I read, reviewed and loved Will’s debut novel, featuring Detective Inspector Alex Finn, called ‘The Burning Men’ and I literally couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy of his second book. Well ladies and gents the wait is over, because ‘The Killing Choice’ was released on 11th February 2021. I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘The Killing Choice’ but more about that in a bit.
I fell under this book’s spell the moment I picked it up and read the synopsis. It seemed lie the book had developed a hold over me and it was a hold that I wasn’t willing to break. I picked up my copy of the book only intending to read a couple of chapters to make a start on the story. That was fatal because I ended up becoming so wrapped up in the story that I read more like a dozen chapters in one go. I found ‘The Killing Choice’ to be an addictive read and my copy was certainly well travelled as I took it everywhere with me. I couldn’t bear to miss a single second of the story in case I missed out on a vital clue or piece of evidence. It got to the stage where I couldn’t turn the pages quick enough in my desperation to find out how the story concluded, whether Finn made it to the end of the book in one piece and if the perpetrator was apprehended. I found this to be a superb read, which kept me guessing and which kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.
‘The Killing Choice’ is superbly written. Will certainly knows how to instantly grab your attention and draw you into a complex story and investigation. For me, the story started with a bang and in such a way that will stick fresh in my memory for a long time to come. The story hit the ground running and maintained a fast pace throughout. There were several twists and turns to this story- none of which I saw coming. Reading ‘The Killing Choice’ was much like being on a scary and unpredictable rollercoaster ride with moments that left me speechless (a rare occurrence).
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘The Killing Choice’ and I would have no hesitation in recommending the book to other readers. I can’t wait to read more of Will’s work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

A series of very strange murders has DI Finn and his team stumped. They know the same killer is involved but what do the victims have in common. It will take a lot of man hours before the slightest link can be found.
This is an original if slightly convoluted plot which kept me rapt for several hours and delivered a conclusion that left me stunned. Looking forward to the next book in the series.

The Killing Choice is the second instalment in the Detective Inspector Alex Finn and Detective Constable Mattie Paulsen series, set in London. It felt like any other evening before Karl Suleman and his daughter, Leah, who were out on a father/daughter date night at a London restaurant were ambushed by a figure in a blank mask armed with a zombie knife. It isn't really as unexpected as knife crime should be given London is the capital of such crime, but this is no ordinary stabbing. A knife is put to Leah’s throat, and Karl is forced to make an impossible decision. Stay and they both die, or walk away and take this thug’s word that they will both live once he's had his wicked way with Leah and raped her. Should he trust a villain and leave his daughter with a knife at her throat? Could he ever live with himself if he did? His daughter urges him to leave and so he runs despite the overwhelming confliction and desperately searches for help before the faceless figure can maul her. Karl has trouble accepting what he did that day, as does his wife, but this is exactly what the emotional terrorist wants; for his victims to feel endless guilt, to tear themselves apart from the inside out and for it to rip their families to shreds, too - relentlessly asking the question - what if? Ruminating on the choice he was offered and the decision he made, the inner turmoil repeats over and over destroying a little part of him each time. And that's before considering the killer had been lying.

It’s not long before more seemingly unconnected and innocent people across London are offered a deal in exchange for their life. More blood is spilled, more families shattered, and more people are left to suffer with the consequences of their decisions. DI Finn, DC Paulsen and DS Jackie Ojo investigate and wonder if these strange and brutal crimes are somehow related to a turf war with rival drugs gangs but there's no concrete evidence. Can they discover what links the chosen victims before the violence rages out of control? This is a riveting, terrifying and refreshingly original thriller and one that has you asking yourself what you would do if you were given an almost impossible choice like this. This is no ordinary killing spree as the serial killer seems to get off on people's terror, indecision and knowing that the victim will play the question and answer they made that day over and over until it quite possibly destroys them. It's sick, unsettling and deeply disturbing and one of the most scintillating crime reads of the past few years. This is a fast-moving, twisty read but it also considers deeper topics such as love, grief and mental health. Protagonist Finn’s work is now being impacted by the death of his wife, Karin, 11 months earlier and his struggle to cope is all too real. This is a complex, captivating and compulsive multilayered thriller offering so much more than your average crime novel. Highly recommended.

An excellent sequel and continuation of what is shaping up to be a really good series. The characters are really starting to come into their own and the investigation hooked me from the very start until it’s thrilling climax. Will definitely be adding to my “must read” list..

The Killing Choice is the second in the DI Alex Finn series, following on from The Burning Man. It can happily be read as a stand-alone, though I’d urge you to read The Burning Man as there will be character progression cross the series and it’s always good to get in early. I believe this is a series that will stand the test of time as the characters are grounded in reality and Shindler’s sense of place is excellent.

