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.

 

Last Breath by Robert Bryndza

About the Book

He’s your perfect date. You’re his next victim. 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.

 

Review

Last Breath by Robert Bryndza is the fourth book in the DCI Erika Foster series. This is my favorite crime thriller series and I am just in awe of the author. Bryndza is brilliant and I am totally hooked to this series. His books seem to be getting better which each new release. Seriously, everyone should read this series!

The story revolves around a series of gruesome murders. Young, beautiful women are being found dead in dumpsters. The only connection between them is a guy that they met online. The killer is introduced in the first chapters. You may wonder how the story proceeds if the killer is known from the start. What Bryndza did so brilliantly is to give the two perspectives concurrently. The killer goes about the crime spree as the investigation proceeds before the two inevitably collide. I kept waiting for the villain to be caught and it was interesting to see how the detectives were able to solve the mystery as the dots connected.

As always, the characterization was on point. DCI Erika is back and I liked her much more than in the last book. She is still tough but we get to see her other side more in this book. The character development through the series is just amazing. It feels like I am getting to know Erika better. The more I know her, the more I like her. Moss, Isaac and Peter are also back. This group is just awesome. I like their friendship and love seeing them work together.

There is a lot that goes on in the story. Erika has a few issues to sort out at work and in her own life. At the same time, the body count goes up. The killer managed to keep the cops guessing with very few clues left behind. I kept waiting for the villain to mess up but it seemed like it wasn’t happening. This kept me up last night up to 2:00am. The killer had to mess up and I couldn’t sleep until I saw how it would all end. I also liked the online angle. Cyber crime seems to be gaining popularity as technology evolves and it was interesting to see the author explore the use of social media in this mystery.

Last Breath by Robert Bryndza is my favorite book in the series so far. I have a feeling that the next book will soon be my favorite one because as I said, the books just keep getting better. This book has everything from a memorable villain to an awesome investigation team and mysterious murders. It was an addictive read from the first to the last page. I can’t wait to see how the series progresses.

 

THE DCI ERIKA FOSTER SERIES

I feel like everyone who hasn’t read this series is missing out on great crime thrillers. Although the books can be read as standalones, I think it is better to read them in order so that you can understand the relationships and the detectives’ history. Take a look at the other gems in the series. Click on the titles to read my reviews of each.

The Girl in the Ice

Her eyes are wide open. Her lips parted as if to speak. Her dead body frozen in the ice…She is not the only one.  When a young boy discovers the body of a woman beneath a thick sheet of ice in a South London park, Detective Erika Foster is called in to lead the murder investigation.

The victim, a beautiful young socialite, appeared to have the perfect life. Yet when Erika begins to dig deeper, she starts to connect the dots between the murder and the killings of three prostitutes, all found strangled, hands bound and dumped in water around London.

What dark secrets is the girl in the ice hiding?
As Erika inches closer to uncovering the truth, the killer is closing in on Erika. The last investigation Erika led went badly wrong… resulting in the death of her husband. With her career hanging by a thread, Erika must now battle her own personal demons as well as a killer more deadly than any she’s faced before. But will she get to him before he strikes again?

 

The Night Stalker

If the Night Stalker is watching, you’re already dead…

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.

 

Dark Water

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.

Trust me, they are all wonderful reads so don’t even think about it. Just get all the books and as we like to say in Kenya, just do it and thank me later. Happy reading!

About the Author

Robert Bryndza is the author of the international #1 bestseller The Girl in the Ice. The Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller is the first book in the Detective Erika Foster series.

The Night Stalker, and Dark Water are the second and third books in the series, and you can now pre-order the fourth, Last Breath which will be published on April 12th 2017. Robert’s books have sold over 1.7 million copies and have been translated into 26 languages.

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

ARC Review: Dark Water (DCI Erika Foster #3) by Robert Bryndza

Blurb (from goodreads)

Beneath the water the body sank rapidly. She would lie still and undisturbed for many years but above her on dry land, the nightmare was just beginning.

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.

Is the suspect someone close to home? Someone is keeping secrets. Someone who doesn’t want this case solved. And they’ll do anything to stop Erika from finding the truth.

From the million-copy bestselling author of The Girl in the Ice and The Night Stalker, comes the third heart-stopping book in the Detective Erika Foster series.

Review

Dark Water is the third book in the DCI Erika Foster series by Robert Bryndza. The other two books are The Girl in the Ice and The Night Stalker. I really enjoyed both books so I was elated when I saw Bryndza’s newest book on NetGalley.

The story revolves around the investigation on the skeletal remains mentioned in the blurb. This is one of the toughest cases that Erika has investigated. The remains are of a child which makes the case more morose. The child has been missing for twenty-six year and for the first time, our favourite DCI is not sure if she can solve the case. Cold cases are usually complex but this one was just really tough.

At first, I was disappointed to learn that Erika was now at a new police post and so her team was not around anymore. There were a number of new characters. However, I don’t want to spoil this for anyone so read the book and find out how this works out.

