The publication timeline is key. September 2020, September 2021, September 2022, September 2023. Each title corresponds to those years, respectively. He's like clockwork. It's rare for a series to have such reliable annual releases without a drop in quality. If anything, they've gotten better.
I love this series precisely because it rewards loyalty. Small moments call back to previous books—a joke about a past case, a reference to a character who died. These aren't essential to solve the mystery, but they're the little treats for readers following along in order. It feels like being part of the club yourself, in on the history. If you read out of order, you're just a visitor. Reading in order, you're a member.
I disagree with the 'just publication order' folks a tiny bit. If you're a completionist, the full chronological story event order is: The Prequel short story (1970s), then the four main books in sequence (present day). But the narrative is told in publication order. So read them that way. The prequel is a bonus feature, not chapter one.
Libraries often have the first few books in the series worn out from use, while the later ones are pristine. That should tell you something. '1st to Die' is the gateway. It's the one people borrow to try the series. Many never make it to book twenty, and that's okay. The first novel works as a standalone thriller, but it leaves the door open for more. It's a perfectly constructed pilot episode. It resolves its main case satisfyingly while making you desperately want to spend more time with these women. That's how a series should begin.
Murder Club novellas? Absolutely. There are a few that slot into the overall sequence, mostly published as ebooks or included in special editions. The main ones are 'The Thursday Murder Club Prequel' which is a short story, and 'The Last Devil to Die' had a companion novella released around the same time. They're not essential to the core mystery plots, but they offer delightful character moments and backstory you won't get in the novels. I'd recommend reading them in publication order alongside the main books for the full effect.
You can usually find them on the author's website or through major ebook retailers. They're perfect little bites if you're waiting for the next full novel to come out.
The series order is a mess online because of all the collaborations and spin-offs. The true 'Women's Murder Club' series, focusing on Lindsay, Claire, Cindy, and Yuki, has 28 books. '26 Seconds' is the 28th. Any list that includes 'The Trial' or 'The Medical Examiner' as main series entries is wrong—those are BookShots.
For the core experience, read 1 through 28 in publication order. That's the only way to get the full character journey.