Murder for Busy People by Tony ParsonsSynopsis: “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. The same man who, as a fresh-faced policeman, arrested her all those years ago. Max Wolfe is back. Single parent to a teenage daughter, owner of an ageing dog, music lover, hopeless romantic – and a murder detective who has his own code of honour.”

My Review

Max Wolfe is back after a gap of 6 years!! I was very happy to see there was going to be a new book in this favourite series, as I really like Max. He’s good guy, a single parent to a soon to be teenage daughter, and part of the murder squad in the London Met.

As the synopsis mentions above, someone Max arrested as a young policeman is released from prison and bodies start turning up. Also a young homeless woman asks Max for help, but he’s too busy worrying about his daughter Scout, and Emma Moon, to really focus on helping her.

Once again Max Wolfe is faced with difficult situations and needs all his wits about him in this latest book. I still really like Max, and loved hearing about his personal life as a single Dad, with his almost 13 year old daughter Scout, and elderly King Charles Spaniel, Stan. He’s a likeable guy who wants to do things correctly, and this time he’s got so much going on that he’s finding it really hard to focus on one particular case.

It’s a good addition to the series, and very welcome after such a long break. There were some really good characters in this book and the mystery surrounding Emma Moon and her revenge was very good. I thought I had it all worked out, but I was wrong and the extra twist at the end concerning another storyline was very unexpected and done so well!

Colin Mace’s narration is still  perfect, he is Max Wolfe to me, and I wouldn’t want anyone else to read these books.

I definitely recommend this series, especially if you enjoy police police procedurals.

Book 3 of 20 Books of Summer 2025