If there was a question that was asked on the BBC daytime quiz Pointless, asking for a name of a person who was at TV exec, quiz host side kick, quiz host, podcast host and bestselling author, there would only be one answer- Richard Osman.

Osman’s success, and the continuation of it, would be so utterly annoying if he wasn’t such an agreeable and likeable chap. It does seem that he may have signed his soul to the devil however, as his career just keeps going from strength to strength.

Having turned his hand to writing, Osman quickly became a bestselling author for his The Thursday Murder Club series, which is currently up to the fourth instalment, with none other than Steven Spielberg buying the film rights and the film directed by Chris Columbus of Home Alone fame. .

Giving himself and his readers a break from that world, Osman has created, as the cover declares “a brand new series” with We Solve Murders. For many other authors it would be somewhat presumptuous to announce a series on the cover of the first book, but Osman has the Midas touch, and a further successful series is guaranteed. Luckily for him, and the rest of us, it also happens to be warranted.

Serving as personal security for the renowned author Rosie D’Antonio is Amy Wheeler. She finds herself on a private island, and it’s a pretty sweet gig. Or it should be...before she knows it, dead bodies are turning up, and she appears to be someone’s next target.

There’s only one person she trusts to help her out – if she can persuade him that is - and that’s her father-in-law, Steve. He’s a retired policeman, who lives almost alone since his wife died, with his cat Trouble for company. He also enjoys quiz nights down the pub with his mates. In short, life is just how he wants it to be.

The thing is, Amy can be quite persuasive, and although he hates the idea of anything upsetting his current lifestyle, Amy is family, and you just can’t say no to that. So before you can say “mine’s another pint”, Steve finds himself whisked away, enjoying the kind of treatment that only celebrities – like Rosie – become accustomed to, as the pair try to solve the current spate of murders, as well as prevent Amy being one of them.

Although Osman’s army of fans (and there are many, all four of his The Thursday Murder Club books were in last year’s top 20 bestselling books, with the series selling 10 million worldwide, with 7 million of that being in the UK alone) may be a little miffed that he has parked their new favourite series to one side, you imagine their disappointed won’t last long after just a few pages into this one.

Osman has a veritably cosy style of writing, which is easily digestible as well as be hugely entertaining. It’s a risk of sorts for the author to embark on a new series, but as it still imbues that winning formula, it really wasn’t that much of a risk.

This series allows him to work on a far bigger scale, globally, especially with the bottomless pit of funds available to the main protagonists from the successful author Rosie, who has a personal jet on stand-by, meaning any destination is viable. This not only gives this book scope, but of course the rest of the series to follow, giving it a more international flavour.

And if you weren’t enamoured with The Thursday Murder Club series, as we weren’t, there’s every chance you’ll enjoy the antics of the Wheelers and their globetrotting murder investigations.

Osman certainly knows his audience, making this entry especially, a very easy read, full of affable characters, not too graphic murders, and a terribly British sensibility throughout. In other words, another bloody hit on his hands.