I have read and enjoyed all the Max Wolfe books and this was a wonderful addition to the series. The story grips you from the very start and will not let you go until the very end. The book deals with very topical issues and manages to seamlessly tie all the complicated threads together. And that unexpected ending - insert sad face here- shocked me a little but I quite like that it did! I highly recommend the whole series.

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Drones: terrorists’ new weapons?

DC Max Wolfe, a member of Homicide and Serious Crime Command, West End Central, had been in the Lake Meadows shopping centre to buy his daughter, Scout, a new backpack, when an air ambulance helicopter crashes into the centre; brought down by a drone. He is lucky to survive the damage and mayhem that results from this crash.

His team is part of a combined police operation. tasked with bringing the killers to justice. They quickly ascertain who the suspects are and Max Wolfe, DC Edie Wren and the new member of the team, TDC Joy Adams is on hand when the armed unit arrives to arrest the two brothers they’ve identified as the suspects. Unfortunately, Specialist Firearms Officer DS Alice Stone is killed when one of the brothers rushes out of the house they are about to storm, opening fire with an assault rifle.

These two incidents are the beginning of what is going to be the most horrific and hardest case that Max Wolfe, and the other members of the team he is part of, have ever faced.

To make matters worse, Max must deal with losing his daughter Scout. Her mother, Anne, who had left Max and her daughter when she fell in love with another man, severing all ties with both Scout and Max on her departure, insists that Scout should live with her. He takes the line of least resistance, hoping not to cause more unhappiness for his daughter.

This is the fifth book featuring DC Max Wolfe. I’ve grown to know him, Scout, their beautiful Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Stan, Mrs Murphy, who keeps house for them, and the team he is part of - DCI Whitestone, Edie Wren and the newest member Joy Adams and they feel like an extension of my circle of friends. Because I feel such a close connection to each of them, I take it personally if something happens to one of them as they try to get the “nasties” off the street, more often than not one of them ending up battered and bruised.

Unfortunately, Tony Parsons has ratcheted up the horrors facing not only Max Wolfe but also the team in this book, reducing me to using a box of tissues as I tried to come to terms with the ending.

Tony Parsons must surely be one of the best crime writers around. I think what sets him apart from other writers is that his writing makes you feel as though you’re reading Max Wolfe’s personal journal because he feels and is so real.

If you’re not already a fan, may I suggest that you don’t take my word for it but grab the first book in the series, The Murder Bag? I can guarantee that reading it will make you keep reading through the series until you end up with this, the latest - “Girl on Fire” -hoping that Max Wolfe is keeping his journal up to date so that we don’t have to wait too long before the next “instalment.”

Treebeard

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

My first read by this author, Tony Parsons. A story relevant to present times. An enthralling story capturing al aspects of human emotions, unfortunately a sad ending for DI Wolfe and look forward to continuing his story!

