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Max Wolfe #5
Die Essenz des Bösen
Für Detective Max Wolfe ist es die dunkelste Stunde seines Lebens: Nur mit Glück überlebt er einen Terroranschlag auf ein Einkaufszentrum, bei dem fünfundvierzig andere Menschen sterben. Eine Woche später ist die Londoner Polizei den Tätern auf der Spur, aber der Einsatz läuft aus dem Ruder. Die Drahtzieher des Anschlags, zwei Brüder, werden bei der Festnahme erschossen.
Doch für viele Londoner ist die Sache damit noch nicht beendet. Angestachelt von Fanatikern wächst ihre Wut und richtet sich gegen die Familie der Terroristen. Max hat alle Hände voll zu tun, sie zu beschützen. Das macht ihn selbst zur Zielscheibe. Genau wie seine kleine Tochter und die Frau, die er liebt ...
Doch für viele Londoner ist die Sache damit noch nicht beendet. Angestachelt von Fanatikern wächst ihre Wut und richtet sich gegen die Familie der Terroristen. Max hat alle Hände voll zu tun, sie zu beschützen. Das macht ihn selbst zur Zielscheibe. Genau wie seine kleine Tochter und die Frau, die er liebt ...
400 pages, Paperback
First published March 8, 2018
108 people are currently reading
782 people want to read
About the author
Tony Parsons
66 books892 followersThere is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Tony Parsons (born 6 November 1953) is a British journalist broadcaster and author. He began his career as a music journalist on the NME, writing about punk music. Later, he wrote for The Daily Telegraph, before going on to write his current column for the Daily Mirror. Parsons was for a time a regular guest on the BBC Two arts review programme The Late Show, and still appears infrequently on the successor Newsnight Review; he also briefly hosted a series on Channel 4 called Big Mouth.
He is the author of the multi-million selling novel, Man and Boy (1999). Parsons had written a number of novels including The Kids (1976), Platinum Logic (1981) and Limelight Blues (1983), before he found mainstream success by focussing on the tribulations of thirty-something men. Parsons has since published a series of best-selling novels – One For My Baby (2001), Man and Wife (2003), The Family Way (2004), Stories We Could Tell (2006), My Favourite Wife (2007), Starting Over (2009) and Men From the Boys (2010). His novels typically deal with relationship problems, emotional dramas and the traumas of men and women in our time. He describes his writing as 'Men Lit', as opposed to the rising popularity of 'Chick Lit'.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Par...
Tony Parsons (born 6 November 1953) is a British journalist broadcaster and author. He began his career as a music journalist on the NME, writing about punk music. Later, he wrote for The Daily Telegraph, before going on to write his current column for the Daily Mirror. Parsons was for a time a regular guest on the BBC Two arts review programme The Late Show, and still appears infrequently on the successor Newsnight Review; he also briefly hosted a series on Channel 4 called Big Mouth.
He is the author of the multi-million selling novel, Man and Boy (1999). Parsons had written a number of novels including The Kids (1976), Platinum Logic (1981) and Limelight Blues (1983), before he found mainstream success by focussing on the tribulations of thirty-something men. Parsons has since published a series of best-selling novels – One For My Baby (2001), Man and Wife (2003), The Family Way (2004), Stories We Could Tell (2006), My Favourite Wife (2007), Starting Over (2009) and Men From the Boys (2010). His novels typically deal with relationship problems, emotional dramas and the traumas of men and women in our time. He describes his writing as 'Men Lit', as opposed to the rising popularity of 'Chick Lit'.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Par...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 247 reviews
July 9, 2018
Book Reviewed by Clive on www.whisperingstories.com
Girl on Fire is a gritty Police Procedure book which covers a number of today’s major crime issues arising from fundamentalism, both Islamic and white British fascism. Please do not be deterred by the term “procedure” as Parsons is thorough in his explanations of the Police terms.
The book starts with a bang, literally, and the action proceeds at a pace. As you would expect from a writer of this pedigree the text is easy to read, the plot keeps your attention and the various strands are woven together so well that the whole book is neatly packaged without a single loose end.
However, this tale is far from a simple crime/investigation/arrest story because it also examines the causes and more significantly the effects of such hatred. And if you thought that with a crime story the author had left his roots behind then think again. Despite the action and mystery this book is still very much a book about families, traditional relatives and the various police families.
Is there a downside? I struggled to find one although if you are planning on taking Girl on Fire as part of your holiday reading then make sure you pack more books. Despite its four hundred paperback pages you will zip through it in a couple of days, maybe less.
I cannot give Girl on Fire anything less than five full stars.
Girl on Fire is a gritty Police Procedure book which covers a number of today’s major crime issues arising from fundamentalism, both Islamic and white British fascism. Please do not be deterred by the term “procedure” as Parsons is thorough in his explanations of the Police terms.
The book starts with a bang, literally, and the action proceeds at a pace. As you would expect from a writer of this pedigree the text is easy to read, the plot keeps your attention and the various strands are woven together so well that the whole book is neatly packaged without a single loose end.
However, this tale is far from a simple crime/investigation/arrest story because it also examines the causes and more significantly the effects of such hatred. And if you thought that with a crime story the author had left his roots behind then think again. Despite the action and mystery this book is still very much a book about families, traditional relatives and the various police families.
Is there a downside? I struggled to find one although if you are planning on taking Girl on Fire as part of your holiday reading then make sure you pack more books. Despite its four hundred paperback pages you will zip through it in a couple of days, maybe less.
I cannot give Girl on Fire anything less than five full stars.
March 30, 2018
Many moons ago I read Man and Boy by Tony Parsons and was pleasantly surprised by this warm and delightful story of family relationships and a father faced with the responsibility of being the sole parent for his small son. I was aware that he had written a detective series, for some years I avoided but often wondered how it could be possible to produce such emotive writing in a totally different genre. Girl on Fire has been an amazing read combining all Parson's warmth from his earlier books with a gritty fast paced detective story engaging and shocking in equal measures.
"I woke up and found the world was gone" These are the opening "explosive" thoughts of DC Max Wolfe as he recovers and surveys the aftermath of a terrorist attack at a local shopping centre. Wolfe is a member of a specialist firearms unit of the Metropolitan police. Following the explosion he and his team are tasked with finding the individuals responsible, made all the more urgent when it becomes clear that an unknown number of Croatian hand grenades have..."found their way across from the Balkans to our streets"....They have been traced to two brothers Asad and Adnan Khan who also appear to be linked in some way to the shopping centre explosion. The race is on to expose the terrorist cell before more death and destruction "bloodies" the streets of London.
This is an astounding, intelligent, up to the minute, thriller that not only addresses terrorism on the capital's streets but also the affects such acts of hatred has on both the individuals and families involved. What happens when different cultures and beliefs collide? When social media can be used to brainwash the bad and the vulnerable? And when angry young men and women are prepared to kill for what they feel is a righteous and just cause....But this story is much more than that. The warmth, the love and values that graced the earlier books of Tony Parsons is still present and adds an extra layer of brilliance to some of the best emotive prose I have read in a very long time. There is Scout, Max Wolfe' cherished daughter, living with him but now the subject of a court battle between Wolfe and his ex "model" wife Anne. There is the harsh reality that life in a dangerous frontline policing job means friends and colleagues may be present one day and sadly gone tomorrow. There is the unquestionable love that exists between man and (his) dog (Stan)..."I lie belly-up in the sunshine, happier than you will ever be. Today I sniffed many dot butts-I celebrate by kissing your face"....There is the complex often hypocritical belief in religious teachings and the affects and fallouts that all in society must bear witness to.
There is an explosive start to Girl on Fire and an equally harrowing "I never expected that" conclusion. Tony Parsons has accomplished what I never thought possible by creating something new and deeply heartfelt in crime fiction. In DI Max Wolfe we have a vulnerable antihero and a story that brilliantly moulds all the jagged edges of this sorry tale together. We as readers understand and appreciate Wolfe's weaknesses. The story is real, the action is real, the people the emotions, the daily turmoil, the highs and lows of modern living are all so real and on these pages..wonderful stuff...wonderful writing.
Many thanks to the publishers Random House UK, Cornerstone Century and netgalley for a gratis copy in exchange for an honest review and that is what I have written. Highly highly Recommended.
"I woke up and found the world was gone" These are the opening "explosive" thoughts of DC Max Wolfe as he recovers and surveys the aftermath of a terrorist attack at a local shopping centre. Wolfe is a member of a specialist firearms unit of the Metropolitan police. Following the explosion he and his team are tasked with finding the individuals responsible, made all the more urgent when it becomes clear that an unknown number of Croatian hand grenades have..."found their way across from the Balkans to our streets"....They have been traced to two brothers Asad and Adnan Khan who also appear to be linked in some way to the shopping centre explosion. The race is on to expose the terrorist cell before more death and destruction "bloodies" the streets of London.
