REVIEW: The Burning Men by Will Shindler (ARC)

The Burning Men (DI Alex Finn #1) by Will Shindler

Genre: Crime fiction, thriller

Read: 26th April 2020

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

(publication: 6th February 2020)

★★★ 3 stars

The story begins five years before when a fire consumes the construction site of a prestige development in Pacific Square, London. A team of five firefighters are first on the scene when they see a man waving from a third floor window. They rush inside to his rescue, emerging soon after with the body of a man who is then identified as well known money launderer, Erik Whitlock. Within 18 months, all five members of the team have taken early retirement.

Five years later, these same men are now being targeted after one of them is set alight at his own wedding reception. The remaining four fear they are being singled out for a decision they made five years previous...a fear that soon becomes a reality when yet another of them is found dead, burned alive. Who is doing this?

DI Alex Finn is assigned to the case after recently returning to work after the death of his wife Karin from an aggressive brain tumour. He is partnered with DC Mattie Paulson, as some kind of mentor to the young DC, who has her own demons to battle after a recent investigation into a paedophile.

The remaining three ex-firies are tight-lipped, saying nothing, even if it could help pinpoint who is singling them out and killing them all one by one. Whilst in the background corruption runs deep as tabs are being keps on Finn and Paulson's investigation.

A solid police procedural with some gruesome scenes but with an intriguing plot that keeps you guessing, THE BURNING MEN is a chilling, gritty and well written debut with twists, tension and plenty of suspense.

Recommended for fans of this genre.

I would like to thank #WillShindler, #NetGalley and #HodderAndStoughton for an ARC of #TheBurningMen in exchange for an honest review.