I make no secret of the fact that I am a big fan of this series and also, probably, maybe, a little bit in love with Max Wolfe. Usual series rules apply with this one being the fifth in the series and also with a few inbetweenie shorts, although the main story is self contained, please do try start from book one and read in order. I think it is more important with this book than maybe the others as there is quite a bit of personal stuff going on for Max here. In fact, I got a bit over-involved emotionally and actually had to put the book down for a little while at one point just for a break. Not that this personal stuff overshadows the main case which is right up to Mr Parson's usual standards, it just complements some of what is going on there too.
So, the book starts with a bang, literally as Max is caught up in an incident. Investigations point to potential culprits and possible method and Max find himself involved in their arrest. But things don't quite go according to plan and the wheels are set for a really rather convoluted and interconnected journey that follows which blurs the line between guilty and innocent. With Max being blamed for something which leads to a barrage of threats things are not all rosy on his home front either, especially when his ex-wife, and part-time mother to their daughter Scout, rears her ugly head once again and makes certain demands. Can Max hold it together enough to cut through the noise and bring the guilty to justice without too much personal cost?
I've said that this book was emotional for me. If I have to be honest, it was maybe too emotional. At times it was too hard to read and I had to walk away which I am not really used to doing with a crime fiction book. It was like wave after wave of one thing after another and I really wanted to shout at the author to just give the guy a break.
The themes contained within this book, especially the home-grown terrorist aspect, are quite topical at the moment and I have seen them creep into quite a lot of series, both new and established. Sometimes done well, others notsomuch. Here, what happens and the aftermath of it all just really fits with Max and the way this series has developed over the past 4 books, plus shorts. Max is the kind of character that lends himself to more personal cases. His humanity shines through, even if at times it does make him misjudge situations. His grit and tenacity is also second to none. Yes he makes mistakes, yes he bends (breaks) the rules but he's Max Wolfe and that's how he gets results. The end justifies the means - that'll be his epitaph.
The plot is, at times, a bit convoluted and there was quite a lot for me to hold on to whilst I was reading, waiting for it all to slot into place, but by the end of the book it was all pretty well sewn up to my satisfaction. There were the usual red herrings, dead ends, false leads and a bit of duplicitous behaviour that you would expect in this genre of book but all handled very well as per usual. We also had all the usual suspects cast wise and also the obligatory visit to The Black Museum - something I always look forward to in these books.
All in all, another great addition to one of my favourite series. Roll on book six, or if that's too far away, I'll take book 5.5 in the mean time.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I found this quite dull and boring. Not my favourite book of the series.

I do love Tony Parsons writing. This is another great instalment in the series with an authentic voice, clever plotting and truly relatable characters.
BUT this time Wolfe was off his game, personal issues clouded his judgment and the team missed important clues that are obvious to the reader. The conclusion is unnecessarily cruel too

A brilliant Crime/Thrilker Book! This is usually the genre I prefer, but it was a great read that I got hooked on! The story was very gripping with a great plot! :)

This is the first of the DC Max Wolfe books that I have read and I enjoyed it. It works fine as a stand-alone novel, but I think it would have been better if I'd read at least some of the earlier ones – which I intend to do now.

Girl On Fire has one of the best, most arresting openings I can remember. The first sentence is "I woke up and the world was gone," and we learn very soon that Max has been caught up in a terrorist outrage and the scenes which follow are quite brilliantly done. The phrase "You had me at 'hello'" sprang to mind and although the remainder of the book couldn't quite keep up the stellar standard, it was an engrossing and exciting read. Max and various police colleagues deal with the aftermath of the incident – tracing suspects, knocking down doors, dealing with public reaction to events – and it's all pretty plausibly done. Throughout, there runs the story of Max as a single father and his relationship with his daughter (and his ex-wife) which makes a good backdrop and also has important things to say.

Tony Parsons writes very well. He has an easy, flowing prose style and Max's narrative voice is very convincing. There is a tendency to indulge occasionally in slightly stilted homilies about things like single fathers, liberal democracy and so on, but generally I found it an easy, gripping read. My only other reservation is that it's pretty unremittingly grim; a small leaven of humour would have helped a lot. Books on similar themes by, for example, Mick Herron or Khurrum Rahman (whose East Of Hounslow I thought very good) achieve this and may be rather more effective in their message as a result.

In short, this is a good, involving crime novel with some intellectual weight. Recommended.

(My thanks to Random House for an ARC via NetGalley.)

I love the Max Wolfe series of police procedural books. They are well written, the plots are gritty and realistic and the hero is hugely likeable warts and all. Max is no Harry Bosch - a man driven by demons - but he is irascible, quick to take offence and totally his own man. But he is a great dad, singlehandedly bringing up his beloved daughter, Scout, and loves dogs, as well as being an intuitive and excellent cop. He is a man that things happen to and around him rather than him necessarily solving the crimes on his own and bringing the criminals to justice but you forgive him everything as he is such a well drawn and sympathetic character.

This is the best book in the series by far and without giving the story away Max has to face deep personals traumas - some successfully and others not.

I enjoyed the book from the opening chapter and was deeply moved by the ending.

Crime writing at its finest.

Slick writing, fast-paced, ripped-from-the-headlines plotting. A bit more family soap opera and weepy noir than I'd like - Max Wolfe's personal life always ends up the same way! A switch-off, escapism read.