This is an astounding, intelligent, up to the minute, thriller that not only addresses terrorism on the capital's streets but also the affects such acts of hatred has on both the individuals and families involved. What happens when different cultures and beliefs collide? When social media can be used to brainwash the bad and the vulnerable? And when angry young men and women are prepared to kill for what they feel is a righteous and just cause....But this story is much more than that. The warmth, the love and values that graced the earlier books of Tony Parsons is still present and adds an extra layer of brilliance to some of the best emotive prose I have read in a very long time. There is Scout, Max Wolfe' cherished daughter, living with him but now the subject of a court battle between Wolfe and his ex "model" wife Anne. There is the harsh reality that life in a dangerous frontline policing job means friends and colleagues may be present one day and sadly gone tomorrow. There is the unquestionable love that exists between man and (his) dog (Stan)..."I lie belly-up in the sunshine, happier than you will ever be. Today I sniffed many dot butts-I celebrate by kissing your face"....There is the complex often hypocritical belief in religious teachings and the affects and fallouts that all in society must bear witness to.
There is an explosive start to Girl on Fire and an equally harrowing "I never expected that" conclusion. Tony Parsons has accomplished what I never thought possible by creating something new and deeply heartfelt in crime fiction. In DI Max Wolfe we have a vulnerable antihero and a story that brilliantly moulds all the jagged edges of this sorry tale together. We as readers understand and appreciate Wolfe's weaknesses. The story is real, the action is real, the people the emotions, the daily turmoil, the highs and lows of modern living are all so real and on these pages..wonderful stuff...wonderful writing.
Many thanks to the publishers Random House UK, Cornerstone Century and netgalley for a gratis copy in exchange for an honest review and that is what I have written. Highly highly Recommended.
March 20, 2018
I don’t know why I’m writing such long reviews this week, but here’s another one. Part of why this one is so long is that I’m torn between giving this three stars (I liked it) and two stars (it was OK). I finally picked three, because I did like the book in spite of its flaws, and I know I’ll be reading the next one in the series.
The Max Wolfe series is a contemporary, gritty police procedural series featuring Detective Constable Max Wolfe, who works out of London’s West End Central, incongruously situated on famed fashionable Savile Row. Every Max Wolfe story features an issue straight out of today’s news in the UK. Last time around it was human trafficking. This time it’s jihadist terrorism, countered by nativist/biblical rhetoric and violence.
If you know this series, one thing you know is that Max has the most uncanny ability to be at the scene of major events, even in one of the world’s largest cities. In this book, there are at least three of those instances, with the first taking place at a West End of London shopping center, where he’s gone to buy a new backpack for his little girl, Scout. A helicopter crashes into the center after having been targeted by a drone operated by jihadist terrorists. Dozens of people are killed and Max is injured.
The shopping center attack leads to another murder and much more violence and threats. Max’s team is tasked with investigating the shopping center attack, tracking down the murderer, suspected to be someone called Bad Moses in social media, and with keeping the jihadists’ remaining family members safe from revenge killing by Bad Moses and other far-right forces.
This is another taut, gripping thriller plot from Tony Parsons. I can’t say it was the best-constructed crime plot ever, though. Key clues to the crime investigation are so neon-light obvious that you just want to smack the team for not seeing them. Seriously, don’t read this next bit in spoiler tags if you don’t want to read about a couple of them.
As always, the crime investigation plot is mixed with the story of Max Wolfe’s personal life. Unlike so many police detectives in modern crime fiction, Max is not an alcoholic loner. He’s a single father with a delightful daughter and a charming Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Stan. I won’t say that Max is completely unlike your typical detective of crime fiction, though. He shares some of their self-destructive tendencies and bad habit of wading into dangerous situations without waiting for backup. It can get a little annoying.
As the book description tells us, in this novel there is a threat to Max’s happy home life, when his ex-wife decides that Scout should come to live with her, her new husband and their two boys. For those readers who have become attached to Scout, Stan and Max, this is harder to read than anything in the crime thread. But it’s handled in an interesting and thoughtful manner.
The thing I usually ask myself after I’ve read a Max Wolfe book is why I like them so much when they have so many flaws, and not just in the crime plotting. I often think of Max as “Max Wolfe, Saint and Martyr.” Parsons has him be constantly victimized, as if he’s the Job of the modern world. But he never turns to the dark side, not our hero Max. It can get to be a bit much and I wish Parsons would dial it back, especially since Max Wolfe is so clearly Parson’s idealized version of himself. Readers are SO meant to dislike his ex-wife, and I do, but she had me nodding and laughing when she says to him: “Good old Max, never knowingly off the high moral ground.” Right on, lady!
Parsons also has a tendency, shared with so many crime writers, to make his conflict more black and white than is realistic. When internal affairs (I forget what the Brits call their version) investigates the police shooting of a suspect during a raid on a terrorist cell, they treat the police officers they interview as almost worse than criminal suspects. They sneer and bully the officers, presuming them guilty of illegal behavior. Parsons also sets up a conflict between Max and another officer that only continues because the other officer is irrational about something Max has done and nobody seems to want to explain this to the other officer. It just feels like these are set pieces intended to raise the conflict level because readers are supposed to love conflict. I don’t think I’m the only one who prefers my conflict to make sense rather than feel exaggerated and artificial.
Parsons also tends to commit at least a couple of real faux pas in each book. A very minor (even nit-picky) one in this book is having a reference to Max’s ex-wife as “née Wolfe,” which of course is wrong, since “née” refers to a woman’s maiden name, not her former married name. The glaring error, though, is plot related, so I’m putting it in spoiler tags.
Whew, that’s a lot of criticism. I think sometimes I can be the most critical of books that I like but that could be made truly excellent if the author would just fix those writing flaws I so painstakingly and helpfully point out. (Yes, that’s sarcasm.) But despite all the flaws in these books, I enjoy the contemporary plots and I fundamentally like the characters. It helps a lot that I usually listen to the audiobook versions, read by Colin Mace. Mace has a great working-class London accent that works so well for these first-person narratives. Even when I’m annoyed at something Max has done, Colin Mace’s voice won’t let me stay irritated for long.
The Max Wolfe series is a contemporary, gritty police procedural series featuring Detective Constable Max Wolfe, who works out of London’s West End Central, incongruously situated on famed fashionable Savile Row. Every Max Wolfe story features an issue straight out of today’s news in the UK. Last time around it was human trafficking. This time it’s jihadist terrorism, countered by nativist/biblical rhetoric and violence.
If you know this series, one thing you know is that Max has the most uncanny ability to be at the scene of major events, even in one of the world’s largest cities. In this book, there are at least three of those instances, with the first taking place at a West End of London shopping center, where he’s gone to buy a new backpack for his little girl, Scout. A helicopter crashes into the center after having been targeted by a drone operated by jihadist terrorists. Dozens of people are killed and Max is injured.
The shopping center attack leads to another murder and much more violence and threats. Max’s team is tasked with investigating the shopping center attack, tracking down the murderer, suspected to be someone called Bad Moses in social media, and with keeping the jihadists’ remaining family members safe from revenge killing by Bad Moses and other far-right forces.
This is another taut, gripping thriller plot from Tony Parsons. I can’t say it was the best-constructed crime plot ever, though. Key clues to the crime investigation are so neon-light obvious that you just want to smack the team for not seeing them. Seriously, don’t read this next bit in spoiler tags if you don’t want to read about a couple of them.
As always, the crime investigation plot is mixed with the story of Max Wolfe’s personal life. Unlike so many police detectives in modern crime fiction, Max is not an alcoholic loner. He’s a single father with a delightful daughter and a charming Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Stan. I won’t say that Max is completely unlike your typical detective of crime fiction, though. He shares some of their self-destructive tendencies and bad habit of wading into dangerous situations without waiting for backup. It can get a little annoying.
As the book description tells us, in this novel there is a threat to Max’s happy home life, when his ex-wife decides that Scout should come to live with her, her new husband and their two boys. For those readers who have become attached to Scout, Stan and Max, this is harder to read than anything in the crime thread. But it’s handled in an interesting and thoughtful manner.
The thing I usually ask myself after I’ve read a Max Wolfe book is why I like them so much when they have so many flaws, and not just in the crime plotting. I often think of Max as “Max Wolfe, Saint and Martyr.” Parsons has him be constantly victimized, as if he’s the Job of the modern world. But he never turns to the dark side, not our hero Max. It can get to be a bit much and I wish Parsons would dial it back, especially since Max Wolfe is so clearly Parson’s idealized version of himself. Readers are SO meant to dislike his ex-wife, and I do, but she had me nodding and laughing when she says to him: “Good old Max, never knowingly off the high moral ground.” Right on, lady!
Parsons also has a tendency, shared with so many crime writers, to make his conflict more black and white than is realistic. When internal affairs (I forget what the Brits call their version) investigates the police shooting of a suspect during a raid on a terrorist cell, they treat the police officers they interview as almost worse than criminal suspects. They sneer and bully the officers, presuming them guilty of illegal behavior. Parsons also sets up a conflict between Max and another officer that only continues because the other officer is irrational about something Max has done and nobody seems to want to explain this to the other officer. It just feels like these are set pieces intended to raise the conflict level because readers are supposed to love conflict. I don’t think I’m the only one who prefers my conflict to make sense rather than feel exaggerated and artificial.
