When a young mother, Jessica Lyle, is kidnapped by unknown assailants, Detective Max Wolfe realises he has a dangerous job on his hands. At the time of the kidnapping, Jessica was driving her friend Snezia's BMW so were the abductors really after Snezia, thereby hoping to blackmail her gangster boyfriend Harry Flowers? The investigation takes Detective Max Wolfe and his boss, DCI Pat Whitestone, from elitist homes in London and the suburbs, to strip clubs, scrapyards, and more.

Tony Parsons will always be special after Man and Boy written years ago. He excels in writing about relationships; the dynamics of family life, passion, sadness, love and hate. When I eventually realised the author was writing a detective series, I was curious to see if he could bring the same benevolence to his characters in a completely different scenario, and I was definitely not dissatisfied.

DI Max Wolfe is a single parent living in central London. He has daughter Scout, Stan the dog and irascible Mrs Murphy who sees herself as the guardian of his family. Ex-wife Anne is incredibly self-centred, a mother too concerned with her own circumstances to be bothered about her daughter. But this helps the author's portrayal of Wolfe's character, enabling his warmth to shine and he is unquestionably loved by Scout and Stan. Relationships are the foundation of Tony Parsons' writing, ably depicted against a criminal background. He manages to create characters that I either want to meet in real life or avoid at all cost... this book has oodles of both. With its engaging, direct prose and the narrative of Wolfe with his sharp insight and finely honed honesty, the story has plenty of realistic appeal. It certainly held my interest more than enough, allowing me to care about the current case and his domestic life.

This is the 6th in the series and although this reads fine as a stand-alone, you are missing the delights of the other books, as I currently am.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel at my request from Random House UK, Cornerstone/ Century via NetGalley and this review is my unbiased opinion.

I do not usually read books out of sequence as I love a good series but having received this book via Netgalley I thought I would give it a go especially as a detective story. I am so pleased I did. Even though it mentioned through the book some things that had happened earlier in the previous books it did not spoil the story at all but it has made me want to read more of the series. Max Wolfe strikes me as a fab character. Sound like a good dad and his dog plays an important part. The story is about a girl called Jessica who is kidnapped and the police have to decide whether she was taken on purpose or by mistake. This leads to her flatmate and then to the flatmate’s (Snezia) sugar daddy! Jessica’s father is an ex policeman and gets involved which does not help the investigation. The book is so busy and jumps from one thing to another and I loved it. Max Wolfe’s personal life is a little difficult and he tries to get his ex wife to take some interest in their daughter, Scout. This causes him frustration but he comes to terms with this drama in his life. Really enjoyed this book and thank you Netgalley etc for the opportunity to read this. Everyone should read this

I enjoyed this story immensely. The characters were great and well presented and the story line twisted every now and again to keep you wanting to go back for more.
I read it over a few evenings (late into the night) and couldn’t wait to pick it up again.
There were a few slow bits but there was always a good reason.
Loved the twist at the end
I was given this book through Netgalley for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Jessica, a young mother, is kidnapped one night. Her father, a retired cop is demanding answers. Max leads the investigation and quickly uncovers that Jessica’s roommate is the mistress of an former big time drug dealer and they start to think the roommate is the one who should have been taken.

This was a good detective novel with a lot going on. Maybe it had a bit too much going on and that is why it was a 4 star rather than a 5. Occasionally I found myself trying to remember who was who. Also, this is the 6th book in a series and while it can definitely be read as a stand-alone, I felt like I had missed a lot in terms of where Max was in his personal life and how he had gotten there. That said, I liked the Max character and would probably read more in this series.

Max Wolfe is back with another crime to solve, this time the kidnapping of Jessica Lyle, daughter of a retired policeman and young mother to baby Michael.
In the course of the investigation Max gets involved with gangster, Harry Flowers who now claims to be a legitimate businessman and is somehow mixed up in this complicated story.
Is Jessica’s disappearance a case of mistaken identity or was she truly targeted by the kidnappers?
This is a fast moving thriller which offers the reader a lot of twists and turns before the perpetrators are finally revealed.
Scout, Max’s young daughter seems old beyond her years and continues to offer Max a lot of sound advice and insight. Max’s nasty ex makes a few appearances but it seems that she is loathe to commit herself to being part of her daughter’s life.
This is an enjoyable and intriguing read which had me gripped from page one when Jessica is kidnapped. I am now eagerly awaiting the next book in this series as I would like to find out what is next for Max and young Scout.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

Another great Max Wolfe story.
These seem to get better all the time.
Tony Parson’s writing draws the reader into the heart of the story, making them live it with the characters.
Wolfe is investigating the kidnapping of a young mother Jessica and draws him into the world of Harry Flowers, supposedly criminal turned into an honest businessman.
I loved the pace of this book, the characters and descriptions.
The relationships between the police team add a depth to the story, particularly Max’s boss DCI Whitestone and a new recruit Joy Adams.
Very enjoyable detective story with some London history thrown in.

I didn’t know that this was the sixth in this series. It is an excellent novel and held my attention from the start to the finish. U
I will definitely go back and fin the rest of the series

Taken is the sixth novel to feature DC Max Wolfe of The Met. When Jessica Lyle is abducted it seems that they have taken the wrong woman because Jessica was driving her flatmate’s car and her flatmate’s boyfriend, Harry Flowers, is one of the most powerful gangland figures in London.

I thoroughly enjoyed Taken which is an absorbing read, full of twists and turns, betrayal and humanity. It is told from Max’s point of view so the reader gets up close and personal with his thoughts and feelings. This works well as while Max is a loyal, caring man he is no pushover and these different chapter traits make him an interesting protagonist. I like the fact that he is a single parent, balancing the needs of his eight year old daughter with a demanding job. He doesn’t always get it right but he does the best he can and it makes him very human and relatable.

