Review: Deadly Secrets by Robert Bryndza @bookouture

On a cold icy morning, a mother wakes to find her daughter’s blood-soaked body frozen to the road. Who would carry out such a horrific 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…

Review

I was super excited to receive an ARC of this book. DCI Erika Foster is my favorite series and each new book brings something that keeps me eagerly waiting for the next release.

Deadly Secrets is set around Christmas. As other families are getting together for the festivities, a young woman is breathing her last on her doorstep. Meredith is brutally murdered by a killer in a gas mask. This opens the investigations into one of the most twisted murder mysteries. Fear escalates in London as more reports are received about the person in the gas mask.

This story was a bit different from the usual DCI Foster crime thrillers.Erika’s role in the case was a bit different for one. Secondly, the nature of the case was more complex and quite different from previous books especially in terms of themes. This doesn’t mean that I didn’t like the story though. I enjoyed it! I especially liked the fact that I couldn’t guess the villain’s identity until the reveal . I was right in one of my predictions but as usual, Bryndza had me changing my mind a couple of times.

Another thing that surprised me with this book is how emotional it made me feel. I didn’t cry but my tears were definitely close. There were gut wrenching scenes especially involving Erika. With each book, I have developed a connection with the MC. She is a character that I really like and naturally root for. I guess it makes sense that her low moments affected me. Overall, the character development keeps getting better with each new book. I also like the fact that the author decided to give Moss a more prominent role in this story. She is one of my favorite characters and getting to know her better was a treat.

Deadly Secrets has everything that makes a crime thriller great. It is fast-paced with a good, complex murder mystery and a twisted villain. Like the other books in the series, it can be read as a standalone. However, I highly recommend reading this series in order.  The character development is just as important as each new case.

Definitely recommended!

Cover Reveal: Deadly Secrets (Detective Erika Foster Book 6) by Robert Bryndza @RobertBryndza @Bookouture

I am very excited to be taking part in the cover reveal for my favorite series. It is no secret that I absolutely love the Detective Erika Foster series by Robert Bryndza. I can’t think of another series that I have diligently read/followed like this one. Needless to say, I am over the moon about the next installment in the series.

Here is the blurb:

To commit the perfect murder, you need the perfect cover.
On a cold icy morning, a mother wakes to find her daughter’s blood-soaked body frozen to the road. Who would carry out such a horrific 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…

 

Sounds like a gripping read, right? I suspect that this will be one of Erika’s toughest cases. The Unsub sounds so creepy. I mean, a killer dressed in black and wearing a gas mask and that MO, yikes! And it sounds like the stakes are higher this time because Erika’s is personally involved with the case.

Well, let us now take a look at the cover.

Simply, stunning and chilling. I really can’t wait to get my hands on this book.

Deadly Secrets will be released on April 13, 2018 by Bookouture. You can pre-order your copy on Amazon. If you haven’t yet start reading this series, you should start now. I promise that you will love it and you won’t be able to resist DCI Erika Foster.

About the Author

Robert Bryndza is the author of the international #1 bestseller The Girl in the Ice, which is the first in his Detective Erika Foster series.

The Night Stalker, Dark Water and Last Breath are the second, third, and fourth books in the series, and the fifth book, Cold Blood has just been published.

Robert’s books have sold over 2 million copies and have been translated into 27 languages.

In addition to writing crime fiction, Robert has published a bestselling series of romantic comedy novels. He is British and lives in Slovakia.

You can find out more about the author at www.robertbryndza.com and on Twitter and Instagram @RobertBryndza.

 

Review: Cold Blood by Robert Bryndza @bookouture @RobertBryndza

She fell in love with a killer, now she’s one too.

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.

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.

Review

Happy Publication Day!

Cold Blood is the fifth book in the DCI Erika Foster series by Robert Bryndza. Previous titles are; The Girl in the Ice, The Night Stalker, Dark Water and Last Breath. You can click on the titles to read my reviews. Although this can be read as a standalone, I recommend that you read the entire series in order. This will help you get to know the characters  better especially the MC, DCI Erika.

The story begins with the discovery of two bodies in suitcases. The detectives have little to go on and so they start piecing together the evidence. Unlike most cases where killers escalate their crimes and body count goes up, this one is a bit different in that it sorts of goes backwards. It takes time for detectives to realize who they are dealing with.They  have to look into the killer’s past to understand the nature and extent of their crimes.

The story is told through different POVs. DCI Erika is the main narrator. However, there are chapters narrated by the killer. In these chapters, we get to learn how the crimes began and the motives. I really liked this second narration. It is darker, thrilling and gives insight into the making of a killer.

What I loved most about this book is that the focus is not solely on the investigation. There are other things going on. DCI Erika has changed so much through the series. I disliked her in the second book, Night Stalker and thought she was kinda mean. Now, I feel like I know her better and so I really enjoy reading about her. I wish certain parts of her life would have stayed the same as in the previous book but it is okay, the changes are good even though some broke my heart. Once you read the series, you will get to know what I mean. I like how we get to know more about the characters outside the investigation.

Bryndza has done it again with this book. It’s a crime thriller masterpiece that has everything that makes this genre so enjoyable. A murder mystery, serial killer, twists and lots of suspense and of course a lead detective that readers can root for, DCI Erika Foster. This was a gripping, thrilling, addictive read. I can’t wait to see what Robert Bryndza comes up with next. Honestly, I can’t recommend this series enough.