Parsons also tends to commit at least a couple of real faux pas in each book. A very minor (even nit-picky) one in this book is having a reference to Max’s ex-wife as “née Wolfe,” which of course is wrong, since “née” refers to a woman’s maiden name, not her former married name. The glaring error, though, is plot related, so I’m putting it in spoiler tags.
Whew, that’s a lot of criticism. I think sometimes I can be the most critical of books that I like but that could be made truly excellent if the author would just fix those writing flaws I so painstakingly and helpfully point out. (Yes, that’s sarcasm.) But despite all the flaws in these books, I enjoy the contemporary plots and I fundamentally like the characters. It helps a lot that I usually listen to the audiobook versions, read by Colin Mace. Mace has a great working-class London accent that works so well for these first-person narratives. Even when I’m annoyed at something Max has done, Colin Mace’s voice won’t let me stay irritated for long.
December 6, 2019
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.
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.
April 4, 2018
I have never read anything by this author before but will be looking for more.
I listened to the audiobook version of this story and it was truly exceptional.
Highly recommended.
I listened to the audiobook version of this story and it was truly exceptional.
Highly recommended.
Read
March 2, 20193.5
Ich mag die Fälle um DS Wolfe immer sehr gerne, da die Fälle und die Themen, die in den Büchern verarbeitet werden, immer eine sehr aktuelle Brisanz haben und außerdem immer wieder zum nachdenken anregen.
Max Wolfe entgeht dieses Mal nur knapp einem Terroranschlag in einem Londoner Einkaufszentrum, doch 45 weitere Menschen sterben. Die Täter sind schnell gefunden und werden bei einem Einsatz getötet, aber für viele Menschen ist die Angelegenheit noch lange nicht beendet. Das Thema Terrorismus wird hier auf eine sehr interessante Art und Weise betrachtet und zeigt auch welchen Einfluss die Taten der Attentäter auf die Familien haben. Diesen Aspekt fand ich sehr interessant und gut dargestellt. Der weitere Fall selbst fand ich dieses Mal leider nicht so spannend.
Normalerweise interessiert mich das Privatleben der Ermittler selten, aber hier passt es für mich einfach perfekt und ich freue mich immer, wenn Max Tochter Scout und der Hund Stan auftauchen. Auch hier gibt es dieses Mal einige weitere Entwicklungen.
Das Ende war wieder mal wirklich heftig und hat mich sehr schockiert. Ich bin nun sehr gespannt wie es mit Max weitergeht.
Ich mag die Fälle um DS Wolfe immer sehr gerne, da die Fälle und die Themen, die in den Büchern verarbeitet werden, immer eine sehr aktuelle Brisanz haben und außerdem immer wieder zum nachdenken anregen.
Max Wolfe entgeht dieses Mal nur knapp einem Terroranschlag in einem Londoner Einkaufszentrum, doch 45 weitere Menschen sterben. Die Täter sind schnell gefunden und werden bei einem Einsatz getötet, aber für viele Menschen ist die Angelegenheit noch lange nicht beendet. Das Thema Terrorismus wird hier auf eine sehr interessante Art und Weise betrachtet und zeigt auch welchen Einfluss die Taten der Attentäter auf die Familien haben. Diesen Aspekt fand ich sehr interessant und gut dargestellt. Der weitere Fall selbst fand ich dieses Mal leider nicht so spannend.
Normalerweise interessiert mich das Privatleben der Ermittler selten, aber hier passt es für mich einfach perfekt und ich freue mich immer, wenn Max Tochter Scout und der Hund Stan auftauchen. Auch hier gibt es dieses Mal einige weitere Entwicklungen.
Das Ende war wieder mal wirklich heftig und hat mich sehr schockiert. Ich bin nun sehr gespannt wie es mit Max weitergeht.
March 30, 2018
Wonderful wonderful storytelling Many moons ago I read Man and Boy by Tony Parsons and was pleasantly surprised by this warm and delightful story of family relationships and a father faced with the responsibility of being the sole parent for his small son. I was aware that he had written a detective series, for some years I avoided but often wondered how it could be possible to produce such emotive writing in a totally different genre. Girl on Fire has been an amazing read combining all Parson's warmth from his earlier books with a gritty fast paced detective story engaging and shocking in equal measures.
"I woke up and found the world was gone" These are the opening "explosive" thoughts of DC Max Wolfe as he recovers and surveys the aftermath of a terrorist attack at a local shopping centre. Wolfe is a member of a specialist firearms unit of the Metropolitan police. Following the explosion he and his team are tasked with finding the individuals responsible, made all the more urgent when it becomes clear that an unknown number of Croatian hand grenades have..."found their way across from the Balkans to our streets"....They have been traced to two brothers Asad and Adnan Khan who also appear to be linked in some way to the shopping centre explosion. The race is on to expose the terrorist cell before more death and destruction "bloodies" the streets of London.
This is an astounding, intelligent, up to the minute, thriller that not only addresses terrorism on the capital's streets but also the affects such acts of hatred has on both the individuals and families involved. What happens when different cultures and beliefs collide? When social media can be used to brainwash the bad and the vulnerable? And when angry young men and women are prepared to kill for what they feel is a righteous and just cause....But this story is much more than that. The warmth, the love and values that graced the earlier books of Tony Parsons is still present and adds an extra layer of brilliance to some of the best emotive prose I have read in a very long time. There is Scout, Max Wolfe' cherished daughter, living with him but now the subject of a court battle between Wolfe and his ex "model" wife Anne. There is the harsh reality that life in a dangerous frontline policing job means friends and colleagues may be present one day and sadly gone tomorrow. There is the unquestionable love that exists between man and (his) dog (Stan)..."I lie belly-up in the sunshine, happier than you will ever be. Today I sniffed many dot butts-I celebrate by kissing your face"....There is the complex often hypocritical belief in religious teachings and the affects and fallouts that all in society must bear witness to.
There is an explosive start to Girl on Fire and an equally harrowing "I never expected that" conclusion. Tony Parsons has accomplished what I never thought possible by creating something new and deeply heartfelt in crime fiction. In DI Max Wolfe we have a vulnerable antihero and a story that brilliantly moulds all the jagged edges of this sorry tale together. We as readers understand and appreciate Wolfe's weaknesses. The story is real, the action is real, the people the emotions, the daily turmoil, the highs and lows of modern living are all so real and on these pages..wonderful stuff...wonderful writing.
Many thanks to the publishers Random House UK, Cornerstone Century and netgalley for a gratis copy in exchange for an honest review and that is what I have written. Highly highly Recommended.
"I woke up and found the world was gone" These are the opening "explosive" thoughts of DC Max Wolfe as he recovers and surveys the aftermath of a terrorist attack at a local shopping centre. Wolfe is a member of a specialist firearms unit of the Metropolitan police. Following the explosion he and his team are tasked with finding the individuals responsible, made all the more urgent when it becomes clear that an unknown number of Croatian hand grenades have..."found their way across from the Balkans to our streets"....They have been traced to two brothers Asad and Adnan Khan who also appear to be linked in some way to the shopping centre explosion. The race is on to expose the terrorist cell before more death and destruction "bloodies" the streets of London.
This is an astounding, intelligent, up to the minute, thriller that not only addresses terrorism on the capital's streets but also the affects such acts of hatred has on both the individuals and families involved. What happens when different cultures and beliefs collide? When social media can be used to brainwash the bad and the vulnerable? And when angry young men and women are prepared to kill for what they feel is a righteous and just cause....But this story is much more than that. The warmth, the love and values that graced the earlier books of Tony Parsons is still present and adds an extra layer of brilliance to some of the best emotive prose I have read in a very long time. There is Scout, Max Wolfe' cherished daughter, living with him but now the subject of a court battle between Wolfe and his ex "model" wife Anne. There is the harsh reality that life in a dangerous frontline policing job means friends and colleagues may be present one day and sadly gone tomorrow. There is the unquestionable love that exists between man and (his) dog (Stan)..."I lie belly-up in the sunshine, happier than you will ever be. Today I sniffed many dot butts-I celebrate by kissing your face"....There is the complex often hypocritical belief in religious teachings and the affects and fallouts that all in society must bear witness to.
There is an explosive start to Girl on Fire and an equally harrowing "I never expected that" conclusion. Tony Parsons has accomplished what I never thought possible by creating something new and deeply heartfelt in crime fiction. In DI Max Wolfe we have a vulnerable antihero and a story that brilliantly moulds all the jagged edges of this sorry tale together. We as readers understand and appreciate Wolfe's weaknesses. The story is real, the action is real, the people the emotions, the daily turmoil, the highs and lows of modern living are all so real and on these pages..wonderful stuff...wonderful writing.
Many thanks to the publishers Random House UK, Cornerstone Century and netgalley for a gratis copy in exchange for an honest review and that is what I have written. Highly highly Recommended.
February 8, 2018
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.)
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.)
September 28, 2018
Girl on Fire is book 5 in Max Wolfe series.
