ARC Review: New Series

We Solve Murders by Richard Osman

Publication Date: September 17, 2024

Summary from NetGalley:

ARC provided by Penguin Group via Netgalley for an honest review.

Confession:

We Solve Murders is a delightfully fun start to a new series. It has all of the wit and charm that I have come to expect from this author. It is full of quirky and lovable characters that you will find yourself rooting for. Even the bad guys have a sense of humor. With it’s short chapters and fast pace you will find yourself racing through it to find out who the bad guys really are.

Just like the Thursday Murder Club books, there are multiple characters helping to tell the story. But there are three characters that carry the main storyline and are the heroes of the story.

Steve is an older widow, who is pretty stuck in his life. He has a strained relationship with his son, but gets along great with his daughter in law, Amy. He is a bit on the curmudgeonly side, but under that gruff exterior is a heart of gold. He is also the brains in this investigative duo. He is the one who figures out most of the clues and who the ultimate bad guy is.

Amy is the muscle of the team, although she is pretty smart too. She does push Steve out of his comfort zone, but lovingly so. I really enjoyed her as a character, she is very cool under fire and loves the adrenaline rush she gets from the chase. She has an interesting relationship with her husband, Adam, which probably wouldn’t work for most people, but it does for them. We don’t see much of Adam in this book, but hopefully he will play a bigger part in the next.

I loved Rosie D’Antonio! She was hilarious throughout the book and often was the ray of sunshine when things got dark. I really hope she is part of the series going forward as I think she was essential to the team. She is also smart, and as a famous author she was able to open doors for the others that allowed them to get things done.

The bad guys were just as entertaining as the good guys and there were many of them. There are a lot of red herrings in this story and many of the bad guys turned out to be not so bad, especially when they meet Rosie! With so many people chasing them, and with their motives somewhat hidden, it was hard to figure out who the true bad guys were, just what I like in my mystery thrillers.

The story starts off at a pretty fast clip and keeps that pace up throughout the story. The short chapters also added to the urgency and they kept you involved in the whole story. The multiple points of view also added to the hectic feel of the story, but with everyone’s motives kept somewhat hidden, it was often a surprise when the person you suspect is the true baddy turns out not to be so bad. The story is complex without being overwhelming and it is easy to keep all of the characters straight.

I just loved this first book in what I hope will be an exciting and long series. If you are a fan of the Thursday Murder Club this is a must read. If you have not yet read this author’s books, then this would be a good place to start. If you enjoy cozy mysteries with quirky but fun characters than this is a book that you will enjoy.