We Solve Murders, Richard Osman

We Solve Murders opening lines: You must leave as few clues as possible. That’s the only rule. You have to talk to people sometimes; it’s inevitable.

My blurb:

Steve is quite happy with his routine. Pub lunches, weekly quizzes, and his daily walks. Debbie would say he is not living his life. And he thinks she is probably correct in that assumption. But, he has all he needs, a cat, his friends, and a little bit of investigating on the side. Amy speaks to him daily, not about anything much, but about everything. So when she asks for his help, he gives it, albeit reluctantly. But he is just the person Amy needs to help figure out why she is being framed for murder.

We Solve Murders

Steve Wheeler  is enjoying retired life. He does the odd bit of investigation work, but he prefers his familiar habits and routines: the pub quiz, his favourite bench, his cat waiting for him when he comes home. His days of adventure are over: adrenaline is daughter-in-law Amy’s business now.

Amy Wheeler  thinks adrenaline is good for the soul. As a private security officer, she doesn’t stay still long enough for habits or routines. She’s currently on a remote island keeping world-famous author Rosie D’Antonio alive. Which was meant to be an easy job . . .

Then a dead body, a bag of money and a killer with their sights on Amy have her sending an SOS to the only person she trusts. A breakneck race around the world begins, but can Amy and Steve stay one step ahead of a deadly enemy?

My verdict:

I love the way Richard Osman uses words. And his imagination is fantastic. This was a great read, and I had no clue who the main culprit was, even when Steve figured it out. I cannot wait for the next installment of this new murder series.

Read an extract:

PROLOGUE

You must leave as few clues as possible. That’s the only rule.

You have to talk to people sometimes; it’s inevitable. There are orders to be given, shipments to be arranged, people to be killed, etc., etc. You cannot exist in a vacuum, for goodness’ sake.

You need to ring François Loubet? In an absolute emergency? You’ll get a phone with a voice-changer built-in. And, by the way, if it’s not an absolute emergency, you’ll regret ringing very soon.

But most communication is by message or email. High-end criminals are much like millennials in that way.

Everything is encrypted, naturally, but what if the authorities break the code? It happens. A lot of very good criminals are in prison right now because a nerd with a laptop had too much time on their hands. So you must hide as well as you can.

You can hide your IP address – that is very easy. François Loubet’s emails go through a world tour of different locations before being sent. Even a nerd with a laptop would never be able to discover from where they were actually sent.

But everyone’s language leaves a unique signature. A particular use of words, a rhythm, a personality. Someone could read an email, and then read a postcard you sent in 2009 and know for a fact they were sent by the same person. Science, you see. So often the enemy of the honest criminal.

That’s why ChatGPT has been such a godsend.

Continue…..

Publishing information:

Penguin Random House South Africa sent me this novel to review.

See the links below for blog posts I published on December 1:

• 2023: November 2023 Showcasing In My Kitchen
• 2022: November 2022 Showcasing In My Kitchen
• 2021: November 2021 Showcasing In My Kitchen
• 2019: Killer Instinct
• 2017: Brandy Butter
• 2014: Dulce De Leche
• 2013: December 2013 Showcasing In My Kitchen
• 2011: December 2011 Showcasing In My Kitchen 
• 2010: Truffle And Mushroom Sauce

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