The plot is great and it held my attention from start to finish. It opens with the abduction, which is scary, then moves straight into the investigation. The investigation covers a lot of ground with red herrings and false starts and, you’ll never believe it, plenty of lies and economy with the truth from the gangland characters. These are gradually teased out and the twists that come with them are bombshells, although some are more easily guessable than others. It’s go, go, go.

Taken is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Jessica is on her way home when she is kidnapped, leaving her young son in the back of the car, it seems to be a case of mistaken identity, her flatmate is the mistress of a local criminal, but is all that it seems.

First book I have read with DI Wolfe as lead, I liked his character and that of his daughter very much, some good repartee between them and Stan the dog!

Some twists and turns along the way, occasionally some dialogue is stilted with too much explanation but on the whole a good read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for giving me the opportunity to read the book in exchange for an honest review.

Jessica Lyle is abducted when she’s driving home with her 6-month old baby. Except she wasn’t driving her car and all the evidence points to a case of mistaken identity. That the abductors were actually after her flat mate, Snezia, the owner of the car and the mistress of a career criminal.

Max Wolfe is running the investigation and he’s determined to get Jessica home safely to her family.

The pace of the book was well balanced throughout and kept me on my toes. The characters all had secrets they wanted to hide and obstructed the investigation by not divulging them sooner. There were a few twists and turns that I hadn’t anticipated and it was nice not to have been able to guess them ahead of reveal.

All-in-all it was a really enjoyable read, I just felt that it lacked a build up of suspense in certain moments and wasn’t particularly gripping which is something I usually experience in the genre. However, the overall story made up for this.

Thank you Cornerstone and NetGalley for the pleasure of reading this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A mixed review from me - I enjoyed the plot and thought some of the descriptive writing was great, but then found some of the dialogue clunky and occasional explanations of terminology / plot points seemed a bit out of kilter with the book. However, if you want want an all action story, this might be for you.

This is my first book by this author, but although this is the sixth in the Max Wolfe series, it reads well as a standalone and I didn't feel I'd missed any backstory that mattered. I loved the set up for this - a woman kidnapped, but was she the wrong girl? And is she dead or still alive somewhere? It's a well-written, fast-paced tale, with nice short chapters that keep you whizzing through the pages. There were some belting twists that had my jaw hanging open and don't you just love it when that happens?! A great read and I'll definitely be going back to the beginning to read the rest of the series.

Brilliant read. Lots of twists and great build ups. Some clues between the lines that kind of gave me a clue to ending but not fully. Well written and great sense of the characters. Will be looking at more books from this author

Another cracking read from this author, full of action and suspense with the usual ending that yoy are not expecting
Would highly recommend this book
5 stars

I’ve read and enjoyed most of the books in this series so I picked up taken with the hope that it would be like the rest of the series. I found this one a bit predictable at times, but still a fast paced thriller. Wolfe is still a favorite character of mine, and he will remain one for as long as the series continues.

#taken

Well you’re going to hear about #taken a lot, it’s that wonderful blend of dark thrills and underground darkness! This is the type of book where you forget to breathe while reading!

Breathtaking and dark. I loved it!

Wow! A great story that keeps you hooked in, and yet you get sucked further and further in as it carries on. Some great twists to finish it on a high!

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher Random House UK, Cornerstone, for the e-copy to review.

This is the first book I've read concerning DC Max Wolfe; it's well-written, has good characters, and a decent plot with some major twists. I liked Wolfe's back-story concerning his daughter Scout and his ex-wife, and his concern for his boss, DCI Pat Whitestone and her apparent drinking problem.

"Don't" is all one of the kidnappers had to say to the security guard at the Eden Hill Private Estate as they bundled 22yr-old Jessica Lyle into their vehicle. That was enough to turn the guard to stone and for him to turn away.
Jessica had driven to her flat in her flat-mate's car - Snezia Jones had lent it to her. Jessica's baby was left in the car as she was driven away. Jessica is a dance teacher whose father, Frank, is a retired copper - Snezia is an 'exotic' dancer, but also the mistress of one of London's most powerful gangsters - Harry Flowers. Harry owns the flat. Jessica's fiancée was killed 6 months previously in a hit and run. Frank Lyle is determined to move the investigation forward by taking over press conferences and offering a reward, making Wolfe's investigation even harder.

Assuming Jessica had been taken by mistake by someone intent on vengeance against Harry Flowers, the investigation follows a twisty route to get to the truth. Only - there is no ransom demand - someone actually wants Harry Flowers.

Rumours of Harry's bullying tactics in the 1980s as he graduated to the drugs trade were rife and the team look for those who had a grudge against him.

How could they be so wrong? A good few surprises and twists before the truth is finally known. Did they take the wrong girl?

My thanks to Netgalley and Random House for the opportunity to review this copy.
To be honest whilst I enjoy a good thriller and a good procedural police crime story this particular one does not fit comfortably on my literary bailiwick.
I was struck by another reviewers comment that if the Detective is that good why is he still a DC? It is of course an old problem for writers that if in real life someone is that good he/she would soon be poached and promoted. So, why is this guy still only a humble DC, a bagman as gofer?
So I will not be reading any more of this series.
However, that's me and the writing is good, the pace excellent the plot - rocky. However, it is old fashioned and should have been set in the sixties.
Three stars for effort

Taken by Tony Parsons a five-star read that will take all of your attention. I have long been a fan of this author but the recent few seemed to be good, but not as good as some of the previous novels but this one pulls it all back to the fold, shows us how great a writer we have. If you enjoy a good thriller and a great police procedural, then you won’t go wrong with this one.