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.

Max Wolfe is a cop,but more than that he feels. 
He lives with his daughter Scout without the mother and her his doing a wonderful job.
A young woman is kidnapped but is it her the kidnappers are after?
Old drug lords,wife's and mistresses murder and suspense.

Unsure how but I have already read and reviewed this book here on Netgalley so will keep my feedback short...... Max and the team return with what initially looks like a kidnapping but the case quickly turns into so much more with plenty of twists along the way.

When dancer and young mum Jessica is abducted near her flat, Detective Max Wolfe starts investigating. In between dealing with her retired cop father, investigating links to crime boss Harry Flowers and hiding his DCI’s drink problem, Max is having to cope with his ex-wife’s plans for daughter Scout. Can he solve the case while keeping his family?

This is the first Tony Parsons book I’ve read, but I’m already a fan. Max Wolfe is a great character, with personal issues and professional dilemmas, and is somebody you want to get behind. His interactions with colleagues, interviewees and members of the Flowers family flowed well and were easy to read. The plot was intricate and involving and the identity of the culprits kept me guessing until the very end, but without any loose ends being ignored. The pages kept turning as I tried to figure out what was going to happen but at the same time, I didn’t really want it to end.

A great story and I will be looking out for more books by Tony Parsons.

It's been a while since I picked up a Max Wolfe book, but fortunately Parsons weaved enough backstory through the narrative to make it work as a standalone for me. As usual I love Max and his daughter Scout. What a lovely contrast to the dark world of kidnapping, London gangs and murder. As a single parent, Max is desperate to do his best for Scout and that narrative rings true. 
The storyline about a beautiful woman being car jacked and kidnapped is chilling, complex and delicately balanced. I love the thrill of the key moments interspersed with the investigative procedure. 
A thoroughly enjoyable read

This is a new author to me, and is the sixth book in a series.    I enjoyed this book and liked the main character and his background.  When a woman goes missing he and his work colleagues investigate and initially think it is a case of mistaken identity.  But is it?   I thought the book was well written, had a good plot with a lot of twists, some I guessed, some I didn’t.   This book can be read on it’s own, and I will look to read the previous books in the series.   4 stars

Gritty thriller . Young mother is abducted,a case of mistaken identity of not.?
Fast moving story with some rough characters.