When a vagrant—the Walking Man—finds a dog wandering alone with the words “HELP US” written on its collar, he’s sure it’s a desperate plea from someone in trouble and calls on Detective Inspector Jack Caffery to investigate. Caffery is reluctant to get involved—until the Walking Man promises new information regarding the childhood abduction of Caffery’s brother in exchange for the detective’s help tracking down the dog’s owners. Caffery has no idea who or what he is searching for, but one thing he is sure of: it's a race against time.
Meanwhile, the Anchor-Ferrers, a wealthy local family, are fighting for their lives in their remote home ten miles away. Two men have tricked their way into the house and are holding the family for ransom. Yet as the captors’ demands become increasingly bizarre and humiliating, it becomes clear that this is more than a random crime—it’s a personal vendetta. Wolf (Jack Caffery, #7)
I am so sad that my relationship with Hayder has come to an end! I have spent the last few months binge reading all her writing and now I don't know what to do with my life!
This is the final installment in the Jack Caffrey crime series and, while not full of happy-ever-afters and fully explained summaries, I feel like the series drew to an acceptable close here. Hayder never gives her readers all the answers and I did not expect her to do so here but I feel like I received the closure I needed from the series and shall look back on my journey with Caffrey fondly. This book had its own crime story that took primary focus, but aspects from all previous novels made an appearance, which made me feel like I was saying goodbye to the story once and for all.
This book, for me, was probably her least sickening but most thrilling read and had one of the most shocking and unanticipated twists to the ending that had me gaping at it until long after I had turned the last page.
I can not recommend this series, and Hayder's writing in general, enough. She is not only a first-class crime story generator but a beautiful writer that ensnares my attention in every single thing she has ever written. Mystery Thrillers The queen of nail-shredding tension returns with Wolf, the seventh novel to feature DI Jack Caffery and the fifth in the Walking Man series. We have a convoluted plot that uses as its backdrop the visceral – in all senses of the word – murder of two teenagers 14 years previously, where a killer was brought to justice. Cut to a wealthy family in the present day, living in the vicinity of said murder, held hostage and terrorised by two intruders, but able to send an SOS message out secreted in their dog’s collar.
The dog is found by the Walking Man – a traveling man searching for the remains of his murdered daughter – who contacts Jack Caffery. The two men are linked by the disappearance of Jack’s brother years ago, and the Walking Man is a motif in the series bringing new information now and again. As a pay off for further information Caffery agrees to track down the dog’s owners, and solve the mystery of the ominous message that simply says, ‘Help us.’ Caffery has no idea who or what he is searching for, but is certain that it is a race against time.
We all know what to expect from Edgar award-winning Mo Hayder in terms of violence, brutality and graphic death, and Wolf will not disappoint. Not only is there an inordinate amount of tension throughout, but you can rest assured that if someone is to be tortured or murdered, the author will always pay the greatest attention to shock value, including the most artistic use of intestines you will surely encounter. The majority of the book is played out with Oliver and Matilda Anchor-Ferrers’ incarceration in their own home, and their emotionally damaged daughter Lucia. They’re held by for by two unknown individuals who are in no way, shape, or form who they appear to be.
Not wanting to reveal any more about the plot than necessary, all I can say is that Oliver Anchor-Ferrers has been involved in a top secret arms project involving a missile called the Wolf, and that Lucia had a personal attachment to one of the teenagers murdered so brutally all those years ago. That’s all you’re getting, because with the gasp-inducing and clever twists, turns and reveals of the plot, I will not spoil the fun! The sheer claustrophobia and terror aroused in the lives of this family by this intrusion is devilishly well played out, and enough to send a chill down the spine of even the most hardened of crime readers. I particularly enjoyed the knowing nature of an account of the hostage situation written in secret by Oliver to a detective of his own imagination. You’ll see why, and how, but when you think you have it all sussed, prepare to be wrong-footed. Possibly more than once.
DI Jack Caffery is once again the maudlin, self-doubting and emotionally intense character we know so well. He’s still on the hunt for clues relating to his brother’s disappearance, still totally incapable of connecting with women except in a brief physical way, and yet still mooning about his unresolved feelings for ‘Flea’ Marley. If you were getting slightly weary of the whole Jack/Flea storyline, never fear, she’s not in this one, but still in Jack’s thoughts. However, the heightened interaction between Caffery and series stalwart, The Walking Man, added an enjoyable distraction to the lack of Flea, and the intensity of the overall plot.
