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From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

The unlikely trio that makes up a recently formed detective agency, We Solve Murders, awaits their first proper case. Steve, a retired police officer; his daredevil daughter-in-law, Amy; and over-the-top (and financial backer) Rosie are ready. Though Steve is not especially willing, as he prefers village life, his cat, and mourning his late wife. But after Rosie touts the agency on a chat show, a dead body appears on the steps of an Italian villa, and the resident, Vern Blackwood, a petty crook, asks the trio to investigate the murder of his body guard. Even more disturbing, at least to Blackwood, is the note suggesting that there may be more attempts. So begins a romp across continents, as bodies pile up and motives become muddied. Osman, author of the popular Thursday Murder Club series, provides his signature tongue-in-cheek humor, while giving readers more insights into the lives of his characters. Some readers may think they see the big picture and the solution to the mystery, but there are so many turns and so much fun, the whodunit is the least of the book's charms.

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

The Thursday Murder Club takes a breather while Osman’s other group of amateur investigators handles its second case. After their adventure inWe Solve Murders (2024), retired London cop Steve Wheeler, now happily retired to small-town Axley, England; his daughter-in-law, Amy, who’d been working for an international security company; and bestselling novelist Rosie D’Antonio teamed up to turn Steve’s little company, Steve Investigates—which looked into things like lost dogs and cheating spouses—into a more ambitious agency called We Solve Murders. The only problem is that there haven’t been any murders to solve. Then they get a call from Vern Blackwood, one of whose bodyguards has been killed outside his villa in Tuscany—and who saw Rosie promoting her latest book on TV, just when he needed a discreet investigator. The three friends hop on Rosie’s private jet and soon arrive at Vern’s hilltop villa, where they learn he’s involved in the shady business of selling counterfeit vitamins. The one person he’s sure didn’t kill his bodyguard is the person who signed the threatening note left on the body—Jakob Eriksson, the mysterious kingpin of the fake prescription drug business in Europe. They had an agreement, Vern says, though everyone else who’d been party to that agreement, made in Las Vegas five years ago, is now dead. Steve, Amy, and Rosie decide they’d better start looking for this Eriksson, even though their client doesn’t want them to. After getting off to a slow start, Osman sets the pieces in motion with his usual charm and deadpan humor. It’s fun to watch Amy and Steve try to fit into Rosie’s glamorous world: “Amy has never been to a book launch before—I mean, who on earth has?” As the friends zip around the world, the case becomes pleasantly complicated, and Osman wraps things up with a bang. It’s a pleasure spending time with Osman’s quirky detectives, who are much more capable than they seem. Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Publishers Weekly
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Osman is in fine form with this spry sequel to We Solve Murders. Retired cop Steve Wheeler and his daughter-in-law, Amy, have opened a detective agency with backing from novelist Rosie D’Antonio, “the Jackie Collins of Crime.” Steve and Amy are hired by Vern Blackwood, who has made a fortune selling fake vitamin supplements and who contacts them while hiding out in a luxury compound in Italy. A killer has just penetrated Vern’s state-of-the-art security system and killed one of his bodyguards, leaving behind a warning note signed by Jacob Erikson, Vern’s oldest rival. Vern has no interest in identifying the killer; instead, he wants to know if Erikson really wrote the note. The adventure that ensues is brimming with Osman’s trademark wit and brio, and his characters delight, even if none quite reach the perfection of those in Osman’s Thursday Murder Club series. Though the central mystery is both overly convoluted and too easy to solve, readers will forgive those flaws because of Osman’s unwavering commitment to having a good time. Keep Amy, Steve, and Rosie’s adventures coming. Agent: Jenny Bent, Bent Agency. (Sept.)