A brilliant read, gripping and full of tension. I could feel the anguish in the characters and it felt very realistic.

Would you do absolutely anything to protect those closest to you? Of course. But what if that choice was to involve serious untold complications?
Shindler plunges the reader into the depth of an ethical dilemma from the very first with ‘The Killing Choice’.
It is the unenviable task of Detective Inspector Finn to unravel the identity of the murderer and the intent. At first he wonders if this could have been a case of the wrong person in the wrong place at the wrong time. But with subsequent murders he has to consider the possibility of these being gang-related or for revenge.
The way this plays upon the complications involved with the dilemma of choice ensures a tense read. An intriguing detective murder that goes a step beyond many other straightforward crime novels.

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

I really enjoyed Will Schindler’s first book The Burning Men and was excited to see what was next and in the Killing Choice he has certainly produced another thrilling read. When Karl and his daughter Leah meet up to go to dinner they did not expect to end the evening the way they did. They are held at knifepoint and Karl has to make the heart-breaking choice of leaving his daughter with their attacker or both of them die. It’s not a choice anyone would want to make.
DI Alex Finn and DC Mattie Paulsen are called in to investigate what happened and if this was just some random attack or if it is linked to the family themselves. There is certainly something that Karl is hiding, and his attitude is not helping the feeling that somehow it is linked back to him. Although there is nothing much to like about him, you can still feel his sense of guilt that he made the wrong choice and that is something he will have to live with. When another attack takes place the pressure is on Finn and Paulsen to find out who is committing the murders and if they are linked in anyway. The attacks may be horrific, but they are all played out off scene and it is only the readers imagination from the aftermath that give the sense of what took place.
There are certainly a lot of twists and misdirection’s in this book and at first it is hard to see why one particular strand is there but as the investigation progresses it all slowly becomes a little clearer as the motive is finally revealed and while you may work out the why, the who is really not so easy, and you only truly work it out at the same time as Alex.
Alex and Mattie are characters that bounce off each other. As much as they are different they are very much the same. Both are quite insular and have issues with opening up to others when they are struggling. Alex is clearly still not over the death of his wife and Mattie is trying to cope with the fact that her father is suffering with Alzheimer’s which can lead to distractions and some dubious choices that could have dramatic consequences.
Will Schindler has managed again to create a set of characters that you may not like the more you know them (with the exception of Finn and Paulsen) but for some reason you will still want to know what happens to them. I am now looking forward to reading the next in the series to find out if Alex and Mattie have managed to make peace with themselves and what they will encounter next

A man walks with his adult daughter through a quiet park in East London. Confronted by a man in a strange mask and carrying a knife, he is offered a choice: walk away and allow his daughter to be raped, or stay and die. This decision will define him for the rest of his life, and sets in motion a series of events that sees other people offered similar choices. Almost a year since the death of his wife, DI Alex Finn is in charge of the case, and together with Mattie Paulsen, Jackie Ojo and the rest of his squad, he must find the common denominator that links these seemingly unrelated victims while navigating his new life as a single – and depressed – man.

The Killing Choice is Alex Finn’s sophomore outing, and has big shoes to fill following Will Shindler’s excellent debut. It picks up around a year after the events of that first novel, so when we renew our acquaintance with Finn, he has already worked his way through many of the stages of grief precipitated by the untimely death of his wife, Karin. The intervening period has also given Mathilde “Mattie” Paulsen time to settle in to her new role, integrate fully into Finn’s team and learn to understand her boss’s character and moods. As the story progresses there are times when these characters feel like an old married couple, heightened by the fact that both are going through rough patches, personally, in the background of what is a particularly horrendous case.

The crime that faces Finn and company this time around is an extremely clever one: unlike many other crime novels which aim to offer us an escape, The Killing Choice holds a mirror up to the reader and forces us to answer the question “what would I do faced with the same choice?” As we come to discover, as things quickly escalate, there isn’t necessarily a correct answer and so, regardless of how we feel about the choices these people make, we can’t help but sympathise with the position they find themselves in. And we’re not alone: many of the returning characters make snap judgements that they will find repeatedly challenged as the story moves forward.

Shindler also manages to fit in some insight into his investigators without impacting the pace of the core plot. Finn finds himself dealing with a bombshell when a friend of Karin’s asks to meet him and reveals that she has just received a letter from his dead wife. It seems Karin knew Finn better than he knows himself. Paulsen, meanwhile, is dealing with a bombshell of her own when she discovers that her father has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. It’s these little touches, and the growing friendship between the pair (with nary a hint, thankfully, of sexual tension) that brings these characters to life and gives us more than a passing glimpse of what life is like outside the incident room.

