Standard, but a high standard

Detective with a troubled home life, serial killer on the loose, red herrings a-plenty, sound familiar. Since JK Rowling plunged in, they're all at it. Good fun, great writer, of course, but in a long-tradition of predictability.

27 people found this helpful

Almost but not quite.

Most of this book was exciting and captivating and very well narrated. It flows along very nicely until the final hour when it didnt really resolve very well at all - or maybe I was a feeling a bit tired. It was as if Tony parsons suddenly 'lost the plot' All that apart it was a good listen and I am sure it will become a good series over time.

22 people found this helpful

Thoroughly enjoyed this

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys the crime genre, even to anyone who's a bit hesitant, it was a food plot and I found the characters very well drawn. On top of that it was really well read.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Murder Bag?

So many it's hard to choose but the grumpy sheep was brilliant.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

Again, hard to choose, but probably the scene where Wolf punches the guys taking the mickey out of the lovely Stan.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Don't want to add spoilers so will just say some scenes did make the tears well up!

Any additional comments?

As I said in the title I really enjoyed this, the narrator was brilliant I thought, his accents were believable and he portrayed the right amount of emotion. Will look for author and narrator again.

13 people found this helpful

Should and could have been so much better

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Nearly gave up on this about half-way through but I started again and got to like it better second time around. The pity of this book is that there were just too many improbables and glaring holes in what could have been a really good plot and story-line. There were some nice touches of characterisation especially around the lead character BUT equally it got rather too long and drawn out around daughters and dogs in particular!

Would you recommend The Murder Bag to your friends? Why or why not?

Probably not because there are just too many improbables and absolute holes in the story.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The narrator was not too clever around accents and changing voices. It's quite off-putting that he swallows loudly very frequently but in spite of that I did get to like him more as the book went on.

Could you see The Murder Bag being made into a movie or a TV series? Who would the stars be?

No. Mainly because of the improbabilities!

Any additional comments?

Shame. Just a bit more care and less tedium around unimportant issues, this could have been pretty good.

26 people found this helpful

Great

This was a compelling read from the start. The introduction to the main character was tremendous detective Max Wolfe takes no prisoners, he does his own thing but gets the job done.
No messing about straight in with a murder followed with an old style whodunit - a group of rich boys/ suspects start getting murdered and det Wolfe is on the case to unravel the story.
Excellent narrator and there were parts of this book where I nearly cheered out loud! If you enjoy a real good v bad tale with a real macho hero then here it is. I hope this is the start of a series (much better than the Silk Worm!)

9 people found this helpful

I LOVED this book!

I just loved this book and am at a bit of a loss now it is finished. I was not sure about the narrator when I listened to the preview but ended up really enjoying his rendition. It has everything - blood thirsty murders, sex, violence, suspense and tenderness. Excellent, a bit different and very enjoyable. I look forward to the future episodes if this proves to be a series.

18 people found this helpful

Why Did No-one Tell Me?

This book has been in my library for ages, and having recently listened to this and the second in the series it feels like I've just discovered a secret that pretty much everyone else already knew about! This is an excellent thriller made even the more entertaining by Colin Mace's fitting narration. He simply has the voice for Max Wolfe who is a character that's very easy to get behind. Tough, resourceful but with a vulnerable side and a deep love of his young daughter Scout who is the product of his failed marriage they are a very modern family of two.

The story is clever and has some real twists to it making the whole thing pretty much ten hours of almost perfect thriller entertainment.

10 people found this helpful

Tense thriller would make great TV

Would you consider the audio edition of The Murder Bag to be better than the print version?

The narration is outstanding. If It had been poorly read it would have ruined it for me. This narrated took on the persona of all the characters to perfection.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Max Wolfe the main character. I could actually believe he was a real person rather than a character of fiction his part was so well written.

What about Colin Mace’s performance did you like?

Everything, his performance was stunning. He brought so much to this book I could not put it down.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes definitely

Any additional comments?

More please. Unlike the previous review I found this to be a fast paced thriller. I related to the family life of the main character, its what made him human. If you like Michael Robotham's books, narrated by Sean Barrett then you will enjoy this book. Author and narrator have blended well together.

12 people found this helpful

Promising but ultimately disappointing

I was so looking forward to Tony Parson's first crime novel but was really disappointed with The Murder Bag. I loved Parson's early novels but have found his more recent ones pretty tedious and difficult to engage with so thought a change of genre was a great idea. Parson's writes really well, I liked the main character, Detective Max Wolfe and the story line was promising. However there is just something about this novel that doesn't work , it feels as if Tony Parsons has researched into how to write a crime novel - he's done it well but there is no substance to it. I felt that the pace was too slow, I wanted more characterisation and less boxing and dog scenes. I understand that there will be more in the Max Wolfe series and I will keep listening as I think both Tony Parsons and Max Wolfe could have a future in this genre.

22 people found this helpful

Excellent

What did you like most about The Murder Bag?

Hope this is just the first of Woolf books. Likeable characters, gripping, interesting plot,maintains suspense to the end.

What does Colin Mace bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Excellent,intelligent reader - respects the words and doesn't feel that he has to be Olivier, (One of them was more than enough.)Brings the character to life. Perfect voice for main character. Please use him more often

6 people found this helpful