Max finds himself caught up in terrorist act of hate and becoming hell bent on finding out who and why his beloved London was hit.
Max's personally life is not smooth sailing and when his ex-wife starts a war, Max is fight for his life in the forces and personal life.
The story is fast pacing and I love the way the author was able to run to stories side by side without losing any of the pace and gripping story-line
Max finds himself caught up in terrorist act of hate and becoming hell bent on finding out who and why his beloved London was hit.
Max's personally life is not smooth sailing and when his ex-wife starts a war, Max is fight for his life in the forces and personal life.
The story is fast pacing and I love the way the author was able to run to stories side by side without losing any of the pace and gripping story-line
October 22, 2018
This was probably my last outing with Max Wolfe. This story actually included absolutely zero detective work, which personally I'd say is the minimum requirement for a detective story!
I also couldn't help but disagree with almost every decision Max made in this one.
The only redeeming feature and why I have rated it with 2 stars is that I quite enjoy the family aspect of these novels and again this doesn't disappoint here.
I also couldn't help but disagree with almost every decision Max made in this one.
The only redeeming feature and why I have rated it with 2 stars is that I quite enjoy the family aspect of these novels and again this doesn't disappoint here.
January 2, 2022
I won’t be rushing to read any more of this DC Max Wolfe series. It started in a full on way with a terrorist attack in a shopping centre and the police investigation was interesting to begin with. However it soon got bogged down in macho posturing, combined with showing Max as a super-Dad with an evil ex wife which didn’t quite work. And I guessed the plot twist early on so had lost all interest by the end.
April 3, 2018
Girl on Fire is the fifth instalment in Tony Parsons gritty and highly contemporary London based series that features DC Max Wolfe. Having followed the series since inception I feel qualified to say that this novel can be read easily as a stand-alone, but as a hardened follower and fan it proved something of a disappointment. Always topical, from the vigilante executioners of The Hanging Club to the sex-trafficking in Die Last, Parsons tackles the most contentious of topics in this instalment: the jihadi war against the West, radicalisation and the religious zealots who quote from the Bible as a means of justifying a brutal revenge. Tony Parsons prose is engaging, highly readable and wonderfully direct and he doesn’t waste words, packing significant and unexpected developments into the lives of his cast amid the unfolding action. His narrative voice is powerful with its crisp insights and pithy honesty and from the startling opening to the last gasp fallout, the forward momentum throughout ensures readers attention never wanders... But firstly to the action...
DC Max Wolfe of Homicide and Serious Crime Command, West End Central is shopping for a new backpack for his daughter when he is caught up in the carnage and bloodshed of a terrorist controlled drone taking down an Air Ambulance helicopter above Lake Meadows shopping centre in West London. Amid the destruction of the explosion and innocent loss of life, Max is fortunate to make it out alive from the ruins. Just seven days later and with a fatality list already standing at over forty individuals he is part of a briefing team of Specialist Firearms Officer’s from the Met about to enter the home of the two brothers who are suspected of being behind the attack and having acquired two decommissioned hand grenades. With one brother already having lost his life fighting in Aleppo, siblings Asad and Adnan have recently returned to the family home in Borodino Street, E1 to live in the family home. Also resident are their parents and long term tenants bus driver Ahmed (known as Arnold), mother Azza and sixteen-year-old niece, Layla, all of whom are believed to have ‘innocent contact’ with the suspects.
From the wound-tight anticipation of instigating a pre-dawn raid the efforts of the entry team are scotched by an immediate fatality and a young firearms officer making a decision in the heat of the moment that will change his life forever. Disclosing too much of what ensues in the aftermath risks spoiling the surprises in store but needless to say that Max Wolfe is front and centre of the controversy as a simmering hotbed of national debate rages. As the crowds flocks to what is left of the Khan family home and a preaching Christian calling himself ‘Bad Moses’ starts trending on social media and turns murderous, Parsons broaches the issue of how such radicalisation has arisen. As London erupts, Max and his colleagues at West End Central are charged with the impossible; ensuring the safety and security of the remaining Khan family as tempers fray amid a summer of violence. Tony Parsons shines a balanced light on the predicaments of both DC Max Wolfe, the Specialist Firearms Officer’s risking their lives through to the large segment of the British public who feel they have been forced to apologise for their existence and culture.
As part of Homicide and Serious Crime Command alongside Max are his superior, DCI Pat Whitestone (apparently the most experienced homicide detective in Saville Row), gutsy and committed DC Edie Wren and the newest recruit to the team, TDC Joy Adams. Girl on Fire is more than simply about protecting the Khan family however, it is about establishing guilt, taking weapons out of circulation and putting a halt to the rise of a raving vigilante who is using the words of the Ten Commandments to justify taking an eye for an eye. Parsons is brave to tackle such a minefield as the war on terror and much of the novel treads the grey areas that blur the boundaries of right and wrong and lead protagonist, Max, does not shy away from confronting the biggest of issues.
On the domestic front, Max is a devoted single father to seven-year-old Scout living with their faithful Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Stan, in the heart of Smithfield. Scout’s mother, Anne Lewis, has appeared sporadically throughout the previous four novels and launches a renewed concerted effort for custody of their daughter, but having reared its head in precious instalments this issue feels a little overdone. I was disappointed with the direction that Parsons took the character of Max in this novel as he is starting to feel bigger than the series itself, with the overemphasis on his heroics of life as single father all too familiar to any reader who has followed the series and his flawed persona is starting to turn a little whiter than white. Childhood best friend, Jackson Rose, who featured as a former homeless soldier in the events of The Hanging Club makes a return appearance, now in the guise of a Specialist Firearm’s Officer with rather unexpected authority and all in all it felt like Parsons was clutching at straws to ensure that the personal drama kept apace with the gritty crime action which was unnecessary.
After book four, Die Last, I had serious reservations about DCI Pat Whitestone’s judgement calls and in this novel she seems just as blinkered, but it was the behaviour and decisions of DC Max Wolfe which caused most consternation as I felt they were anathema to everything that had previously been important to him. Plenty will disagree no doubt, but some of Max’s decisions were contrary to the actions of a character that Parson’s has spent the previous four novels carving out. There is very little levity in Girl on Fire and readers will have to search harder for the positive crumbs, but my concern is that the series is becoming a vehicle for a cast of characters and Parsons has taken his eye off the wider perspective of a flawed detective tackling London’s most contentious of crimes.
On a procedural note I had a number of issues with the novel, most significantly a glaring oversight on Wolfe’s part and what proves to be a monumental hint in the early chapters as to one of the final twists giving the game away ludicrously early. That Parsons then frustratingly and frequently calls attention to this is markedly more embarrassingly and as a layperson I was easily able to deduce where it was headed. Similarly a contemptuous DCI Whitestone failing to even bother asking for an alibi before sending Specialist Firearms Officers into a home of a man who was every bit as “innocent” as the Khan family and sustaining further damage screams amateur on the procedural front.
From a personal and political standpoint and living amidst the war on terror which is taking the lives of countless innocent people the subject matter was not to my taste and this bleak tale is highly divisive, often feeling like Parsons is bending over backwards in an effort to play the political correctness card. Whilst I didn’t like the treatment of the topic in Girl on Fire, I cannot argue that the background was inordinately well researched and Parsons balanced appraisal of opinions is admirable. Sadly however my enthusiasm and interest in the series has lessened and I am unsure as to whether I will read future outings. I suspect the subject matter as opposed to the recurring characters will be the thing that possibly sees me return.
DC Max Wolfe of Homicide and Serious Crime Command, West End Central is shopping for a new backpack for his daughter when he is caught up in the carnage and bloodshed of a terrorist controlled drone taking down an Air Ambulance helicopter above Lake Meadows shopping centre in West London. Amid the destruction of the explosion and innocent loss of life, Max is fortunate to make it out alive from the ruins. Just seven days later and with a fatality list already standing at over forty individuals he is part of a briefing team of Specialist Firearms Officer’s from the Met about to enter the home of the two brothers who are suspected of being behind the attack and having acquired two decommissioned hand grenades. With one brother already having lost his life fighting in Aleppo, siblings Asad and Adnan have recently returned to the family home in Borodino Street, E1 to live in the family home. Also resident are their parents and long term tenants bus driver Ahmed (known as Arnold), mother Azza and sixteen-year-old niece, Layla, all of whom are believed to have ‘innocent contact’ with the suspects.
From the wound-tight anticipation of instigating a pre-dawn raid the efforts of the entry team are scotched by an immediate fatality and a young firearms officer making a decision in the heat of the moment that will change his life forever. Disclosing too much of what ensues in the aftermath risks spoiling the surprises in store but needless to say that Max Wolfe is front and centre of the controversy as a simmering hotbed of national debate rages. As the crowds flocks to what is left of the Khan family home and a preaching Christian calling himself ‘Bad Moses’ starts trending on social media and turns murderous, Parsons broaches the issue of how such radicalisation has arisen. As London erupts, Max and his colleagues at West End Central are charged with the impossible; ensuring the safety and security of the remaining Khan family as tempers fray amid a summer of violence. Tony Parsons shines a balanced light on the predicaments of both DC Max Wolfe, the Specialist Firearms Officer’s risking their lives through to the large segment of the British public who feel they have been forced to apologise for their existence and culture.
