Read it, enjoy it, I couldn’t put it down.. For the full review go to https://www.tumblr.com/joebloggshere/772042680597463040/murder-is-for-busy-people-max-wolfe-7-by-tony

This time I felt disappointed with the book by Tony Parsons. Most of his other books I have really enjoyed.

Despite enjoying Max and his relationship with his daughter, dog and all the people he worked alongside the book lacked something and left me feeling very flat. There was not enough bite and excitement to the plot.

It was too lightweight and needed spark. I did however finish it……I never like leaving a book unfinished.

Murder for Busy People is the 7th book in the DC Max Wolfe series by Tony Parsons.
In short, Max Wolfe is back & Emma Moon is out after serving 16 years for a notorious armed robbery that left two men dead. But Emma Moon never talked, never revealing her accomplices and the missing money and now the men involved start to die in suspicious circumstances…it’s looking like a targeted hit list and Max is said to be on the list as he was the young policeman that arrested Emma Moon all those years ago.
This is the first book I’ve read by Tony Parsons, now I’m hooked and will be looking at reading the previous Max Wolfe books.
Murder for Busy People is a smart, gritty crime novel…it’s fast, hard and yet at times exposes the vulnerability in people during dangerous and chaotic times, it’s a story that doesn’t let go until the very last page and I loved it.
Big thanks to Tony Parsons, Random House UK and NetGalley for this eARC which I chose to read in return for my honest review.

I have read and enjoyed other books by Tony Parsons but not any from the Max Wolfe series. Murder For Busy People does work as a standalone story but it lacked the tension you'd expct from a police drama. I enjoyed Max, his daughter Scout and Stan the dog and even Mrs Murphy and her family, his long term friendship with Jackson Rose and his burgeoning relationships with Sita and Bear but the crime aspect just fell flat in my opinion. It still made for an easy, interesting read but I really didn't care who wa frightening these people to death.

I have read and enjoyed quite a number of books written by Tony Parsons both from this series and his standalone ones but I am really unhappy to say that this fell a bit flat for me unfortunately.

I love the character of Max Wolfe, his relationship with his daughter, dog and colleagues and I love the style of Tony's writing but this just didn't seem to have the thrill or tension that I was expecting nor did it have me gripped like his books usually do.

Whilst the main story was intriguing and had me guessing, there were times when I felt it was quite repetitive and, I'm sad to say, boring. I did however finish it and it certainly won't put me off reading Tony Parson's work in the future or more in the Max Wolfe series as I am rarely disappointed.

I may be in the minority here if other reviews are to go by so don't take my word for it and give it a go and I must thank the author, Random House UK, Cornerstone and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this, the latest outing for Max Wolfe.

I was sent an uncorrected advance proof copy of Murder for Busy People by Tony Parsons to read and review by NetGalley. I have to say I was rather underwhelmed with this novel; it didn’t seem to have any of the tension found in the one other novel I have read by this author, which was not a Max Wolfe story. Having said this, the book, although rather repetitive in places, was readable enough for me to finish it. The final chapter however, I found totally unnecessary and out of character with the rest of the novel. I understand of course that this may have changed by the time the book was published.

5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling and Engaging
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 January 2025
Tony Parsons has written another riveting instalment in the DS Max Wolfe series with Murder for Busy People. The novel’s set in Shoreditch and Islington in London. It follows Detective Sergeant Max Wolfe as he navigates a complex case involving emma Moon, a woman recently released from prison after serving nine years for an armed robbery.

Emma Moon’s release sets off a chain of events that ties back to the heist from 16 years ago. Despite her silence about her accomplices and the missing money, Emma is now on a quest for revenge.

As incidents mount, Max Wolfe, bridges the challenges between being a thorough detective with being a single parent.

The character development is superb. The portrayal of Wolfe as a dedicated detective and a concerned and loving father is terrific. Emma Moon is a compelling antagonist, her motivations and actions drive the story with intensity.

The descriptions are engaging and ensure that it’s easy to visualise the settings and tensions.

The novel explores themes of justice, revenge, and the complexities of relationships. There’s exploration of moral ambiguities, particularly Wolf, who explores professionalism set against his personal moral compass.

Murder for Busy People is a gripping read that will appeal to fans of crime fiction and those who enjoy a well-crafted mystery. Tony Parsons thrills but more importantly it’s the reader’s relationship with the characters that once again ensures that there’s an emotional depth to the thriller.

Emma Moon was arrested by Max Wolfe years earlier will she get revenge. Good well realised characters and well plotted this book kept me up till the early hours with plenty of twists. Although it the seventh book in the series it can be read as a standalone. Thanks to Random house Cornerstone and Netgalley for this review ARC.

This is a series about Max Wolfe, I’ve not ready any, but it’s easily readable as a stand-alone. Emma Moon who Max arrested at the start of his career is let out of prison and bodies start appearing, she’s dying so it can’t be her, but who? I enjoyed this detective book and liked how the author made Max be a single dad and have a full time job. The story is set in London. I’d give it 3.5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

This is an enthralling read, it certainly kept holds of my attention. Max is a good lead character (with a few irritating traits), as are the police officers he works with. Some parts of the cases Max is working on are straight from real life, tragically, and not fiction, making the book all the more plausible. I recommend this book and will be looking out for the next in the series.

