I have read most of the other books Parsons has written and consider myself a fan, so I was looking forward to this, and was not disappointed. The crime story is pacey and intriguing, centering on a group of former public schoolboys who are being murdered in a gruesome but very efficient way. It is giving nothing away to say that this is obviously related to a horrific attack on a young girl carried out when they were teenagers, which forms the novel's prologue. What makes this a bit special is that Parsons brings to it his trademark humour and his interest in people, especially as families, and their relationships. The minor characters all have distinct personalities and we get glimpses of their back stories, as well as that of the hero Max Wolfe, a single father devoted to his young daughter (and her dog!) and struggling to balance the work he loves with his home life. He himself is still hurting from the loss of his wife, but his vulnerabilities give him empathy and he is likeable, as are most of his colleagues. He is no hardboiled US cop, and this is a very British novel, with an interesting nod to criminal history seen through Wolfe's visits to the Black Museum of Scotland Yard. An enjoyable read- I will look forward to Max Wolfe's promised next cases. *2 1/2 starsThis was not an awful book. It did have its bright moments especially when dealing with the Black Museum. It was a good book to keep me entertained on my 6 mile treadmill jaunts; I just can't imagine most of my friends finding this worth reading. I can see that the author worked hard at writing a book with many strands and I appreciate that. Any book described as 'gritty' is probably not going to get more than 2 1/2 stars from me.
What do You think about The Murder Man (2014)?
airport holiday book....fine but not amazing
—iorta12
