Well lookee here. It’s only publication day for Robert Byndza’s latest Erika Foster novel, Deadly Secrets. Happy publication day Mr B.I am assuming you are celebrating in style and if not, why not?
Now I have read and loved very single one of the Erika Foster books so far and as soon as I heard the new one was due, I was straight on to Amazon to place my preorder. But thanks to the lovely team at Bookouture, I was also lucky enough to get hold of an early review copy so if you will indulge me, and you are on my blog so I am assuming you intend to, I shall share my thoughts on the book with you all just as soon as we’ve taken a look at what it is all about.
About The Book
To commit the perfect murder, you need the perfect cover.
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…
From the global million-copy bestselling author comes a totally heart-racing, hold-your-breath read that will keep you hooked until the very last page.
From the very start of this book you are faced with a very creeping and growing sense of foreboding. There is so great an air of threat hanging around our first victim that it is less a sense of wondering if and more a case of wondering just how and where. Now both of those questions are answered pretty quickly and in quite a violent way. And if that opening doesn’t sit up and make you take note then nothing will.
The case centres around the brutal murder of a burlesque performer who is dispatched just as she arrives at what should be the sanctity of her own home. A hair’s breadth from salvation her demise is quick but horribly painful. As Erika finds herself drawn to the investigation as a way to avoid an awkward Christmas dinner rendezvous, the scene is set for one humdinger of a case and sees the reader brought back to the familiar territory and a team that, if you are like me, you have grown to love over the course of the series. Alongside the main murder case are some other unsolved crimes which are occurring that may or may not have bearing on Erika’s case, and all of it combines to put one of the team in grave danger. Oh such fun … It definitely had me smiling.
And I totally mean that. The beauty of these books is the feeling of being back in the familiar and yet it all seeming so fresh. This is a very unique case with no end of creepy suspects and characters who you will have half an eye on as being the perpetrator of the dastardly deed. You may have your suspicions but Robert Bryndza manipulates your understanding of what is happening in the book to a point where you will not know if up is truly up or whether it may well actually be down. Yup – very twisted. But oh did it satisfy and surprise from start to finish.
I love the way in which the author has developed the team over the past five books. Readers should be aware of Erika’s difficult past and there is a certain sense of movement in terms of her acceptance of the past in this book. She is drawn back to her old home of Manchester after her father in law falls ill and it has a profound impact upon her on a personal level, one which I will be intrigued to see how it informs her character in future stories. Her on again,off again relationship with Peterson also takes a bit of a turn but I am not sure yet if this is a good or bad thing. Whichever way you take it, you see more of Erika’s vulnerable side in this book and I really liked it. She is still kick ass and determined and bloody focused, but she is perhaps also more human than she has been in a long time.
Pacing in this book was just about perfect, with quieter moments successfully contrasted against times of great jeopardy and tense action. There are scenes which made me cringe, scenes which make you go eww and scenes which will have you on the edge of your seat. It really is a perfect mix. And to be honest, in this book in particular, I liked seeing Moss brought to the helm, taking over the investigation as Erika dealt with her personal issues. She is a great character and perhaps under utilized at times so seeing her front and centre made a nice change. She has proven herself to be as determined as Erika, and also as headstrong and impetuous, perhaps a little tenacious, which is almost to her extreme cost. She is absolutely fab though so more Moss please.
Deadly Secrets is a great addition to the series and with an antagonist who you can truly loathe, fans of Erika and the team will not be disappointed. My only complaint is that I’ve finished it already and I’ll have to wait ages for the next one. I can only say boo hiss to that.
Deadly Secrets is available now from the following retailers:
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, Last Breath and Cold Blood are the second, third, fourth and fifth books in the series. The sixth book, Deadly Secrets is now available to purchase.
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.
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