Having seen interviews with Tony Parsons when The Murder Bag (US) was released, as well as a rather good TV piece on boxing in fiction, I couldn’t
resist buying the book. Having just piled through it in a couple of
page-turning days, I’m very glad I did, even though I have a few reservations.
Max Wolfe is the protagonist. He’s aptly named given that he’s
part of a pack as well as acting as a loner much of the time. It’s clear from
the off that Max has a strong belief in his convictions and he’ll go against
orders when he believes himself to be right.
He’s investigating a series of murders among a group of men
who formed tight bonds during their private school days and who have gone on to
have varied degrees of success in their adulthood. The killings involve the
slashing of throats with a weapon specifically designed to do the job and the
perpetrator leaves no clues at the scenes.
When the press get involved, a website by Bob The Butcher and its hashtags goes
viral and an MP becomes one of the potential victims, the pressure on the
police mounts.
There are many things to like about Murder Bag. The
directions the case takes constantly fuel the plot and it’s difficult to stop
at the end of one chapter when the path into the next has been so neatly built.
Wolfe himself is an engaging sort and the other central players are all nicely
formed. The domestic situation, though a little clichéd, provides a decent
contrast to the drama and the head-scratching. Wolfe’s thought processes work well and at a
number of satisfying levels. There’s also a high pitch of tension when the
action takes place and there are some neat little boxing insights that add
another dimension. I also really enjoyed some of the turns of phrase; Parsons
throws in some sentences of real power and craft along the way and manages to
ensure that they don’t feel out of place. London is also really beautifully
drawn and had me wanting to go again in the near future – I think visitors to
the city hoping to find a read that will add to their overall experience could
do a lot worse in choosing their material that this one. I also really enjoyed
the final twist – it was a blow that I’d been expecting for so long that I’d
forgotten about it and was totally taken aback when it was finally landed.
On the downside, I had a few niggles.
There are passages where the repetition of a word becomes jarring.
It may be a deliberate act of style, but I’d have hoped an editor might have
suggested a touch of ironing where this is the case.
There’s also an aspect relating to the way the research is
handled. Mr Parsons has clearly done his homework and may also have access to
things that many others might not. Managing to inserting information to add
credibility to a book is a tricky thing and I think a little more subtly would
have helped here. It feels, at times, that each character has an encyclopedic knowledge
of the world and I’d be looking for better ways of getting a point across in (and
hopefully there will be one) book two.
This seeming desire to get everything right also throws up
another issue. In trying that hard, it somehow highlights the points where
there are contradictions or improbable procedures. I’m not going to draw your
attention to them as that may not help your enjoyment of the story when the
time comes.
Overall, I think that if you’re a fan of the police
procedural this is definitely one for you. It has most of the things you’ll
want and a little more besides. I enjoyed it very much and am definitely going
back for more should Max Wolfe make his reappearance.
A winning crime debut.
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