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jesslev's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
justelw's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
latas's review against another edition
2.0
A very dull detective story, with stereotypical characters. There was no suspense, and no great detective work. The whole psycho analysis at the end was unnecessary.
noveldeelights's review
4.0
I often have a serious talk with myself about the need for a new crime fiction series in my life. There are so many to keep track of and as we all know, there are only so many hours in the day. There have been times where I have had to make the hard decision of letting a series go and firmly decided that “no”, there is no room in my life or on my book shelves for another series. And then The Burning Men happened and all my good intentions went out the window.
Five years ago, there was a fire at a development site in South London. Four firefighters rush into the building to rescue a person they saw waving at the window. They return without a body and one by one, they quit the service and vow never to speak to each other again. Now, one of the firefighters is set on fire on his wedding day. He is the first, but he won’t be the last. Someone seems to know what happened that day five years ago. But what?
Enter DI Alex Finn. He is more of an academic type than your typical detective inspector. Maybe somewhat lacking social skills, doesn’t seem to have any friends, but he’s fiercely intelligent. Alex really shouldn’t be at work, having just lost his wife but he needs something to sink his teeth into, something that will get him out of his empty flat. With a DI not quite functioning to his full capacity, can this intriguing case be solved though? As if Alex doesn’t have enough to deal with, he’s lumbered with a new partner, DC Mattie Paulsen. They make a most unlikely pairing. She’s damaged, flawed, doesn’t seem to go out of her way to make friends either and to be honest, I found her incredibly unlikeable. Yet, somehow, the partnership between Alex and Mattie works.
This is one of those book descriptions that just grabbed my attention from the get-go. The first chapter introduces the reader to the events from that day five years ago. But if you think you’re going to get the answer to that burning question (see what I did there?) of what actually happened, you’d better think again. That information is revealed along the way, allowing the reader to try and figure things out on their own. The bigger mystery, I thought, was who is responsible for these brutal murders! Needless to say, some of those scenes were a tad gruesome. Try as I might, I had no idea who the culprit was and Will Shindler kept me guessing until the end. And if at any moment I thought THAT part was exceedingly thrilling, which it was, don’t get me wrong … there was more to come and just … whoa!
I had a good feeling about this book from the very beginning and I was definitely not disappointed. Although, admittedly I was quite wary of the whole male/female partnership but Will Shindler soon put a stop to that. The Burning Men is immensely gripping, intense, addictive, a brilliant way to kickstart a new series and a really impressive debut. So, no, I really don’t need a new series in my life but you know what? I’m making room for this one and I can’t wait to spend more time with Alex and Mattie when they investigate their next case.
Five years ago, there was a fire at a development site in South London. Four firefighters rush into the building to rescue a person they saw waving at the window. They return without a body and one by one, they quit the service and vow never to speak to each other again. Now, one of the firefighters is set on fire on his wedding day. He is the first, but he won’t be the last. Someone seems to know what happened that day five years ago. But what?
Enter DI Alex Finn. He is more of an academic type than your typical detective inspector. Maybe somewhat lacking social skills, doesn’t seem to have any friends, but he’s fiercely intelligent. Alex really shouldn’t be at work, having just lost his wife but he needs something to sink his teeth into, something that will get him out of his empty flat. With a DI not quite functioning to his full capacity, can this intriguing case be solved though? As if Alex doesn’t have enough to deal with, he’s lumbered with a new partner, DC Mattie Paulsen. They make a most unlikely pairing. She’s damaged, flawed, doesn’t seem to go out of her way to make friends either and to be honest, I found her incredibly unlikeable. Yet, somehow, the partnership between Alex and Mattie works.
This is one of those book descriptions that just grabbed my attention from the get-go. The first chapter introduces the reader to the events from that day five years ago. But if you think you’re going to get the answer to that burning question (see what I did there?) of what actually happened, you’d better think again. That information is revealed along the way, allowing the reader to try and figure things out on their own. The bigger mystery, I thought, was who is responsible for these brutal murders! Needless to say, some of those scenes were a tad gruesome. Try as I might, I had no idea who the culprit was and Will Shindler kept me guessing until the end. And if at any moment I thought THAT part was exceedingly thrilling, which it was, don’t get me wrong … there was more to come and just … whoa!
