The Burning Men by Will Shindler

Today is my stop on the blog tour for The Burning Men by Will Shindler. Thanks so much to Jenny for organising the tour, don’t forget to check out the rest of the stops!

The Synopsis

When a development in South London catches fire mid-construction, a close-knit team of fire fighters runs in to save a man spotted at the window.
They come out without a body. They quit the service. They plan never to speak to each other again.
Five years later one of them is set alight at his own wedding. Soon after, a second is found, nothing but a smoking corpse. It appears that someone knows what they did that night. What they chose over their duty. And there are still three men left to burn . . .

DI Alex Finn and his new partner DC Mattie Paulsen are an unlikely pairing, but they need to discover who is behind these killings before the next man faces the fire.

My Review

I was completely intrigued by The Burning Men as soon as I read the synopsis. It seemed totally unique, with a fascinating plot that would keep me hooked. In the end, it absolutely did not disappoint on having those qualities. I had so many questions even before I opened the first page and the journey to having them answered was thoroughly riveting. I couldn’t stop turning the pages. I absolutely flew through The Burning Men and I enjoyed every action-packed, twisty, exciting second. The writing and plot was strong from the very first page right to the extremely satisfying ending.
It really was a great introduction to DI Alex Finn and DC Mattie Paulsen and I’m so looking forward to plenty more books featuring them. The characters in general were another high point of this book, as they were all so well-developed and took the book to a whole other level.
Slight disclaimer that there are some very gruesome elements to this book, so I wanted to make sure that you’re aware of that before reading, as you’ll need a strong stomach on some occasions.
Overall, I’m giving The Burning Men 4.5 out of 5. It’s cleverly written, engaging and powerful. I can’t believe this is Shindler’s first book and can’t wait for the next!

This book was provided free in exchange for an honest review

About the Author

Will Shindler has been a Broadcast Journalist for the BBC for over twenty-five years, spending a decade working in television drama as a scriptwriter on Born and Bred, The Bill and Doctors. His time on these leading prime time dramas has given him a rich grounding in authentic police procedure, powerful character development and gripping narratives. He currently combines reading the news on BBC Radio London with writing crime novels and has previously worked as a television presenter for HTV, a sports reporter for BBC Radio Five Live, and one of the stadium presenters at the London Olympics. The Burning Men is his first novel.