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57 pages 1 hour read

Richard Osman

We Solve Murders

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2024

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Part 2, Chapters 53-79Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 2: “From South Carolina to Dubai (via St Lucia and County Cork, and a Brief Return to the New Forest)”

Part 2, Chapter 53 Summary

Eddie Flood arrives in St. Lucia but is unconvinced when a cab driver claims Rosie D’Antonio just flew to Fiji. He remembers Rob’s prediction that Amy will go to Ireland to investigate Mark Gooch’s murder.

Part 2, Chapter 54 Summary

While playing golf with Mickey Moody, Rob Kenna learns that Eddie has again failed to kill Amy Wheeler. He reflects that Eddie is usually reliable but, like Mickey, lacks ambition. Mickey reveals that he was raised by his two grandmothers, who were formidable women.

Part 2, Chapter 55 Summary

Steve videocalls Tony Taylor, who is with the rest of his friends from the Brass Monkey. They tell him that a loss adjuster named Martin is temporarily replacing him on the quiz team. Tony says Felicity knows nothing about Vivid Viral Media Agency’s murdered clients. Another friend, John, mentions how Tony told them about an influencer imprisoned in Dubai for money smuggling. However, Tony claims he was not the source of this information. Steve searches the internet and finds the influencer is Courtney Lewis.

Part 2, Chapter 56 Summary

Amy’s husband, Adam, is glad his wife is close to his father Steve, as it compensates for his awkward relationship with his father. He is disappointed that Amy can no longer join him in Dubai. However, they mutually understand the demands of each other’s work. Amy messages asking him to visit Courtney Lewis in prison.

Part 2, Chapter 57 Summary

During the flight to Dublin, Amy admits that she is scared and does not want to die, while Steve confesses he is “always scared.” Amy suggests that Felicity Woollaston may be involved in the murders.

Part 2, Chapter 58 Summary

On a private jet to Dublin, Henk van Veen praises the color and consistency of the poached egg he has just been served. Henk knows Amy’s next step will be to investigate Mark Gooch’s murder at the Irish vineyard, and he plans to intercept her. He is confident that his gun will not be detected at the airport. When the flight attendant asks Henk to fasten his seatbelt for landing, he refuses, explaining it gives him “a thrill” to stand in the aisle.

Part 2, Chapter 59 Summary

Amy, Steve, and Rosie arrive in Dublin. Amy promises to join her friends in the bar later but she has business to attend to first.

Part 2, Chapter 60 Summary

Tony Taylor shows Felicity the sights of the New Forest and introduces her to his friends, John and Jyoti. Felicity stays in Steve’s cottage, and Tony thinks he hears someone in the house. However, all is explained when Trouble appears on the stairs.

Part 2, Chapter 61 Summary

Amy anticipates that Eddie Flood will soon arrive in Dublin. She breaks into a car in the airport’s parking lot to spy on the arrivals. Amy plans to question Eddie and, if necessary, kill him. However, Eddie ambushes Amy, shooting at the car and shattering the back window. Amy escapes, jumping from the parking garage and hailing a cab.

Part 2, Chapter 62 Summary

Amy returns to the hotel and joins Rosie and Steve, who are drunk in the bar. The next day, Rosie appears on a breakfast television show, claiming she was recently saved from drowning. Rosie offers a reward to anyone who finds her rescuer. She shows a photograph of Eddie Flood, which Steve has taken from Facebook.

Part 2, Chapter 63 Summary

Eddie calls Rob Kenna, revealing that strangers continually stop him and want to take his photograph. He does not admit that he deliberately missed Amy when he shot at her. Rob agrees that Eddie can no longer proceed with the job. Eddie is relieved as he now has the freedom to pursue his main purpose.

Part 2, Chapter 64 Summary

Henk is in Cork waiting for Amy. He explores the Rockgrove Vineyard, horrifying the other tourists by pointing out the tree Mark Gooch was nailed to.

Part 2, Chapter 65 Summary

Steve regrets drinking the previous night as he vomits from a helicopter on the way to Rockgrove Vineyard. Meanwhile, in a call with Adam, Amy discovers that Courtney Lewis was found dead in her cell the day before he was due to visit.

