The following edition of the text was used in the creation of this study guide: Osman, Richard. We Solve Murders. Penguin Random House, 2024. Kindle AZW file.

Fitness influencer Andrew Fairbanks is found dead near a luxury yacht off the South Carolina coast with a bag of money. Media interest in his death is brief.

Meanwhile, novelist Rosie D’Antonio and her bodyguard Amy Wheeler are on Rosie’s private island in South Carolina. Amy protects Rosie from threats by Russian oligarch Vasiliy Karpin. They are joined by a former Navy SEAL, Kevin, who is employed as a cook. Amy reflects on her past and the murders of three influencers, including Andrew Fairbanks, tied to her company. Rosie complains about being confined on the island. Elsewhere, retired detective Steve Wheeler, Amy’s father-in-law, lives alone in Axley, New Forest, England. He runs a small investigations business and struggles with insomnia, spending nights walking and recording notes on a Dictaphone while visiting his late wife’s memorial bench.

Jeff Nolan, the CEO of Maximum Impact Solutions where Amy works, suspects money smuggler Francois Loubet of involvement in three influencer murders. Jeff fears losing clients to ex-partner Henk van Veen. Hollywood star Max Highfield discusses client referrals with Jeff, harasses Jeff’s assistant Susan Knox, and leaves. Jeff and Susan review communications with Loubet and discuss Amy Wheeler’s proximity to the murders.

Francois Loubet uses ChatGPT to mask his communications. He receives an email from his mole at Maximum Impact Solutions, “Joe Blow,” who begs him to stop the influencer murders. Loubet plans to have Amy killed. He hires hitman Rob Kenna to kill Amy. In Dubai, Rob Kenna, a DJ and assassin, plans Amy’s murder while golfing with his friend Mickey Moody.

On Rosie’s private island, Kevin, the cook and former Navy SEAL, ambushes Amy with a gun. Rosie knocks him out with an Oscar trophy and locks him in the panic room. Amy and Rosie decide to stick together. Rosie and Amy flee the island by speedboat. Rosie enjoys the excitement. Loubet learns from Kenna that Amy escaped the first assassination attempt but is reassured another killer is en route.

Steve receives a call from Amy, who asks for his help solving the influencer murders. Steve resists, but he is persuaded by Amy. Loubet warns Rob Kenna that if Amy is not killed within a week, Rob will be killed. Steve flies to America on Rosie’s private jet. Uncomfortable with the luxury, he convinces the flight attendant to have a beer with him.

In Dubai, Rob Kenna contacts Eddie Flood in London, instructing him to kill Amy but spare Rosie to avoid drawing attention. Eddie, intrigued by the idea of meeting Rosie, has a personal plan for when they meet. The plan is not disclosed.

Steve arrives in South Carolina and intentionally behaves suspiciously at the airport to observe security protocols. He bonds with officer Carlos over their shared love of Van Halen and convinces him to show security footage of Andrew Fairbanks arriving at the airport. Steve meets up with Amy and Rosie. Eddie Flood arrives in South Carolina, aiming to kill Amy. He tries to befriend Carlos at airport security, but Carlos locks him in an interrogation room and tells Steve about his arrival. Carlos apologizes to Eddie for holding him and tricks him into believing Rosie’s private plane is headed to Hawaii. At the airport, Rosie, Amy, and Steve laugh as Eddie departs for Hawaii, chasing Rosie’s decoy jet. Meanwhile, they fly to St. Lucia.

In St. Lucia, Rosie, Steve, and Amy are driven to their hotel by Ferdy, whom Steve befriends. Ferdy provides information about Bella Sanchez, leading them to a drug dealer, Nelson Nunez. Steve admires the beauty of St. Lucia and regrets never traveling with Debbie due to his dislike of change and uncertainty. Rob Kenna, angry about Eddie’s detour to Hawaii, contacts Nelson Nunez in St. Lucia, hiring him to kill the person traveling with Rosie. Nelson agrees. Rosie, Steve, and Amy visit Nelson Nunez’s house to question him.