As part of Homicide and Serious Crime Command alongside Max are his superior, DCI Pat Whitestone (apparently the most experienced homicide detective in Saville Row), gutsy and committed DC Edie Wren and the newest recruit to the team, TDC Joy Adams. Girl on Fire is more than simply about protecting the Khan family however, it is about establishing guilt, taking weapons out of circulation and putting a halt to the rise of a raving vigilante who is using the words of the Ten Commandments to justify taking an eye for an eye. Parsons is brave to tackle such a minefield as the war on terror and much of the novel treads the grey areas that blur the boundaries of right and wrong and lead protagonist, Max, does not shy away from confronting the biggest of issues.
On the domestic front, Max is a devoted single father to seven-year-old Scout living with their faithful Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Stan, in the heart of Smithfield. Scout’s mother, Anne Lewis, has appeared sporadically throughout the previous four novels and launches a renewed concerted effort for custody of their daughter, but having reared its head in precious instalments this issue feels a little overdone. I was disappointed with the direction that Parsons took the character of Max in this novel as he is starting to feel bigger than the series itself, with the overemphasis on his heroics of life as single father all too familiar to any reader who has followed the series and his flawed persona is starting to turn a little whiter than white. Childhood best friend, Jackson Rose, who featured as a former homeless soldier in the events of The Hanging Club makes a return appearance, now in the guise of a Specialist Firearm’s Officer with rather unexpected authority and all in all it felt like Parsons was clutching at straws to ensure that the personal drama kept apace with the gritty crime action which was unnecessary.
After book four, Die Last, I had serious reservations about DCI Pat Whitestone’s judgement calls and in this novel she seems just as blinkered, but it was the behaviour and decisions of DC Max Wolfe which caused most consternation as I felt they were anathema to everything that had previously been important to him. Plenty will disagree no doubt, but some of Max’s decisions were contrary to the actions of a character that Parson’s has spent the previous four novels carving out. There is very little levity in Girl on Fire and readers will have to search harder for the positive crumbs, but my concern is that the series is becoming a vehicle for a cast of characters and Parsons has taken his eye off the wider perspective of a flawed detective tackling London’s most contentious of crimes.
On a procedural note I had a number of issues with the novel, most significantly a glaring oversight on Wolfe’s part and what proves to be a monumental hint in the early chapters as to one of the final twists giving the game away ludicrously early. That Parsons then frustratingly and frequently calls attention to this is markedly more embarrassingly and as a layperson I was easily able to deduce where it was headed. Similarly a contemptuous DCI Whitestone failing to even bother asking for an alibi before sending Specialist Firearms Officers into a home of a man who was every bit as “innocent” as the Khan family and sustaining further damage screams amateur on the procedural front.
From a personal and political standpoint and living amidst the war on terror which is taking the lives of countless innocent people the subject matter was not to my taste and this bleak tale is highly divisive, often feeling like Parsons is bending over backwards in an effort to play the political correctness card. Whilst I didn’t like the treatment of the topic in Girl on Fire, I cannot argue that the background was inordinately well researched and Parsons balanced appraisal of opinions is admirable. Sadly however my enthusiasm and interest in the series has lessened and I am unsure as to whether I will read future outings. I suspect the subject matter as opposed to the recurring characters will be the thing that possibly sees me return.
March 8, 2018
This is the first DC Max Wolfe book I have read, and I will certainly be reading more! Even though I hadn’t read the first novels in this series, I believe this book works as a stand-alone novel. I wish I had read the previous books, however, this did not spoil the overall story for me!
From the first page you’re plunged straight into the action. Fire, burning, a ‘new world’ of fear. There is no time to waste, not even enough time to breathe as you turn the page, eagerly anticipating what happens next. This story is a worst-case scenario on a grand scale. With the every-day threat of terror, Parsons has really created a chilling reality with his novel. You actually feel as if you’re there, scared and afraid. And that’s only chapter one.
I feel this book was incredibly detailed- each stone was unturned and each piece of the puzzle was made to fit. This novel is well structured and the build-up of tension is strong, especially when heading towards a climactic end. Parsons has clearly put a lot of time and effort into his research, and it pays off!
I think the characters are intriguing; although very fast paced, you can’t help but get involved with the people in this story. You engage with these characters quickly and start to analyse them the way Max Wolfe would. He himself is a great character – a hint of classic crime clichés mixed with the danger of the contemporary modern world. You feel the hostility closing in on him and want him to find out the truth before it’s too late. Is the danger at arms-length, or right in front of his eyes?
To sum up, I would say that this book is a thrilling roller-coaster ride full of tension and suspense, jam packed with the very best of gritty crime action.
Recommendation
If you’re looking for your next action-packed thriller, then look no further! I would recommend for fans of Lee Child, Jo Nesbo, and James Patterson. This plot is full of twists to keep you on your toes and Parsons has done a terrific job of gripping you from page one… “I woke up and the world was gone”.
From the first page you’re plunged straight into the action. Fire, burning, a ‘new world’ of fear. There is no time to waste, not even enough time to breathe as you turn the page, eagerly anticipating what happens next. This story is a worst-case scenario on a grand scale. With the every-day threat of terror, Parsons has really created a chilling reality with his novel. You actually feel as if you’re there, scared and afraid. And that’s only chapter one.
I feel this book was incredibly detailed- each stone was unturned and each piece of the puzzle was made to fit. This novel is well structured and the build-up of tension is strong, especially when heading towards a climactic end. Parsons has clearly put a lot of time and effort into his research, and it pays off!
I think the characters are intriguing; although very fast paced, you can’t help but get involved with the people in this story. You engage with these characters quickly and start to analyse them the way Max Wolfe would. He himself is a great character – a hint of classic crime clichés mixed with the danger of the contemporary modern world. You feel the hostility closing in on him and want him to find out the truth before it’s too late. Is the danger at arms-length, or right in front of his eyes?
To sum up, I would say that this book is a thrilling roller-coaster ride full of tension and suspense, jam packed with the very best of gritty crime action.
Recommendation
If you’re looking for your next action-packed thriller, then look no further! I would recommend for fans of Lee Child, Jo Nesbo, and James Patterson. This plot is full of twists to keep you on your toes and Parsons has done a terrific job of gripping you from page one… “I woke up and the world was gone”.
April 20, 2018
Another great addition to the series! It started with a bang and didn't stop til the final page, several twists and turns that pushed the story on and on and when you thought, well, now we are getting our happy ending, bam - another one.
Yes, I definitely recommend this book, as well as the whole series.
Yes, I definitely recommend this book, as well as the whole series.
January 9, 2019
Inhalt: Auch im fünften Band um den Ermittler Max Wolfe geht es wieder um eine hochaktuelle, brisante Thematik.
Ein Hubschrauber wird durch eine Drohne zum Absturz gebracht, stürzt in ein gut besuchtes Londoner Einkaufszentrum und fordert viele Opfer. Auch Max Wolfe befand sich zufällig dort und erlebt den Angriff hautnah mit.
Schnell wird klar, dass es sich um einen islamistisch-terroristischen Anschlag handelt und die mutmaßlichen Täter sind bald identifiziert. Doch bei der Verhaftung der Verdächtigen geht alles schief....
Auch im privaten Bereich wird es für Max, dem alleinerziehenden Vater der kleinen Scout, schwierig. Seine Ex-Frau fordert das Sorgerecht für die kleine Tochter.
Meine Meinung: Wieder einmal konnte mich Tony Parsons mit seinem neuesten Thriller vollends überzeugen. Sein packender Schreibstil fesselt von der ersten Seite an und die Kombination mit aktuellen Themen ist gelungen.
Max Wolfe ist ein vielschichtiger Charakter. Er geht als Ermittler keiner Gefahr aus dem Weg und wird oft mit brutaler Gewalt konfrontiert. Aber er hat auch eine sehr sensible Seite, die er im Umgang mit seiner kleinen Tochter offen zeigt. Das macht Max sehr sympathisch und menschlich.
Fazit: Wie immer eine gelungene Mischung aus Action, brisanten Fällen und Privatleben des Ermittlers.
Diese Reihe ist für jeden Thrillerfan zu empfehlen!
October 23, 2020
A 3.5 read. I didn’t enjoy the overarching plot as much as the first three full novels but the twist at the end ripped my heart out. Both this novel and Die Last focused on human trafficking and terrorist storylines that I didn’t find as gripping as the first three books which centred on serial and spree killers.
May 25, 2024
Although I did enjoy this one I didn’t like it as much as the others that I’ve previously read in the series. I did however
Like the family aspect of Max Wolfe’s life, Scout his daughter and Stan the Spaniel. 3.5🌟
Like the family aspect of Max Wolfe’s life, Scout his daughter and Stan the Spaniel. 3.5🌟
August 12, 2020
This was an ok book, although almost right from the start I didn’t like the main character because he is, despite being both a police detective and the protagonist of not just this book but a whole series, apparently quite happy to cover up not one but two fellow officers’ crimes. I find it hard to root for a character who is so cavalier about the law and yet is also meant to be some kind of hero cop.