Part 2, Chapter 66 Summary

Max Highfield travels alone to a Dubai diamond conference, as Henk has arranged for his bodyguard to greet him upon arrival. A boy approaches Max on the plane, declaring that his favorite film is Titans of War. Max is furious as his bodyguard usually protects him from unwanted admirers. He is also resentful that people always praise his action films, overlooking his role as a terminally ill soldier in The Rose of Sarasota. Max believes his performance deserved an Oscar, but the movie sank without a trace.

Part 2, Chapter 67 Summary

Henk surprises Amy at Rockgrove Vineyard. He explains that he left Maximum Impact Solutions when several clients were arrested for money smuggling because he believed Jeff was involved. Henk thinks that Amy is Jeff’s accomplice, and he intends to deliver her to the police.

Steve works out the identity of the source who told his friend John about Courtney Lewis. He persuades Henk not to do anything until they have all returned to England for the pub quiz.

Part 2, Chapter 68 Summary

Loubet decides to tell the police about the presence of Amy Wheeler’s blood at the murder scenes. That way, if no one succeeds in killing her, she will be arrested. In the meantime, he has arranged for a courier to travel from London to São Paulo.

Part 2, Chapter 69 Summary

Bonnie Gregor packs for her trip to São Paulo. She crams a large selection of clothing into one case, as her assignment requires her to take an extra bag containing the product she is promoting.

Part 2, Chapter 70 Summary

Rob Kenna wonders why Loubet asked him to arrange Courtney Lewis’s murder. It occurs to him that Loubet might soon consider him expendable if he fails to have Amy Wheeler killed. He asks Mickey if he would like a job. However, Mickey declines, stating he wants no involvement in criminal activities.

Part 2, Chapter 71 Summary

Steve, Amy, Rosie, and Henk take a helicopter to the New Forest, landing on Gary Gough’s helipad. Steve is surprised to see Lauren Gough and Mollie Bright laughing together in the garden. Gary reveals that Lauren apologized to Mollie, and the girls have since been inseparable.

Part 2, Chapter 72 Summary

Eddie follows Amy, Steve, and Rosie to the New Forest and books into a hotel. Before he takes action, he must find out if it is possible to shoot someone through glass in a high building. As he goes to his room, a glinting tiger brooch alerts him to the presence of Rosie D’Antonio in the restaurant.

Part 2, Chapter 73 Summary

Rosie is dining with an old friend, Derek Charters. Derek is an investment banker who suggests that whoever is laundering money through Vivid Viral Media Agency will likely have an existing connection to its owner, Felicity Woollaston.

Rosie glimpses Eddie Flood on the stairs. It occurs to her that Eddie may be working for Vasiliy Karpin. While protecting Amy, she has forgotten her own life is in danger.

Part 2, Chapter 74 Summary

Rosie joins Amy and Steve outside the Brass Monkey. Steve explains that the quiz team is not expecting him, so his replacement, Martin, will be there. As they enter the pub, Martin turns around and reveals that he is Jeff Nolan. Steve is unsurprised, stating that he realized Jeff must have told his friends about Courtney Lewis. Jeff explains it was the only way he could safely communicate with them. He faked his death by pouring blood samples from the office freezer over the seat of his car. Jeff admits he was staying in Steve’s empty cottage until Felicity arrived.

When Henk arrives, he and Jeff argue over which of them is Joe Blow. They also cannot agree on the answers to the quiz questions.

Part 2, Chapter 75 Summary

Bonnie receives the leather holdall she must take to São Paulo.

Part 2, Chapter 76 Summary

At Steve’s cottage, Jeff shows the team his latest email from Loubet, pointing out that the sender’s formal authorial style sounds just like Henk. In the email, Loubet asks Jeff to pass on his regards to Joe Blow. Jeff reveals that he sent someone to release Kevin from Rosie’s panic room, and the former Navy Seal was murdered shortly afterward.

Steve reveals that he stole Nelson Nunez’s SIM card and, posing as the drug dealer, has been corresponding with Loubet’s murder broker, Rob Kenna. Steve also suggests that Max Highfield could be Joe Blow, as he received a fee for recruiting all the murdered influencers to Maximum Impact Solutions.

Part 2, Chapter 77 Summary

Rob Kenna decides to kill Amy Wheeler himself.

