This book makes me sigh contentedly. Max Wolfe is a perfect London detective. Crime, violence and single parent family all rolled into one. My hero. Long may he reign x

Pacy Max Wolfe thriller. As a young copper Wolfe arrested Emma Moon at the screne of a robbery where two men were murdered. The rest of the robbers were never caught and Moon never talked or gave their identities up. When she is released from prison men suspected to be amongst the robbers start to die and the gang of robbers believe she is scaring the men to death. Wolfe will need to work through not only the murders happening now but also get to the bottom of what happened on that night decades ago. Good pacing and an entertaining read.

This was my first Max Wolfe thriller and I really enjoyed it. Max's work as a detective and his concern as a single parent for his daughter give extra tension and the mystery of different murders is finally revealed and was totally unexpected. Very compelling reading!

Murder for Busy People by Tony Parsons is #7 in the DS Max Wolfe series and sees Wolfe reintroduced to Emma Moon who was his first arrest as a fresh faced young Police Constable earlier in his career.

Moon was found by Wolfe at a house where a criminal gang had stolen the safe to open back at their safe house later. Also at the location are two dead bodies so Wolfe had to detain Moon to protect the scene and as a potential suspect. Moon pleads with Wolfe to let her go, as a young mother whose troubled son wouldn’t survive without her. As Moon only answered the Police questions with ‘no comment’, Moon was sentenced to life imprisonment for joint venture murder.

After serving 16 years and never speaking a word about the crime, or the other parties involved Moon is picking up the pieces of her life when members of the gang thought to be guilty of the theft start dying. Is Moon meting out her own justice on those who left her to lose the best years of her life in prison and for a son who she correctly predicted an untimely death. Also, is Wolfe himself at risk as the arrresting officer years earlier, who ignored her pleas and put his job first?

An interesting plot, some good twists and doesn’t get too tied up in police procedures. A nice easy reading ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read for fans of the series, but one which doesn’t necessarily need to be read in order.

Advanced copy provided by Net Galley before the January ’25 release date in exchange for an honest review.

It’s good to have a new Max Wolfe book, although this one is pretty dark.
It addresses toxic relationships inside, and outside the Met, and the current issue of corrupt police officers.
Alongside this, Max is having problems with his fast-growing, and maturing, daughter Scout.
The murder of a homeless woman near Max’s apartment is set alongside a complex investigation involving a recently-released prisoner.
Needless to say, both are resolved, not without a few unexpected twists along the way.
There is some trademark black humour, good music, and hope for Max and Scout (and Stan) by the end.
This series just gets better and better.
Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for the opportunity to read this book.

Max Wolfe is back ! Just a brilliant read as always. I just love this series - give it a try, you won't be disappointed.

Further adventures of Detective Max Wolfe, trying to do the right thing at home and at work, somehow succeeding and failing at the same time.

This London metropolitan police story centers around a single male parent, his twelve year old daughter and the various problems encountered in the inner city. A robbery, sixteen years ago, and the repercussions in present time, is the central to the story and the author brings to life the characters in a realistic manner. Recommended.

Quite engaging and a straight forward story, but suffered from a completely ridiculous medical facts, particularly how some people died. Too many coincidences as well. Saved only by a nice twist at the end.

I just loved this book, a right page turner.

Return of Max as detective. An arrest of over 16 years ago comes back to haunt him big style. Was she innocent or were others to blame and she took the hit? Love of her life, really?

A single parent raising a daughter and a dog makes this a compelling read.

It took me a while to get into this book - I almost gave up but I'm glad I persevered as the plot got me interesting and the suspense increased. I'm glad I read to the end.
What I loved:
- The descriptions of London and it's various characters - it made me feel as if I was there.
- The plot twists - it got very exciting in the last third of the book.

What I didn't enjoy:
- The constant reference to people's accents - I understand why the author does it but it became a bit overkill.
- The beginning just didn't get me hooked - it all seemed a bit fragmented compared to the rest of the book.

When Emma a young woman was released after serving 10 years in prison for being caught on the scene of a bank with two dead bodies after refusing to give any defence at her trial; mysterious deaths occur one by one of the men of the gang involved. The investigating officer is the same as one the one who arrested your in the first place. Being convinced that it was her taking revenge for being abandoned at the scene of the robbery his investigations seemed to lead nowhere but how could it be?

Book 7 in the Max Wolfe series but can easily be read as a standalone.
It was great to catch up with Max, his daughter Scout, and Stan the dog,we find the relationship between father and his teenage daughter through strong is at times very delicate.
The plot line is so well written you feel for the characters and the gritty and dangerous sides of London are captured brilliantly.The story has multiple plots with Max confronting a case from the past that has links to a new investigation as well as dealing with some rouge colleagues.
You can't beat a book where the culprit just isn't on your mind, and then the bomb drops, and it's a big OOH moment.
This is a well crafted thriller that grips from the outset.
Readers are in for a gritty intriguing read.
Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for the ARC.