Karl Suleman and his daughter Leah are on their way to a father/daughter date night at a London restaurant when they are ambushed by a lone figure with a strange, faceless visor, who is armed with a zombie knife. London is of course, the capital of knife crime and when the masked figure gives Karl a choice – leave and I’ll rape your daughter or stay and I will kill you both, Karl looks at his daughter who urges him to go and so he runs, looking for help in the hope that he can get it for Leah before the masked figure does his worst.

Haunted with guilt, Karl has difficulty coming to terms with the choice he was offered and the decision he made. Nor can his wife understand it. DI Alex Finn and his colleagues DC Mattie Paulson and DS Jackie Ojo investigate. Is this case somehow related to the problems they have been having with rival County lines drugs gangs which are prevalent on the housing estates in their patch? Turf wars are reaching new heights and violence is spilling into the streets.

Then another family is targeted and another choice is offered. DI Alex Finn is struggling. Though his team has his back, he knows he’s not operating at his best and worse, his boss knows it too. Struggling with the death of his wife Karin, Finn’s thinking is clouded and he knows he should be spotting connections between the victims and their families but he just can’t get his head in the right space to think clearly.

Mattie Paulson takes more of a role in this book and it’s good to understand a bit more about the team and its individual players. She has her own troubled past and now new family troubles to deal with and we see her trying to deal with these family issues at the same time as she is trying out a new aspect of the job; being a family liaison officer where she can’t allow her emotions to come into play. Mattie’s always been a bit of a loner and this job is not really in her comfort zone. The press is having a field day, passing judgement on Karl for making his choice and Mattie who is not really comfortable where she isn’t wanted, finds herself second guessing her own actions and wondering what she could have done differently.

Paulsen and Finn have each other’s backs, but both find themselves struggling somewhat in a story that is all about family and the choices we make and how easy we all find it to pass judgement on others.

Meanwhile, in the South East London Hope Estate the drug wars continue and as Finn struggles to see what connection with drugs if any there might be, another struggle is playing out between Isaiah Sims and his sons Hayden and Michael.

Shindler paces the book really well enabling the tension to build as the murders continue and the team, desperate to stop them, search for answers while not seeing or understanding where the connection and motivation lies.

Verdict: Well plotted with nicely drawn characters who feel believable, this is a tense and twisting novel that strikes just the right balance between plot and character, resulting in a well-honed book that captures the imagination and holds attention. Most enjoyable.

Thanks to NetGalley and The Publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review

It's official. I'm hooked. I've just added another detective series to my list. I loved this so much. The second outing for DI Alex Finn was a blinder and that's even with, in my opinion, an obvious flaw in the plot. Page turning, jaw dropping, full of tension. Kept me guessing, for both the suspect and motive, until the end. And captured the essence of London perfectly. As long as they keep coming, I'll keep reading them.

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC.
This is the second book in the DI Alex Finn series and such a fabulous twisty read. A real page-turner with an unusual storyline, and surprises, as Will Shindler weaves a complex web of red-herrings up to the very end.

As Karl Suleman and daughter Leah stroll through Crystal Palace Park on their way to a restaurant Leah is seized at knifepoint by a masked attacker and Karl is given a devastating choice - walk away or they both die. Desperate to get help Karl does just that, leaving Leah to her fate. A decision which haunts him, and his wife - how could he do that? Well, Karl has some secrets he needs to protect, especially when he receives taunting messages from the killer.

Thinking this could be some kind of initiation rite connected to a notorious drug-swamped estate, DI Finn and DCI Mattie Paulsen take an interest in the County Lines gangs operating there. Then Jo Corcoran is confronted and given the impossible choice - your mother or your boyfriend and the team need to start looking at any connections between the victims - are the victims the targets or are the people having to choose, and live with that choice, the real targets?

This is so well-written with really good characters you can relate to and good dialogue. Finn's back-story continues as he struggles to come to terms with his wife's death less than a year previously - intermittently hearing the departed Karin giving him advice.
Looking forward to the next one!

Very interesting idea behind this plot. Who would you chose. I don't think any of us would like to be faced with such an impossible choice. I thought this was interesting and kept me guessing. Bit different from a lot of thrillers and definitely well worth a read.

4.5 stars rounded down to 4

DI Alex Finn #2

Karl and his daugher Leah were ambushed by someone wearing a mirror mask at knife point. Karl is forced to make an impossible choice: stay and die or leave Leah behind and take the thugs word that they both will live.