A cracking read!

Emma Moon has served her time - and now she's free. She kept her mouth shut about everything but now she's out it all seems to have gone - family, faithless husband and, most of all, the money. As she sets out for revenge she once again comes up against Max Wolfe the man who, as a young fresh-faced policeman, arrested her all those years ago. Will she manage to get her revenge - or will he stop her?

This isn't a series I've followed (but I wish I had); however, this seventh novel is an excellent stand-alone read. The characters are finely drawn and really come alive on the page. I was quickly pulled in to the story and found this to be a hard book to put down. Gripping, exciting and unpredictable, it's one I both thoroughly enjoyed and heartily recommend. 5*.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

It’s so good to have Max Wolfe and Scout back - but Scout is growing up and is fiercely passionate about homelessness and the environment. Max can feel her growing away from him and the arrival back of her mother seemingly wanting to have more of Scout in her life is just making that gap grow. Stan their dog is still an unbreakable bond between Max and Scout, but he’s also getting old.

Meantime the woman that a very young Max arrested for her part in a high profile robbery and two murders is being released from jail. Things start to happen to the other members of the gang and the two brothers who headed it up - one of them her now ex husband - are scared she’s coming after them. Hardened criminals want Max’s help!! The members of the gang are literally being scared to death, but Max doesn’t find Emma scary, he finds her as alluring as when he arrested her.

What exactly is going on with Emma Moon, are her rather odd friends who are completely in her thrall, helping her murder the rest of the gang? She’s not well enough herself, is she? She appears to have terminal cancer, which Max doesn’t really doubt.

Meantime what is going on with Scouts mum? Why is Scout retreating from Max and making him feel even worse about the homeless girl on his street who was also murdered? It’s looking like there might be bad actors in the Met, grooming girls and Max is hoping his old friend on the firearms team can help, but he’s reluctant to believe that his mates are capable of such a thing.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable but slightly more melancholy outing for Max and Scout, ably telling the ongoing story of the single father detective and his daughter while weaving a genuine mystery of sex and murder around Emma Moon and a local story of sex and murder, too. I thoroughly enjoyed it and continue to hope that we hear more from this series - but I worry about Stan!!

5* - ADVANCED REVIEW COPY - NET GALLEY

Tony Parsons was one of THE music journalists of the mid-to late seventies when such things mattered...each week I'd look to see what he, Julie Burchill, Charles Shaar Murray and Nick Kent had to say about bands and tunes that meant
so much.

He and Burchill wrote the memorable expose of rock n roll "The Boy Looked At Johnny", originally released in 1978. I loved his work.

We drifted apart over the four decades since then, but I think, on the strength of my first Max Wolfe novel (the seventh in the series), that I'd like to catch up as it was that rare thing, an unputdownable read.

There are twists and sub-plots throughout, an interesting cast of characters, red-herrings and reflections on life, life choices, relationships, parenting and of course, crime.

When time allows I'll go back and read the six preceding novels because I'd like to see how Max Wolfe has evolved - there are mentions of previous events but knowledge of them is not mandatory to enjoy this read, which I would encourage
any fan of contemporary British crime to do.

Not entirely sure why I nabbed this from NetGalley as I’ve not read the other Max Wolfe books before and my only experience of Tony Parsons’ work was a psychological thriller that just didn’t work for me as it was a psychological thriller that was, to be honest, not really in my genre. But this seemed to be more my sort of thing, so I thought I’d give it a go. And I’m glad I did.

It's a decent police procedural but it is far more than that. Parsons does a great job of bring Wolfe and his daughter to life, making the reader care about their tribulations, without ever feeling as if it’s getting in the way of the story.

Actually, that should be stories as there’s a second plot that’s not mentioned in the blurb, namely the death of a homeless girl who Wolfe had been helping and the ties to corrupt police officers. That’s one strand that I thought was a tad depressing – it does seem that the majority of police officers in this version of London are corrupt, untrustworthy and sexual predators. I’ll admit, I have little experience with the Metropolitan Police and I hope it stays that way, but I wouldn’t recommend this book to their PR department. And I really hope it’s not true.

The story of Emma Moon, and her cult of celebrity, is very well done – another character who you really feel for, and it comes to a very effective conclusion. The plotter in me thinks that the murder method working every time does show some real luck on behalf of the killer and I did think that one character’s role does pivot a bit to make the finale work, but when this only occurs to you in hindsight, I think that means the author got away with it.

Recommended for: Fans of gripping police procedurals, morally complex characters, and crime fiction with a heart.

Tony Parsons delivers yet another brilliant instalment in the Max Wolfe series with Murder for Busy People. This seventh book sees Max drawn back into the shadows of one of his earliest cases, a decision that forces him to confront both his past and the present dangers threatening those he loves.

