The first book in what could turn out to be a good Police Procedural series featuring Finn and Paulson who both have past histories they're struggling to come to terms with. A murder occurs where the victim is set on fire and the investigation leads to a group of retired fire fighters who had been a work team at a really nasty fire where a criminal had died . Why and how ? The members of the team are gradually killed. Why!? Do they have a common illegal secret? Corrupt police and firefighters are at the heart of this fiery page turner

A good start to what will sure to be a lasting crime duo, I thought the main plot was very rewarding, kept me hooked however the back stories of the two officers were a little lost on me. I like the fact it’s set in London and thought the action was fast paced. I look forward to the next book.

#TheBurningMen #NetGalley I really enjoyed this book, with a crime told from a fire fighters perspective which was a fresh storyline. I liked the character of Finn from the off, less so Paulsen although I did warm more to her as the book progressed. Lots of detail about their backgrounds and character which I am sure we will see more of in the next book. A lot of action, and quite gory at times which i dont mind at all!! Look forward to seeing how this develops as a series!

A must read ! Terrifying and graphic, human and thoughtful- brilliant piece of storytelling. Bringing together the police (Love Finn and Paulson ) the fire brigade and the darkest of underworld bag guys was a strong premise and one which works very well.

Complex and yet likeable characters- hopefully we will see them all again soon . If this is your genre- read this book, you will not be disappointed

Five years previously, a team of firemen, attending a massive fire in South London, spot someone trapped on the 3rd floor. Four of the team enter the building on a 'search and rescue' mission. They report that the man was trapped by debris and dead. Police identify the dead man as a well known criminal money launderer. Over the following months all five of the crew take early retirement. (Cases of PTSD are not uncommon following involvement in such a fire.) There has also been a major unsolved robbery from a bullion van in route to the bank. (The Stansted Heist.) The deceased money launderer may have been involved. So are the events linked and who/where is Mr Big?

Two of the firemen are separately killed in grim fire related assaults on them. Why and by whom? Are these deaths also related to the events and do the other firemen need protection? DI Finn, not yet firing on all cylinders following the death of his wife, finds he does not have a fully functional team to support him. Yet another problem to be dealt with whilst progressing his inquiries.

And so "The Burning Men" develops at a pace. There is a lot of ground to cover. Diligence is called for with lateral thinking as well as painstaking graft. This is a corker of a book which I found difficult to put down. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. I'll be surprised if you don't enjoy it and want to encourage others to read it.

Will Shindler could well have a winner on his hands.

I wasn't impressed by this book. There were far too many characters and several of them unconvincing, particularly the Handyman. Too many events seemed to happen by magic, for example how quickly the police make the link with the fire. I did not find the two central detectives likeable either or characterised well.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advance copy of The Burning Men, the first novel to feature DI Alex Finn of The Met.

When a man is burned alive on his wedding day Finn returns from bereavement leave to lead the case and break in new recruit DC Mattie Paulsen. What they find is that the victim was one of four firefighters who went in to a burning building to rescue a man and came out without him and all retired soon afterwards.

I enjoyed The Burning Men which has a good plot and strong characterisation. It is a promising debut and I will definitely read the follow up but, for me, it has some teething problems. It is a very busy novel with lots of plot lines and ramifications and two very damaged protagonists. It isn’t particularly difficult to keep up with them but, sometimes, the novel lacks clarity and you wonder why certain scenes were included. I think this is why I found the novel lacked the spark that would make it unputdownable.

On the upside the main plot line and motive are well conceived, and, for that matter, well concealed allowing the reader plenty of room for speculation and guesswork. It is mostly told from Finn’s point of view but there are plenty of other voices chiming in to give the reader a broader perspective. It makes some of the developments more guessable but disguises others more effectively.

The characterisation is strong and leads to some effective scenes but to have both protagonists damaged is slightly wearing on the reader. Hopefully the next novel will have these emotions ironed out a bit and allow for a mellower, more focused investigation. Alex Finn has just lost his wife so he’d rather be at work than wallowing in grief and self pity but he worries that he’s losing focus as his grief hits him at unexpected moments. DC Mattie Paulsen is a prickly individual with a chip on her shoulder and no interest in fraternising with her colleagues. The reasons for this become apparent at the end of the novel but I don’t wholly understand her mindset and it will be interesting to see how she develops.

The Burning Men is a good read that I can recommend.

Interesting plot and characters. Grisly murders and lots of them, very descriptive you may need a warning tag. You find yourself wondering what you would have done and your reasons if just not sheer greed. Would make a great film or tv series.

When I first read the overview of this new police procedural series I was immediately interested in reading it and oh boy am I glad I did as it’s a brilliant read. It’s a complex plot, a tale really of greed, retribution and secrets with lots of twists, plenty of backstory and not at all predictable and it really draws you in building the tension.
We are introduced DI Alex Finn and his new DC Mattie Paulson and straight away I took to both these characters as they poles apart and seem not to a good pairing at all both with past difficulties in their personal lives it’s hard to see that they will hit it off.
It’s a good solid start to what I am sure is going to be an excellent new police procedural series and I will be looking forward to reading more about both these characters and also others of the team in future books and well done Will Schindler it was a wonderful read.
So for me this was a well crafted story that I thoroughly enjoyed and can well recommend for all lovers of damn good crime novels.
My thanks to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Of course we're appalled to think that those Pillars of our Community we are taught to wholeheartedly trust could succumb to this level of crime but would they deserve such hideous deaths as the killer affords them in 'The Burning Men'? Shindler successfully has the reader trying to balance this dilemma as the plot thickens, making this a very creditable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Excellent violent thriller with the main characters damaged by recent events attempting to solve murders likely perpetrated by a particularly cold Mr Big. The story revolves around a fire a few years ago and five firefighters and their actions that night. As they start to be murdered the DI in charge who had very recently lost his wife returns to work early and with the aid of seemingly unhinged DC investigates. With red herrings galore this is an absorbing tale building to a shocking climax. Hopefully these interesting characters will appear again soon!

