Ashes to Ashes

 

The Burning Men
Will Shindler
(Hodder)

When an expensive property development in South London catches fire, a team of fire fighters enter the building to save a man reported trapped inside. They come out without a body and soon after they leave the service and go their separate ways.

Five years later, one of them is burnt to death on his wedding day. Then, a second team member is found dead in a burnt-out sports car. Did something happen on that night five years ago that has made them targets now?

Piecing together the truth from the ashes of the past presents DI Alex Finn and new partner DC Mattie Paulsen with a difficult case. One made all the harder by their own private troubles.

This debut for Finn and Paulsen (for Shindler as a writer of fiction too), doesn't break much ground in the way of originality. Old crimes casting long shadows and cops with complicated back stories are recognisable tropes to anyone with an even passing familiarity with the genre.

Despite this, Will Shindler has delivered a satisfying police procedural that has the potential to build into an equally pleasing series. His prose style is appropriately direct, and he has a strong feeling for character. Both of which are useful crossovers from his day job as a journalist.

The Burning Men might not be a book that shimmers with originality, but it delivers everything a reader of crime fiction could want. This reviewer will take that over disappointing pretention every time.
Good Reads, Friday 19^th May 2023