Sixteen years ago, a fresh-faced Max arrested Emma Moon for her role in a robbery that left two men dead. Emma, now out of prison, is enigmatic as ever—silent on the details of that fateful day and the whereabouts of her accomplices. But when the former gang members begin to die under suspicious circumstances, Max is compelled to investigate. Is Emma seeking revenge, or is someone else pulling the strings?

Parsons weaves an intricate web of suspense, with the narrative effortlessly balancing multiple threads: the cold-case intrigue, a present-day murder of a homeless girl Scout once befriended, and Max’s evolving relationship with his teenage daughter. The latter offers a deeply personal lens into Max’s character, highlighting his vulnerability as a single father and his struggles to shield Scout from the world’s darker corners.

The pacing is sharp, the twists are clever, and the emotional beats resonate. Max’s reflections on morality, justice, and fatherhood elevate this from a standard procedural to something far more poignant. Long-time fans will appreciate the return of beloved characters like Scout and Stan, Max’s ever-loyal dog, while newcomers will find this an accessible entry point into the series.

Murder for Busy People is a masterclass in blending heart and grit. Tony Parsons reminds us why Max Wolfe remains one of crime fiction’s most compelling detectives. Here’s hoping we don’t have to wait another five years for the next instalment!

It's been five years since I said farewell to Max, Scout, and Stan. It was one of my favourite series and, although I have reconnected with them by way of listening to the Audiobooks, I have yearned for something new. To see how they were all doing. So it was with absolute delight and severe excitement when I found out there was to be a book seven. And then I got scared. Expectations and all that. Shouldn't have worried though. It was everything I wanted and more. If you haven't already discovered this series please do go back and start from the beginning. You won't regret it.
So, we start with the discovery of a dead body by a dog walker. Although this time the dog is Stan and the walker Max. The deceased is known to Max as the alleged driver of a robbery which occurred early in his career. He being the young cop who arrested the only person to serve time for the crime, Emma Moon, who - coincidentally - is due for release soon.
The death is ruled natural but Max knows there is more to it than that and his fears are founded when other people connected to the robbery also die...
Meanwhile, Scout is growing up too fast and is finding causes of her own to fight. specifically the increase in homelessness. For someone so young she is very determined, poor Max!
To say I blooming loved this book would be a gross understatement. It was so wonderful reconnecting with old friends that I never stopped wondering about, caring about, wishing I knew what they were up to. And it was everything I wanted and more...
Max is still lovely, Ann is still a cow, Scout is still wonderfully precocious and Stan is still the best dog in the world, despite being long in the tooth and getting slow.
The story was, as always, captivating and held my attention all the way through. It was well plotted and contained up to date issues woven seamlessly throughout the plot, especially the exploitation of vulnerable people by others abusing their powers.
And that bittersweet ending. When all the stones came to their conclusions satisfyingly but, at the same time, bringing with it the time to once again have to say goodbye to the old friends I had only just reconnected with. Please don't let it be another five year wait...
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Emma Moon is out having served hard time for an armed robbery that killed two men and enriched many more. but she’s never talked; And she's never given up the money. Now she's free & it's payback time. As the bodies of the innocent and the guilty pile up, one detective stands between a career criminal and her quest for revenge. Max Wolfe, single parent of a teenage daughter, a fiercely independent detective who owes nothing to anyone and who has own very particular form of justice.
The seventh book in the series & it could easily be read on its own. I really like Max & he’s so relatable especially with the handling of his pre-teen daughter. A very well written book that is fast paced, has plenty of twists & turns. Not everyone is whom they seem & I had no idea who to trust. A fascinating case which had me on the edge of my seat
I voluntarily read and reviewed a special copy of this book; all thoughts and opinions are my own

An easy read but not gripping and I found it boring in parts. Perhaps I needed to read other books in the series to fully appreciate it. An honest review and thanks to Net Galley for the chance to try a new author.

A murder mystery with heart! Well. Constructed with multiple different storylines that engage and propel the story along..
A cold case from Max Wolf’s early days when he arrested Emma Moon, one of an armed robbery gang; in the process giving him a moral dilemma as she swore she was innocent and wanted him to let her go to care for her young son. She served a substantial sentence,,refusing to give up anyone else..Around her release other members of the gang start mysteriously dying.
Max, a single parent finds his daughter, a precocious pre teen difficult to handle which is sensitively portrayed, especially as she strays into the main storyline. Difficulties within the police force, particularly the armed division are tackled and the ever growing problem of homelessness in London. I loved the book, a refreshing change from the usual police procedural, all. beautifully woven together. An excellent read.

Overall I’m happy to recommend this book but there are some reservations. The plot is good and although I hadn’t read any other books in the series it was pretty good as a stand alone. Parsons is a gifted writer who has the knack of making his books easy to read but I did struggle to get over any reasonable person letting their twelve year old daughter wander the streets of London so casually. That did become too big an issue for me to give this a five star read as it’s just such a poorly thought out part of the story.