“Solving murders. It’s a family business.
Steve Wheeler is enjoying retired life. He still does the odd bit of investigation work, but he prefers the pub quiz and afternoons at home with his cat Trouble. His days of adventure are over – that’s his daughter-in-law Amy’s business now.
Amy Wheeler thinks adrenaline is good for the soul, which makes being a private security officer to billionaires the perfect job. She’s currently on a remote island keeping world-famous author Rosie D’Antonio alive. Then a dead body, a bag of money and a killer with their sights on Amy have her sending Steve an SOS…
As a breakneck race around the world begins, can they stay one step ahead of a deadly enemy?”
Hello and welcome to damppebbles. Today I am delighted to share my review of We Solve Murders by Richard Osman. We Solve Murders was published by Penguin Books on 8th May 2025 and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio and digital formats. I chose to read a free ARC of We Solve Murders but that has in no way influenced my review. My grateful thanks to the team at Penguin Books for sending me a finished copy.
Yup, I know I am one of the last people on the planet to read We Solve Murders, the brand new crime series from Richard Osman. I’m okay with that. I know one thing for sure, though. And that is, I won’t be the last to read the second instalment, whenever that is released. Far from it! I’ll be, without a doubt, at the front of the queue to get hold of a copy. Because I LOVED We Solve Murders. Truly LOVED this book. It made me laugh out loud, it made me shed a few tears, and, most importantly, it had me in its grip from the very first word to the very, very last. Dare I say it will feature on my ‘top ten books of the year’ list? Yes. Yes, I dare.
The characters are divine. Amy Wheeler is a highly skilled bodyguard working for a company that provides top-level security, normally to the rich and famous. She is tasked with keeping world-famous author Rosie D’Antonio alive on her private island off the South Carolina coast. Sadly, Amy is also being framed for a string of murders around the globe. When things turn nasty on the private island, there’s only one person Amy can think to call. Her retired police-detective-turned-private-investigator father-in-law, Steve Wheeler. But Steve is quite happy with his life as it stands, albeit quietly grieving the loss of his wife, Debs. He has his routine, his cat, he has a good group of friends, and he has the weekly pub quiz. Steve doesn’t really need anything else. Although he does have a soft spot for his daughter-in-law. If anyone else asked, he’d say no. But as it’s Amy, Steve throws caution to the wind, packs a few essentials and heads out on the adventure of a lifetime. He just doesn’t know it yet…
We Solve Murders is a thoroughly entertaining, laugh-out-loud crime thriller that worked on every level for me. I adored the characters and their relationships. Following a death threat from a prominent Russian oligarch, Amy is sent to protect rambunctious Rosie D’Antonio on her private island. But being a gun-totting security officer, looking after the rich and eminently entitled, does mean that trouble is never far away. Things on this particular mission unexpectedly take a turn for the worse and Amy needs to disappear, taking Rosie with her. I really hope that Rosie D’Antonio, or someone like her, exists somewhere in the world. What a gloriously enchanting character! Amy, however, needs backup. There’s only so much a bestselling author can do. Only so far her contacts stretch. Amy’s list of trusted allies stands on shaky ground. So she calls upon the only person she can fully rely on, her father-in-law Steve. What a dream team these three characters make. I think I’m a little bit in love with Steve Wheeler! He’s so begrudging of the whole experience, so utterly unenthusiastic for it all. Dare I say, so delightfully middle-aged and unapologetically British! But that doesn’t mean he’s gone soft. A good old mystery can still get the juices flowing. Steve is hilarious and so completely believable. The relationships Osman has created are absolutely everything here.
Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. We Solve Murders is a triumph of a book. A thrilling, gripping, highly compulsive read where the characters are unforgettable, the plot is action-packed, and the thrills are non-stop. There’s a true warmth to the storytelling that is impossible to ignore. It’s like a giant hug but with dead bodies and guns! I loved it and I cannot wait for the next book in the series. Gorgeous, well-defined characterisation, plenty of mystery for the reader to get their teeth into, and so many truly hilarious moments to break the bristling tension. The funniest book I have ever read, without a doubt. I’m not normally one for laugh-out-loud moments in my thrillers, but this worked so incredibly well. AND I WANT MORE!! All in all, We Solve Murders is such an engaging, compelling read. One I fell head over heels in love with. I can’t say it enough, but those characters are sublime. Every reader needs them in their life. I hope there’s more to come from the We Solve Murders team very, very soon. Bloody marvellous! Highly recommended.
I chose to read and review a free ARC of We Solve Murders. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.
We Solve Murders by Richard Osman was published in the UK by Penguin Books on 8th May 2025 and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio and digital formats (please note, the following links are affiliate links which means I receive a small percentage of the purchase price at no extra cost to you): | amazon.co.uk | Waterstones | bookshop.org | Goodreads | damppebbles bookshop.org shop | damppebbles amazon.co.uk shop | damppebbles amazon.com shop |
Richard Osman is an author, producer and television presenter. The Thursday Murder Club is his first novel. He is well known for TV shows including Pointless and Richard Osman’s House of Games. As the creative director of Endemol UK, Richard has worked as an executive producer on numerous shows including Deal Or No Deal and 8 Out of 10 Cats. He is also a regular on panel and game shows such as Have I Got News For You, Would I Lie To You and Taskmaster.
