5 Stars.

Will Schindler has certainly written an excellent police investigation. It is told between two time lines. . . 2009 and the present day.

The main character is DI Alex Finn, who has issues of his own to deal with. He senses the strong link between the missing teenagers in 2009 ending in murder, and the current situation of teenage abductions, plus a dead body.

Alex Finn is determined to solve the crime, as he didn’t forgive himself for not catching the killer from his early days of detective work. Therefore he comes to the conclusion that the killer is still out there.

There are several twists and turns, and red herrings galore, until the truth finally comes out. It leads to an explosive conclusion! I shall look out for more cases for Alex Finn to solve.

Galadriel.

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

Not really my cup of tea I could not quite get into storyline it did get me going.i did not find any thing of good substance may well appeal to a lot of readers

There are plenty of twists and turns in this one. I found myself completely hooked and unsuccessful at trying to predict where this would go.

I was instantly hooked by this one. It’s one of those books that pulls you in instantly and becomes completely unputdownable.

II’ve literally devoured this in just one sitting with no regrets. This is an absolute must read.

A good read
A book in the D.I. Alex Finn series
A great police procedure
A great series would recommend this series to anyone looking for something new to read
Thanks NetGalley

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

This was absolutely fantastic! If you are a fan of crime fiction and police procedural's you need to be reading Will Shindler DI Alex Finn Series. This, the 5th installment, take us back in to an earlier point in DI Alex Finn career, to a case that has haunted him ever since that seems to be inexplicably related to events in the current time. Excellently plotted and paced with well drawn out characters. This one leaves you guessing until the end. I eagerly await the next book in the series.

A thrilling novel in this police procedural series, where the past and present collide for DI Alex Finn. When the survivor of a traumatic kidnapping cold case he worked on 14 years ago is found dead, Finn must race against time to prevent more bloodshed. An unputdownable twisty tale.

Finn and Paulsen are back following the tragedy from the previous book. Immediately thrown into another life or death situation.
Reopening an old case and through flashbacks how does it affect the case?
Another gripping thriller of a read. Twists galore and a damn good read. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Loved this ! Good character expression and a twisty plot that keeps your interest. Recommend this to anyone with an interest in the genre

Really enjoyable, engaging and hooked me right from the start. Twisty and kept me guessing all the way through.

This is a great crime book, strong characters and engaging storyline.
The plot involves a past investigation for Finn, where three teenagers were kidnapped. The crime itself is very dark and I enjoyed how the author brings all the characters together because of the crime. This is part of a series but read perfectly as a stand alone

I read all the novels in this series and loved them. This one confirm my opinion about the author, excellent storyteller, and the stories, well done and gripping.
Twisty, fast paced and solid plot, well rounded characters
An excellent read
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

The Cold Case by Will Shindler.
2009
During a summer heatwave, teenagers are going missing. Junior officer Alex Finn takes the case and fears that the disappearances are linked. In a race against the clock to find and rescue the children alive, Finn and his team are only partially successful. Two of the children are saved, but they were too late for Oliver.
And the killer got away.
2023
DI Alex Finn is still tormented by the cases of his youth - none more than so than the 2009 kidnappings. And it seems someone else has not forgotten either. They want answers after all this time, and with a gun in their pocket and their sights set on Alex, they'll do anything to get what they're after
I really enjoyed this short read. Gripping and twisty. 5*.

Back in 2009 three teenagers went missing but only two were found alive. The case was believed sold but now in the present it appears the wrong person may have been found guilty. Could the Police have got it wrong and if so who is the real killer?

We meet with Alex Finn and his team again. I am enjoying this series of books. Its often dark and this one certainly is. It deals with some truly dark themes and given the way the world is right now it hits home hard. The plot is quite fast paced and builds to a brilliant conclusion. I had no idea who the killer was until around the same time Alex figured it out. It was a very clever twist. As well as the crime, we learn more about the team and how they're dealing with past events. A dark crime/ thriller.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. I found it kept me enthralled until the end, perfect for wintery days.

Another really enjoyable read from Will Shindler with some of the well known characters from earlier offerings with certainly one new detective who I’m sure will make a bigger impact in the next book. Finn is one of my favourite detectives and the excellent storyline played him at his best.

