diff --git a/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/wire/TextWire.java b/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/wire/TextWire.java
index 14ce568c4e..80447d009a 100755
--- a/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/wire/TextWire.java
+++ b/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/wire/TextWire.java
@@ -3142,7 +3142,8 @@ public boolean bool() {
                 return true;
             if (ObjectUtils.isFalse(sb))
                 return false;
-            throw new IORuntimeException("Unable to parse '" + sb + "' as a boolean flag");
+            Jvm.debug().on(getClass(), "Unable to parse '" + sb + "' as a boolean flag, assuming false");
+            return false;
         }
 
         @Override
diff --git a/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/wire/Wires.java b/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/wire/Wires.java
index 0127f2fe3d..45ed9037d6 100755
--- a/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/wire/Wires.java
+++ b/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/wire/Wires.java
@@ -494,7 +494,9 @@ public static <E> E object0(ValueIn in, @Nullable E using, @Nullable Class clazz
 
             case NONE:
                 @NotNull final Object e = strategy.readUsing(using, in);
-                return clazz == Base64.class ? (E) e : (E) ObjectUtils.convertTo(clazz, e);
+                return clazz == Base64.class
+                        ? (E) e
+                        : (E) ObjectUtils.convertTo(clazz, e);
 
             default:
                 throw new AssertionError();
diff --git a/src/test/java/net/openhft/chronicle/wire/TextWireTest.java b/src/test/java/net/openhft/chronicle/wire/TextWireTest.java
index 5cc917fad7..ad29120295 100755
--- a/src/test/java/net/openhft/chronicle/wire/TextWireTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/net/openhft/chronicle/wire/TextWireTest.java
@@ -232,6 +232,37 @@ public void testSimpleBool() {
         assertEquals(true, wire.read(() -> "T").bool());
     }
 
+    @Test
+    public void testFailingBool() {
+        @NotNull Wire wire = createWire();
+
+        wire.write(() -> "A").text("");
+        wire.write(() -> "B").text("other");
+        assertEquals("A: \"\"\n" +
+                "B: other\n", wire.toString());
+        @NotNull String expected = "{A=, B=other}";
+        expectWithSnakeYaml(expected, wire);
+
+        assertEquals(false, wire.read(() -> "A").bool());
+        assertEquals(false, wire.read(() -> "B").bool());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testFailingBoolean() {
+        @NotNull Wire wire = createWire();
+
+        wire.write(() -> "A").text("");
+        wire.write(() -> "B").text("other");
+        assertEquals("A: \"\"\n" +
+                "B: other\n", wire.toString());
+        @NotNull String expected = "{A=, B=other}";
+        expectWithSnakeYaml(expected, wire);
+
+        // TODO fix.
+//        assertEquals(null, wire.read(() -> "A").object(Boolean.class));
+        assertEquals(false, wire.read(() -> "B").object(Boolean.class));
+    }
+
     @Test
     public void testLeadingSpace() {
         @NotNull Wire wire = createWire();