I liked Erika as the MC in this case. Unlike the other two books, there is not too much drama involving hostility from other detectives. Erika was brilliant, feisty and this time round, she was more in touch with her emotions. She formed deeper connections with other characters. The only thing that I didn’t like is that she had some really bitchy moments. This could have been caused by the stress of the investigation but she was so serious and somewhat snappy at times.

Dark Water by Robert Bryndza is a fast-paced thriller with so many twists and red herrings that will reel you in and keep you at the edge of your seat up to the last page. The suspense was so good that I couldn’t put down the book until I got all answers. The story is also quite unpredictable. I thought I knew who the villains were but I was so wrong. The final twist caught me off guard. The characters are more twisted and the tension was high throughout the story. The whole narrative is like a jigsaw puzzle that comes together piece by piece.

If you like good psychological thrillers then this one is for you. Robert Bryndza has amazing books. I definitely recommend that you get all three books although Dark Water can still be read as a standalone. However, you will enjoy it even more if you read the whole series. Bryndza’s writing is brilliant and this series is the best that I have ever read in crime fiction. All the books are addictive and so compelling and they get better with each new one. Bryndza is now one of my favourite authors and I can’t wait for his next book.

 Fast-paced, thrilling and unputowdable, everything that makes a thriller great!

About the book

• Title: Dark Water
• Author: Robert Bryndza
• Series: The Girl in the Ice (book 1), The Night Stalker (book 2), Dark Water(Book 3)
• Publishers: Bookouture
• Publication Date: 20^th October 2016
• Source: NetGalley
• My Rating: 5 stars!

 About the Robert Bryndza(from goodreads)

 Robert Bryndza is the author of the international #1 bestseller The Girl in the Ice. The Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller is the first in the new Detective Erika Foster series.

The second book in the series, The Night Stalker, is a Wall Street Journal no.1 bestseller, and the third book, Dark Water, is available to pre-order and will be released October 20th 2016. Robert’s books have sold over a million copies and have been translated into 18 languages.

In addition to writing Crime Fiction, Robert has published a bestselling series of romantic comedy novels. He is British and lives in Slovakia with his Slovak husband Ján.

You can find out more about the author at www.robertbryndza.com and on Twitter @RobertBryndza. Sign up to Robert Bryndza‘s New Release Mailing List here: http://eepurl.com/UITxz

 

 

Book Review: The Night Stalker (DCI Erika Foster #2)by Robert Bryndza

Synopsis from goodreads

If the Night Stalker is watching, you’re already dead…

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.

 

Review (no spoilers)

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me a copy of this book.

I really enjoyed The Girl in the Ice which is the first book in the DCI Erika Foster series by Robert Bryndza. You can read my review here. Naturally, I was excited when I found out that a second book had been released.

Like the first book, The Night Stalker is well paced and the story moves along quite fast. I was pulled into the story right from the page and kept struggling to put it down. In the first chapter, the mystery had already been introduced and the first murder had occurred.

Unlike the narrative in The Girl in the Ice, we now get to know the identity of the killer a bit sooner. However, the mystery is still not lost. It is interesting to see how the detectives work together to catch the killer.

I also liked the fact that there was so much going on at the same time. We have the murders and a serial killer on the loose, a heat wave, another ongoing case involving child pornography, some chemistry between characters, a novelist with a weird fascination.  All these events help create some drama and move the story along.

I liked the character of DCI Erika Foster in this book more than I did in the first one. There is still a lot of drama surrounding her mainly due to her tendency to go rogue. However, she is still brilliant and likable especially in this book when we see her forming more relationships and connections with other characters. I love the fact that Erika has her complexities too. She has demons from her past due to the death of her husband and this keep haunting her. In the first book, her work situation bothered me but this time round, even the dramas played into building the complex character that makes Erika so endearing.

There were also a number of other likeable characters. In particular; I liked Peterson and Moss who were introduced to readers in the first book. Dr. Strong was also quite a memorable and endearing character. I am not kidding when I saw I liked most of the characters. I even liked one who was in comatose almost throughout the book. Robert Bryndza did a wonderful job with the character development. He also threw in a few other characters who made the book quite intriguing.

I liked the serial killer’s twist. I can’t say anything more about this without spoiling the book because one of the main twists of the story has to do with the killer. I’ll just say that it was nice to see something different from the norm.

Another thing that I enjoyed was the shifting perspectives. The book is mainly narrated from the perspective of DCI Erika. However, there are few chapters where the perspective shifts to different characters including the serial killer’s. This helped in the flow of the narration and in understanding of the characters’ actions.

I don’t want to say too much about the book because of spoilers but seriously, if you enjoy reading thrillers/mystery then you definitely need to read Robert Bryndza books. You can start with The Girl in the Ice just so that you can get familiar with the characters. However, you can still enjoy reading The Night Stalker as a standalone. Brilliant, enjoyable and thrilling page turner, I give this book 5 stars.

 

About the Book

Kindle Edition, 384 pages

Published June 2nd 2016 by Bookouture

Original Title: The Night Stalker

Series: DCI Erika Foster #2

 Plea to all my followers: I changed my  blog’s url yesterday.I just found out that my posts stopped appearing on my follower’s reader. If you can see this,please click on unfollow and then follow again to  to get my posts on your reader. Thanks. Diana, previously of Voices in my head