We solve murders by Richard Osman

After enjoying The Thursday murder club series I was thrilled to pick up the first in a new series, We solve murders. I was not disappointed. Osman packs a punch with wonderful characters, sparkling humour and exciting action. Steve Wheeler is enjoying his life. He has retired from the Police Force, and while grieving for his wife Debbie, he likes his friends, the pub quiz and his cat Trouble. He also enjoys chatting to his daughter-in-law, Amy, who has an adrenal filled life as a bodyguard for the rich and famous. When it looks as if Amy is being framed for murder, she calls on Steve for help and together they race around the world accompanied by bestselling author Rosie D’Antonio, trying to follow clues to the identity of the mysterious François Loubet, the money launderer behind the death of influencers who have been carrying money in leather bags through customs.

In a whirlwind trip from  South Carolina to England to St. Lucia to Ireland and Dubai, the reader is carried along to exotic places, often in Rosie’s private jet. The reader is brought into the world of money smugglers, influencers, private security and high finance. There are many twists and turns in the plot and I was kept guessing which of the many well developed secondary characters hid the identity of the mysterious Francois Loubet. The pursuit of Amy and the threat to an influencer, a young mother of two, also had me holding my breath as the suspense was ramped up.

I loved the main characters in We solve murders. Osman has the happy knack of making the reader feel as if they know them. Steve is a very relatable character – taken out of his comfortable small world he rises to the occasion and uses his intellect to work out many of the complexities of the murders. Amy is a feisty young woman who prefers real life fighting to boxing in a gym and the duo work well together. Rosie D’Antonio’s antics and snarky dialogue will keep readers laughing aloud.

I look forward to more in this series and hope that Osman returns to The Thursday Murder Club series as well.

Themes: Murder, Influencers, Thriller, Humour.

Pat Pledger