Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book pre-publication.
I enjoyed it - kept me guessing to the end and I would totally recommend it.

The hunting ground by Will Shindler.
DI Alex Finn book 3.
Sadie Nicholls has been found dead, brutally and strangely murdered, in her South East London flat. Her little boy is missing. DI Alex Finn and DC Mattie Paulsen know that, in the case of a missing child, it's the first 24 hours that count. They don't have many left to find out where Sadie's son might be and the identity of her killer. Why would anyone want a struggling single mother, loved by many, dead? But when they realise a similar crime was committed at the same house nearly 20 years ago, a question is on everyone's lips: is this more than just a coincidence?
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I loved the story. Alex is my favourite character. I do hope there is more to come. 5*.

Having read the first two books in the Finn and Paulsen series I was so excited to read this book. It did not disappoint and kept me gripped throughout. It's dark and gritty and kept me guessing. I can't wait for the next installment.

Excellent as always, I love this pair and the story was brilliant. Edge of your seat stuff. Highly recommended.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5

DI Alex Finn #3

Sadie Nichols has been found dead, brutally and strangely murdered, in her South East London flat. Her little boy is missing. DI Alex Finn and DC Mattie Paulsen knows that in the case of a missing child, it's the first 24 hours that count. They don't have many left to find out where Sadie's son might be and the identity of her killer. Why would anyone want a struggling single mother, loved by many, dead.? But when they realise a similar crime was committed at the same house nearly twenty years ago, is this more than just coincidence?

This is a moving and complex read. We get a mixture of police procedural and the main characters daily struggles in their personal lives. This well written book is filled with twists, some I never saw coming. The pace is steady in this thoroughly engaging plotline. There is quite a lot of suspects to choose from. With a child to find and a murder to solve, Finn and Paulsen have to pull out everything they have to solve this case. I also loved how the book ended.

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

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

The third novel in what I assume is the now the DI Alex Finn and DC Mattie Paulsen series, did not disappoint. While this is a police procedural, I liked that the story was built up layer by layer by interviewing the neighbours (witnesses) of the victims. While this felt like quick page turning read, I really felt like I got to know all the characters in depth. And while I figured out some of the ending, there were still surprises.

Will Shindler really know how to capture the essence of a place and its people - I feel like Ive met all of them at some point in my own life and that' what I really love, just how relatable his characters seem to be.

Looking forward to the next installment. Keep them coming!

This is the third in the series featuring DI Alex Finn so you could do yourself a favour and play catch-up before starting this book. I have read and enjoyed both and I think it would be helpful to get to now the main characters fully before embarking on this book.
We start with the murder of a woman. Brutally, in her South London flat. After arriving home from a cash in hand job as a hostess at a club. On attending it is discovered that she has a little boy and that he is now missing. The police scour the area to no avail. This compounds the investigation as they are now on the trail of a murderer and potential kidnapper. But what motive and why that woman? They start their investigation in earnest and it soon comes to light that this is not the first death this house has seen. Years ago a similar crime occurred. But it's been so long, how could they possible be connected. But Finn is not a fan of coincidence...
DI Finn is a cracking character. He has his weird moments but I guess he is still grieving the loss of his wife, the love of his life, so I can forgive him his ways. It might soon become a bit irksome however as it does seem to be overshadowing the cases a tad now. He is teamed up with Matty Paulsen, another cracking character who is very easy to like. She has her own demons to face too and these are reflected in the case herein. A case that had me guessing and second guessing as it twisted and turned its way to what I found to be a wholly satisfying, and shocking, conclusion. There was quite a cast of suspects, with an eclectic mix of motives that I soon gave up trying and just sat back and enjoyed the ride. Roll on next time...
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

DI Alex Finn and his team are back! I really these books, so well written, and with great characters

On the night Sadie Nicholls was murdered she was working at a hotel as a waitress for a Knights Association dinner, where she was sexually harassed. Sadie left the event early and made her way home, her body was found the next day with her 3-year-old son missing.

The hunt is on not only for the murderer but also for Liam, did he witness the death of his mother, will he be able to help the police at all?

Coincidentally, at the same flat 20 years ago, there was a similar murder is there a link?

Really enjoyed this book, kept me guessing most of the way.

Did wonder what happened to Lucy?

Look forward to more in the series.

