Book Review: THE MURDER BAG, by Tony Parsons

Tony Parsons

THE MURDER BAG

Random House/Century, 2014

372 pages

Crime / Detective / Police Procedural

THE MURDER BAG is the first in the DC Max Wolfe series, Tony Parsons' first crime novel. I am floored by this. It is possibly one of the best, most gripping crime novels I've ever read.

The story takes places in the London. At a Potter's Field Prep School a group of boys participated in a vicious sexual attack on a young girl. When the girl tried escaping things went from very bad, to even worse.

Twenty years later, a string of horrific murders occur. There seems no rhyme or reason

connecting the victims. A banker, a junkie, a judge, an artist, a politician . . . That is until the police learn they were once close friends at Potter's Field.
DC Max Wolfe is new to the homicide division. He's on the team charged with investigating the crimes. While the majority of the task force is focusing attention on a high profile social media suspect, Wolfe works more closely with his boss, DCI Victor Mallory, and rookie officer, TDC Edie Wren following up on leads the rest of the department refuses to see.

THE MURDER BAG is brilliant! Parsons expertly creates a main character you care about. While dedicating his time to the job, Wolfe is also a single father. He is doing his best to raise a most amazing daughter (Scout), and train a brand new, loveable puppy (Stan); these two are spliced into the story with perfect balance.

Fans of old James Patterson novels, back when Patterson actually wrote his own novels, will love Tony Parsons. It has that Kiss the Girls, Along Came a Spider umph! Thankfully, at this point, there are three more DC Wolfe novels available. Keep checking back. I will have more Parson reviews soon!

Phillip Tomasso

Author of the Severed Empire Series,

and The Vaccination Trilogy