The ending was weak, in many ways. The reveal of who Bad Moses is was not at all earned, and there is a scene right towards the end that is just totally unrealistic. No major spoilers, but let’s just say that it involves two grenades.
I also found this book to be uncomfortably racist. I know there are radicals and extremists out there but this book just compounds hatred towards certain ethnicities and religions.
Probably the most compelling part of this police procedural was the sub-plot about the main character’s ex-wife and daughter. However, I have a seven-year-old son and even in spite of the author’s constant reminders that Scout is “a serious girl”, let me tell you that NO seven-year-old would ever talk the way she does.
My final word is that the title makes zero sense, and the blurb (on my copy at least) actually has nothing to do with the actual story?? My blurb reads “One girl holds the key to bringing the killers to justice. But will she betray her family and put herself in mortal danger to do so? When the time comes, she must make a terrifying choice.” Assuming this is talking about the character of Layla, absolutely none of that is relevant to the story and Layla is in fact really only a very minor character. As I was approaching the final pages I was left wondering why this was called Girl on Fire and why it had that blurb, when none of it matched the story at all.
Very weird. Overall this was vaguely readable but I won’t be reading anything else by Tony Parsons I’m afraid.
The ending was weak, in many ways. The reveal of who Bad Moses is was not at all earned, and there is a scene right towards the end that is just totally unrealistic. No major spoilers, but let’s just say that it involves two grenades.
I also found this book to be uncomfortably racist. I know there are radicals and extremists out there but this book just compounds hatred towards certain ethnicities and religions.
Probably the most compelling part of this police procedural was the sub-plot about the main character’s ex-wife and daughter. However, I have a seven-year-old son and even in spite of the author’s constant reminders that Scout is “a serious girl”, let me tell you that NO seven-year-old would ever talk the way she does.
My final word is that the title makes zero sense, and the blurb (on my copy at least) actually has nothing to do with the actual story?? My blurb reads “One girl holds the key to bringing the killers to justice. But will she betray her family and put herself in mortal danger to do so? When the time comes, she must make a terrifying choice.” Assuming this is talking about the character of Layla, absolutely none of that is relevant to the story and Layla is in fact really only a very minor character. As I was approaching the final pages I was left wondering why this was called Girl on Fire and why it had that blurb, when none of it matched the story at all.
Very weird. Overall this was vaguely readable but I won’t be reading anything else by Tony Parsons I’m afraid.
December 24, 2018
Detective Max Wolfe ist nur kurz im Einkaufszentrum Lake Meadows als die Hölle über ihn hereinbricht: ein Hubschrauber, von einer Drohne abgeschossen, stürzt in das Gebäude und löst ein Inferno aus. Es dauert nicht lange, bis die beiden Khan Brüder als Täter identifiziert sind, doch bei der Festnahme kommt es zum Schusswechsel und eine Polizistin stirbt durch die Waffe des Islamisten. Die Bevölkerung ist außer sich und schwankt zwischen Trauer um die junge Polizistin und Mutter von zwei Kindern und Hass auf die Khan Familie. Die Eltern der Attentäter und eine Nichte wollen trotz ausdrücklicher Warnung nicht unter Polizeischutz bleiben, sondern in ihr altes Haus, in ihr altes Leben zurück und so passiert, was passieren muss: ein weiteres Leben wird ausgelöscht. Nur dieses Mal findet die Polizei den Täter nicht so schnell.
Auch im fünften Teil seiner Reihe um den Londoner Detective greift Tony Parsons aktuelle Themen auf und baut um diese eine überzeugende und vor allem spannende Geschichte. Pünktlich zum Erscheinungstermin könnte die Story auch kaum aktueller sein, ist doch mit London Gatwick einer der wichtigsten europäischen Flughäfen wegen wiederholter Störungen durch Drohnen für mehrere Tage lahmgelegt worden. Und an der unmittelbaren Gefahr, die von fanatischen Islamisten auch in Europa ausgeht, zweifelt inzwischen ohnehin niemand mehr.
Neben der Aktualität hat mich vor allem die Differenziertheit, mit der Parsons die Problematik darstellt, überzeugt. Einerseits jagt die Polizei Terroristen, aber nicht alle Familienmitglieder sind Täter und dürfen nicht als solche behandelt werden. Der Vater, der auf sein Recht auf sein altes Leben pocht, weil er alles für seine Integration getan hat, tut einem Leid. Neben den Opfern, die durch die Attentate zu beklagen sind, ist er der Hauptleidtragende, denn so sehr er sich auch bemüht, die englische Gesellschaft wird ihn nie aufnehmen und seine Söhne versetzen diesem Wunsch den letzten Dolchstoß. Die Polizei muss ihn vor den eigenen Leuten schützen – wahrlich kein leichtes Unterfangen, weder praktisch noch moralisch.
Auch Layla, die 16-jährige Nichte ist gefangen zwischen den Erwartungen und kann letztlich keine erfüllen. Niemand hilft ihr, nimmt sie an die Hand, um ihren Weg zu finden und so bleibt ihr nur die Verzweiflungstat als letzter Ausweg.
Auch Max Wolfe steckt in einem Dilemma: seine Ex will nach Jahren plötzlich die gemeinsame Tochter zurück. Er will sie nicht aufgeben, will aber auch ihr Bestes und ihr vor allem nichts vorenthalten. Gleichzeitig liebt er seinen Beruf – doch als alleinerziehender Vater Verbrecher jagen ist zeitlich nicht immer koordinierbar und geht unweigerlich zu Lasten des Mädchens. Was also tun?
Auch wenn Max Wolfe so einiges einstecken kann, er ist nicht der Superheld, der im Alleingang alle Gegner besiegt. Gerade sein kompliziertes Privatleben hindert ihn an dieser Rolle. Das macht aber die Reihe aus und liefert immer das kleine bisschen mehr, das Tony Parsons‘ Romane auszeichnet.
Auch im fünften Teil seiner Reihe um den Londoner Detective greift Tony Parsons aktuelle Themen auf und baut um diese eine überzeugende und vor allem spannende Geschichte. Pünktlich zum Erscheinungstermin könnte die Story auch kaum aktueller sein, ist doch mit London Gatwick einer der wichtigsten europäischen Flughäfen wegen wiederholter Störungen durch Drohnen für mehrere Tage lahmgelegt worden. Und an der unmittelbaren Gefahr, die von fanatischen Islamisten auch in Europa ausgeht, zweifelt inzwischen ohnehin niemand mehr.
Neben der Aktualität hat mich vor allem die Differenziertheit, mit der Parsons die Problematik darstellt, überzeugt. Einerseits jagt die Polizei Terroristen, aber nicht alle Familienmitglieder sind Täter und dürfen nicht als solche behandelt werden. Der Vater, der auf sein Recht auf sein altes Leben pocht, weil er alles für seine Integration getan hat, tut einem Leid. Neben den Opfern, die durch die Attentate zu beklagen sind, ist er der Hauptleidtragende, denn so sehr er sich auch bemüht, die englische Gesellschaft wird ihn nie aufnehmen und seine Söhne versetzen diesem Wunsch den letzten Dolchstoß. Die Polizei muss ihn vor den eigenen Leuten schützen – wahrlich kein leichtes Unterfangen, weder praktisch noch moralisch.
Auch Layla, die 16-jährige Nichte ist gefangen zwischen den Erwartungen und kann letztlich keine erfüllen. Niemand hilft ihr, nimmt sie an die Hand, um ihren Weg zu finden und so bleibt ihr nur die Verzweiflungstat als letzter Ausweg.
Auch Max Wolfe steckt in einem Dilemma: seine Ex will nach Jahren plötzlich die gemeinsame Tochter zurück. Er will sie nicht aufgeben, will aber auch ihr Bestes und ihr vor allem nichts vorenthalten. Gleichzeitig liebt er seinen Beruf – doch als alleinerziehender Vater Verbrecher jagen ist zeitlich nicht immer koordinierbar und geht unweigerlich zu Lasten des Mädchens. Was also tun?
Auch wenn Max Wolfe so einiges einstecken kann, er ist nicht der Superheld, der im Alleingang alle Gegner besiegt. Gerade sein kompliziertes Privatleben hindert ihn an dieser Rolle. Das macht aber die Reihe aus und liefert immer das kleine bisschen mehr, das Tony Parsons‘ Romane auszeichnet.
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January 31, 2018
Girl On Fire is a hard-hitting story that draws inspiration from many topical strings, and brings them into play in pulsating fashion. Parson utilises the presence of homegrown terrorism, the extreme nationalists, and the differing views on terrorism and the failure of immigrants to integrate into Britain, to create a realistic and suspenseful work of fiction. Not to mention the turbulent home-life of single father, DC Max Wolfe, who is critical to the investigations into the gripping events that occur in Girl On Fire, and who is also battling with his ex-wife over their daughter.