With sublime pacing and plotting once again from Hayder, there is little to disappoint here. I can safely say that Wolf will keep you reading until the wee small hours. If you’re brave enough…
Mystery Thrillers Wow.
This book is just wow. It is scary because it is one of those subjects that people think could happen. It is completely realistic in nature and that’s what makes it so frightening. Also the twist was absolutely superb!!!!
Although I found it frustrating to not know how certain storylines panned out I really enjoyed this book and Mo Hayders’ style. I have just ordered her three standalone books - although I will wait to read these so I can drag out the experience longer.
I really recommend this series; I also fully advise that you read them in order. Although they could be a standalone I think the extra story lines and also evolving back stories and the continuation of Jack’s twisted past and present is made every more thrilling and captivating if you have read them in order.
I definitely had favourites in this series (Birdman, Ritual and now Wolf) but I thoroughly enjoyed every single book, for a whole plethora of reasons and I am so good I found this author!
Now excuse me whilst I take a few hours to recover from loss of this series being over!!!! Mystery Thrillers Απολαυστικότατη Μο,με όλα τα στοιχεία που αγαπώ στην γραφή της παρόντα. Με την αγωνία σε υψηλά επίπεδα σε όλο το βιβλίο, με ένα ωραιότατο plot twist στο τέλος της βασικής ιστορίας, και μια ασύλληπτη τροπή στην προσωπική υπόθεση του Κάφερι,μου έμεινε η εντύπωση πως ένας κύκλος έκλεισε οριστικά.
5⭐ Mystery Thrillers Hayder takes your worst nightmares, translates them into words and sets them down on a page. Grisly, gritty and oh so dark, but her character Inspector Caffery is a character that I am drawn to. He is haunted by his brothers death when they were young, convinced he was taken by the pedophile that lived very close to them, and he has never stopped looking for his body or information on what happened to him. The walking man is another great character, with a difficult sorrow of his own.
The case in this book will find Caffrey solving a horrible crime on his own, with a side deal made with the Walking man. The case itself, has many twists and turns, revelations that shock, and a resolution as
horrible as the crime itself. In other words, this is Hayder true to form, doing what she does best. Giving human faces to our deepest fears. Mystery Thrillers
The Walking Man
After reading my second Jack Caffrey thriller, Mo Hayder became one of my favorite authors.
Continuing to search for his childhood missing brother, Jack Caffrey is hopeful when The Walking Man promises information.
But there’s a stipulation. Jack must find the “missing owners” of a dog. The Walking Man feels they are in danger.
Agreeing with him, and sensing the situation may be dire, Jack begins his investigation.
Will he find out who’s missing a dog? Are they okay? Are they in trouble? Will help arrive in time?
Is this the last episode of the series? Will there be more books? Is this the end of Jack Caffrey? I need to know.
Five stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Mystery Thrillers Oh, how much I love Mo Hayder! I think that the Treatment and Devil in Nanking (also called Tokyo) are two of my favorite books of all time. I love everything she writers, but some I love more than others. Wolf catches us up with Jack, and the interesting thing is that he's very changed from the guy we first met all those years ago. As an author, it's really difficult to slowly let a character grow up, and I think Mo has done that beautifully. Oh, and also there's some good murder and stuff in this one. And a nasty twist, which is the sort of thing you expect from Mo.
I think I need to make sure I added her other books to my list. Mystery Thrillers Minnet kable, Minnet with the emphasis on the first syllable. Usually the name is never spoken aloud in this household.
The one who must not be named? :O
Minnet is a white,british and the Anchor-ferrers have no idea how he came to be given shch a name. There is nothing in any of the legal transcripts to suggest his heritage.
Kable was insane, convicted over and over for a string of offences- arson, Sexual assault, car theft. No one knows what made him cross the line and turn to killing that summer night, or why he targeted Hugo Frink and his new girlfriend, Sophie Hurst-Lloyd. It happened about a mile away from the turrets, in a section of wood at the far end of the valley. Now it is used by youngsters to ride BMX bicycles. Back then it was just a piece of unchartered woodland called the donkey pitch because someone had once, years ago, kept donkeys there. The land was adjacent to Hugo's grandparents' property, but too far for anyone to hear the teenagers screaming. Kable's final signature was to remove the intestines of both teenagers. He twisted them together and used them to decorate the trees above the corpses in the shape of a heart. Which is exactly what has been replicated today, in the woods next to The Turrets.