Nelson and his nephew ambush Rosie, Steve, and Amy. Nelson hesitates, unsure which of Rosie’s two companions to kill. In the chaos, Steve grabs Rosie’s hidden gun and shoots both Nelson and his nephew. They agree to take the nephew to the hospital if Nelson answers their questions. Eddie arrives in St. Lucia and rides with Ferdy. Eddie gets a message from Rob Kenna suggesting Amy may now be in Dublin. Ferdy lies, saying Rosie is headed to Fiji. Eddie doesn’t believe him and decides to go to Dublin.

At Dublin airport, Eddie shoots at Amy, but she escapes. Rosie appears on Irish television, claiming her life was saved by a man from Cork. She offers a reward for anyone who can find him and shares a photo of Eddie, encouraging people in Cork to report sightings of him. Eddie calls Rob, explaining he has to give up pursuing Amy due to public attention. Rob agrees and tells Eddie to keep the money, but Eddie secretly plans to continue trailing Rosie for an unknown reason.

Rosie, Steve, and Amy travel by helicopter to the vineyard where one of the influencers was killed. They are confronted by Henk, former business partner of Amy’s boss Jeff, who accuses Amy of being behind the murders. Amy denies this and accuses Henk of being the culprit. Henk presents evidence linking Jeff to the killings. Steve asks Henk for 24 hours to investigate before taking any action, saying it’s time for him to go home.

Rosie, Steve, Amy, and Henk return to Axley and attend Steve’s weekly pub quiz. Eddie follows the group to Axley. At the pub quiz, Steve’s team discovers that Martin, who temporarily replaced Steve, is actually Jeff Nolan in disguise. Jeff faked his death to hide while Amy investigated. Steve insists everyone participate in the quiz before discussing the case further. Steve, Amy, Rosie, Henk, Jeff, Tony, and Felicity gather at Steve’s house to discuss the case. Henk and Jeff accuse each other of orchestrating the murders, but both deny responsibility. Steve notices all influencers in the smuggling scheme were referred by Hollywood actor Max Highfield. Police knock on Steve’s door, asking about Amy’s whereabouts. Steve stalls them, allowing Amy to escape out the back.

On a private jet to Dubai, Steve is surprised to find himself accustomed to this luxurious way of traveling. In Dubai, Rosie meets Vasiliy Karpin, the Russian oligarch who tried to have her killed. He explains he called off the hit because his sister-in-law is a fan of Rosie’s novels. He asks her to sign one for her. Rosie wonders why Eddie is still following her if the hit has been canceled.

Rosie and Steve meet Hollywood actor Max Highfield, pretending they want him to star in a film adaptation of Rosie’s book. They describe a plot involving influencers smuggling money to see if Max reveals inside knowledge, but he seems oblivious. He mentions that something similar happened to his friend, Jeff Nolan. Max’s assistant shows Steve how public camera feeds, like the kennel cam Max uses to monitor his dogs, can be hacked. Rosie and Steve conclude Max isn’t involved in the murders.

At Maximum Impact Solutions headquarters, Susan, Head of HR, shows Amy and Jeff files on the murdered influencers. Jeff claims the evidence implicates Amy.

In Dubai, Steve talks to Mickey, Rob Kenna’s friend, hoping for an introduction to Rob. The men bond over their shared grief for lost loved ones. Mickey shares stories of his grandmothers, and Steve realizes he has identified Francois Loubet.

Jeff and Amy turn their guns on each other at Maximum Impact Solutions, believing the other to be guilty. Amy disarms Jeff and leaves, instructing Susan not to call the police. Amy and Jeff observe Susan through a two-way mirror at Maximum Impact Solutions. They hear her phone call, revealing she is the mole, "Joe Blow," working for Francois Loubet.

Eddie visits Rosie’s hotel room, revealing he’s been following her to ask her to read his novel. Rosie jokes that she would have preferred if he were trying to kill her.

In a Dubai pub, Steve confronts Mickey, revealing he knows Mickey is Francois Loubet. Steve noticed tattoos of Mickey’s grandmothers’ names—Louisa (Lou) and Elizabeth (Bet)—matching Loubet’s aliases. Mickey dismisses the accusation as insufficient evidence. Steve counters with proof Mickey killed Rob Kenna, obtained by hacking Mickey’s video doorbell.

Amy suggests starting a murder investigation business with Steve. Rosie offers to fund it. Steve hesitates, reluctant to travel far from home again. Amy reveals they already have a case in Turkmenistan. They name the venture "We Solve Murders."