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Kate Marshall #1
Nine Elms
Kate Marshall era uma jovem e promissora detetive da polícia londrina quando apanhou o famoso assassino em série que operava na região de Nine Elms. Mas a sua maior vitória transformou-se de súbito num pesadelo devido a uma série de circunstâncias inesperadas. Traumatizada, traída e publicamente vilipendiada, Kate pouco pôde fazer enquanto via a sua carreira ser julgada na praça pública.
Mais de quinze anos passados desde esses acontecimentos, embora o seu tempo na polícia esteja ainda bem presente, vive agora uma vida tranquila numa cidade pacífica da costa inglesa. Um dia, porém, Kate recebe uma carta de alguém que faz parte do seu passado e é novamente lançada para a mente distorcida de um assassino que conhece demasiado bem, vendo-se envolvida nos meandros de um caso que só ela poderá resolver.
Com um talento invulgar para entrar na mente criminosa, Kate recorre às suas prodigiosas e há muito descuradas competências de investigadora para enfrentar um caso cujo sucesso promete redenção. Mas há demasiado em jogo: não é só Kate que quer apanhar o assassino… ele também a quer encontrar.
Mais de quinze anos passados desde esses acontecimentos, embora o seu tempo na polícia esteja ainda bem presente, vive agora uma vida tranquila numa cidade pacífica da costa inglesa. Um dia, porém, Kate recebe uma carta de alguém que faz parte do seu passado e é novamente lançada para a mente distorcida de um assassino que conhece demasiado bem, vendo-se envolvida nos meandros de um caso que só ela poderá resolver.
Com um talento invulgar para entrar na mente criminosa, Kate recorre às suas prodigiosas e há muito descuradas competências de investigadora para enfrentar um caso cujo sucesso promete redenção. Mas há demasiado em jogo: não é só Kate que quer apanhar o assassino… ele também a quer encontrar.
392 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2019
About the author
Robert Bryndza
27 books6,701 followersRobert Bryndza is an international bestselling author, best known for his page-turning crime and thriller novels, which have sold over five million copies.
His crime debut, The Girl in the Ice was released in February 2016, introducing Detective Chief Inspector Erika Foster. Within five months it sold one million copies, reaching number one in the Amazon UK, USA and Australian charts. To date, The Girl in the Ice has sold over 1.5 million copies in the English language and has been sold into translation in 29 countries. It was nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award for Mystery & Thriller (2016), the Grand prix des lectrices de Elle in France (2018), and it won two reader voted awards, The Thrillzone Awards best debut thriller in The Netherlands (2018) and The Dead Good Papercut Award for best page turner at the Harrogate Crime Festival (2016).
Robert has released a further six novels in the Erika Foster series, The Night Stalker, Dark Water, Last Breath, Cold Blood and Deadly Secrets, all of which have been global bestsellers, and in 2017 Last Breath was a Goodreads Choice Award nominee for Mystery and Thriller. Fatal Witness, is the seventh Erika Foster novel.
Most recently, Robert created a new crime thriller series based around the central character Kate Marshall, a police officer turned private detective. The first book, Nine Elms, was an Amazon USA #1 bestseller and an Amazon UK top five bestseller, and the series has been sold into translation in 18 countries. The second book in the series is the global bestselling, Shadow Sands, the third book is, Darkness Falls and the fourth, Devil’s Way has just been published.
Robert was born in Lowestoft, on the east coast of England. He studied at Aberystwyth University, and the Guildford School of Acting, and was an actor for several years, but didn’t find success until he took a play he’d written to the Edinburgh Festival. This led to the decision to change career and start writing. He self-published a bestselling series of romantic comedy novels, before switching to writing crime. Robert lives with his husband in Slovakia, and is lucky enough to write full-time.
