Category: Robert Bryndza

FATAL WITNESS BY ROBERT BRYNDZA (ERIKA FOSTER 7)

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Synopsis: How do you find a killer who has destroyed all the evidence?

Detective Erika Foster is on a late-night walk near her new house in Blackheath when she stumbles upon the brutal murder of Vicky Clarke, a true-crime podcaster.

Erika is assigned to the case and discovers that Vicky had been working on a new podcast episode about a sexual predator who preys on young female students around South London, staking out his victims in their halls of residence before breaking in at the dead of night.

When Erika discovers that Vicky’s notes and sound recordings were stolen from her flat at the time of her murder, it leads her to believe that Vicky was close to unmasking the attacker, and she was killed to guarantee her silence.

The case takes on a disturbing twist when the body of a young Bulgarian student doctor is discovered in the same building, and this makes Erika question everything she thought she knew about Vicky. With very little evidence, the clock is ticking to find the killer before he strikes again.

My Rating : 4/5

Review: Erika has moved into her new home in Blackheath and as she takes a stroll one evening she hears a bloodcurdling scream. When she arrives at where the sound is coming from she is confronted with a horrific murder scene and instantly calls in her team. Vicky Clarke, a true-crime podcaster has been murdered and found by her sister. It turns out that Vicky has been investigating a series of historical sexual crimes and Erika suspects she may have got too close.

The story unfolds in a number of ways and there area number of threads running through the story which keep it very interesting. It’s also very well paced meaning I managed to read the book in pretty much three straight sittings. The one thing I loved about this latest book is the foray into Erika’s personal life and it’s great to see some developments there. I can only hope we continue to see that going forward in future books. Another great read in this series.

DEADLY SECRETS BY ROBERT BRYNDZA (ERIKA FOSTER 6)

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Synopsis: Synopsis: On an icy morning, a mother wakes to find her daughter’s blood-soaked body frozen to the road. Who would carry out such a killing on the victim’s doorstep?

Straight off her last harrowing case, Detective Erika Foster is feeling fragile but determined to lead the investigation. As she sets to work, she finds reports of assaults in the same quiet South London suburb where the woman was killed. One chilling detail links them to the murder victim – they were all attacked by a figure in black wearing a gas mask.

Erika is on the hunt for a killer with a terrifying calling card. The case gets more complicated when she uncovers a tangled web of secrets surrounding the death of the beautiful young woman.

Yet just as Erika begins to piece the clues together, she is forced to confront painful memories of her past. Erika must dig deep, stay focused and find the killer. Only this time, one of her own is in terrible danger…

My Rating : 4/5

Review: It’s been a LONG time since I last read this series and decided it was high time I got back to it. As soon as I started and was a mere two chapters in it was like I had never been away. Erika is her same bristly self and we start by seeing her attending a scene instead of attending a Christmas Dinner. On the icy December morning a woman’s blood-soaked body is found frozen just steps from her own front door. The victim Marissa is found by her mother Mandy and the scene is not a pleasant one.

Marissa was only in her twenties and was a burlesque dancer, but one with what soon shows is many secrets. In addition to the murder there have been reports in the area of people getting attacked by a person dressed in black wearing a gas mask. Erika and her team have their work cut out for them as they try to unravel some of Marissa’s secrets and try to work out who the killer is.

Although we are now into book 6 in the series it still feels like a solid series with lots of life in it. I am glad I have revisited this series after so long away and will eagerly move onto book 7

Cold Blood by Robert Bryndza (Erika Foster #5)

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Synopsis: The suitcase was badly rusted, and took Erika several attempts, but it yielded and sagged open as she unzipped it. Nothing could prepare her for what she would find inside…

When a battered suitcase containing the dismembered body of a young man washes up on the shore of the river Thames, Detective Erika Foster is shocked. She’s worked on some terrifying cases but never seen anything like this before.<blog_break>

As Erika and her team set to work, she makes the link with another victim – the body of a young woman dumped in an identical suitcase two weeks ago.

Erika quickly realises she’s on the trail of a serial killer who’s already made their next move. Yet just as Erika starts to make headway with the investigation, she is the victim of a brutal attack.

But nothing will stop Erika. As the body count rises, the twin daughters of her colleague Commander Marsh are abducted, and the stakes are higher than ever before. Can Erika save the lives of two innocent children before it’s too late? She’s running out of time and about to make a disturbing discovery…there’s more than one killer.

Kat’s Rating: 4/5 Continue reading “Cold Blood by Robert Bryndza (Erika Foster #5)”

BLOG TOUR: Her Last Breath by Robert Bryndza (Erika Foster #4)

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Synopsis: When the tortured body of a young woman is found in a dumpster, her eyes swollen shut and her clothes soaked with blood, Detective Erika Foster is one of the first at the crime scene. The trouble is, this time, it’s not her case. 

While she fights to secure her place on the investigation team, Erika can’t help but get involved and quickly finds a link to the unsolved murder of a woman four months earlier. Dumped in a similar location, both women have identical wounds – a fatal incision to their femoral artery. 

