Book 7 in the police procedural featuring Met Detective Max Wolfe. Sixteen years ago a young PC Wolfe arrested Emma Moon at the scene of an armed robbery that left two men dead. During her time in prison, she never gave up her accomplices. Now free, is she out for revenge? A most enjoyable read!

I've read about Parsons, or rather noted him in crime field for years.. an aura of top quality.. so when I spotted his work on net galley, I thgt to give it a 'go' ..what i discover is a fine writer, presenting well honed characters (exceptbm i think the protagonist's (Max's) daughter is utterly too precocious .. she's a burgeoning teen but 12 is too young for things she does (unless he has had other personal experience) ..but running alongside is release from prison of a woman wrongly done-by (again) who's however not without fault herself .. helping to mask guilt of two thugs .. they all seem to be dying on her release from prison where she was the only one to be arrested for a massive robbery. ..sounds awfully contemporary (epstein story) .. but here revenge overtakes. And the story is effectively played out. The overall feel of the book is dark, melancholic and I had to get used to that, and its slow pace. But he can certainly write...

Murder for Busy People is a fun, fast read with plenty of twists to keep you hooked. Tony Parsons keeps things moving with short chapters and snappy dialogue, which makes it super easy to fly through. It’s not the most groundbreaking crime novel out there, but it’s definitely entertaining and well put together. Perfect if you want a solid murder mystery without getting bogged down in too much detail.

This is not something I usually do, but I requested a copy of this without having the previous books in the series. I ended up enjoying this so much I ended up starting the series from beginning. I haven’t caught up yet to this- book 7- but it won’t be long. I’m a bit of a sucker for the rogue middle aged investigator trope! Excellent read. Many thanks to NetGalley for an arc of this book.

As Emma is released from prison early the other gang members she didn't rat on are suddenly turning up dead after seeming to have been scared to death. Cue an action packed investigation byMax as he struggles with his own domestic drama of being a single parent to a teenage daughter. This is full of action from start to finish. There are plenty of red herrings and action fulled interactions. I enjoyed the realism and the rawness of this, the characters were beliveble. The plot in places felt a little too ott but i would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good mystery which appears to be more complex than a to b. The characters are flawed and this is evident in all their interactions. Thank you netgallery, author and publisher for this cracking 4 star read.

A departure from the authors previous books, a dark yet enjoyable thriller/police procedural. Evokes vivid descriptions of the streets surrounding Smithfield Market and the villains that still, too often, control London.

The setup was compelling and kept me turning the pages.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I was so happy to be back with Max, Scout, Stan and Mrs Murphy. This was a really good later addition to the series. Although the main case isn’t as exciting as they usually are it was still interesting and I felt the pace was slower to allow Max to explore his feelings all these years later. The second case about Suzanne was a lot more interesting for me personally and I didn’t see the twist at the end coming at all. The only thing I really missed from this installment that was present in the previous ones was the humour, I found this one a lot heavier now Scout is older. I also struggled to believe that Max having the career and world knowledge he did would really give his 12 year old so much freedom, it read more that she was 15 going on 16 than 12 going on 13 so this threw me out a little while reading but overall I really enjoyed it.

Author’s writing is engaging and compelling. The book was full of unthinkable happenings and twists. It has a good revenge plot. I felt so much for the main character. The backstory was touching and all the unthinkable kept me on the edge. Emma Moon has served nine years for robbery and killing men. Now she is out and seeking revenge to those who upended her life but that’s not it. The truth was rather shocking and buried beneath the layers of unsettling memories and secrets. The book truly shook me.

4.5

This is an easy, enjoyable read, following the investigations of Detective Max Wolfe as he untangles the mysteries surrounding a crime 16 years ago.

The characters and the diverse relationships between them are all clearly formed. There is a variety of settings effectively described, from a soup kitchen, to London pubs.

I was interested to find out what was in the safe all those years ago, looking for clues as to who was behind all the deaths. The one part of the story that really rankled me was the activities of
his daughter (12 year old Scout), out really late at night and often left home alone, as Max went out to work. I understand the need for her to do this, demonstrated in the plot, but really? Nice twists although not wholly unexpected.

The reflection at the end of the book, about daughters and dogs was thoughtful and touching. A fun read.