You can find out more about Robert and his books at www.robertbryndza.com
His crime debut, The Girl in the Ice was released in February 2016, introducing Detective Chief Inspector Erika Foster. Within five months it sold one million copies, reaching number one in the Amazon UK, USA and Australian charts. To date, The Girl in the Ice has sold over 1.5 million copies in the English language and has been sold into translation in 29 countries. It was nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award for Mystery & Thriller (2016), the Grand prix des lectrices de Elle in France (2018), and it won two reader voted awards, The Thrillzone Awards best debut thriller in The Netherlands (2018) and The Dead Good Papercut Award for best page turner at the Harrogate Crime Festival (2016).
Robert has released a further six novels in the Erika Foster series, The Night Stalker, Dark Water, Last Breath, Cold Blood and Deadly Secrets, all of which have been global bestsellers, and in 2017 Last Breath was a Goodreads Choice Award nominee for Mystery and Thriller. Fatal Witness, is the seventh Erika Foster novel.
Most recently, Robert created a new crime thriller series based around the central character Kate Marshall, a police officer turned private detective. The first book, Nine Elms, was an Amazon USA #1 bestseller and an Amazon UK top five bestseller, and the series has been sold into translation in 18 countries. The second book in the series is the global bestselling, Shadow Sands, the third book is, Darkness Falls and the fourth, Devil’s Way has just been published.
Robert was born in Lowestoft, on the east coast of England. He studied at Aberystwyth University, and the Guildford School of Acting, and was an actor for several years, but didn’t find success until he took a play he’d written to the Edinburgh Festival. This led to the decision to change career and start writing. He self-published a bestselling series of romantic comedy novels, before switching to writing crime. Robert lives with his husband in Slovakia, and is lucky enough to write full-time.
You can find out more about Robert and his books at www.robertbryndza.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,354 reviews
December 2, 2019
After his brilliant best selling Detective Erika Foster series, Robert Bryndza has embarked on a new series featuring Kate Marshall. In 1995, Kate was a young DC who caught the Nine Elms Killer, Peter Conway, in traumatic circumstances when he tried to make her his fifth victim. However, instead of being lauded for her efforts, she left the police in disgrace, her reputation in tatters with the intense media focus, she had made an error of judgement by sleeping with Conway, and ending up pregnant with his son. 15 years later, Kate is now a popular criminology lecturer with a bright and gifted research assistant, Tristan Harper, at Ashdean University on the south coast. She still carries the physical and emotional scars of the past, whilst trying to remain sober, attending AA meetings so that she can be the best mother possible. Her 14 year old son, Jake, has been brought up by her parents, with Kate being unable to cope in the past. She is now in a better place, having got over Jake being Peter's son, and built a stronger relationship with him.
However, the past rears its ugly head when Kate is contacted by the distraught Malcolm and Sheila Murray, whose young daughter, Caitlyn, disappeared years ago in Manchester. They are convinced she was another victim of Conway, but the police have given up on investigating, and they want Kate to find out what happened. Kate feels their pain and agrees to look into Caitlyn's disappearance with the help of Tristan. Additionally, there is a disturbed, obsessed and deranged super fan of Conway, replicating the brutally gruesome original murders of young girls. With enormous resources at hand, the present day serial killer will do anything for Conway and it is no coincidence that he is operating in the area around where Kate now lives, she is once again to find herself in deadly danger. In a narrative where Kate gets to dust off her old investigative skills, she tentatively begins to operate and establish herself as a private investigator with Tristan as her assistant.
It took me a little while to become fully immersed in this novel, part of the reason for this is that Bryndza was doing the groundwork in establishing the series with its new emotionally and psychologically damaged Kate, the mother of a son with a serial killer for a father. However, once I got hooked, I just raced through the tense and dark storyline, packed with suspense. Kate is a great protagonist, her character is skilfully developed by the author, and whilst we learn little of Tristan, something I am sure will be rectified later, what I did get to know, I really liked. The young teenage Jake is undoubtedly going to want to know more about his father, perhaps even want to develop a closer relationship with Peter in the future. This turned out to be a wonderful direction for Bryndza to take, this new series is thrilling and exciting, which has me looking forward the sequel. Many thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC.