This book had me interested on page 1. First book I have read that tied in two of of emergency services that of Fire and Police. The Fire side of things certainly had the edge on horror without being overly excessive, but it certainly upped the anti in anticipation.

We’re also introduced to a detective pairing that I can see stretching into many books. The recently bereaved DCI Flynn and his new female recruit DC Paulsen, who obviously is carrying the world on her shoulders following a sexual assault case at another Nick. The chemistry between them is far from congenial which adds a further frisson of intrigue.

A well written and constructed first book. Well worth the read

A real page turner. The two central characters are fascinating in themselves, each have there problems, one obvious from the word go, the other much less so but you will soon know it's there.
The central story asks a lot of questions of those "heros" we all take on trust, can we really, really trust them?
Who monitors our investigative services? Do we know? Should we know? Can we tryst them to do their best for us? Can we trust them ion the face of temptation? are they human, like us? DO they have friends? And that's just the start.
I loved this book once I had the basic gist, the story moves with pace, the descriptions whilst graphic in the memory pictures they create are not graphic on the page, the writing is focused and pointed. The characters and their relationships investigated, their thinking probed thoughtfully.
One character remains hidden, is he dangerous? Does he exist? No spoiler here you will need to read the book and see for yourself. It's unlikely you will be disappointed.
I am keen to read more about our two main characters, one other intrgues me and yes, I would like more of her back story in the next book please.
There must be more of these two, they are damaged people in the midst of repair, they are fascinating.
More please, equally well thought out, equally well written.............please. SOON!

I loved this book - thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book pre-publication. Such an interesting concept instead of the police, the Fire Brigade are front and centre. We are taken through all the brave but flawed characters and the reader really gets embedded in the narrative. I recommend this book to anyone seeking a new set of detective characters...hopefully this is the beginning of a long running series.

A really good start to a series. Loads of action and suspense with great characters. I was gripped the whole way through.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

A belter of a read and one that consumed me all week..
Well constructed and cleverly penned, this is one that starts strongly, continues powerfully and ends with a very satisfying bang.
Just the right length too so the pace of the novel will keep you hooked throughout.
Its about consequences, consciences and morals intertwined with some gruesome scenes and a thumping good ride.
Many thanks.

This was a gripping read that held my interest from start to finish. The story was interesting and the characters were well fleshed out. Looking forward to reading more from the author.

I was drawn to this book by the blurb. It was a different book to what I expected. However I really enjoyed the book and was excited to discover new D.I. - Alex Finn. A sad man after losing his wife following a struggle with a tumour in her head. He pushes himself to return to work possibly a little too early (just after cremating his wife). We find out a lot about this man. He is tall, well dressed, he moisturises(!), and he is a cerebral man, quietly thoughtful. I would like to meet him in more books, and I’m sure Will Schindler will oblige after taking time to create such a great character.

More deaths make the police work hard. Even though they know what is likely to happen, they are at a loss to stop the killings. The details of the fires are perfectly provided, just enough for the reader to picture what happened and not too much to put the reader off their food. Unless eating a barbecue! The fires are so well controlled I guessed the perpetrator to be a fire fighter. But which one?

I didn’t like DCI Skegman, and wouldn’t be sad not to meet him again. I also wasn’t keen on the new police officer, DC Mattie Paulsen. However we know so much about her I imagine we will meet her again if a new series has just begun. In a strange way, Paulsen and Finn work well together. There are twists and turns throughout and the reader is left expecting more from these characters in the future. I will definitely be reading the next in this series.

D.I. Alex Finn has returned to work the day after his wife Karin's funeral.Much against all his colleagues advice.
He is faced, on his return with a bizarre incident of a man being burnt to death in a toilet in a hotel on his wedding day. '
This death starts a journey of investigation which leads to an event five year previously where a new rise of an unfinished office sky scraper was on fire. Firemen appear to be involved with another death there and missing money.
The story unfolds as a twisting page turner that is difficult to put down as one death leads to another. Can Alex Finn get his own ghosts sorted as well as a race against time to save others to the same fate?
A really great read which I enjoyed and would look for others from Will Shindler

This is a great read about greed and treachery.
It focuses on the burning of a large London building which is on fire during construction.
A fire crew attend and find a man inside.
What follows involves a criminal gang and police trying to find out who is killing the fire crew and why.
DI Alex Finn, a recent widower devastated with his wife’s death returns to work after her funeral and investigated the murder, by burning, of an ex fireman at his wedding reception.
Further members of the fire crew die and Alex’s team are rushing to solve the case before more of them are murdered.
An engaging, exciting read which I read in one sitting. Lots of red herrings, twists and turns.
Great writing style.