Absolutely brilliant just like the previous 2. I was hooked from the start. The twists and turns as it got nearer and nearer the end kept me engrossed. The plot was fascinating and I just didn't want to put it down.

I love the mixture of police procedural and the struggles of the characters personal lives.

Can't wait to read more from this wonderful author.

This intelligently written and compulsive novel from the hugely talented Will Shindler is the third in the series featuring DI Alex Finn and DC Mattie Paulsen; The Burning Men and The Killing Choice being the previous two.

Set in a residential street in South London, Sadie Nicholls, a well-liked and popular young woman, has been found brutally murdered in her flat, and her little boy is missing. The race is on to find the child, could he be a witness to her murder? The team soon discover that a similar crime was committed at the same address almost 20 years ago, is this a coincidence or is there something more to it?

This is a terrific crime series which just gets better and better and I would thoroughly recommend it to fellow crime fiction fans. This novel has everything I look for in a gripping police procedural: a tense, pacey and multi-layered plot with twists and turns, threats and violence, together with moments of heartbreaking sadness.
Every character in this book is well fleshed out and the setting is richly described and realistic. However, for me, the standout features are the superbly crafted characters of Alex Finn and Mattie Paulsen. The distressing events in their personal lives are authentic and add another dimension to the narrative, enhancing the reader’s understanding of their actions and humanity.

Overall, this is a terrific read and another triumph for Will Shindler. I can’t wait to read what comes next!

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher, Hodder and Stoughton for the very much appreciated ARC in return for my honest review.

A very worthy addition to this series and equally enjoyable as a stand alone novel.
I really love Will Shindler's writing style. It's always engaging and this is the type of book that you don't really want to end, despite dying to know how it concludes.
Nice twist that I certainly didn't see coming.

Coincidences Don’t Happen, Do They…?
The third in the D.I. Alex Finn series finds the detective and team with a brutal murder and a missing persons case on their hands, crimes that throw open a case from the past. Coincidences like this don’t happen, do they? The narrative unfolds at furious pace as the team battle against time. A cast of convincing, credible characters and an intriguing but distressing storyline provide an entirely realistic bent, with difficult issues handled with due empathy. A worthy series addition.

*4.5 stars*

On the night of her death, 24 year old Sadie Nicholls had been waitressing for extra cash at the Knights Association dinner, a place where sexual harassment knew no bounds. Sadie left early but was later found brutally murdered in her home, and her 3 year old son Liam is missing.

DI Alex Finn is heading up the investigation team along with D.C. Mattie Paulson. The team as a whole put everything into finding the killer, and the whereabouts of Liam, but there’s a very strange coincidence about this case (or is it?) 25 years ago a young mother and her young son were found brutally murdered in the same house!

Book 3# in the series and it just seems to get better and better. I love the way the author has developed his characters, and with The Hunting Ground, excellent use of smoke and mirrors means it’s impossible to work out who the killer is. Every author takes their reader on a journey, and make no mistake Will Shindler is an author of great talent, who took me on a journey that I couldn’t have possibly foreseen. Highly recommended!

An excellent addition to the DI Alex Finn series of books set in London. This one finds Finn and his team investigating the murder of a young woman and the disappearance of her toddler son. It's well written, has a steady pace and kept me engrossed to the end. I loved the character development and the twist in the clever plot. I have no hesitation in recommending this series, one of the best in the genre. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Alex Finn and Mattie Paulsen return for a third time in The Hunting Ground which is another excellent police procedural by Will Shindler.

The main and supporting storylines grab your attention and keep the pages turning from the first to the last page and make this series standout from a crowded field

The book can easily be read as a stand-alone although you’ll probably then want to pick up books 1 and 2 and then keep an eye out for book number 4 when it’s published

Highly recommended.

Another episode in the Alex Finn/Mattie Paulson series and this one never lets up with a resounding plot line of violent murders past and present. The murder of a young woman and her son in the same property as an identical crime some 30 years ago is the central storyline. Various suspicious characters live in the immediate vicinity all with some relevant history revealed as we go along also the personal lives of Alex and Mattie form part of the narrative. It all builds to a shock conclusion that I didn’t see coming and leaves one waiting for the next adventure!

Will Shindler has done it again! No. 3 in the series but you can very easily read this one as a standalone.

Gripped from the very first page, this is a real page turner, compelling, dark, utterly ingenious with the plot, never saw the end coming the way it did, sheer genius!

