Murder for Busy People (Max Wolfe #7) by Tony Parsons

 

Description from Goodreads:

"Emma Moon is out.

She's served nine years hard time for an armed robbery that killed two men and enriched many more.

But Emma’s never talked; she's never revealed who was with her on the day of the robbery or who killed both men. And she's never given up the money.

And now she's free. But everything has her family; her share of the money and her faithless loser of a husband.

So now Emma Moon is in a hurry. Because it's payback time and, after nine years inside, she has friends and she has disciples - people who will do anything for her.

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 ..."

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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.

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Who She Was by Tony Parsons

Synopsis from the Publisher:

"A bonfire burns on a Cornish beach in the middle of the night.

Nearby, a young woman waits for morning, and for the estate agent to arrive with the keys to her new life in the peaceful fishing village.

She carries with her no trace of her previous life or the past she has left behind.

Quickly she becomes an object of fascination among the locals; one in particular finds that he is falling in love with her.

But can anyone really have a new life?

What happened to this woman's old life?

And what price did she pay to escape it?

When secrets long buried explode into the light, they will change the lives of everyone around her."

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I really enjoy Tony Parsons' books as they have always excited me, kept me on tenterhooks and had me reading long into the night.  Unfortunately, Who She Was, for me, is nowhere near on a par with his previous books which I am upset about. 

It pains me to say this but I found the story boring, the plot tedious, the characters totally unlikeable or memorable and the twists just meh!

Now, this is my opinion only and I have seen lots of reviews that rate this very highly so please don't take my word for it ... you can't please everyone all of the time!  I also won't let this blip put me off from reading more of Tony Parsons work in the future.

Thanks must go to the author, Random House UK, Cornerstone, Century and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of Who She Was.

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Other books by Tony Parsons I have read and reviewed:

Your Neighbour's Wife

The Slaughter Man

The Hanging Club

Die Last

Girl on Fire

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The People Next Door

 

The People Next Door by Tony Parsons

 

Description from Goodreads:

"Lana and Roman Wade have fled the city for a little corner of paradise, exchanging their flat with its unhappy memories for a small honey-coloured house among the rolling green hills of Oxfordshire. Their new home, set in a residential Close known as The Gardens, is their dream and their new neighbours are charming.

So why is Lana feeling so uneasy?

Lana and Roman may seem like an attractive, popular couple. But they are also a couple with a secret; a secret buried in the life they have left behind, a secret they have shared with no-one.

But their new neighbours - these charming, affluent men and women in the Gardens - have secrets of their own.

Terrible secrets; unimaginable secrets that include the apparently happy family who lived - and tragically died - in Lana and Roman's new home.

As Lana struggles to adjust to her new life in Paradise, she becomes convinced that her new neighbours are hiding something from her, something connected with the deaths of the family who lived in her house before she did, something that could put her own life in danger..."

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Oh my gosh, I can't tell you how disappointed I am after finishing this.  I am a huge fan of Tony Parsons' books and have enjoyed a few of them but this just didn't do it for me in any way, shape or form and for that, I am extremely sad.

I couldn't get into the plot ... it seemed to drone on and without much of a purpose, little excitement or thrills.  I couldn't get into the characters .. I found them quite one-dimensional and boring and whilst I don't usually have a problem with suspending reality when reading thrillers, let's face it if you can't do that in a fiction book when can you, but this was just a tad OTT even for me and don't even get me started on the ending!

As I said, I am extremely sad to be so negative about this book but I certainly won't stop eagerly waiting for Tony Parson's next instalment and, if other reviews of The People Next Door are anything to go by, I am in the minority with this one so I urge you to give it a go.

Many thanks to Random House UK / Cornerstone and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.

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Others books by Tony Parsons I have read, reviewed and enjoyed:

Your Neighbour's Wife

The Slaughter Man

The Hanging Club

Die Last

Girl on Fire

#taken

Your Neighbour's Wife by Tony Parsons

 

Description taken from Goodreads:

"What do you do when your perfect life spins out of control?

 

Tara Carver seems to have the perfect life. A loving mother and wife, and a business woman who runs her own company, she's the sort of person you'd want to live next door to, who might even become your best friend.

But what sort of person is she really?

Because in one night of madness, on a work trip far from home, she puts all this at risk. And suddenly her dream life becomes a living nightmare when the married man she spent one night with tells her he wants a serious relationship with her. And that he won't leave her or her precious family alone until she agrees.

There seems to be only one way out.   And it involves murder ..."

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We all know that seemingly perfect family that appear to have it all but nobody knows what's going on behind closed doors; My Neighbour's Wife is a perfect example of things not being as rosy as we think and all it takes is for one mistake, albeit a massive one, and the walls come tumbling down. 

I am a fan of Tony Parsons' work having read most of his series starring DC Max Wolfe and thoroughly enjoying them but this is a break from those stories but is no less enjoyable. 

The story is gripping and most definitely a cautionary tale of how one "little" mistake can cause so many ripples and affect so many lives in ways you wouldn't see coming.  The characters Mr Parsons creates are an interesting mixed bag of those you will love and those you will love to hate, those you will initially like and grow to dislike and the other way around - I love it when that happens!

The pace is good and there are twists, turns and red herrings that will keep you second guessing yourself and totally engrossed and I have no hesitation in recommending this to anyone who enjoys a great psychological thriller.

Thank you to Random House UK / Cornerstone and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.

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Other books by Tony Parsons I have read and reviewed:

The Slaughter Man

The Hanging Club

Die Last

Girl On Fire

#taken

#taken by Tony Parsons (Max Wolfe #6)

Blurb from Publisher's Website:


"#taken in the night

They thought they were kidnapping the mistress of one of London’s most powerful gangsters. But they’ve taken the wrong woman. And crossed the wrong detective.

#taken underground

Detective Max Wolfe's hunt for the missing woman takes him from New Scotland Yard’s legendary Black Museum to the glittering mansions of career criminals, from sleazy strip joints to secret sex dungeons – and to unspeakably dark deeds committed decades ago.

#taken to the limit

It’s a world of family secrets, sexual jealousy, and a lust for revenge – which might also become Wolfe’s grave…"

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Once again, Tony Parsons delivers a treat of a read that starts off as it means to go on ... page-turning brilliance!

I can't speak too highly enough of the characterisation of the various protagonists within the pages of this book, and the previous ones, they are superb and the author has an innate ability to create characters that you want to either meet in real life or avoid like the plague .. this book has both in abundance.

The story is excellent with side-stories holding your interest in between the "policey" bits however, I have to admit that there were times when it veered off reality a little too much and I certainly can't see serving Police Officers getting away with what Max and some of his colleagues do ... well, I hope not anyway! but it is a work of fiction so I can cope with a little bit of OTT now and again.

This is the 6th in the series and although you could read this as a stand-alone, I would highly recommend you don't as you will be missing the delights the other books behold in between their pages (or finger-swipes).

My thanks go to the publisher, Random House UK Cornerstone, and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest and unbiased review.

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Other books in the series I have read and reviewed:

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