Finn and Paulson are investigating two similar murders. A rapist is making the fathers of girls choose whether to walk away and leave their daughters or both of them will die. Leah has tried to persuade her dad to run, but things went wrong and Leah was killed. Not only is Karl now being haunted by the press and drowning in guilt, he's also recieving threatening messsages from the killer. I thought the first book in this series, The Burning Men was a great read but this book is better. There's plenty of twists in this intriguing plotline where all of the characters are flawed. This is a cleverly written story that had me gripped. This book/could be read as a standalone.

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #HodderStoughton and the author #WillShindler for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another brilliant read by Will Shindler! I can see this is going to become one of my favourite series!
I like the style of writing and the story keeps you engaged from the go. The characters are well developed and the ending is a big surprise!
This is the second book in the DI Alex Finn series but you don't have to read the first one to enjoy this book.

"Some moments carve themselves into the memory, the decisions you make shaping the scars they leave behind."
This sums up the book in one sentence.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

3.5 stars

When I received this & realized it was book #2, I thought ok…going to do this properly for once. So I grabbed the first in the series & read it before tackling this one. It was definitely the right move as it helped me understand the MC & his current situation.

Alex Finn is a driven DI with the Met who has just been handed a nightmare of a case. Seemingly random people are approached by a killer who forces them to make a horrific choice between themselves & a loved one. One of you will die. Pick. Right now. (*gulp*)

Chilling, brutal & sensational…it’s the kind of case that will be extremely high profile. And there are those who wonder if he’s up to the task. Finn recently lost his wife & it’s obvious he’s not doing well. He’s always been a private man but sleepless nights & the weight of grief are beginning to crack his normally cool facade.

Colleagues DS Jackie Ojo & DC Mattie Paulson are there to work the case & watch his back. As the investigations progress, all Finn & his team come up with are more questions. Add in some violence & drug running at a local council estate & it’s not long before the brass begin to wonder if Finn is truly fit for the job.

In addition to the homicides, there are several side stories dealing with the private lives of some of the characters & there’s a common theme. Family….you can’t pick ‘em, you can’t (usually) kill them. But there’s no denying how complex those relationships can be & how easily they push your buttons.

I’m afraid I’m going to be the outlier here & call this a “good” book. I know some consider this damning with faint praise but it’s not. It means I enjoyed it & would recommend to others. It’s well written with interesting characters & a sense of place. Despite the nature of the crimes, I wouldn’t classify it as gritty, mostly due to the cast who are straight arrows. Finn & his boss Skegman come across as more “real” whereas Jackie & Mattie fare less well. I read a lot of police procedurals so maybe my expectations are different. Familiar tropes (the troubled MC, budget cuts, pressure for results, conflict between personal life & the job) help propel the story but I guess I was waiting for something new or surprising.

There are some glowing reviews out there so please give those a look as differences in opinion are probably due to personal taste. As with all series, you’re bound to appreciate some books more than others. I really enjoyed The Burning Men & that’s enough to make me pick up the next one so I can check in with Finn & his crew.

This is an excellent read. It hooks from the very beginning and has some fabulous twists and turns.

It begins with an impossible choice. A father and daughter are approached by man in a mask who demands that the father leave, or, he kills them both. What follows is a cracking crime thriller. I'm not a fan of police procedurals, but, this is so well written and the characters so well drawn, I loved it.

The lead character of DI Alex Finn is one of the best I've read. He's a troubled soul who is struggling with his own issues. I didn't realise until after I'd read the book that this is second in a series. I'd definitely recommend reading the first book (as I shall now do) but this definitely stands alone as an excellent, tension filled, thriller.

There's a great balance between the hunt for a murderer, the relationships within the police team and another sub plot. The location is fabulously drawn, too.

Congratulations, Will Shindler and thanks so much NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the opportunity to preview this excellent read.

DI Alex Finn is haunted - his wife died and he is having difficulty moving on. He is sure its all under control, but her voice echoes in his head and he is beginning to feel the strain. His wife arranged for her friend Cally to get in touch with him to try to steer him back to normality, to get professional help, but he doesn't really like Cally.

Meanwhile a man and his daughter meet every Friday to go for a curry, but this time they are met by a masked stranger who forces the man to choose between dying, or leaving his daughter to be raped. Unfortunately she dies, and Finn catches the case to find her killer. The press, his wife and all the keyboard warriors crucify the man for leaving his daughter - but what choice did he really have?

Then a similar case occurs, along with a drug related murder in the same area of town. Suddenly Finn's team are incredibly busy, trying to follow the leads and find the culprits, while keeping their own sanity.

