A new series and place with a new heroine, once again, a flawed heroine. To find out what made her like this, simply carry on reading. The killer is now behind bars, so who is replicating the murders and why? Anyone who likes particularly nasty murders with plenty of blood and gore will love this book as there’s no shortage of either. Let’s talk about Kate’s son, who apparently enjoys making sandcastles and paddling in rock pools, but he is 14 years old!! Plus it’s a bit far fetched to think, despite being injured herself, she is able to pick him up and run, as if he were a toddler, not a teenager. In spite of this I still enjoyed the story and look forward to the next episode.

I thank NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for providing me an ARC copy of this novel, which I freely chose to review. This has in no way influenced my review.

I’ll try to be brief and provide information that might help others decide if this is a book they’d like to read. On the whole, I had far too many issues with the book to enjoy it as others have, but I am a regular reader of thrillers and have fist-hand knowledge of many of the issues central to the plot (I have worked as a forensic psychiatrist in the UK, where the story is set, and I have experience of working in a high secure hospital, so I’m more familiar with their security procedures than most readers will be), so I understand that my reading experience is likely to be very different to that of others. (And I won’t mention what my issues were not to derail others’ reading experience).

I had never read any of this author’s books before, and it is evident that he is well attuned to what people expect. He keeps the rhythm of the narration fast; this books starts with quite a bang, and there are only brief moments when the reader can have a bit of a break from the tension and the flow of the story. The plot covers many favourite points of the genre. We have not one but two horrific serial killers (even if the second one is a copycat, he is quite twisted in his own right); their murders are discussed in detail (although I’ve read books where the violence is more extreme, this is not for the fainthearted); we get the story told from a variety of points of view (although for the most part each chapter follows only one point of view), including victims and killers; we do not get all the information about the motivations until the end; there are characters to root for as well, and a complex investigation where the police get the assistance of outsiders (although in this case, Kate Marshall used to be a police detective, so she’s not quite the true amateur of other stories).

I did like Kate Marshall and her assistant, Tristan. It’s true that we do not learn a lot about him, but this is the first book in a new series, so there’s plenty of time for that. Kate seems to combine the characteristics of the main characters in many thrillers, as she is both a victim who survived a terrible attack and has suffered trauma due to that, and she is also a disenchanted and retired member of the police force, who due to her experiences and her way of coping with them lost her career, her way, and her family and is now asked to take a look at a case related to her past. I thought that the peculiarities of her circumstances, her relationship with her son, and her attempts at forging a new life for herself make her an interesting character in her own right, even if some of her actions and decisions are not always consistent.

As I have already said, I found that the story stretched my suspension of disbelief too far, and as I am a bit of a stickler for details and love a well-constructed police procedural, it did not work for me. I am aware that I only had access to an ARC copy, and it might well be that some of the minor issues I detected are not present in the final version. If you are a reader who enjoys novels and TV series about serial killers, who prefers fast action, an easy read, don’t mind a good deal of explicit violence and some less than savoury characters and family relationships, focus more on the overall plot than on the details, and are looking for a satisfying ending, you’re likely to enjoy this novel. Do check a sample of it and see what you think.

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.

My take: This is my second read through of the book. I really like this series mainly in part due to Detective Erika Foster. She doesn't take crap from anyone. With that said, 

I think this book was my least favorite of the 5. I didn’t connect with the killer storyline as much as I did in previous books. I wanted to read this one again though to focus on the underlying story containing all of the recurring characters since there is another book coming out or already out. I want Det Foster to find some happiness bad! I do definitely intend to keep up with this series. It's just hard to keep characters straight when you read so many different series! 

Using this one for:

In the first of a series Robert Bryndza takes the reader on a true game of cat and mouse:

The body of a young beautiful and rich socialite is found beneath the ice in South London. Detective Erika Foster is called back from leave to lead the case. The victim appears to have lived the perfect life and had nonenemies or obstacles that would have lead her to this death. Erika soon find a connection to other murders of prostitutes that were found with similar injuries and cause of death. But as Erika gets closer to discovering the killer the killer is stalking Erika and closing in on her with each minute. Who is going to survive in this deadly game?

This was a good read but not great one. I found that I was not sitting on the edge of my seat while I was reading it and I found a few aspects within the book predictable and nothing new for this genre if that makes sense. I'm all for crazy family dynamics and the secrets the rich try to keep from everyone else as well as the power/influence they have and this book shows all these aspects again and again (but this also not something new in this genre)

Erika is a great main character and the main reason I kept reading this book even when I was not enthralled with it. I particularly liked that she never gave up on the case even when she is forced to. She is a strong woman despite the trauma in her recent past, she does seem to still know her weaknesses, but one flaw she does seem to have is she is not aleays a team player however there are reason for this. I say all this but I feel like this was the second book in a series or we missed out on some vital parts about what makes Erika, Erika. I know we get her backstory of what she went through but that did not really seem like enough. I wish that this was the second book in the series and there was a first book that created and expanded on the backstory that was presented here.

Was not able to figure everything out in relation to the plot and murders as Bryndza did a good job in leaving red herrings along the way so i did flip flop over who was responsible. I always fun when you as the reader have to decide along with the main detective which are the truths and which are the lie associated with Andrea's death.

I do not comment on the covers of book often but this one is simply awesome, totally captured my attention and made me want to pick up this book and read it. I do question this touting itself as a serial killer novel as the focus is mainly on Andrea's murder and the connection to historical deaths so if ou are expecting crime scene after crime scene then that is not going to happen here. However, there is a cat and mouse game that is entered into and that aspect was interesting.

Although I only thoight this book was okay I do look forward to reading further in this series. I think Bryndza shows great potential as a storyteller and I really liked Erika as a main character.

Enjoy!!!

This is the 6th book to feature Erika. This time a murder and several assaults. On the face of it that’s all it is until she starts digging deeper and finds some rather unpalatable secrets. Erika is her usual feisty self and won’t rest until she’s found the culprit. It would be really nice if she could experience a bit of happiness! As usual, a fast paced, gripping story to keep readers on their toes, racing through the pages to the conclusion - phew the rollercoaster has stopped......for now!