I lovedddd this book. Police crime thriller, political thriller, state of the nation thriller, family blended life drama, and romance story with racism, terrorism and sexism all rolled in together. Something for everyone at a brilliant pace, super easy flowing read. Just the best. Thank you.

Girl on fire by Tony Parsons.
Dc Max Wolfe.
When terrorists use a drone to bring down a plane on one of London's busiest shopping centres, it ignites a chain of events that will draw in the innocent and guilty alike.
Really good read with good characters. I liked the story. 4*.

Too slow for me and I gave up before half way. This is the first time I have read anything by this author he is not on my devour everything they write list.

I returned to this book in the light of the recent terrorist incident on London Bridge.
Tony Parsons has always been relevant and ahead of the real events regarding his own fiction and thoughts regarding the modern policing of London.
Girl on Fire is the 5th in his successful Max Wolfe series. Although still just a DC the circumstances of passed up for promotions is set aside in this novel.
We just take it as read that Wolfe is the centre of the story. Indeed, he is up front and central to everything that happens here regardless of rank and responsibility. He is Johnny on the spot and you have to accept that the novel revolves around him. Unfortunately, this makes him the target in this account as well as bringing him constantly into near death experiences and the primary witness to others who are so lucky or so integral to the plot.
Thankfully the author has crafted such an interesting protagonist both at work and at home that he carries the novel well and you enjoy sharing his time.
This is a crime thriller about inbred terrorism; the failures of police intelligence and supervision. It starts with a terrible terror incident which leads to a raid on the suspects home. It questions guilt. Informed knowledge and the response of others to want revenge, justice and the continuing festering of hate and death to terrorists.
The author opens the debate through characters in this narrative who represent a broad spectrum of public opinion and extremist views. Officers with their own conflicts and under such pressure that they can either be a hero or arrested in a shoot to kill scenario. Furthermore, there is the post incident reality that is explored. Where public support is emotional laid bare and can be manipulated, filled with propaganda and left with few opportunities for peace and reconciliation.
I was pleased that the novel runs on at a good pace and it is a keen and interesting book you want to read. The writing is balanced and the darker sections are punctuated by the normal and life-affirming moments we all enjoy. The imposition of sudden death therefore is all the more shocking and heartfelt. Like all clever fiction it is not just entertaining and a page-turner it is uncomfortable at times regarding relationships, fundamentalist dogma and how we judge conflicting views. Lots to think about well after the final page is turned. Emotional but hopefully giving balance and some empathy in the reader’s mind.

I have read most of Tony Parson's books, and once again I was not disappointed. I just absolutely love the Max Wolfe series!! This was a very well written book, gripping, thrilling and entertaining until the very last page.
Highly recommended.

I really really enjoyed this. I’d not read any of the other books in this series but this works perfectly fine as a standalone but I couldn’t help thinking I’d missed out on some great reads and I now need to go back and rectify this. Brilliant gripping writing and very up to the minute main plot

Wow! What a great story. I already loved Tony Parson's style of writing from his Man series and I'm gutted that this book is number five in the Max Wolfe series, I've been missing out!

The story opens with Wolfe buying a new backpack in a west London shopping centre for his daughter Scout, when suddenly there is a large explosion. Upon investigation it turns out an Air Ambulance helicopter has been brought down by a drone (very realistic storyline).

Wolfe is a member of west London police so he's put onto the case to investigate what happened at the shopping centre that led to the deaths of 45 innocent London people. From there the story twists and turns in a story of religious zealots, ethnocentric nationalists, wronged youth and troubled lives to deliver a power punching, gritty, passionate story of people who will do anything for what they love and believe in.

I even found the subplot of Max's custody battle with his ex wife compelling and the ending itself was just as punchy.

Great book. Will definitely read the whole series now and recommend to both my book clubs.

Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read this.
As usual Tony Parsons and DCI Wolfe are great - so much so that I have to ration my reading of this book. Fortunately I already have the next publication to find out 'what happens next' to Max. Having suffered most harrowing exploits, being tasered, blown up, in hospital, etc etc most men would call it a day but I suspect that Tony Parsons will not let Max fold in on himself, long may the tales continue.

I really like this authors books and this one is no exception. Its a police procedural book and part of the Max Wolfe series.

A fast-paced book that I read in a day.

4 stars from me for this one and I plan on reading more books from this author.

A terrorist attack on a shopping centre sees DC Max Wolfe on the hunt for the culprits before they can strike again. He also has battles closer to home to deal with in the form of his ex-wife, who wants custody of their daughter. A gripping story with plenty of twists to keep you guessing.