An exciting psychological thriller, touching on guilt and retribution. The book is pacy, well written and the reader engages immediately and throughout. A great read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review..

This is the second book to feature DI Finn and DC Paulsen, a crime series which is set in London. Finn is still mourning his dead wife and this impacts on his work. Paulsen has her own personal issues to deal with. It can be read as a stand alone and is full of tension, twists and drama. There is excellent characterisation and it's very well plotted. I found this book to be quite compulsive and I would highly recommend it to lovers of crime and mystery. Readers will not be disappointed. My thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

A second outing for this series with Finn and Paulson. There is a lot of angst in this book at a personal level for the lead duo and in the solving of a series of bizarre murders. It is a race of pull the pieces together where victims are given choices. Who would you save? How would you live with your choices?A dilemma faced throughout this mind spinning tale. Full of well portrayed characters.

Oh wow. What a book. The first one was brilliant and this is even better!

I was hooked from the start and read it in two sittings. I just did not want to put it down.

The characters are flawed and intriguing.

The plot was dark with plenty of twists and turns to keep the pages turning.

I cannot wait to read more from this brilliant author.

For my review of the first book in the DI Alex Finn series ‘The Burning Man’ I looked at the pitfalls of the crime genre and how the book managed to steer clear of them (see https://www.kindig.co.uk/post/the-burning-men ). For the sequel ‘The Killing Choice’ I will continue this trend and see how the next book in the series compares!

My first criteria was to have an intriguing and interesting crime. The Killing Choice certainly holds up in this regard, with victims being made to choose which of them will die. This leads to an interesting dilemma and ‘survivor’s guilt’ for the victims and also a wider discussion as to the hypothetical solution with the press and other characters. The crimes also escalated really well and I liked a few red herrings which were introduced along the way. There was a moment when I (correctly) guessed the perpetrator about halfway through but the actual motive still alluded me until right towards the reveal.

My second criteria was to have realistic and well-rounded main characters. This series does fall into the ‘DI OldSchool GrizzleMan and his partner DC Woman WithIssues’ trope but I still think it’s handled well. In particular we learn a lot more about the personal life of Mattie Paulson which was something I felt was lacking in the last book. Conversely, we didn’t get too much from DI Finn in this book – we get a bit of him struggling and also trying to rebuild his life after his wife left him but Shindler is taking his progression nice and slowly which I appreciate and takes me on nicely to my next category.

My last criteria was leaving the series space to progress. This story in particular was a standalone and is nicely wrapped up in this book. However as we have learnt more about the characters I am interested to see where they will go in future books, particularly as Finn is trying to turn his life around. We are also introduced to an estate and the gangs that inhabit it which may crop up in future books.

Overall, The Killing Choice, just like it’s predecessor is a well-constructed crime thriller and I’m excited to read the next one in the series. Thank you to NetGalley & Hodder & Stoughton for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Killing Choice is the second book in the DI Alex Finn series by Will Shindler and it builds on the promise of the first one by delivering what is an excellent and enthralling police crime novel.

Finn and the other main characters are excellently drawn and help move the story along at a good pace without deflecting or diverting from the main storyline which is very interesting and strong.

Without giving away any spoilers the various strands are pulled together well but leave the door very much open for book number three.

Definitely recommended

A clever, gripping romp of a thriller, possibly with the discovery of a new character worth following in DI Alex Finn. An interesting cast of characters overall—you think you’re getting some cliches, but then, you end up pleasantly surprised. A perfect crime novel to curl up with on a sunny winter weekend.

Review copy from NetGalley.

OMG what an opening! “ Leave your daughter with me or I will kill you both”. A man and his grown up daughter meet to go for dinner as they often do. They take a walk through a park and are confronted by a man in a mask who then says the line above. Karl is torn between protecting his daughter and saving his own skin and possibly hers too. Leah then tells him to go as that way they could both be saved. What transpires next is everyone's worst nightmare and DI Alex Finn and DC Mattie Paulson have little to go on- it was dark in a park with lots of ways out and little evidence. The skill and experience of a scriptwriter stands out immediately and there is something more about this than “just another crime novel”. The torment of a father feeling he has let down both his daughter and his wife who is struggling to come to terms with what he did, let alone what happened. When there are other similar murders the team think they have a link- albeit a very tenuous one. This is the second in the series but happily stands alone (I hadn’t read the first one and didn't feel as if I was missing anything). A tense,gripping read with very vivid characterisations and suspense to put you at the heart of the scene. A brilliantly written, page turning thriller of a read
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