 50 number one spot, selling 114,202 copies in its first week on sale.

This is the biggest single week for any title outside of lockdown weeks since its predecessor hit the Christmas number one in 2020, and the biggest Adult Fiction launch since Harper Lee's Go Set a Watchman (William Heinemann) in July 2015.

The Thursday Murder Club's paperback bounced upwards in volume by 76% week on week. It also scored its 17th week as the Mass Market Fiction number one as The Man Who Died Twice rocketed to the top of the Original Fiction pole. This is the first time an author has claimed both the fiction top spots since March 2017 when James Patterson reigned with both 16th Seduction (Century) and Never Never (Arrow).

The Man Who Died Twice's eye-watering first week helped to boost the print market, up 7.1% in volume and 7.5% in value week on week. At just under four million books sold for £35.9m, it was the biggest September week of all time, besting 2020. 

Bob Mortimer's And Away... (Simon & Schuster) debuted in second place, selling 42,094 copies in its first week on sale and knocked Jamie Oliver's Together (Michael Joseph) from the Hardback Non-Fiction top spot. Alongside Mortimer, Miriam Margoyles' This Much is True (Hodder), Rebecca Wilson's Family Comforts (DK), James Norbury's Big Panda and Tiny Dragon (Michael Joseph) and Alun Wyn Jones' Belonging (Macmillan) were among the flood of new entries into Hardback Non-Fiction.

Cathy Glass' An Innocent Baby (HarperCollins) debuted atop the Paperback Non-Fiction list. This is her second top spot in the category chart in 2021, after late February's A Life Lost. 

J B Priestley's An Inspector Calls (Heinemann) chalked up another week atop the Children's chart, as Adam Silvera's enduringly popular They Both Die at the End (S&S) leapfrogged David Walliams and Tony Ross' Megamonster (HarperCollins Children's) to claim the Children's and YA Fiction number one for the first time since mid-June.