I quickly fell for the eccentric and lovable characters in Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club series, and my affection has only grown with each successive book. Last year, when the fourth was published, I was a bit sad though also intrigued when he announced that he was putting that crowd on hold and that his next book would take us to a new setting and — here’s where I was worried — a new batch of characters. I am pretty sure I’d be happy if Osman just gave us new books featuring Joyce, Elizabeth, Ron, and Ibrahim (as well as the fun side characters we also grow to love) every year for the foreseeable future. That said, why begrudge an author who wants to test himself and potentially disappoint us all? I’m happy to say that, while I still very much miss the Thursday Murder Club and hope they’re doing well right now, I enjoyed We Solve Murders very much, and I’m already looking forward to more in the series — though, is it wrong to say here that my heart fluttered when I read in the acknowledgements that next year we’ll be going back to Cooper Chase Retirement Village?

To be honest, though, it feels like We Solve Murders takes place in the same world as The Thursday Murder Club. The characters are a bit eccentric, the humor is dry, and somehow amidst the murder and intrigue there is a sense of warmth and comfort. I wouldn’t be surprised if some day Steve and Amy Wheeler — more on those two in a moment, for they are our two protagonists in this new books — meet up with Joyce and Elizabeth. They’d all feel right at home, and so would I.

Steve Wheeler is a retired police officer who now does small-time private investigative work in a quiet place called New Forest. He lives alone since his wife died, and we meet him reporting to her on his dictaphone (it’s a nice way to keep in touch). Osman at one point says that the world Steve inhabits, which was once quite large and all encompassing, has grown incredibly small. He loves his routine, and who can blame him?

His daughter-in-law Amy, on the other hand, has a very exciting life. Though she clearly had prior, pertinent experience, she is now a luxury body guard. Her current assignment has her on a private island tending the threatened Rosie D’Antonio, the . . . is it second? . . . best-selling author in the world.

There’s a murder. Then another. And another. The central link? Each of the victims was a client of Amy’s security firm. As she reads the news, she calmly realizes her own life is in danger and gets moving. She can’t leave Rosie behind, clearly. And she’s going to need help from someone she trusts. Will Steve be willing to miss a trivia night or two at the pub to travel the world and help Amy figure this thing out?

The plot here is fun and twisty and, I think, one of the book’s highlights. If we’re comparing — and I’m trying not to — I’d say the mystery here is more complex and a more prevalent feature of We Solve Murders compared to The Thursday Murder Club. It kept me turning the pages because I really wanted to know how all of the threads would come together as we travelled the world. The characters — and there’s still plenty of time with more books surely on the way — on the other hand, don’t compare. I like Steve and Amy a lot. I really do expect to like them more and more as we get to know them in future books. But this is where the comparison is a bit harsh. I’d be okay if they didn’t feature in a future book, though I cannot bear the thought of not seeing our quartet from, you know, that other series again.

That said, I love a lot of books with zero characters that delight me as much as the Thursday Murder Club quartet. I only bring it up because it’s on our mind. I will happily read any and all future books with Steve and Amy.