However, the past rears its ugly head when Kate is contacted by the distraught Malcolm and Sheila Murray, whose young daughter, Caitlyn, disappeared years ago in Manchester. They are convinced she was another victim of Conway, but the police have given up on investigating, and they want Kate to find out what happened. Kate feels their pain and agrees to look into Caitlyn's disappearance with the help of Tristan. Additionally, there is a disturbed, obsessed and deranged super fan of Conway, replicating the brutally gruesome original murders of young girls. With enormous resources at hand, the present day serial killer will do anything for Conway and it is no coincidence that he is operating in the area around where Kate now lives, she is once again to find herself in deadly danger. In a narrative where Kate gets to dust off her old investigative skills, she tentatively begins to operate and establish herself as a private investigator with Tristan as her assistant.
It took me a little while to become fully immersed in this novel, part of the reason for this is that Bryndza was doing the groundwork in establishing the series with its new emotionally and psychologically damaged Kate, the mother of a son with a serial killer for a father. However, once I got hooked, I just raced through the tense and dark storyline, packed with suspense. Kate is a great protagonist, her character is skilfully developed by the author, and whilst we learn little of Tristan, something I am sure will be rectified later, what I did get to know, I really liked. The young teenage Jake is undoubtedly going to want to know more about his father, perhaps even want to develop a closer relationship with Peter in the future. This turned out to be a wonderful direction for Bryndza to take, this new series is thrilling and exciting, which has me looking forward the sequel. Many thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC.
November 6, 2019
Solid Start to a New Series
Nine Elms is a new police procedural about a former detective haunted by the events of her past.
15 years after catching the Nine Elms serial killer, Kate Marshall finds herself barely staying afloat. Dismissed from the police force due to her behavior, she is now a university lecturer. When she receives a request from the parents of a missing girl to investigate their daughter’s disappearance, Kate finds herself being pulled back into the dark world of the Nine Elms killer. At the same time, a copy cat has emerged and they intend to make Kate their final victim.
This book works to set up the series and Kate’s future career. Some elements worked and some did not. I liked Kate’s character, but parts of her story line needed fleshing out. Her character has issues with alcohol and this element made me groan--there have been too many female detectives of late who are addicts and I am over this character flaw/story line. A lot of attention is given to Kate's alcoholism and it became repetitive and redundant. I am hoping in the next book, Kate’s character develops more. She is intelligent and interesting and it will be interesting to see how her character develops in future books.
Another issue I had was with Kate’s partner, Tristan, a 21-year-old assistant. He plays a huge role but very little detail is shared about him It would have been helpful to have his POV, as his story line is told to the reader vs. letting the reader get to see and learn about his character. Again, his character has a lot of potential but needs to be developed.
Parts of the plot are slow and repetitive. However, the story line is interesting and there are some fascinating characters--especially the killer and his sick mother. Parts of this book are quite gruesome and disturbing, and I had to skip a few paragraphs here and there to help get through these moments.
All and all, while I didn’t love this book, I found it interesting and will read the next one in the series.
Nine Elms is a new police procedural about a former detective haunted by the events of her past.
15 years after catching the Nine Elms serial killer, Kate Marshall finds herself barely staying afloat. Dismissed from the police force due to her behavior, she is now a university lecturer. When she receives a request from the parents of a missing girl to investigate their daughter’s disappearance, Kate finds herself being pulled back into the dark world of the Nine Elms killer. At the same time, a copy cat has emerged and they intend to make Kate their final victim.
This book works to set up the series and Kate’s future career. Some elements worked and some did not. I liked Kate’s character, but parts of her story line needed fleshing out. Her character has issues with alcohol and this element made me groan--there have been too many female detectives of late who are addicts and I am over this character flaw/story line. A lot of attention is given to Kate's alcoholism and it became repetitive and redundant. I am hoping in the next book, Kate’s character develops more. She is intelligent and interesting and it will be interesting to see how her character develops in future books.
Another issue I had was with Kate’s partner, Tristan, a 21-year-old assistant. He plays a huge role but very little detail is shared about him It would have been helpful to have his POV, as his story line is told to the reader vs. letting the reader get to see and learn about his character. Again, his character has a lot of potential but needs to be developed.
