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.