Richard Osman scored a massive hit with his 2020 mystery The Thursday Murder Club, spawning equally successful sequels and earning a big Hollywood adaption, due out next year. So when Osman announced that he was introducing a new series as his 2024 title, there was a sense of trepidation. Would it carry much of the same humor readers loved about the earlier books? Could Osman carry off another set of characters with as much aplomb as the quartet in TMC? Rest assured: We Solve Murders carries much of the same DNA as the Thursday Murder Club series, in effect repeating much of the same points, but with a different set of characters and a touch more action, that readers so enjoyed in the previous series.
At the core of We Solve Murders is the duo of Amy and Steve, a father- and daughter-in-law both nursing past pains they’re masking with the tedium of everyday life. For Steve, a retired cop, that means comforting routine very close to home, devotion to the weekly quiz at the pub and a daily chat with Amy, ignoring his grief over the death of his beloved wife Deb. Amy makes her way as a bodyguard for private firm Maximum Impact, a traumatic childhood barely alluded to setting her up as an ideal defender, even if she does her utmost to keep emotion at bay. Still, Amy and Steve aren’t fooling anyone—their obvious devotion and concern for each other indicates they need that human connection, even if they may protest the contrary. Amy is guarding glamorous author Rosie D’Antonio (think Jackie Collins crossed with Liz Taylor) when the report of the gruesome death of an Instagram influencer rattles Amy’s usual sangfroid. It’s the third death of a former Maximum Impact client while Amy was in the vicinity, and it’s clear to her that someone is trying to put her in the frame for all the deaths. And when the shooting starts, Amy has no choice but to flee with Rosie tagging along, off on a quest to find out who really is behind the deaths. Steve is pulled into the fray, in spite of his objections, and it is his every-man demeanor that proves as useful as Amy’s mad-deadly skills and Rosie’s inexhaustible connections and moxie. What emerges is a complicated knot of money laundering, wanna-be Influencers, one delusional action star, cops on the take and a few kingpins bemoaning the amount of networking successful crime requires. While Amy, Steve and Rosie unravel the riddle of who wants them dead, the biggest question remains: will Steve be able to make it to his weekly quiz?
One thing that is certain, however, is the return of Amy and co. There’s more than enough backstory to ensure future installations, and given the company in which Osman places our trio, lots of other criminal behavior to pursue around the globe. Osman assures readers that the Thursday Murder Club will also make reappearances, but many of the characters in We Solve Murders feel like they are twins to the figures in the previous series. While the comedy is foremost, Osman creates an undercurrent of pathos to stories; like the Thursday Murder Club, We Solve Murders also grapples with grief, previous trauma and the delicate navigation of dependence and self-sufficiency among loved ones. We Solve Murders is a strong choice for fans of comic mystery/thrillers, fans of sardonic and deadpan humor (particularly British humor), and those who like their murders creatively displayed.