I was really looking forward to this book as I've enjoyed the rest of the series but was disappointed. It wasn't bad but definitely not great. It's a run of the mill detective story. Predictable and not particularly exciting.

I really enjoyed this book. Emma Moon has just been released from prison after serving a sentence for armed robbery where 2 men were murdered. Her fellow criminals escaped the scene and she carried the can alone and refused to give any names. Now she is out and people who were involved in the crime have started to die. Is Emma taking her revenge? DI Max Wolfe is certain that he is on the list as he was the young officer who arrested her all those years ago. This is a real page turner that will keep you on the edge of your seat to the end.
Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

This is a well plotted detective mystery relating to a series of murders, whose victims are all linked to an armed robbery that took place two decades earlier. The finger points at Emma Moon, recently released from prison after serving time for being an accomplice, and infamous for not revealing the names of the perpetrators. Detective Max Wolfe, the arresting officer all those years ago, is now investigating the current murders, whilst also dealing with his own domestic issues relating to his 12 year old daughter.

This was an enjoyable story, with compelling and surprising sub-plots and believable characters.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me sight of this ARC

I think I’ll have to start reading book descriptions more carefully, because once again I had not realised this was part of a series. I found it difficult to understand Max’s relationship with his daughter until late in the book, and I’ll never know why a father (particularly a policeman) would think it acceptable to let his 12-year-old daughter out very late at night, alone – especially on London’s back streets. The story itself was well-written, intriguing and multi-layered with multiple characters. Quite a few red herrings and twists and turns kept up my interest most of the time, but there seemed to be lots of repetition and times when I felt the story dragged. All in all it was a good read, upped from 3.5 stars to 4 because of Stan! Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the early copy.

I am almost certain that Parsons did not intend for his readers to end up crying by the end of this novel, but such was the storyline that I couldn't help myself. The notion of a single parent, Detective Wolfe and his teenage daughter, Scout navigating their fractured relationship was simply too beautiful and emotional.Similarly Emma Moon's final meeting with the copper who initially arrested her sixteen years ago was a real tear jerker.

The novel starts with the prison release of Emma Moon who at twenty eight with a young son was part of a burglary gone wrong. A gardener and security guard were killed. Emma was the only culprit to be arrested and jailed as she refused to give up her accomplices albeit everyone knew who was involved. Throughout her time in prison she watched as the others got on with their lives spending the proceeds from the robbery.

Now she has been released and those same men appear to be dropping like flies. Despite her ailing health suspicion falls on her and there are rumblings of a hit list containing those who have wronged her. Parsons introduces a strong subplot which will have triggering effects for some. A young homeless girl is found murdered however before her death she confided in Wolfe that a policeman was harassing her for sexual favours. As Detective Wolfe begins his investigation into her murder he uncovers a ring of Met policemen who falsely arrest young women for the purpose of sexually assaulting them in a flat in Angel. Parsons illustrates how crimes are covered up by a code and what happens to those who attempt to expose corruption.
The author's ability to create three dimensional characters who are both complex and gripping hooked me from the start. This is an easy 5* especially with the twist I never saw coming. Well done.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ahead of publication.

I've not read one of the Max Wolfe stories before (even though it turns out I own several!) and now I can't wait to read the earlier books. This book can be read as a standalone but I think the earlier books could give you a good insight into Max's relationship with his daughter Scout and his work.

The story opens with a punch, Max is walking his beloved dog Stan and stumbles across the corpse of a man (no spoilers!) and it turns out Max knows the man...

A story with multiple plots, Tony's writing craft is able to pace these various stories beautifully and still create tension and drama. Drawn into the murky world of Emma Moon (one of Wolfe's first arrests), Emma is out of prison and looking to settle some scores.

Whilst the tension builds in the first story you are also drawn further into exploring the fragile relationship between father and daughter and learn about two new recruits to Wolfe's team and all while hunting down the truth of just what happened all those years ago with the 'Hole in the wall" gang and Emma Moon.

A great thrilling story from one of my favourite writers

I really enjoyed this book. I haven’t read the previous books in this series but that in no way detracted from the book as it is easily enjoyed as a stand alone story, I will now read Tony’s other books as I really liked the writing style and the way he brings his characters to life. It was a good plot that kept me guessing until the end. I thoroughly recommend this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to advance review and to the author for a really enjoyable read.