Part 2, Chapter 78 Summary

Police officers knock at Steve’s door with a warrant for Amy’s arrest. By the time Steve allows them in, Amy has gone.

Part 2, Chapter 79 Summary

Steve and Rosie plan to fly to Dubai to find Max Highfield and Rob Kenna. Meanwhile, Jeff and Amy continue to keep a low profile while making further investigations. Lying in bed, Rosie hopes Jeff will knock on her door. She has given up attempting to seduce Steve, recognizing he is vulnerable. She looks forward to telling her therapist about her progress in setting boundaries. Meanwhile, Amy is asleep in Gary Gough’s guest wing.

Part 2, Chapters 53-79 Analysis

In this section, the narrative gathers pace as the plot’s climax approaches. Tension and conflict escalate as both Eddie Flood and Henk van Veen pursue Amy to Ireland. The classic thriller trope of the cat-and-mouse chase takes on a new dynamic as Eddie Flood becomes wise to the protagonists’ attempts to outsmart and escape him. The roles of “cat” and “mouse” shift, blurring who has the upper hand, as Amy plans to capture Eddie only to find he is waiting for her. Further intrigue is created as the hitman continues to follow the protagonists to fulfill an unknown agenda. The novel’s subplot intensifies the suspense as Bonnie Gregor appears to be destined for the same unfortunate fate as Vivid Viral Media Agency’s other influencers. Her receipt of the locked leather holdall symbolizes her unwitting involvement in crime and corruption.

Osman liberally utilizes the mystery device of the red herring in these chapters, misdirecting readers from guessing the identities of François Loubet and Joe Blow. As suspicion increasingly falls on Felicity Woollaston and Max Highfield, readers are encouraged to question the former’s naivety and the latter’s lack of intelligence. Eddie Flood’s preoccupation with the logistics of firing a shot in a high building is a further red herring. While this initially suggests that he intends to kill Rosie, Eddie’s concern later emerges as a plot detail he needs to fact-check in his crime novel. Among this misdirection, the author plants a clue that later proves crucial to the exposure of François Loubet—Mickey Moody’s revelation that his grandmothers raised him. A further classic characteristic of the murder mystery in this section is the plot twist, revealing that Steve’s replacement on the pub quiz team is Jeff Nolan, who faked his own death.

The novel’s humorous tone continues through the development of Henk van Veen’s character. Henk’s fastidiousness is illustrated in Chapter 58 by his lengthy sermon on the perfect consistency of a poached egg. The scene is reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s portrayal of detective Hercule Poirot, whose insistence on identically sized boiled eggs for breakfast represents his desire for neatness and order. However, Henk’s revelation that he enjoys the “thrill” of standing up while the plane lands undercuts his precise, strait-laced demeanor. The author also creates dark humor by expanding on the situational irony between Kenna and Moody. Oblivious to the fact that Mickey is Loubet, Kenna unwittingly offers his boss the job of killing Amy. Mickey’s polite refusal, claiming an aversion to illegal activities, underlines how successfully he has fooled Kenna.

Osman uses these chapters to showcase the protagonists’ combined skills as amateur sleuths. Once again, Steve’s ability to forge meaningful connections with others works to their advantage as they acquire help from the unlikely source of Gary Gough. Amy’s physical prowess and composure in life-or-death situations are illustrated when she escapes Eddie Flood’s ambush at Dublin airport. Meanwhile, Rosie utilizes her fame and resourcefulness when she appears on TV, offering a reward to find Eddie.

Personal Growth Arising from Challenges is explored as Amy admits vulnerability for the first time, confessing to Steve that she is scared of dying. The individual nature of personal anxieties is emphasized as Amy’s fear is contrasted with that of her father-in-law, who is “afraid of living” (271). While Amy perceives this emotion as a weakness, her insight and willingness to share this vulnerability signals character progression. Rosie also demonstrates significant character development when she imposes boundaries on herself in her relationship with Steve. By giving up attempts to seduce him, Rosie mindfully changes her habitual response to men she finds attractive. Her self-restraint is a recognition that Steve is still grieving for his wife. It also underlines The Importance of Friendship as Rosie realizes she does not want to jeopardize a valued friendship. Equally, Steve’s increasing enjoyment of his adventures is accompanied by a growing appreciation of the fun Rosie introduces to his life.

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