Breakaway Books

Authored by Richard Osman; Published September 2024; Mystery

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️

We Solve Murders requires one thing of you before you pick it up: suspend your disbelief. Once you’ve accomplished this task, you’ll race through the mystery with gusto.

We Solve Murders follows Amy, a bodyguard charged with guarding a famous mystery author, as she discovers that she herself has become a target of a notorious criminal. She quickly turns to her father-in-law Steve to assist her in unraveling the scheme, and they jet set around the world to uncover the true mastermind. I could barely put this one down, less because of the suspense—I guessed the true culprit pretty quickly—but because of the joy of the quirky characters and the witty repartee.

This is a classic whodunit which gently lampoons some modern phenomena, e.g. the social media influencer culture. At the same time, it doesn’t shy away from modern twists: I very much enjoyed the inclusion of chatGPT into the plot. Steve and his English pals are charming, old-fashioned folks who take to being embroiled in the murder mystery with aplomb. His sweet relationship with his daughter-in-law Amy is the beating heart of the novel and provides the most intimate and heartwarming moments throughout the narrative. 

But, easily the most entertaining character is Rosie D’Antonio, the famous author Amy is charged to protect. Her larger-than-life personality, her moxie, her access to private jets and islands—they all sparkle on the page. I am hopeful that in books to come, we’ll learn more about Adam, Amy’s enigmatic husband and Steve’s son, who seems designed to fade into the background in this particular novel.

We Solve Murders is the perfect novel to pick up if you’re looking for a cozy mystery.