Parts of the plot are slow and repetitive. However, the story line is interesting and there are some fascinating characters--especially the killer and his sick mother. Parts of this book are quite gruesome and disturbing, and I had to skip a few paragraphs here and there to help get through these moments.
All and all, while I didn’t love this book, I found it interesting and will read the next one in the series.
December 25, 2019
3.5 stars
A disgraced female detective fights for redemption and to catch a killer while keeping herself and her son safe.
Kate Marshall was an up and coming detective when she caught the Nine Elms Killer - a cannibal murderer who happened to be someone closer to her than she could have ever imagined. Soon after his arrest, she was vilified and her once-promising career ended in scandal. Now a university professor, she has moved on with her life. Then one day she receives a letter in the mail asking her to investigate a missing person’s case. A cold case where a young woman has gone missing and her parents have never received answers.
Moreover, there is a copycat killer out there. Recreating the murders as an homage to his idol - the Nine Elms Killer. With her research assistant, Tristan Harper, in tow, Kate utilizes the skills she learned as a detective to hunt a killer who has every intention of hunting her.
This was a solid start to a new series. There is room for character development, and I hope to see that continue as the series progresses. I enjoyed the working relationship between Kate and Tristan and hope it continues. We learn more about Kate in this book while given some information on Tristan and his past (but not much). I hope more will be divulged about him in the future. The characters in this book were interesting and he came up with some naughty bad boys. Kate has her own struggles in this book, and I hope that in future books these struggles become less and we see her shine as a private investigator. Although we don't know too much about Tristan yet, he did get the opportunity to show off his investigator chops in this one as well.
He's off to a solid start to this series and I see it getting better over time as his characters become even more fleshed out and we learn more about them.
Thank you to Thomas and Mercer and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
A disgraced female detective fights for redemption and to catch a killer while keeping herself and her son safe.
Kate Marshall was an up and coming detective when she caught the Nine Elms Killer - a cannibal murderer who happened to be someone closer to her than she could have ever imagined. Soon after his arrest, she was vilified and her once-promising career ended in scandal. Now a university professor, she has moved on with her life. Then one day she receives a letter in the mail asking her to investigate a missing person’s case. A cold case where a young woman has gone missing and her parents have never received answers.
Moreover, there is a copycat killer out there. Recreating the murders as an homage to his idol - the Nine Elms Killer. With her research assistant, Tristan Harper, in tow, Kate utilizes the skills she learned as a detective to hunt a killer who has every intention of hunting her.
This was a solid start to a new series. There is room for character development, and I hope to see that continue as the series progresses. I enjoyed the working relationship between Kate and Tristan and hope it continues. We learn more about Kate in this book while given some information on Tristan and his past (but not much). I hope more will be divulged about him in the future. The characters in this book were interesting and he came up with some naughty bad boys. Kate has her own struggles in this book, and I hope that in future books these struggles become less and we see her shine as a private investigator. Although we don't know too much about Tristan yet, he did get the opportunity to show off his investigator chops in this one as well.
He's off to a solid start to this series and I see it getting better over time as his characters become even more fleshed out and we learn more about them.
Thank you to Thomas and Mercer and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
December 14, 2022
EXCERPT: It was hot inside the glowing tent, where the lights were almost painfully bright. Forensic pathologist Leodora Graves a small dark-skinned woman with penetrating green eyes, worked with two assistants. A naked young girl lay face down in a muddy depression in the grass. Her head was covered by a clear plastic bag, tied tightly around her neck. Her pale skin was streaked with dirt and blood and numerous cuts and scratches. The backs of her thighs and buttocks had several deep bite marks.
ABOUT 'NINE ELMS' (KATE MARSHALL #1): Kate Marshall was a promising young police detective when she caught the notorious Nine Elms serial killer. But her greatest victory suddenly turned into a nightmare. Traumatized, betrayed, and publicly vilified for the shocking circumstances surrounding the cannibal murder case, Kate could only watch as her career ended in scandal.
Fifteen years after those catastrophic events, Kate is still haunted by the unquiet ghosts of her troubled past. Now a lecturer at a small coastal English university, she finally has a chance to face them. A copycat killer has taken up the Nine Elms mantle, continuing the ghastly work of his idol.
