The fifth book from Richard Osman, following the ever-so delightful “Thursday Murder Club” novels, this departure from that pattern is a fully satisfying entry to the list. It features a retired detective whose life revolves around the weekly quiz at the local pub, a favorite bench dedicated to his deceased wife and a cat who rules the household schedules and Steve Wheeler’s life in general. His daughter Amy, erstwhile private security operative with mad martial skills and an uncanny sense of impending danger rivalling “Spider Sense” is a character easy to love. They find themselves pulled into a series of misadventures brought about by violence either perpetrated by or visited upon the firm for which she works. It’s uncertain and this ambiguity provides much of the tension in the book, masterfully plaid out by a skilled writer with a quirky imagination and “smart-alec” detective patter that would make Mickey Spillane or Raymond Chandler jealous. For the reader, it’s a wonderful, fun ride with an ideal guide.

When the story begins, Amy is on a remote island providing protection for a veteran murder mystery author whose life has been threatened by a mobster used as a model for the villain in one of her books. The baddie is unhappy about his portrayal and has ordered a “hit”. Amy is eminently qualified in this capacity. She can feel approaching peril in her bones and is astonishingly clever in dealing with threats, whether she’s fully armed or bound and gagged with no weapons. She is the weapon. You just can’t beat this stuff for action, dialogue and plot, all limned with a wonderful light touch that seems simple but which I am certain is not. It’s hard work to write this effortless-seeming type of prose and it should be appreciated for the yeoman work it is.

Now in paperback, this charming murder mystery/thriller is not to be missed, especially if you’ve read Osman’s previous books, If you haven’t, then, well, you should.