We Solve Murders

Richard Osman, a British television presenter, producer, and writer, gained literary acclaim with his bestselling debut novel, The Thursday Murder Club (2020). The success of this first novel led to the sequels The Man Who Died Twice (2021), The Bullet That Missed (2022), and The Last Devil to Die (2023). The series was a humorous take on the cozy murder mystery genre, traditionally featuring amateur sleuths, minimal graphic violence, and a lighthearted tone despite the presence of crime. The novels were particularly praised for their warmth, wit, and empathetic characterization.

The Thursday Murder Club series is set in the English luxury retirement village of Coopers Chase, where a group of elderly friends—Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim, and Ron—meets weekly to solve cold cases. One of the key themes of the books is age and society’s often dismissive attitudes toward older people. By portraying the main characters as intelligent, adventurous, and relatable, Osman challenges stereotypes about aging, highlighting the wisdom and life experience of older individuals.

We Solve Murders is broader in scale than the Thursday Murder Club series. The novel’s exotic international locations contrast with the closed setting of Coopers Chase, to which Osman’s early mysteries are largely confined. The global scope of We Solve Murders reflects the author’s subtle shift from the genre of murder mysteries grounded in the everyday world to mystery thrillers. The protagonists’ focus is on unmasking and catching a dangerous international money launderer rather than solving a local murder. Osman’s portrayal of François Loubet as a power-crazed criminal mastermind evokes James Bond villains such as Blofeld, heightening the novel’s high-stakes atmosphere. The author also provides a playful nod to his chosen genre by describing Rosie D’Antonio as “the world’s bestselling novelist, if you don’t count Lee Child” (9). Rosie, like Child, is a thriller writer.

Despite the change of genre and focus on a new set of characters, We Solve Murders bears many of the characteristics of the Thursday Murder Club series. Osman recognizes these similarities, stating in his acknowledgments that “although the [fictional] world is new, my brain remains the same” (439). As in his earlier series, humor and character remain central to the narrative. Osman’s trademark wit is present throughout the third-person narrator’s observations and the character’s dialogue. The author’s familiar emphasis on endearingly flawed and relatable protagonists is also evident in his depiction of Amy and Steve. Like the members of the Thursday Murder Club, each has vulnerabilities while also bringing unique skills to the investigation, from Steve’s analytical detective skills as a former police officer to Amy’s physical prowess as a bodyguard. While featuring a younger protagonist in the form of Amy Wheeler, We Solve Murders also explores themes similar to those in the earlier series, such as the importance of friendship, intergenerational relationships, and aging, giving the text an emotional resonance. These literary parallels ultimately support Osman’s claim that the characters from both his series “are all happily living in the same world as each other” (441).