We Chase Shadows audiobook vs book: which should you choose?
The book has short chapters and a lot of places, and reviewers keep calling it funny.
Short answer: for the We Chase Shadows audiobook vs book choice, we say read it on Kindle (84% confidence, clear). The audiobook is read by Nicola Walker, unabridged, and runs about 11 hrs in the UK (10 hrs 22 mins in the US). The UK edition ends with a conversation between Osman and Walker. Several viewpoints and a move between 2001 and the present, all read by one narrator, favour print.
Read it on Kindle
Several viewpoints and a jump between 2001 and the present, all read by one narrator, favour reading. Only the length, over 400 pages, favours audio.
Affiliate links: we may earn a small commission, at no cost to you. It never changes a verdict.
Confidence 84%, which puts it in the clear band. Bands run from close call at 50 to 64, through leaning at 65 to 79 and clear at 80 to 94, up to clear cut at 95 and above.
We Chase Shadows
Richard Osman
- Genre
- Crime, murder mystery
- Series
- We Solve Murders, book 2
- Published
- 2026
- Length
- 432 pages in the UK hardback
- On audio
- 11 hrs in the UK
- Narrated by
- Nicola Walker
On this page
Why we reached this verdict
Every book on this site is checked against the same thirteen questions. They are based on research into what most people find easier to follow in each format, not on whether the book is any good.
Listening: long book (3), 3 points. Reading: jumping timelines (8), three or more points of view, one narrator (8), 16 points. 84% of the confirmed points favour reading, so the verdict is read it on Kindle at 84% confidence (clear).
The recording at a glance
- Narrated by
- Nicola Walker, who also read We Solve Murders, unabridged in both the UK and the US
- Length
- 11 hrs 00 mins in the UK and 10 hrs 22 mins in the US, or about 7 hours 20 minutes and 6 hours 55 minutes at one and a half times speed
- Publisher
- Penguin Audio in both countries, from 10 September 2026 in the UK and 15 September in the US
- What audio adds
- In the UK edition, an exclusive conversation between Richard Osman and Nicola Walker at the end of the audiobook
- What you miss
- Nothing confirmed. The chapter 5 ellipsis is flagged by the publisher so listeners know the silence is deliberate
What this book actually is
This is the second We Solve Murders book, after We Solve Murders in 2024, published by Viking in the UK on 10 September 2026 and by Pamela Dorman Books in the US five days later. The team is Amy, a protection officer, her father-in-law Steve Wheeler, a retired policeman, and the novelist Rosie D'Antonio, with office manager Felicity Woollaston counted by one review as a fourth lead. The case moves between a villa in the Italian hills, Barcelona, Palm Springs and Steve's village pub, and reviews add Málaga and Sweden.
It is not a Thursday Murder Club book. Osman has said rights prevent the two series crossing over, though there is a small nod to readers in this one. Page counts vary by edition: 432 for the UK hardback, 352 for the US hardcover.
The case for reading it
The strongest argument for print is how spread out the story is. Chapters move between several characters, villains included, across half a dozen countries, and one Goodreads reader found a lot of characters to keep track of, all in different locations. Another said the audio required close attention, and that even then they had not worked out who did it. In print you can flick back to check where someone was last seen; on audio you have to search back through the recording.
The story moves between 2001 and the present, and in print a dateline tells you at once that you have changed period. Two independent sources confirm the Málaga, 2001 opening; the exact number of later 2001 chapters rests on a single review. Some readers use both formats: one followed the Kindle text with the Nicola Walker audio playing alongside.
The case for listening to it
This is a book reviewers keep calling funny, and comedy is where a good narrator makes the most difference. Portobello Book Blog says a book full of murders shouldn't be funny, but this really is; Bookreporter calls it absurd fun with some touching moments. Much of that comes from the leads pulling in different directions, and that kind of comedy depends on delivery.
