We Chase Shadows (We Solve Murders #2)

What do a famous crime thriller author, a private bodyguard and an ex-cop who’s fond of 70’s rock bands have in common? 

Murder … or rather catching murderers!

In We Chase Shadows, Book 2 of Richard Osman’s We Solve Murders series, Rosie D’Antonio, the author, Amy Wheeler, the bodyguard, and Steve Wheeler, the ex-cop and Amy’s father-in-law get their first murder case after starting the We Solve Murders Detective Agency.  Their client? Vern Blackwood - a man with a not-so-legal business of selling fraudulent vitamins whose bodyguard has just been shot dead.

When suspicion turns to an elusive rival competitor named Jakob Eriksson, the hunt is on, but is he the only suspect? Of course not. If you’ve read Osman’s Thursday Murder Club books or this series, you know there’s always a fascinating assortment of characters that may or may not be involved. In fact, it’s Osman’s characters that always shine brightest for me, in addition to his clever writing! He’s my humor spirit animal, if you will.

Personally, I find the mysteries in this series almost secondary to the characters and their relationships. When I think about this book, I’m going to remember hilarious conversations between worldly Rosie and her ditzy literary agent, Elspeth, Steve’s new bromance with Rosie’s Interpol friend, Ernesto Manuelo Santiago de Sousa de Cuellar (say that ten times fast!), Amy and husband Adam continuing to navigate their long-distance marriage, and new agency manager Felicity Woollaston’s fierce devotion to her boyfriend and Steve’s bestie, Tony Taylor, not to mention an assortment of hitmen, an ex-wife, and questionably legal associates. 

It takes particular talent to make a murder mystery fun and witty while building a good, solid case to solve, and Osman has that talent in spades. If that sounds like the kind of book you enjoy, then I can highly recommend this and any other book Osman has written! This was an immersion read with my Kindle and the audio from Libby narrated brilliantly by the very talented Nicola Walker. The audio is my preference for capturing the character’s personalities, but either format would satisfy. I can’t wait to see what their next adventure brings!

★★★★ 

Thanks to Viking Penguin | Pamela Dorman Books, NetGalley and author Richard Osman for the digital ARC to honestly review and Libby for the audio. It’s out now.