This is my second Max Wolfe novel and it delivered the same excitement, thrills and twists of the first. This time Max is involved in finding the terrorists who brought down a helicopter on a shopping mall. A complex enquiry but Max uses his natural instincts to make good progress discovering a family of immigrants who are suspected. From then on it is action all the way. The story like the previous one is interwoven with the trials and tribulations of Max's private life and his efforts to cope and handle the issues he has. Overall the story is very topical with the terrorist angle and Max as a single parent. This is a good series and when I get the chance will read the others.

The fifth in the very likeable Max Wolfe series. For full review see https://joebloggshere.tumblr.com/post/178307903526/girl-on-fire-by-tony-parsons-this-is-the-fifth

Thoroughly enjoyed this the latest in the Max Wolfe series. I read the first only recently and when the chance came up for this one I jumped at it. The development of the characters, and their own stories and relationships adds to the depth of the story but it is not essential to have read the earlier books this one stands alone well too.
The main story is around some terrorist activity in London, the background to that and the ongoing effects of it. We meet the instigators and their tangled lives and also those who put themselves into focus when tragedy happens. There is the death of a police officer and the effects of that on colleagues, the followers and the handsets on. All the characters are well drawn and engage the reader
Highly recommended, I'm going back to read the ones I missed.

This was an amazing story of two parts. there is the very human side which deals with divorced parents and a father trying to raise his young daughter alone, under difficult circumstances. These circumstances were a police procedural story, investigating and dealing with terrorist attacks in London. The two parts work really well together and you are left with a book that is sad, frightening and leaves you with some understanding on managing these dilemmas.

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35407282-girl-on-fire" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Girl On Fire (Max Wolfe, #5)" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1514646033m/35407282.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35407282-girl-on-fire">Girl On Fire</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/26629.Tony_Parsons">Tony Parsons</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2402175043">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />

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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/19420732-nick">View all my reviews</a>

Tony Parsons has been brave in starting a series a fresh with DCI Wolfe. I'm pleased that I've stuck with the series as in book number five Max Wolfe comes of age. There are great character developments in both the man and his connections.

Both his job and his emotions come together in this book. This isn't just another police procedural, it describes a man and this difficulties he faces way beyond the everyday.

Like the author, starting something new and sticking with it reaps massive rewards.

Tony Parsons excels in his latest novel featuring his detective Max Wolfe. The bombing by drone of a shopping centre packed with customers, draws detective Wolfe's personal and professional lives together. Realistic characters set within a contemporary and frightening Britain we all recognize, I was almost in tears at the end.

Frighteningly realistic - great read:
I've read most of the novels in Tony Parson's Max Wolfe series and without doubt Parsons is one of the best thriller writers currently around. His novels possess solid plots, feature twists and turns and in the character of DC Max Wolfe we have a police detective as real as you'll get.
Parsons' skill is making his thrillers topical and "Girl on Fire" is exactly that. Terrorists attack a London Shopping Centre using a drone to bring down an airplane. The hunt is then on to apprehend those involved before they can hatch another deadly attack. The scenario fictionalised by Tony Parsons is all too plausible and provides food for thought. Of course in reality such an event couldn't occur as drones are banned from commercial airspace. But what if...?
"Girl on Fire" features an original concept with excellent personalisation and flowing prose. It's a standalone novel, featuring sufficient detail about Max Wolfe's earlier professional career and his personal life to keep any reader new to Tony Parsons fully up to speed. For those of us who have read earlier Max Wolfe novels there are unexpected developments on the Scout front as Wolfe's estranged partner fights for custody of their daughter. The mini plot involving Scout is an intriguing one. And one for me which adds a realistic dimension to this Detective.
Looking for a gripping thriller at the airport? "Girl on Fire" certainly won't disappoint.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I am not sure why I liked this book but I did even though not the sort of book that I would normally read. I really liked the character of DC Wolfe

Family saga, religion, hate and intrigue - all and more in DC Wolfe's latest outing. Reminded me of early Tom Clancy. Wolfe's emotions are tied in to every step of his investigation. It is a bit procedural in places having started with a major incident in a shopping centre but does go on to become a whodunnit in the end.

After an engaging and dramatic opening chapter this book settles down to a fairly routine police procedural storyline, punctuated by what appear to be some strangely idiosyncratic personal obsessions relating to disrupted families and current terrorist activity. There's plenty to like in terms of excitement and plot development, but there's also plenty to frustrate the reader who is looking for a narrative that reflects the reality of current operational policing, whilst the lead character - a Detective Constable - alternates between behaving like the senior officer coordinating some activities; an ill-disciplined thug seemingly prepared to use a meat cleaver on a possible threat to his personal life; and an angst-ridden lone father, demonstrably unfit to look after his young daughter. For me, these various dissonances stopped this being the page turner it might have been.