Wolfe is immediately in the action as he finds himself at the scene of a terrorist attack in London. A drone has brought a helicopter crashing down on a shopping centre, killing dozens and injuring countless more. The atrocity is attributed to the Khan brothers, who have recently returned from Syria, and it is believed they are also in possession of 2 grenades. This barbaric event and information relating to the grenades, leads Wolfe and the cavalry to the Khan’s home- but things don’t turn out the way anyone expected.
Parson weaves a yarn that stands up to the best in the Crime Thriller genre, the topical-ness of his work is what grips hardest. The niggling threat of an Islamic Extremist “lone wolf” planning another attack in London is something that everyone in this country has worried about or had a sleepless night over. Parson has captured the anxiety of many, but he also captures and displays the anger that many people in this country feel towards these terrorists, but also the irrational anger that some have towards those of the Muslim faith.
In the end, Girl On Fire displays the fears that twenty-first-century civilians in London have or have had at some point during recent times, but it also shows how those fears can appear small when compared to a home-life problem that for many, takes centre stage. Max Wolfe had both of these problems to contend with, and the way he deals with them both simultaneously made for terrific reading.
Wolfe is immediately in the action as he finds himself at the scene of a terrorist attack in London. A drone has brought a helicopter crashing down on a shopping centre, killing dozens and injuring countless more. The atrocity is attributed to the Khan brothers, who have recently returned from Syria, and it is believed they are also in possession of 2 grenades. This barbaric event and information relating to the grenades, leads Wolfe and the cavalry to the Khan’s home- but things don’t turn out the way anyone expected.
Parson weaves a yarn that stands up to the best in the Crime Thriller genre, the topical-ness of his work is what grips hardest. The niggling threat of an Islamic Extremist “lone wolf” planning another attack in London is something that everyone in this country has worried about or had a sleepless night over. Parson has captured the anxiety of many, but he also captures and displays the anger that many people in this country feel towards these terrorists, but also the irrational anger that some have towards those of the Muslim faith.
In the end, Girl On Fire displays the fears that twenty-first-century civilians in London have or have had at some point during recent times, but it also shows how those fears can appear small when compared to a home-life problem that for many, takes centre stage. Max Wolfe had both of these problems to contend with, and the way he deals with them both simultaneously made for terrific reading.
September 18, 2018
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.
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.
January 11, 2018
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.
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.
November 28, 2018
I really like Max, obviously, I wouldn't make it to series' 5th book if it wasn't the case so I'm really mad, again, at Tony, because seriously? Edie? Why would you do that? I was still mourning Billy's death but here our boy Max finally gets some (love), and it's gone the same way it came. I am mad. It wasn't really necessary, in my humble opinion. That whole situation could go better way but hey, nobody asks me. Another thing that I find really unnecessary was that whole thing witg his ex wife wanting their daughter to live with her. Seriously it was just so unnecessary, and poorly written, I don't even wanna get deepee into it.
But yea, here 3* for my boy Max still rollin without a gun lol.
But yea, here 3* for my boy Max still rollin without a gun lol.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 9, 2018
This one at best is 2.5 because the plot is decent enough but everything else is just flawed and silly. Why do other officers call him sir when he is a Constable. Why is it his team when clearly he has a DCI albeit she is fatally flawed and always gets it wrong. How can the drone used in the terror attack be in the museum that the author keeps going on about. it's a live case. How is Max always there when something happens. Three times in this book. The procedural errors throughout this book annoyed me from start to finish.
So in conclusion if you are happy to suspend reality and you have little knowledge of police procedure then you might enjoy it but otherwise it will just grate on you.
So in conclusion if you are happy to suspend reality and you have little knowledge of police procedure then you might enjoy it but otherwise it will just grate on you.
November 17, 2018
I have very mixed feeling about this book, I loved it and I hated it, first of all i purchased it thinking it was a totally different book, so for the first three chapters i was under the impression that Max was a woman until someone called him sir that threw me of course, then I thought the police were as thick as bricks, I could have solved the mystery very early on in the book, however there were a few surprises that kept me engrossed, I cried and I worried because terrorism is happening now and I worried that maybe this is how it is dealt with witch makes it very scary indeed, not at all sure if I would recommend reading it but I could not put it down so I give it four stars
June 10, 2020
Followed a few weeks in the life of DC Max Wolfe..
Having never met this character before it took a while for his character to shine... I almost felt compelled to continue reading...
But the title of the book confused me ... right up till the last 5 pages ...
It seems this father of one is destined to not have a love interest as this book is # 5 and they were just acting on a slow burning attraction...when tragedy strikes..
Would the continuing storyline not catered for a loving partner in his life?
Why did that have happen?
Is it just a commentary on extremism in society?
The book has left me feeling sad..
Having never met this character before it took a while for his character to shine... I almost felt compelled to continue reading...
But the title of the book confused me ... right up till the last 5 pages ...
It seems this father of one is destined to not have a love interest as this book is # 5 and they were just acting on a slow burning attraction...when tragedy strikes..
Would the continuing storyline not catered for a loving partner in his life?
Why did that have happen?
Is it just a commentary on extremism in society?
The book has left me feeling sad..
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 7, 2019
I read the Max Wolfe series of books more for the single father's relationship with his young daughter and their adventures with their dog than the murder mystery aspect.
Girl on Fire brought out all sorts of emotions when focussing on this family dynamic but the terrorism storyline, while interesting enough fir me to get through the book in a couple of days, was a bit far fetched and somewhat obvious at times.
Nevertheless I am glad to see that there is another book on the horizon and I am looking forward to reading it!
Girl on Fire brought out all sorts of emotions when focussing on this family dynamic but the terrorism storyline, while interesting enough fir me to get through the book in a couple of days, was a bit far fetched and somewhat obvious at times.
Nevertheless I am glad to see that there is another book on the horizon and I am looking forward to reading it!
March 14, 2020
Auch im fünften Band der Reihe geht es Detective Max Wolfe wieder an den Kragen und diesmal hat der Londoner Ermittler gleich zu Beginn riesiges Glück, überhaupt mit dem Leben davon zu kommen. Bei einem Hubschrauberabsturz kommen in einem Einkaufszentrum nämlich mehr als 40 Menschen ums Leben und Max, der seiner Tochter nur einen neuen Rucksack kaufen wollte, wird bei der Katastrophe selbst verletzt, kommt aber mit einer leichten Beinverletzung davon – im Gegensatz zu vielen anderen, die in den Trümmern sterben oder nur schwer verletzt überleben. Wenig später stellt sich heraus, dass bei der Tragödie jemand nachgeholfen hat und der Hubschrauber gezielt mit einer Drohne über dem Einkaufszentrum zum Absturz gebracht wurde, um möglichst viele Menschen zu töten...
Wer nun erwartet, dass es Max Wolfes Aufgabe in "Die Essenz des Bösen" ist, die Drahtzieher hinter dem Anschlag ausfindig zu machen, der wird früh überrascht sein, denn diese sind schon nach wenigen Seiten identifiziert und unschädlich gemacht. Worum es auf den folgenden rund 300 Seiten geht ist dann auch gar nicht so leicht zu sagen, denn einen wirklichen Fall gibt es für Detective Wolf diesmal eigentlich nicht - zumindest nicht im klassischen Sinne eines typischen Whodunit-Krimis. Tatsächlich findet im gesamten Roman praktisch keine Ermittlungsarbeit statt, was schon irgendwie sehr seltsam wirkt – wenn man die Zeit hat darüber nachzudenken, denn Tony Parsons hat seine Geschichte mit so vielen Zutaten vollgepackt, dass es trotzdem nicht langweilig wird.
Da geht es zum einen um die Familie der Terroristen: auf der einen Seite die fast schon klischeehaften Terrorbrüder mit ihrem Hass auf ein fremdes Land, dann aber auch ihre Hinterbliebenen wie z.B. der Vater, der seit Jahrzehnten in England lebt und sich über viele Jahre mühsam und mit harter Arbeit als Busfahrer gegen viele Vorurteile gewehrt und letztlich doch den Respekt seiner Kollegen erarbeitet hat – was seine Söhne auf einen Schlag genauso zerstört haben wie die Leben ihrer unmittelbaren Opfer. Oder die junge Schwester im Teenageralter, die sich nun ebenfalls mit dem Hass der Bevölkerung auf die Familie konfrontiert sieht und auch um ihre eigene Selbstverwirklichung innerhalb ihres Umfelds kämpfen muss.
Darüber hinaus geht es um einen potenziellen Hassprediger, der gemeinsam mit einer Horde aus neugierigen Gaffern und Reportern das Haus der Täter belagert und möglicherweise die Masse aufzuhetzen scheint – oder handelt es sich hier nur um einen jungen Mann aus problematischen Verhältnissen, dem das erste Mal in seinem Leben jemand Gehör schenkt?
Dann wäre da noch der Polizist, der sich beim Zugriff widerrechtlich verhalten hat und sich selbst und auch Max Wolfe in eine schwierige Lage bringt, bei der letzterer sich zwischen der Wahrheit und der Loyalität innerhalb der Polizei entscheiden muss - und dabei vielleicht sogar auch sein Leben riskiert.
