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Will Shindler is a seasoned broadcast journalist and author best known for his debut novel “The Burning Man” of the “DI Alex Finn” series of novels. Shindler has been with the BBC for more than a quarter of a century where he has excelled in a variety of roles. He was born and grew up in South London, which perhaps explains why he set his debut novel in that area of London. He got a degree in Theatre, Drama, and Television from King Alfred’s College, before he proceeded to get a degree in broadcast journalism from the University of the West of England. He started as a reporter, presenter and broadcaster on BBC Radio Bristol, HTV, and BBC Radio 5 Live. For the latter part of his career, he would spend most of his time working as a scriptwriter and editor on the BBC and Talkback Thames. Among the projects he has worked on include; “The Bill and Doctors” and “Born and Bred.” One of the highlights of his career was table tennis stadium presenter during the 2012 London Olympics. While he still works as a broadcast journalist, he has been a freelance writer since 2019 and his debut novel “The Burning Man” was published by Hodder and Stoughton in 2020.

Shindler believes that his experience in screenwriting prepared him for writing a novel. Even though he was initially wary of writing a long-form fiction work having never done it before, he approached the plotting of his debut novel like a screenplay. As such, much of the plotting was very visual which is what gives the work a very realistic feel and sense of place. He was also fortunate enough to have had access to people who had been in criminal investigations in his work as a journalist. As a seasoned reporter, he would often get to report and be in the middle of breaking stories and this all bleeds into the story. He has also included some aspects of his own experiences in showcasing the workings of the media. As someone that grew in South London where he still lives, he decided to set his novel in the area since he knows it very well and would be able to make the setting very authentic.

Will Shindler’s The Burning Man introduces detective inspector Alex Finn. He suddenly finds himself a widower when his wife of many years suddenly dies. Adesh Kaul has been a formidable woman who had been the detective’s rock and he is understandably devastated by her death. While she is dead, she seems determine to continue advising her husband. When Finn goes back to work and is put in charge of the Kaul investigation, he is forced to work with Mattie Paulsen a newly transferred detective constable. Mattie Paulsen is a focused and smart woman but she rubs the older men working for Finn the wrong way since she is self-important and aloof. She had not always been that way as her new personality had been triggered by an incident at her former place of work that had made her determined to outdo everyone though she was also frightened of being seen as weak. Shindler then leads his reader on a trail full f turns and twists that ultimately ends on the doorstep of one of the scariest mobsters in London. The only people he can rely on for information are the firemen but as the investigation progresses, they are less willing to cooperate with the detective. Finn is forced to scramble around looking for any evidence to use to track down the killer. With the help of detective sergeant Jackie Ojo and Mattie Paulsen, Finn finally starts making headway and gets insights into what happened on the night One Pacific Square went up in flames.