A more ambitious series ... Not that Osman has deviated entirely from his winning formula. While offering more in scale and scope, the British author continues to play to his considerable strengths by serving up a fiendish mystery and rollicking adventure suffused with warmth and wit ... A busy book ... As the cast grows and one plot strand gives way to another, we begin to worry that the book will sag under its own weight. But Osman knows exactly what he is doing. His multiple characters and many layers lend variety and vivacity to the proceedings ... Both an auspicious start to an entertaining new series and a perfect stopgap to tide us over until Joyce and her friends beguile us all over again.
Osman sends this crew on a globe-spanning investigation, enlivening his tale with dry wit, crisp dialogue, sharply drawn characters and a pinch or three of sentiment.
The peddler of cosy contemporary crime novels turns peddler of cosy airport thriller ... I read We Solve Murders in a few pleasured gulps. It’s amusing rather than outright funny, involved rather than actually ever tense: everyone here is too ready with a pithy quip or a deft rejoinder for their safety to feel too pressing a concern ... Even if my heart rate was never raised, I was always interested in what came next. Osman doesn’t cheat on his plotting, even if he can be too quick to explain his characters rather than let them just be, sometimes shoehorning in sentiment as he does so ... Osman writes exactly the densely plotted, highly accessible book he wants to. One character’s diatribe, about poached eggs, is structured with a punchline like a full-blown comedy routine. Osman could be funnier if he wanted to be, could be gnarlier if he wanted to be, but he knows he would leave some people behind en route.
Osman’s new series, which kicks off with this book, is written with just as light a touch and gently humorous tone ... The thing that shines through in Osman’s writing, for me, is that he really likes people and revels in all their foibles and eccentricities. All of which makes for a delightful read – and another little slice of warmth in time for autumn.
Osman’s miraculous skill is to do distinctive voices, and conversations involving several people where you are laughing, and getting info, and never have to check who is speaking because it is super-clear ... A wild-ride, luxury, bloodthirsty thriller. And honestly, in this book we are all in first-class together.
...an outstanding mystery novel, rife with red herrings and numerous suspects, as well as Osman’s signature humor and heart. It’s a pitch-perfect blend of the cozy mystery and thriller genres ... Mystery fans have been richly rewarded with We Solve Murders, and will be happy to know that Osman has more in store for these characters.
Osman pulls off the tricky task of making his leads both zany and human, with a sufficiently brain-teasing mystery to boot. This series is sure to garner a loyal following.