Und natürlich gibt es wie immer noch die privaten Baustellen, die Max das Leben schwermachen: diesmal geht es um seine Ex-Frau, die nach all den Jahren plötzlich Ansprüche auf das Sorgerecht für die gemeinsame Tochter anmeldet...
Es gibt also viele Probleme zu bewältigen für Detective Wolfe und auch wenn der Krimi-Anteil dieses Romans vielleicht enttäuscht, so schafft es Tony Parsons dennoch, die vielen Puzzleteile zu einer packenden Geschichte zusammenzustecken. Dabei ist wie so oft nicht immer alles logisch, Max Wolfe selbst wieder einmal nahezu unverwundbar und der Autor bedient sich auch des ein oder anderen Klischees und lässt mit seinen vielen Abkürzungen und Erklärungen wieder den Polizei-Experten raushängen, trotzdem funktioniert dieser Krimi ohne richtige Krimi-Handlung erstaunlich gut.
Das liegt aber vor allem an der Hauptfigur, mit welcher ich zugegeben am Anfang der Reihe so meine Probleme hatte, die mir aber mittlerweile schon ans Herz gewachsen ist. Das ist zu einem Großteil darauf zurückzuführen, dass Tony Parsons seinen Helden in vielen privaten Momenten zeigt, die manchmal sogar mehr Raum einnehmen als der polizeiliche Aspekt der Story. Dabei schafft es der Autor aber sehr erfolgreich, das komplexe Innenleben von Max Wolfe darzustellen, der sicherlich nicht unfehlbar ist, das Herz aber am richtigen Fleck zu haben scheint und mit seiner Tochter Scout und ihrem Hund Stan eine sympathische und unzertrennlich wirkende kleine Familie bildet.
"Die Essenz des Bösen" ist also letztlich ein sehr menschlicher Krimi, der gerade zum Ende hin nochmal richtig emotional wird und nach dem Lesen im besten Fall noch ein wenig nachwirkt. Für Fans klassischer Ermittlerkrimis ist Max Wolfes fünfter Auftritt vielleicht nicht unbedingt das beste Lesefutter, wer aber mal einen etwas anderen Krimi lesen will bekommt hier gute und dennoch spannende Unterhaltung geboten - die Reihe hat sich nach anfänglichen Schwierigkeiten definitiv zum Positiven entwickelt.
Wer nun erwartet, dass es Max Wolfes Aufgabe in "Die Essenz des Bösen" ist, die Drahtzieher hinter dem Anschlag ausfindig zu machen, der wird früh überrascht sein, denn diese sind schon nach wenigen Seiten identifiziert und unschädlich gemacht. Worum es auf den folgenden rund 300 Seiten geht ist dann auch gar nicht so leicht zu sagen, denn einen wirklichen Fall gibt es für Detective Wolf diesmal eigentlich nicht - zumindest nicht im klassischen Sinne eines typischen Whodunit-Krimis. Tatsächlich findet im gesamten Roman praktisch keine Ermittlungsarbeit statt, was schon irgendwie sehr seltsam wirkt – wenn man die Zeit hat darüber nachzudenken, denn Tony Parsons hat seine Geschichte mit so vielen Zutaten vollgepackt, dass es trotzdem nicht langweilig wird.
Da geht es zum einen um die Familie der Terroristen: auf der einen Seite die fast schon klischeehaften Terrorbrüder mit ihrem Hass auf ein fremdes Land, dann aber auch ihre Hinterbliebenen wie z.B. der Vater, der seit Jahrzehnten in England lebt und sich über viele Jahre mühsam und mit harter Arbeit als Busfahrer gegen viele Vorurteile gewehrt und letztlich doch den Respekt seiner Kollegen erarbeitet hat – was seine Söhne auf einen Schlag genauso zerstört haben wie die Leben ihrer unmittelbaren Opfer. Oder die junge Schwester im Teenageralter, die sich nun ebenfalls mit dem Hass der Bevölkerung auf die Familie konfrontiert sieht und auch um ihre eigene Selbstverwirklichung innerhalb ihres Umfelds kämpfen muss.
Darüber hinaus geht es um einen potenziellen Hassprediger, der gemeinsam mit einer Horde aus neugierigen Gaffern und Reportern das Haus der Täter belagert und möglicherweise die Masse aufzuhetzen scheint – oder handelt es sich hier nur um einen jungen Mann aus problematischen Verhältnissen, dem das erste Mal in seinem Leben jemand Gehör schenkt?
Dann wäre da noch der Polizist, der sich beim Zugriff widerrechtlich verhalten hat und sich selbst und auch Max Wolfe in eine schwierige Lage bringt, bei der letzterer sich zwischen der Wahrheit und der Loyalität innerhalb der Polizei entscheiden muss - und dabei vielleicht sogar auch sein Leben riskiert.
Und natürlich gibt es wie immer noch die privaten Baustellen, die Max das Leben schwermachen: diesmal geht es um seine Ex-Frau, die nach all den Jahren plötzlich Ansprüche auf das Sorgerecht für die gemeinsame Tochter anmeldet...
Es gibt also viele Probleme zu bewältigen für Detective Wolfe und auch wenn der Krimi-Anteil dieses Romans vielleicht enttäuscht, so schafft es Tony Parsons dennoch, die vielen Puzzleteile zu einer packenden Geschichte zusammenzustecken. Dabei ist wie so oft nicht immer alles logisch, Max Wolfe selbst wieder einmal nahezu unverwundbar und der Autor bedient sich auch des ein oder anderen Klischees und lässt mit seinen vielen Abkürzungen und Erklärungen wieder den Polizei-Experten raushängen, trotzdem funktioniert dieser Krimi ohne richtige Krimi-Handlung erstaunlich gut.
Das liegt aber vor allem an der Hauptfigur, mit welcher ich zugegeben am Anfang der Reihe so meine Probleme hatte, die mir aber mittlerweile schon ans Herz gewachsen ist. Das ist zu einem Großteil darauf zurückzuführen, dass Tony Parsons seinen Helden in vielen privaten Momenten zeigt, die manchmal sogar mehr Raum einnehmen als der polizeiliche Aspekt der Story. Dabei schafft es der Autor aber sehr erfolgreich, das komplexe Innenleben von Max Wolfe darzustellen, der sicherlich nicht unfehlbar ist, das Herz aber am richtigen Fleck zu haben scheint und mit seiner Tochter Scout und ihrem Hund Stan eine sympathische und unzertrennlich wirkende kleine Familie bildet.
"Die Essenz des Bösen" ist also letztlich ein sehr menschlicher Krimi, der gerade zum Ende hin nochmal richtig emotional wird und nach dem Lesen im besten Fall noch ein wenig nachwirkt. Für Fans klassischer Ermittlerkrimis ist Max Wolfes fünfter Auftritt vielleicht nicht unbedingt das beste Lesefutter, wer aber mal einen etwas anderen Krimi lesen will bekommt hier gute und dennoch spannende Unterhaltung geboten - die Reihe hat sich nach anfänglichen Schwierigkeiten definitiv zum Positiven entwickelt.
April 23, 2018
I was familiar with Tony Parsons from his excellent Man and Boy, but I wasn't aware that he was writing thrillers until I was alerted by a review here by my old friend Sid Nuncius and thought I would give it a try.
I was very impressed. A very good story and excellent plot, although I'd seen the major twist coming from the beginning. The other small thing that jarred was the recitation of the the exercise reps that Max does repeatedly. Unnecessary imo, but completely outweighed by the quality of the writing. There was a passage near the end (no spoilers) that included the visit of Mum and Dad that moved me to tears. The relationship with Scout and Stan was beautifully depicted too.
As with Sid, I will now be reading this series from the start and have already ordered the first book.
Excellent, thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
I was very impressed. A very good story and excellent plot, although I'd seen the major twist coming from the beginning. The other small thing that jarred was the recitation of the the exercise reps that Max does repeatedly. Unnecessary imo, but completely outweighed by the quality of the writing. There was a passage near the end (no spoilers) that included the visit of Mum and Dad that moved me to tears. The relationship with Scout and Stan was beautifully depicted too.
As with Sid, I will now be reading this series from the start and have already ordered the first book.
Excellent, thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
April 7, 2025
Some 4 star moments in a 2 star book, evens out at a 3 for me.
The 4 star moments are great but 5 books in (plus short stories) mean the beats of this series have become formulaic besides one moment that I won't cover as it's a huge spoiler. As ever, I want to read the next in the series but I feel like it's more binge watching an okay TV show than must-watch week to week content.
Also there's a line used about people's mouths that comes up at least three times and it's maybe the worst description of a kiss I've ever read (three times, guys. Three).
The 4 star moments are great but 5 books in (plus short stories) mean the beats of this series have become formulaic besides one moment that I won't cover as it's a huge spoiler. As ever, I want to read the next in the series but I feel like it's more binge watching an okay TV show than must-watch week to week content.
Also there's a line used about people's mouths that comes up at least three times and it's maybe the worst description of a kiss I've ever read (three times, guys. Three).
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