Publication: 7th December 2023 – Hodder & Stoughton
Years ago someone got away with murder… But time’s up.
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…
The DI Alex Finn series is one of my favourites and Will Shindler is an amazing author. His novels are brilliantly-written, intense, and full of twists and, as expected, his latest one, The Cold Case, is a thrilling read that I couldn’t put down.
Told in two timelines, in 2009 and in the present day, the story sees DI Alex Finn facing one of his old cases, involving the kidnapping of three teenagers, that affected him so personally that he is still in touch with the victims and his families. And, when one of the victims is found dead, he starts to wonder if mistakes were made and the real culprit may still be out there. Did they arrest the right person? And what really happened to these three teenagers on that hot summer of 2009?
DI Alex Finn and his team at Cedar House race against time to find out the truth before it’s too late, but they are still recovering from the murder of one of their own and the betrayal of another, while welcoming a very enthusiastic new member. And while the old case brings back to Alex memories of his past and of meeting his wife, the capable and unflappable newly promoted DS Mattie Paulsen finds herself plunged into her new role while facing her own family problems.
I really enjoyed The Cold Case. It’s dark and gripping, some of the scenes are not easy to read and others are quite emotional. It kept me on edge from the first to the last page and it left me already looking forward to the next book.
A huge thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for providing me with a proof of this fantastic novel.
Will Shindler has been a broadcast journalist for the BBC for over twenty-five years, spending a decade working in television drama as a scriptwriter on Born and Bred, The Bill and Doctors. His time on these leading prime time dramas has given him a rich grounding in authentic police procedure, powerful character development and gripping narratives. He currently combines reading the news on BBC Radio London with writing crime novels and has previously worked as a television presenter for HTV, a sports reporter for BBC Radio Five Live, and one of the stadium presenters at the London Olympics.
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