I’ve read and enjoyed the earlier books in the Detective Alex Finn series and was excited to receive a review copy of “The Cold Case”, his latest outing.
It’s the story of a kidnapping from 2009, one of Alex’s earlier cases which is linked to a present day murder.
In 2009 Alex was investigating the kidnap of 3 teenagers, managing to rescue 2 of them. With a full confession 7 years later from a dying prisoner it looked like the culprit had already been convicted.
However, not everyone believes this, including 2 of the victims. Lee and Jemma.
When there is a siege in which Alex is held captive, perpetrated by one of those involved in the 2009 events, Mattie and the team take another look at the cold case in connection to the present day murder and realise that maybe things have been missed.
This was a well written thriller which moved effortlessly between the two time periods. The reader is able to meet a younger Alex at a time when he first encounters his wife, Karin who has unfortunately passed away by the present day series of events. It is interesting to see their back story and it makes the character of Alex more rounded.
I liked the constant connections between the kidnap victims and their families- none of them had been able to move on from the traumatic events of the past despite outward appearances. Even Jemma who has a young family, is still not satisfied with the confession.
This was a gritty novel with some upsetting scenes but it was a compelling read which held my attention until the very last page.
I would recommend this as a standalone or if you’ve read the previous books in the series The Cold Case is a great continuation.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy.

I really enjoy this series and characters but unfortunately this one just wasn’t as great for me. I found this one dragged more than they usually do, having said that I did enjoy being back with the characters again and hope the next in the series is back on track for me.

Another great installment in the DI Alex Finn series!

The case that Alex gets involved in this time dates back to a case he worked on in 2009 when 3 teenagers were kidnapped and only two were found alive.
It is a case that stayed with him throughout the years. a Case that still haunts him because he could not save one of the boys.
He tried to keep in touch with the two surviving teenagers as well as their friend who got away from the abductor but in recent years, especially with the death of his wife he kind of lost touch with them. Then he gets a phone call telling him that Jemma was found dead. Was this murder or just an unfortunate accident? From here things start spiraling downwards. When he tries to break the news to Lee, her then-boyfriend, things do not turn out how he expected and Alex ends up being taken hostage. Lee is convinced that the guy who confessed to their kidnapping years after it happened, was not the perpetrator and he demands that they look into the case again because he's convinced that Jemma was killed by the same person.
With Alex being held hostage his team must pull together and try and find out what really happened. Did the guy who confessed to the abductions before his death lie or was he telling the truth? Or an even bigger question; are there more sinister things at play?

A highly entertaining and fast-paced read!

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

‘Years ago someone got away with murder... But time's up.’ - teaser

My thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Cold Case’ by Will Shindler.

This is Book 5 in a series of police procedurals set in South London featuring DI Alex Finn and DS Mattie Paulsen.

The cold case of the title took place during the summer of 2009 when teenagers Lee and Jenna were kidnapped. Their friend Billy witnessed this though was not taken. Another boy, Oliver, had been abducted a few days previously and the cases are considered linked. At this point in his career Alex is a junior officer. He had managed to rescue Lee and Jenna yet it was too late for Oliver. While the killer got away, in 2016 a dying convict confessed to the crime. Case closed?

In 2023 DI Alex Finn remains tormented by this case. Then Jenna is found dead, murdered. When Alex breaks the news to Lee, he becomes agitated claiming that he had never believed in the confession and that the real abductor has now killed Jenna.

Lee takes Alex and others hostage in order to force the police to reopen the case. He says he won’t release them until the police find the real perpetrator. Quite a tall order though Lee is clearly highly stressed and Alex hopes to calm him down before the situation escalates further.

The narrative moves between 2009 and 2023, with a brief stop in 2016, as well as various perspectives, including the ordeal experienced by the kidnapped teenagers.

The hostage situation was very tense. I find hostage scenarios discomfiting whether in books or other media and this was no different. I felt that the author’s depiction ratcheted up the tension as he moved between the cafe, the police handling the negotiations, and those police frantically seeking answers. More bodies drop along the way and the case takes some shocking turns.

In the first book, ‘The Burning Men’, Karin, Finn’s wife, had recently died and here their first meeting and early relationship is shown, which was quite moving.

Overall, I found ‘The Cold Case’ an intelligent, well plotted police procedural that kept me glued to my e-reader for the duration. In the near future I hope to fill in my gaps in this excellent series as well as keep a lookout for future books.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

I have been hooked on this series since I read book one The Burning Men a few years ago. DI Alex Finn and his team are so realistically portrayed I feel every emotion along with them.. I share their horror at the brutality of the murders and the frustration at not being able to catch thie perpetrator of these horrific slayings.. The fact that the murder is linked to a cold case from 15 years ago, one that Alex worked on as a young DC, makes it all the more horrific. The motive behind the murders, both now and in the past is so heinous that it leaves the entire team reeling. The fact that someone would even think of doing this to another human being is beyond their wildest nightmare, the only upside being that Alex and the cops on the original abduction case finally have some closure as do the families of the victims. This was a 5 star read from beginning to end and has left me eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.