#BookReview :: The Murder Bag (Max Wolfe #1) by Tony Parsons

Twenty years ago seven rich, privileged students became friends at their exclusive private school, Potter's Field. Now they have started dying in the most violent way imaginable.
Detective Max Wolfe has recently arrived in the Homicide division of London's West End Central, 27 Savile Row.
Soon he is following the bloody trail from the backstreets and bright lights of the city, to the darkest corners of the internet and all the way to the corridors of power.
As the bodies pile up, Max finds the killer's reach getting closer to everything - and everyone - he loves.
Soon he is fighting not only for justice, but for his own life ... 





We follow the life of DC Wolfe as he joins the homicide department. His first case is that of a gruesomely murdered banker. With the wife as the only probable suspect, Wolfe is busy hunting the murder weapon – a weapon designed to take off a man’s head at a single swipe. But soon a homeless druggie is murdered the same way. Though at first it seems that there could be no possible connection between the two except for the murderer, they soon find that both the victims went to the same public school as boys. With ‘Bob the Butcher’ claiming responsibility for the murders on internet, Wolfe is soon on the track of a dangerous serial killer. Will he be able to catch the killer before he gets to those who are close to Wolfe?

From the very first chapter we are given a glimpse into the character of the protagonist DC Wolfe. HE takes his job seriously and is even good at it. However, he tends to be downright impulsive and ignore the chain of command in course of his duty. He trusts his instincts to the core. He is also a family man who lives with his young daughter and their dog. He loves his daughter completely.  After a somewhat slow start, the pace picks up as bodies start piling up and Wolfe starts tracking. The police procedures are described in details and some information provided is kind of repetitive. However the author sets up the scenes and settings well. At some points DC Wolfe is portrayed as a methodical thinker, like Lee Child’s Jack Reacher. However I did not like how the majority female characters were portrayed – showing more distasteful characteristics more often than good or redeemable characteristics.

Overall, this book made one hell of thriller that I quite enjoyed reading!