Shindler’s second novel – and Finn and Paulsen’s second outing – builds on the excellent foundation laid in The Burning Men last year. Opening with the scene in the park, the author grabs our attention with his opening gambit, and immediately challenges us to consider the unthinkable. Cleverly constructed, the plot builds in interlinking layers, often leaving us as confused as his protagonists as to how these diverse components fit together. But the payoff is well worth the effort, and cements Shindler’s place on the list of crime authors to watch. Brit crime at its finest, The Killing Choice gets under your skin and keeps you entertained, and on the edge of your seat, for the duration.

Ok where do I start and why did I take so long to read this
I loved it - great characters, great story, well written and everything you would want from a great crime novel.
Keep writing I want more

This is my first read of Will Schindler but certainly not the last! This is the second book in a new series featuring DI Alex Finn and DCI Mattie Paulson, however although there is no need, I will return to read book one as I thoroughly enjoyed this one. What would you do if given a choice, walk away and leave your daughter or the alternative…..watch her be murdered if you don’t? The Killing Choice was a cleverly written police psychological thriller that gets the adrenaline pumping, I was gripped by the storyline and on the edge of my seat throughout. This one has jumped to the top of my “series list”.

Awesome detectives - Check
Chilling murders - Check
Faced paced story - Check
Can’t wait for the next in the series!

Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read this book.
No need to repeat the synopsis here as others have done that. Suffice to say I really enjoyed this book......a story line that makes you want to race through to the big reveal.
I hope there will be more from Will Shindler.

The second novel in the crime series featuring detectives Finn and Paulsen, introduced in the compelling Burning Men. An excellently plotted, fast moving story, richly drawn characters and mystery. Look forward to the next one.

#TheKillingChoice #NetGalley Wow! I thought the first book in this series was a winner but this, the second in the series, is fabulous. Tense, gritty and keeping you on the edge of your seat throughout, it had everything I love about a police procedural novel. Fast paced with plenty of action, this book had me questioning what choice I would make put in a similar situation. can quite easily be read as a standalone but The Burning Man (the first in the series) does give some background in the the main characters. A brilliant 5 stars, can't wait for the next in the series.

Wow what a great read ! This is the first book I’ve read by this author and it won’t be the last! This is book 2 in the DI Alex Finn series , i will be definitely looking out for more in this series

A dramatic and twisty thriller with intriguing themes of morality and guilt


Karl Suleman and his daughter Leah meet up in Crystal Palace Park for an after-work curry on a Friday night, when they are ambushed by a knife-wielding figure in a mirrored mask. The assailant offers Karl a choice – leave his daughter to be raped with a promise she will survive or stay and they will both die. Karl chooses to run – with devastating consequences. The shocking case is assigned to DI Alex Finn, still grieving from the death of his wife Karin a year ago, and DC Mattie Paulsen, who herself is struggling in her personal life with her father’s ill health. It is not long before more seemingly unconnected individuals across London start being offered similarly impossible choices, and the team must rush to find the connection between them which will lead them to the attacker before more families are torn apart forever.


This was a gripping and exciting thriller that starts with a bang and keeps up the fast pace throughout its complex and unpredictable plot. The villain of the story’s unique way of targeting victims added originality to what might otherwise have been a run-of-the-mill murder mystery, and the method of forcing victims to choose their fate has the effect of similarly forcing the reader to confront their feelings about what choices they might make in similar circumstances. The story also touches on themes such as the dangerous influencing power of the media, gang warfare in London and difficult family relationships, and has several emotional side plots, particularly those involving Finn’s bereavement and Paulsen’s unwell father, which are written sensitively and add to the story without distracting from the main theme. The conclusion comes as a surprise with an unexpected twist, and the author does a good job of sprinkling clues and red herrings throughout the story which builds up the tension to a dramatic finale.

My main issue with this story would be with the main characters. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel DI Finn and DC Paulsen were quite as engaging or well fleshed out as other leads I have come across in similar novels although they were both still likeable characters. This is the second book in a series and having not read the first, I didn’t feel as connected to or as invested in them as perhaps I would have done, which slightly reduced my enjoyment of reading about their efforts on the case and their life challenges. Also, other than the antagonist, many elements of the plot felt quite familiar and it was slightly heavy in tropes that are overused in police novels – an emotionally distant protagonist who buries himself in his work, difficult interactions with vulture-like press and pressure from above despite budget cuts being a few examples. However, despite this, the story still worked as a standalone high-quality crime thriller.


In conclusion, this was an engaging and enjoyable book that I would recommend to any fans of the police or crime genre. I would be keen to read more by this author and would certainly be interested in seeking out this story’s predecessor.

Daenerys

Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of this book to review.

Wow! I loved this book which is the second in the series with DI Alex Finn and DS Mattie Paulsen. I have not read the first book but that did not inhibit my enjoyment of this.