I had a good feeling about this book from the very beginning and I was definitely not disappointed. Although, admittedly I was quite wary of the whole male/female partnership but Will Shindler soon put a stop to that. The Burning Men is immensely gripping, intense, addictive, a brilliant way to kickstart a new series and a really impressive debut. So, no, I really don’t need a new series in my life but you know what? I’m making room for this one and I can’t wait to spend more time with Alex and Mattie when they investigate their next case.
hampshirebooklover's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
kxtyreads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
njwyllie's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
steph1rothwell's review against another edition
4.0
The Burning Men is a new crime thriller series and I don’t think I will be the only one who will be pleased that Finn, Paulsen and the rest of the team will be returning. This a partnership which has plenty of potential. Not only are they dedicated officers who are determined to solve a case they also have personal lives and problems that I am interested in.
They do seem an unlikely pair but are forced to work together when the team that they are part of is struggling with other cases. They don’t connect immediately, there are issues and I think there will be many more as the series progresses. I expect clashes but also friendship that will include colleagues Ojo and Skegman.
The case itself was an intriguing one. Fire fighters who made a spur of the moment decision that whilst it brought benefits also brought danger. There were quite graphic scenes of what a body looks like after a fire, I’m only glad that I couldn’t smell the scenes as well as visualise them.
A brilliant debut with an ending that I definitely didn’t expect.
They do seem an unlikely pair but are forced to work together when the team that they are part of is struggling with other cases. They don’t connect immediately, there are issues and I think there will be many more as the series progresses. I expect clashes but also friendship that will include colleagues Ojo and Skegman.
The case itself was an intriguing one. Fire fighters who made a spur of the moment decision that whilst it brought benefits also brought danger. There were quite graphic scenes of what a body looks like after a fire, I’m only glad that I couldn’t smell the scenes as well as visualise them.
A brilliant debut with an ending that I definitely didn’t expect.
confessions_of_a_bookaholic's review against another edition
3.0
Five years ago a new development in South London caught fire. Five of the first responders went into the building to try and save someone they spotted in the window, but they are unsuccesful. They leave the fire service. The men haven't spoken sincethey left the service, until one of them is shockingly set alight at his own wedding. Soon after another of the men is found burned alive. DI Finn and DC Paulsen are the detectives investigating the case, and are racing against the clock to catch the killer before all five men are murdered.
This is the first book in what is planned to be a police procedural series featuring Finn and Paulsen. It was quick to get into, jumping into the nitty gritty of the story immediately, and keeps moving at a decent pace throughout.
I liked Finn's character, he seems to be a rather reserved character, someone who takes the time to think things through rather than making leaps of faith. I like that he doesn't fall into the stereotype that we often see in these sorts of books. I'm unsure about Paulsen. I like that she is also different, and that she is a strong woman, however her persona rubbed me up the wrong way at times. For both characters the author spends time developing their backstory and really fleshing them out which is great, especially for a series. Hopefully he keeps building on this as the booms progress.
In terms of the plot I found the premise really interesting. Although some parts of the story became clear very early on, others weren't revealed until the end of the book. There were times when I felt things were a little obvious, and some of the procedural aspects seemed over explained to me, but that is possibly because I have read a lot of these sorts of books and so have read about similar procedures before.
All in all the book was an enjoyable read, there was plenty going on and the story was interesting and different. I'll be interested to see what Shindler writes next and see how the two main characters develop. If you like police procedural books you'll definitely enjoy this one.
Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an arc in exchange for an honest review
This is the first book in what is planned to be a police procedural series featuring Finn and Paulsen. It was quick to get into, jumping into the nitty gritty of the story immediately, and keeps moving at a decent pace throughout.
I liked Finn's character, he seems to be a rather reserved character, someone who takes the time to think things through rather than making leaps of faith. I like that he doesn't fall into the stereotype that we often see in these sorts of books. I'm unsure about Paulsen. I like that she is also different, and that she is a strong woman, however her persona rubbed me up the wrong way at times. For both characters the author spends time developing their backstory and really fleshing them out which is great, especially for a series. Hopefully he keeps building on this as the booms progress.
In terms of the plot I found the premise really interesting. Although some parts of the story became clear very early on, others weren't revealed until the end of the book. There were times when I felt things were a little obvious, and some of the procedural aspects seemed over explained to me, but that is possibly because I have read a lot of these sorts of books and so have read about similar procedures before.
All in all the book was an enjoyable read, there was plenty going on and the story was interesting and different. I'll be interested to see what Shindler writes next and see how the two main characters develop. If you like police procedural books you'll definitely enjoy this one.
Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an arc in exchange for an honest review
reece_reads23's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5