Stalking his victims online, the killer is preying on young pretty women using a fake identity. How will Erika catch a murderer who doesn’t seem to exist? 

Then another girl is abducted while waiting for a date. Erika and her team must get to her before she becomes another dead victim, and, come face to face with a terrifyingly sadistic individual.

Kat’s Rating: 4/5

Continue reading “BLOG TOUR: Her Last Breath by Robert Bryndza (Erika Foster #4)”

Dark Waters by Robert Bryndza (Erika Foster #3)

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Synopsis: When Detective Erika Foster receives a tip-off that key evidence for a major narcotics case was stashed in a disused quarry on the outskirts of London, she orders for it to be searched. From the thick sludge the drugs are recovered, but so is the skeleton of a young child. 

The remains are quickly identified as seven-year-old Jessica Collins. The missing girl who made headline news twenty-six years ago. 

As Erika tries to piece together new evidence with the old, she must dig deeper and find out more about the fractured Collins family and the original detective, Amanda Baker. A woman plagued by her failure to find Jessica. Erika soon realises this is going to be one of the most complex and demanding cases she has ever taken on. 

Kat’s Rating: 5/5

Kat’s Review: I came to the Robert Bryndza party late (book 2 to be precise), but having read that and then this latest release I realise why everyone was making such a fuss. First off Erika Foster is a great lead character and the writing is flawless! That’s just for starters, so yes I think we can safely say I am a fully fledged fan now and will be impatiently waiting for each new instalment.

Erika Foster is a Detective working in South London and the book opens with her and a colleague waiting for a team of divers to dredge a disused quarry. What they were looking for was linked to a drugs case, however what they didn’t bank on was the discovery of the body of a young child. Yep, I know it’s certainly not the nicest of stories to read about but with the setting so atmospheric the tension jumps up a few stages in the very first couple of chapters.

Erika quickly establishes herself as being the one who wants this case, but to do that she has to put a few noses out of joint which is not a problem in her world. Erika is an interesting character especially since she lost her husband on the job previously. What it means is that she takes everything extra personally, and you can tell she is constantly battling with herself to always do her best and to not make mistakes. When she finally gets her wish of running the case she has to break the news to the family. Jessica Collins was only 7 when she went missing and Erika is determined to find out what really happened.

The story has multiple layers pretty early on and we see the old case officer Amanda Baker being brought into the story. However Amanda Baker has her own issues and it makes for interesting reading. In addition numerous characters are brought in as potential suspects and the story just keeps building in suspense. The best part was that Erika gets to choose officers to work with and she calls back 2 old colleagues, Moss and Peterson, both of whom I think deserve a place in this series. I read this in 2 sittings and absolutely loved it from the first page to the last. I certainly didn’t see where the ending was going and by the time I got there I was genuinely surprised. As always comes the crashing disappointment of having to wait for the next book but I’m confident it will be worth the wait. If you haven’t read this author, I suggest you give him a try, I doubt you will be disappointed!

The Night Stalker by Robert Bryndza (Erika Foster #2)

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Synopsis: In the dead of a swelteringly hot summer’s night, Detective Erika Foster is called to a murder scene. The victim, a doctor, is found suffocated in bed. His wrists are bound and his eyes bulging through a clear plastic bag tied tight over his head.

A few days later, another victim is found dead, in exactly the same circumstances. As Erika and her team start digging deeper, they discover a calculated serial killer – stalking their victims before choosing the right moment to strike.

The victims are all single men, with very private lives. Why are their pasts shrouded in secrecy? And what links them to the killer?

As a heat wave descends upon London, Erika will do everything to stop the Night Stalker before the body count rises, even if it means risking her job. But the victims might not be the only ones being watched… Erika’s own life could be on the line.

KAT’S RATING: 4/5

KAT’S REVIEW: The Night Stalker is the second novel in this series featuring Detective Erika Foster. Now stupidly I didn’t get around to reading the first one but it wasn’t a problem and it took me less than 2 chapters to be completely involved in the story. Erika is an easy character to like and although pretty headstrong and independent, it’s certainly not overdone. I also really liked the fact that the story is weaved with a little history of Erika’s personal life as well as her family. It certainly didn’t deter me that I hadn’t read the first book but am kicking myself now as this second book is fabulous.

The story itself is centred around the murders of single men with very closed personal and private lives. The story is well paced from the outset and the writing was wonderfully easy to fall in with. There was no effort required as you felt immersed from very early on. I really liked all of Erika’s colleagues and I always think secondary characters are sometimes just as important. There is certainly plenty of suspense and Bryndza has done a terrific job of creating a very well paced, well plotted and absorbing read.

I can see that many people reading this series will quickly become fans (myself included). I am so annoyed at myself for not making the time to read the first book, but I am going to rectify that by reading it next. This is certainly a fabulous read and I am really looking forward to getting book one read, and then getting ready for book 3. This is certainly an author I will be continuing to follow and would certainly recommend you give this a try as I don’t think you will be disappointed.