Karl Suleman is walking with his daughter to go to a restaurant for dinner when he is confronted by a character in a weird outfit – the face completely covered by a mirrored mask. He demands that Karl make a choice, either walk away from his daughter or stay and he will kill them both. It is made clear that the intention is to rape the daughter. At her insistence Karl leaves them and runs away – to try and get help. He hears his daughter’s dying scream.

As the plot unfolds we see others subjected to this difficult dilemma – leave your loved one, or stay and both will die. As each crime unfolds the police are left to find what motivates the killer and what is the connection between the victims.

This well-written and well-structured novel leaves the reader contemplating the position of the victims – the question “what would you do – what is the right thing to do?” A really lose-lose situation.

I have no hesitation in recommending this thought provoking, thriller.

Thank you to the author, publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I really enjoyed it as, for me, it has everything I look for in a police procedural crime thriller. Set in London, the ‘Killing Choice’ is when seemingly unconnected people are approached by a masked knifeman who forces them to make an agonizing choice regarding their loved ones and this compulsive story develops around that.

This is an intelligently written, well-paced, terrific story which grips from the start and kept this reader riveted until the end. The very well drawn characters of DI Alex Finn and DC Mattie Paulsen, the relationships within the police team and the realistic dialogue, are one of the many strengths of this book. The personal lives of the officers feel real, add interest to the story and enhance your understanding of the characters.

As this is the second book featuring Finn and Paulsen, I now need to read the first, The Burning Men. I’ve added Will Shindler to my ‘must read’ list of crime writers. I also think this would make a brilliant TV series and definitely look forward to reading more from this author.

I would like to thank the publisher Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for an ARC of this book, this is my honest review.

A great story and a gripping thriller that kept me on the edge.
It's fast paced, full of twists and turns and the character are well developed and interesting.
The author is an excellent storyteller and this is an excellent story.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Alex Finn is a D.I. still grieving for his dead wife, his concentration is perhaps not what it should be, and his behaviour is sometimes a cause for concern amongst his colleagues, so when he's given the task of tracking down the murderer of a young woman, in circumstances that are beyond evil, he seems to come in for extra scrutiny. When a second murder takes place, with the murder victim being 'chosen' by someone who loves them and Alex focuses on particular event that ties the two murder victims family member together, he knows he's on to something but other people don't necessarily agree. When an attempted third murder takes place it's obvious he's on the right tracks and he is able to solve the case. I enjoyed this book but felt it lost some of the impetus as it went on - I'd had my suspicions and guessed who the murderer was long before they were exposed. It's a good read but ultimately I think it's a forgettable one.

A complex and compulsive second installment in the DI Alex Finn police procedural series. A worthy follow-up to 'The Burning Men', with a "what would you do?" in that situation scenario.
A father and daughter are confronted in an empty park by a masked assailant holding a zombie knife. The father is given the impossible choice, stay and they both die or go and they both live but his daughter will be raped. An intriguing and captivating tale.

Stop everything - this book is the epitome of a page-turner. From page 1 to the end you just want to find out who, why, what. A truly excellent, and horrific, book. The crimes are unbelievable, but also believable!! What would you do given that choice, which is no choice. Very realistic, not gratuitous. Very well written, and keeps one engaged to very end.

With thanks to Hodder & Stoughton, and NetGalley for an ARC.

Part one of this series which came out last year was one of the stand out novels of the year for me, especially as a debut book, so when I spotted book two I was desperate to be approved. Thank you so much to the publishers for your generosity, I have not been disappointed.

Detective Finn is still struggling with the loss of his wife and often hears her voice advising him on how to get on and live life to the fullest without her. Some days he listens, other days are harder and because of this her best friend has been despatched to try and help get him back in the swing of things again. All this is background though, but helps him understand the lives of Isiah and his 2 young lads who are trying to keep going after losing their wife and mum suddenly. The relationship between dad and the older lad has pretty much broken down and the younger lad is testing the boundaries of growing up.

Finn and his sidekick are called to the brutal murder of a woman in controversial circumstances. Her father allegedly left her in the hands of their attacker in order to get help but things took a horrific turn instead. This is the start of an apparent serial killer spree in London and it needs Finn & Paulsen to get on top of things quickly to stop any further killings.

With knife and drug crime rife in the area Finn needs to follow the clues but is someone deliberately leading them in the wrong direction or is his gut instinct right? Nothing lead me to work out who -dunnit, I was not even close so well was the trail set.

I really enjoyed trying to work out whether this was gang warfare gone wrong, drug dealers crossing over territories or a completely separate serial killer at work. But why does everything keep coming back to the same common denominator on a derailed train?

Great characters, plenty of depth to the plotting and realistic crime scenes all the way. Plus it will make you ask yourself what would you do in that situation?

Excellent psychological thriller with a unique plot where the killer gives the choice to be killed or to kill another. Good strong characters and a ending I didn't seem coming!