Max is back, how i have missed him and he is back with a bang, another gripping case, mysterious, suspenseful, heartwarming, a modern noir , bravo Tony....encore please...more more more .

I am still largely undecided on this one. I read all the previous ones and I really wanted to love this one as well, but it didn't really grip me as much as I had hoped.

Needed editing
I was looking forward to reading this new Tony Parsons’ book but sadly I found it a chore. I kept picking it up waiting to be engrossed in the story but it didn’t happen. It felt like the whole book was setting out the scene rather than building to a crescendo. And the exposition… the book really needed a good editing. Each character was followed by a description, pretty much the same description, every time they were mentioned. EVERY TIME. The handsome gangster, the beautiful Emma Moon (always Emma Moon, never just Emma) who had dancer’s long limbs and who had grown into her beauty. Her little gang, a feral young woman, an addled ex-model, the thuggish former prison guard… and Anne, Max’s former wife… good grief, by the time we got to the end and Anne appears for reasons almost entirely incomprehensible to me, Parson’s was obsessed with describing how beautiful she was.

The murders were largely irrelevant, seemingly interesting but the explanations for them were vomited out and swatted away with little regard.

The final paragraphs were utterly bizarre. Reminiscent of the final scenes of TVs After Life, it was beautiful but I wondered if I was having a fever dream, so disconnected from the story was it.

There is a good story in here but my goodness, you have to work hard to find it.

Is this really the same Tony Parsons who wrote Man and boy? Or #Taken?

If you haven’t read any Parsons before, I beg you don’t start with this one.

This is our 7th outing with DS Max Wolfe.
I haven’t read any previous Max Wolfe novels but I have read one other Tony Parsons book, which I enjoyed!

Emma Moon never snitched and because of that has spent 16 years of a 30 year sentence in prison.
And she is about to be released.

While out walking his dog, Max finds a Rottweiler called Buddy standing guard over his master’s body.

Meanwhile, Max’s daughter is on a compassionate crusade to fight for the homeless.

How is all this linked to the very first arrest that Max made, 16 years ago, of Emma Moon?

I have enjoyed this book. The more it went on, the more the pieces started to link together.
I did find it a little draw out in places but flew through the last 100 pages or so.

I’d like to thank NetGalley, Randon House Uk and Cornerstone for an advanced eARC and apologies for my tardy review!

This was another fantastic outing from Tony Parsons, who breathes life into Max Wolfe and delves deeper into his world and the ever-evolving dynamics of his relationship with his daughter, Scout. It felt like a triumphant return to Tony Parsons’s storytelling prowess. I’m captivated by the intricate plot, which challenges my perceptions of good and evil, just like in real life. The story weaves together multiple threads, exploring the murder of a homeless woman, Suzanne, and the captivating mystery surrounding Emma Moon. Amidst all this, we witness Scout’s growth and delve into the complex dynamics of single parents and their teenage children.

What truly sets this series apart is its honest and authentic portrayal of life’s complexities, featuring relatable and well-developed characters. I find these books incredibly engaging and never fail to be pleasantly surprised by the endings. I wholeheartedly request more of Tony Parsons’s work in the future!

Having read all of Tony Parsons books to date I know they can be a bit hit and Miss. this was more of a miss for me - max and Scout were enjoyable when she was younger but now she’s turned into a young adult activist I found her annoying and predictable. Not all youngsters are like that. Would be nice to see something different from the usual teenage stroppy tropes

A very enjoyable book to read that had quite a number of twists and turns that kept you reading on unsure of where the author was taking you.

This was a little slow for me but once it got going it has a great storyline. The main character was very der and I like how the story unravelled around him. I haven’t read anything by this author before but would defo look out for his books in the future

I could not get into this book. I did not find it interesting nor gripping. There was too much padding that I did not find interesting or relevant.

Another great holiday read in the bag! I love Tony Parsons and I love the Max Wolfe series. This book is number 7 in the series and is just as excellent as the rest. It starts with Emma Moon being released from a 16 year stint in prison. She was Wolfe’s first arrest and there are still unanswered questions from the crime. Then bodies start piling up, old suspects. So it’s up to Wolfe to crack the case before he becomes the next body.

As usual Parsons delivered another great crime thriller with all the usual hallmarks of a Wolfe novel, suspenseful and funny at times too. That twist at the end 😱😱

If you haven’t started this series, then you must!