The first 120 pages scared the crap out of me, like seriously! i had nightmares i became paranoid, i would wake up at 3 AM and check the front door's locks and windows, yup that kind of stuff. not everything worked in this book for me there were these Jack flashbacks or POV i don't know and i was like i get that this is a series about the detective (who in my opinion isn't so bright) but why are they in here? i get why they are in here, i get what point they ended up surving but they were boring as hell and wasn't just organically mixed. So the author was like 'i'm gonna tell this story and in between chapters i'm gonna interject some Jack Caffery Issues' just urgh. plus the book is a slow burn it takes a lot of pages for something to happen but it still good not the best thriller i have ever read but also not the worst. the Anchor-ferrers's is SO GOOD!! Jack Caffery's POV Meh. Mystery Thrillers Many people commented that Mo Hayder's last Jack Caffrey novel, Poppet was not as good as the rest. A fact that I denied continuously. Having just finished Wolf I was wrong. Wolf is a return to everything that is brilliant about Mo Hayder's, Jack Caffrey series and shows some of the others up.
The book is unique to others as this is not so much a police investigation as a private case for Jack Caffrey. None of the familiar characters appear except for Jack and the Walking Man are present. Initially I was disappointed that we would not see the continuation of the Jack and Flea relationship but as the book progresses it was so enthralling I forgot there were any characters missing at all.
The victims as always play a wonderful part in this book. I love the way Mo Hayder invites us to meet new characters in her villains and victims. Her depth of character development in this book are a credit to her and a defining factor in how good this book is.
If you have followed the series from the beginning, like I have, you will love this book. This book answers several questions that have been held over from previous novel and from the beginning of the Jack Caffrey series. I simply brilliant read. Mystery Thrillers Και με αυτό το βιβλίο, θυμήθηκα γιατί είχα χωρίσει με την Μο κάποτε... Και είναι μια καλή υπενθύμιση, να μη γυρίζεις σε παλιές σχέσεις. Για να έχεις χωρίσει, συνήθως κάποιος σοβαρός λόγος θα υπήρχε. Μη ξεγελιέσαι από τις καλές αναμνήσεις, 99 στις 100 φορές πάλι στον χωρισμό θα καταλήξεις...με λίγα λόγια, μην είσαι μακάκας, άσε το παρελθόν εκεί που ανήκει!
Όπα, παρασύρθηκα λίγο...Τι λέγαμε; Α ναι, για τον Λύκο.
Και σε αυτό το βιβλίο ο επιθεωρητής Κάφερι εξακολουθεί να έχει τα γνωστά του κολλήματα... 30+ χρόνια πέρασαν και αυτός εκεί, κολλημένος στην υπόθεση του αδελφού του. Και επειδή τίποτα άλλο δεν έχει σημασία για τον Κάφερι, μετά από μια αναλαμπή, παίρνει άδεια από την δουλειά του με μεσάζοντα μέσω τηλεφώνου (λέει σε μια συνάδελφο να ενημερώσει τον διοικητή του ότι παίρνει άδεια και μετά δεν σηκώνει ούτε το τηλέφωνο στον διοικητή, γιατί είναι ο Κάφερι και κάνει ότι θέλει!) και ακολουθεί αυτή την αναλαμπή... Υποθέτω ότι μετά από την αλήθεια που έμαθε στο τέλος, στο επόμενο βιβλίο θα έχει μετατραπεί σε αλκοολικό και ίσως και σε πρεζόνι!
Τέλος πάντων, διάβασα με το ζόρι το 60% του βιβλίου και αποφάσισα να το παρατήσω κάτι που το σκεφτόμουν από το 30%...αλλά επειδή η ώρα είχε περάσει χθες και ήταν αργά για να ξεκινήσω άλλο, συνέχισα διαβάζοντας μόνο μερικά κεφάλαια στην τύχη και φυσικά το τέλος, το τελευταίο 10% γιατί ήθελα να δω πως θα τελειώσει.
Συμπέρασμα; Αντίο Μο και αντίο Κάφερι. Δεν χάρηκα τελικά που σας γνώρισα. Αν εξαιρέσεις τους πρώτους δύο μήνες της σχέσης μας που ήταν απλά μέτριοι, μετά ήσασταν ένα βάσανο.
Πάμε γι' άλλα! Mystery Thrillers
Summary Wolf (Jack Caffery, #7)
