We Solve Murders by Richard Osman: A review

 Having previously read and enjoyed two Richard Osman mysteries - The Thursday Murder Club and The Last Devil to Die - I couldn't resist when I saw he had a new one out. So, once again, I abandoned my planned reading list and jumped right on it.

In We Solve Murders, Osman introduces us to some new characters:

Amy Wheeler is a private security guard who works at protecting VIPs. She is married to Adam, a man who she almost never sees. At the time that we meet them, they are on opposite side sides of the world. Strangely enough, it is a very happy marriage. (Or maybe that isn't so strange.) Her closest relationship seems to be with her father-in-law, Steve Wheeler.

Steve is a widower who is still grieving for his beloved wife and still talks to her every day, telling her about the events of that day. He is a retired cop and presently a private investigator. He is known at his local pub as a quiz and puzzle expert. He is a lover of cats, especially his own, named Trouble, and he can't resist a stray. And, of course, he is devoted to Amy.

Rosie D'Antonio is the VIP that Amy is presently charged with protecting. She is probably in her 80s, although her actual age is unknown, but she lives like a much younger person. Rosie is a successful and very famous writer. In her latest book, she has a character who seems a bit too close in description to a Russian oligarch named Vasiliy Karpin. That has earned her the unwanted attention of said oligarch and is the reason she needs protection.

Amy and Rosie, along with a former Navy Seal named Kevin who is now a chef, take refuge on a private South Carolina island. When an "influencer" named Andrew Fairbanks is found murdered on a yacht near the island, Amy realizes it is time to move on. She enlists Steve's help and together they drag Rosie with them as they embark on a heart-stopping adventure always just one step ahead of the hitmen who have been sent to eliminate Rosie. 

And who is the person sending those hitmen? His name is François Loubet. He is a powerful money smuggler whose modus operandi is sending influencers on fake jobs and using them to move his money around the world. Will Amy and Steve be able to outsmart Loubet and elude his hitmen long enough to ensure Rosie's safety? You can probably guess the answer to that question.

Osman is adept at drawing each of these characters. We feel that we know them all very well and we certainly know who to root for and who to boo! The plot itself is carefully explicated with nothing left to guess at. And there is plenty of action to keep us turning the pages, making for a very enjoyable and quick read. 

This, apparently, was the first in what Osman plans as a series. I'll be keeping an eye out for the next adventure featuring Amy and Steve.

Two reviews

I've fallen a bit behind on reviewing the books that I've read. I blame it all on Thanksgiving. In an effort to catch up, here are reviews of two books that I've read recently from the Thursday Murder Club series.

The Man Who Died Twice

by Richard Osman

This is the second book in the series and it brings us once again the four septuagenarians whose hobby is solving murders. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim, and Ron join together to find a murderer when Elizabeth, a former spy, receives a letter from an old colleague asking for her help. His life is being threatened by a violent mobster over his involvement with some stolen diamonds.

These four are not your ordinary septuagenarians. They have particularly interesting backgrounds and skill sets. In addition to Elizabeth, the former spy, there is Joyce, the retired nurse who has an eccentric and quirky personality; Ron, the retired labor organizer who is very interested in politics and loves talking about it; and Ibrahim, the introverted psychiatrist who is blessed (or cursed) with a photographic memory.

In addition to the matter of the stolen diamonds, we have a second mystery involving Ibrahim who was mugged right outside the police station. The three other members of the Thursday Murder Club get to work assisting the police in their inquiries in trying to find the assailant. Soon the dead bodies begin to pile up but we can be sure with the Thursday Murder Club on the job all will be resolved and all the culprits identified and locked up.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

*~*~*~*

The Bullet That Missed

by Richard Osman 

The Coopers Chase Retirement Village where all the members of the Thursday Murder Club reside seems to be a very dangerous place. Bodies are dropping like flies and none of them are dropping from old age or natural causes. 

The Thursday Murder Club continues its hobby of investigating and solving cold murder cases, but in addition to those cold cases, new bodies keep turning up. Elizabeth, Ron, Joyce, and Ibrahim hardly have time to look into those old cases because they are kept busy helping their police friends, Donna De Freitas and Chris Hudson, to investigate the new murders. In addition, someone is threatening Elizabeth and the sleuths need to discover who and stop whoever it is.

There's quite a lot going on in this one involving a fraud and money laundering scheme in addition to suicide and/or murder. But trust the "Fab Four" to be able to sort it all out and root out the evil mind behind it all.

I quite like the members of the Thursday Murder Club and I am looking forward to reading more in the series. I think the series could well become one of my favorite cozy reads. 

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman: A review

 

What an unadulterated pleasure this book was to read. Okay, it is not great literature, but then everything one reads doesn't have to be "great literature." Some reads are just for fun and The Thursday Murder Club was terrific fun.

The setting is England, always a great place for a murder and for eccentric retirees. In this case, there are four retirees who make up the core of the cast of characters. They meet each week to review cold murder cases. Joyce, Ron, Elizabeth, and Ibrahim are nearing their eighties, but their enthusiasm for life and their curiosity are undimmed.

The group of four live in the village of Cooper's Chase. It is a quiet retirement village and the residents are keen to keep it that way. 

The group's leader/organizer is Elizabeth who has a somewhat mysterious background as (possibly) a spy. She has a wide network of friends and acquaintances who are willing to do favors for her. She excels at getting things done.

Elizabeth has a friend named Penny who is an ex-detective. She is somewhat haunted by cases that she was never able to solve and it is the files of these cases that she passes on to the Thursday Murder Club.

Each member of the group of four has his or her own set of skills. Ron is a former union boss who is a champion of the underdog. Ibrahim is a retired psychiatrist with particular skills at reading and understanding human behavior. Joyce, who narrates the story, is a retired nurse, new to the community.

PC Donna de Freitas is rather bored with her job in this quiet village. She is called upon to deliver a boring speech about security to the Thursday Murder Club and is surprised when they ask her to join them in solving actual murders. She is intrigued and jumps at the chance to join the group.

Then, this quiet village is racked by news of two new murders and suddenly the Thursday Murder Club has current rather than historical murders to solve. They employ all of their various skills in identifying and exposing a modern-day murderer.

Richard Osman wrote this story with a very light touch and a generous splash of British humor. It is the first in a proposed series and I will certainly keep an eye out for the next entry. Great fun!