Both Alex Finn and Mattie Paulsen have their own private battles to fight whilst trying to solve a complex murder, tied into a murder that took place 30 years previous in the same house. He brings together the local community who 'look after their own' in more ways than one.

Simply can´t wait for Shindler´s next epic read!

My thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

The Hunting Ground is the latest outing for DI Alex Finn and his assistant Mattie Paulsen: they are investigating the brutal murder of a young single mother, Sadie, and the disappearance of her toddler son which has taken place on a quiet residential street in South London.
Intriguingly they soon discover that there had been a similar murder on the street in the very same house thirty years previously but it is difficult to work out if there is any connection between the two events.
The race is on to find the murderer and try and track down the child who may have wandered off or been abducted.
Alex Finn is still suffering issues after the death of his wife even though it happened four years earlier and the pressure of the case starts to take a toll on his mental health. Paulsen is worried about her father who is suffering from dementia and when it becomes apparent that one of the local residents is also suffering from the same condition, it really starts to affect her..
This is a dark and compelling murder mystery which examines some difficult themes including bereavement, mental health and dementia. There are an interesting group of suspects and several of them appear to have had the opportunity to murder Sadie but the motive remains unclear.
The story is cleverly plotted as well as thoughtful and despite being a regular thriller reader I did not guess the final outcome which which turned out to be incredibly sad.
The final pages of the book set up the return of Alex and his team in a further novel and I look forward to reading more about them in due course. Definitely recommended as a five star read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder for my arc.

This series just keeps improving with every book which, had you asked me if it were possible after the first book I would have doubted. Admittedly it does have the age-old vein of a troubled detective fighting his demons running through it but in the case of DI Alex Finn you really are rooting for him to come to terms with those demons and live his life to the full rather than hide from them by immersing himself in his work.

In this third instalment Alex isn't the only person fighting to keep afloat every day although in Sadie Nicholls' case it is mainly financial pressures which are the cause of her struggles. A single mum, she puts the needs of her young son front and centre. She'd do anything to keep him safe and well cared for. That said, she has her principles and even the promise of much-needed cash won't make her compromise her morals. Would it be this self-respect which would lead to her untimely death? That's the question Finn and his team need to answer in their search for her killer.

All the regular faces in Finn's team feature in the book and I felt like an invisible member of the team as they work together to piece together what could have gone so horribly wrong in Sadie's life for it to reach such an awful conclusion. Neighbours, friends and family members are all interviewed but on face value nothing appears to be stand out, until someone mentions the uncomfortable coincidence of another young woman and her young son having come to the same end in the same house some 30 odd years previously. This opens up a whole new line of enquiry and focus shifts to the older generation on the street - those who were resident in the area when the first murder happened. But a man is still locked away for committing that crime so that puts paid to that train of thought...right??

I like crime novels where detectives use their "copper's nose" - a gut instinct which tells them when a piece of the puzzle isn't a good fit. Bringing this together with hard factual evidence is Finn's way. His colleagues Paulsen and Ojo trust his judgment but aren't afraid to question his reasoning - throw in his superior Skegman and Finn really does need to justify his hunches rather than being allowed to go totally free rein with them which makes the books far more realistic. There a small crumbs of evidence all through the book and I genuinely felt that I was collating this evidence alongside the team to put the whole picture together. Mental health issues are tackled in a sensitive manner by the author with clear research having been done into conditions and their management. The conditions are described from the subject's point of view and the knock-on effect to those around them is presented sympathetically yet in real terms. My respect to the author for including this side of the book as it seems to be such a big part of many families' lives these days and often it can be a very lonely experience due to the limited amount of support available. This side of the book becomes significant however at no point did I find it overwhelming.

My sincere thanks to the publisher for allowing me to follow this series of books via a pre-publication copy through NetGalley - I have heard a whisper that book 4 will be available next year. I will definitely be adding it to my wish list!

This is a decent, if gruesome in parts, thriller. It's part of a series but can easily be read as a standalone.

A young mother is horribly murdered and her 3 year old son missing. The storyline is very much about DI Alex Flinn and DC Mattie Paulsen, as well as the locals in the area and they are a colourful bunch. It's well written, dark and engaging and it's descriptions of the depression that comes over Alex Flinn as he continues to grieve for his wife are real and moving.

It's a twisty plot and I enjoyed it. A solid 3* Good Read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to preview.