Nicola Walker read We Solve Murders too, so the characters sound the same as they did in book one, and BookPage calls her an Audie Award winner. The chapters are short and the plot moves, and the audiobook misses nothing from print: there is no map, no cast list and no documents. UK listeners also get a conversation between Osman and Walker at the end.
The audiobook in detail
Penguin Audio released the UK download on 10 September 2026 at exactly 11 hours, about 7 hours 20 minutes at one and a half times speed. The US edition, also Penguin Audio, came out on 15 September at 10 hours 22 minutes, about 6 hours 55 minutes at that speed, with a Books on Tape library CD set following on 29 September. The UK listing names the bonus conversation and the US listing does not mention it; whether that accounts for the 38-minute difference is not stated.
Both listings carry the same note: chapter 5 ends with a deliberate ellipsis and no audio is missing. Readers of Osman's other series will know its narrator changed from book 3, when Lesley Manville's filming schedule meant Fiona Shaw read The Bullet That Missed. This series has had one narrator throughout.
Who should ignore this verdict
Audio suits anyone who wants Nicola Walker’s delivery for the comedy. She read We Solve Murders too, reviewers keep calling this book funny, and that kind of comedy depends on delivery.
It also suits anyone who read book one on audio and would rather keep the same narrator for the series, since this series has had one narrator throughout. UK listeners also get a conversation between Osman and Walker at the end.
You can also use both formats: one reader followed the Kindle text with the Nicola Walker audio playing alongside. The chapters are short, and the audiobook misses nothing from print: there is no map, no cast list and no documents.
Read differently from most people? The app, coming soon, will let you switch off any of the thirteen checks. Get notified →
Related verdicts
The Thursday Murder Club
This is Osman's other series, and its verdict was decided on the same pattern.
Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel
This is another new mystery from the same month, read by a cast rather than one narrator.
The Impossible Fortune
This is Osman’s fifth Thursday Murder Club novel, and either format works.
Start hereHow we decide
The thirteen questions behind every verdict on this site.
Questions people ask
Who narrates We Chase Shadows?
Nicola Walker, who also narrated We Solve Murders. She reads the whole book, unabridged, in both the UK and US editions.
Do I need to read We Solve Murders first?
It is the second book in the series and follows the same team, so reading We Solve Murders first shows how Amy, Steve and Rosie came together. Series reading guides recommend starting there.
Is We Chase Shadows a Thursday Murder Club book?
No. It belongs to Osman's separate We Solve Murders series. He has said that because of rights the two series cannot cross over, though he has left a small nod to readers in this book.
Should I read or listen to We Chase Shadows?
Read it on our checks (84% confidence, clear). Several viewpoints and a move between 2001 and the present, all read by one narrator, favour print; only the length favours audio.
How long is the We Chase Shadows audiobook?
11 hours in the UK and 10 hours 22 minutes in the US, which is about 7 hours 20 minutes or 6 hours 55 minutes at one and a half times speed. The UK edition ends with a conversation between Richard Osman and Nicola Walker.
Do you agree with this verdict?
We said read it on Kindle. One tap, no sign-up.
Spotted a mistake on this page? Tell us and we will fix it. Or tell us how the site could be better.
How this verdict was reached
Every book on this site is checked against the same thirteen questions, set in advance and applied identically to every title. They are based on research into what readers and listeners generally find easier to follow in each format, not on personal preference, and they are published in full so you can check the reasoning yourself. Verdicts are never paid for, sponsored or influenced by affiliate partners.
- The criteria: read the thirteen questions in full.
- What we checked for this book: the narrator credit and run times on both territorial editions, the bonus material listed on each, the publisher's listener note, what reviewers say about the cast, the locations and the humour, and every listing for maps or a cast list.
- Verdict last reviewed: 23 October 2026. Editions and narrators change, so verdicts are rechecked annually.
- Prefer different criteria? The app, coming soon, will let you change which of the thirteen questions matter to you.
Deciding about a different book?
Search for it. If we've written it up, we'll take you to the verdict. If not, we'll add it to our list of books to check.