Writers Read: Will Shindler

Thursday, February 12, 2026

Will Shindler

Will Shindler has spent most of his career working as a broadcast journalist for the BBC. He also spent nearly a decade working on a number of British television dramas,

working for both the BBC Drama Series Department, and Talkback Thames Television as a writer and script editor. He has been writing novels since 2020, including the five-book critically acclaimed DI Alex Finn series: The Burning Men, The Killing Choice, The Hunting Ground, The Blood Line, and The Cold Case. He currently combines reading news bulletins for BBC Radio London with his novel writing and has previously worked as a presenter for ITV West, a reporter for BBC Radio Five Live, and as one of the stadium presenters at the 2012 London Olympics. He lives in London.

Shindler's new novel is The Bone Queen.

Recently I asked the author about what he was reading. Shindler's reply:

Never Flinch by Stephen King.

Given that I write a mixture of crime and horror, it’s probably no surprise that a new King novel is always an automatic purchase for me. I’ve been particularly drawn to his later work, beginning with Mr Mercedes, which introduced us to Holly Gibney - one of his most quietly fascinating creations.

As someone who’s written a series I can testify that one of the most difficult things to do is moving a character forward, without losing those essential traits that people liked about them first place. It’s an exercise in running on the spot sometimes – giving a sense of more propulsion than sometimes you as, as a writer can allow. King has managed something genuinely impressive with Holly though. All her familiar tics and anxieties remain intact, but they now sit within a character who has clearly lived, learned, and been shaped by her experiences.

The novel itself is a masterclass in weaving disparate characters and storylines into a single narrative. It also has a great deal to say about contemporary America without ever tipping into sermonising. The villain, Trig, is particularly effective: morally compromised, unsettlingly human, and written with enough psychological depth that even when sympathy is impossible, empathy isn’t.