Book Review: THE SLAUGHTER MAN, by Tony Parsons

Tony Parsons
THE SLAUGHTER MAN (DC Max Wolfe #2)
Minotaur Books, 2015
373 pages
Crime / Detective / Police

I am truly enjoying everything Tony Parsons. Max Wolfe is back. The second book in the series is even more engrossing than the first.

A horrible murder spree starts on New Year's Eve and finishes on New Year's Day. It seems an entire family has been slaughtered. The crime is committed in a ritzy, wealthy, gated community. The family was taken at night. The brutal killings are going to be a challenge to investigate. The weapon used was a bolt gun, traditionally used for stunning cattle. The weapon punches a hole through a human skull.

Reviewing the scene, Wolfe realizes one body is unaccounted for. The husband and wife were in the bedroom. They found the bodies of the brother and sister teens. Where was the four year old?

Wolfe and his team have their work cut out for them. They need to find the killer, and a missing person. There is a timetable involved. The longer it takes to find a missing child, the more likely it is the child is dead. Or just gone.

They do have a prime suspect in the murders. Someone who had decades ago killed a father, and his two sons with the same weapon.

What I am loving about the Wolfe novels is the family aspect. I cannot help but adore the detective's five-year-old daughter, and the special bond, the relationship between the two of them (and the lovable dog, Stan). The family aspect is important to Wolfe. It is clearly what keeps him grounded, gives him focus, and drive.

Another outstanding novel. Hats off to Pearson and his creation!

Phillip Tomasso
Author of the Severed Empire Series,
and The Vaccination Trilogy