A Bodyguard’s Death Sparks a Madcap Murder Mystery in “We Chase Shadows”

We Chase Shadows by Richard Osman

It is not easy to start a detective agency from scratch. Especially one that specializes only in solving murders. In We Chase Shadows, the hilarious sequel to bestselling author Richard Osman’s We Solve Murders, crime fiction writer Rosie D’Antonio teams up with ex-cop Steve and his daughter-in-law and former bodyguard Amy to do just that.

The well of cases has been dry for some time, so the trio jumps when Vern Blackwood, a self-described “semi-criminal,” reports that one of his bodyguards, Esteban, has been murdered. Blackwood’s business involves the sale and distribution of fake vitamin supplements, and one of his competitors, an assassin named Jakob Eriksson, has pinned a note to Esteban’s body warning that Blackwood is next.

Blackwood disbelieves the threat, as he and Eriksson are buddies with a deal not to trespass on each other’s territory. So, if Eriksson didn’t commit the murder, then who did? And did Eriksson really write the note?

For obvious reasons, Blackwood doesn’t want the police involved, so after seeing Rosie appear on The Graham Norton Show promoting her latest novel and their agency, he gives We Solve Murders a call.

Excited to solve their first case, Amy, Rosie and Steve climb aboard Rosie’s private jet and fly off to Blackwood’s Tuscan villa to investigate a laundry list of murder suspects. Blackwood believes his former business partner and ex-wife, Georgie, and a handful of business associates may be trying to squeeze him out of the market, and he gives them carte blanche to find Esteban’s killer.

A Murder Case Takes the Team Around the Globe

So, a madcap chase around the globe ensues as Amy, Rosie and Steve follow leads that will hopefully solve their first murder. Along the way, Rosie enlists an old friend and Spanish lover from Interpol, Ernesto, to join the chase. He has been following Eriksson’s trail of dead bodies for years and sees this as his opportunity for a long-overdue promotion.

Apparently, the mysterious Eriksson appeared out of the blue in 2001, and although he has left a string of murders in his wake, no one seems to be able to track him down. Can the We Solve Murders gang accomplish what the police, Interpol and the FBI have been unable to do and solve their very first case?  And where do they begin?

Quirky Detectives With Plenty of Heart

As expected, Osman draws his quirky characters with wit and charm, writing banter that will make readers laugh out loud. Yet behind their joviality, each protagonist — Amy, Steve and Rosie — faces a personal dilemma. Adventurous Amy has long been separated from her husband, Adam, who is working in Saudi Arabia, and she frets about the stability of their relationship. Rock tee-shirt wearing, homebody Steve pines for his dead wife, Debbie, and charismatic and fearless Rosie is worried that her literary star is fading along with her beauty.

Osman makes the reader care about this unlikely trio as their personal dramas spill over into their professional lives as detectives. They are like pieces of a puzzle, with each partner complementing the others and contributing their special skills to this investigation. This is a team that truly cares about each other and, time and again, lays down their lives to protect one another. And, as Rosie admits, while the We Solve Murders agency consists of her, Amy and Steve, they do have “a very useful group of friends.”

In We Chase Shadows, Osman provides a lighthearted romp with a climax that the reader never saw coming. He is a master of comedic crime fiction that transports the reader into the international crime world of guns, knives and poison, without them having to leave the safety of their own armchairs. And making them hunger for more murders for the We Solve Murders Detective Agency to solve. Fortunately, Osman promises more soon!