Enlisting her brilliant research assistant, Tristan Harper, Kate draws on her prodigious and long-neglected skills as an investigator to catch a new monster. Success promises redemption, but there’s much more on the line: Kate was the original killer’s intended fifth victim…and his successor means to finish the job.
MY THOUGHTS: I was excited to read this first book in a new series from Robert Bryndza, and it doesn't disappoint.
The story of Kate, ex-police and now a lecturer in criminology works well precisely because she is ex-police and, despite the dark intervening years, she has retained important skills and the knowledge of how the system works.
Bryndza spends some time laying out Kate's backstory, and what a story it is! We don't learn as much about her assistant lecturer and partner in crime, Tristan, but I assume that will be remedied in future books. It's enough to say that he is bright and dedicated.
Nine Elms is a tense, suspenseful and dark thriller that left me breathless in many places. I read the final chapters with a pounding heart and clenched fists, my breathing again on hold. This has the makings of a great series, one I am looking forward to reading.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.1
#NineElms #NetGalley
I: @robertbryndza @amazonpublishing
T: @RobertBryndza @AmazonPub
#contemporaryfiction #crime #familydrama #murdermystery #mystery #privateinvestigator #serialkillerthriller #suspense #thriller
THE AUTHOR: Robert Bryndza was born in the UK and lived in America and Canada before settling in Slovakia with his Slovak husband Ján.
When he's not writing Rob is learning Slovak, trying to train two crazy dogs, or watching Grand Designs all in the hope that he'll be able to understand his mother-in-law, build his dream house, and get the dogs to listen.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Thomas &Mercer via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Nine Elms by Robert Bryndza for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon,Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
https://www.instagram.com/p/CmIi-7Krl...
ABOUT 'NINE ELMS' (KATE MARSHALL #1): Kate Marshall was a promising young police detective when she caught the notorious Nine Elms serial killer. But her greatest victory suddenly turned into a nightmare. Traumatized, betrayed, and publicly vilified for the shocking circumstances surrounding the cannibal murder case, Kate could only watch as her career ended in scandal.
Fifteen years after those catastrophic events, Kate is still haunted by the unquiet ghosts of her troubled past. Now a lecturer at a small coastal English university, she finally has a chance to face them. A copycat killer has taken up the Nine Elms mantle, continuing the ghastly work of his idol.
Enlisting her brilliant research assistant, Tristan Harper, Kate draws on her prodigious and long-neglected skills as an investigator to catch a new monster. Success promises redemption, but there’s much more on the line: Kate was the original killer’s intended fifth victim…and his successor means to finish the job.
MY THOUGHTS: I was excited to read this first book in a new series from Robert Bryndza, and it doesn't disappoint.
The story of Kate, ex-police and now a lecturer in criminology works well precisely because she is ex-police and, despite the dark intervening years, she has retained important skills and the knowledge of how the system works.
Bryndza spends some time laying out Kate's backstory, and what a story it is! We don't learn as much about her assistant lecturer and partner in crime, Tristan, but I assume that will be remedied in future books. It's enough to say that he is bright and dedicated.
Nine Elms is a tense, suspenseful and dark thriller that left me breathless in many places. I read the final chapters with a pounding heart and clenched fists, my breathing again on hold. This has the makings of a great series, one I am looking forward to reading.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.1
#NineElms #NetGalley
I: @robertbryndza @amazonpublishing
T: @RobertBryndza @AmazonPub
#contemporaryfiction #crime #familydrama #murdermystery #mystery #privateinvestigator #serialkillerthriller #suspense #thriller
THE AUTHOR: Robert Bryndza was born in the UK and lived in America and Canada before settling in Slovakia with his Slovak husband Ján.
When he's not writing Rob is learning Slovak, trying to train two crazy dogs, or watching Grand Designs all in the hope that he'll be able to understand his mother-in-law, build his dream house, and get the dogs to listen.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Thomas &Mercer via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Nine Elms by Robert Bryndza for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon,Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
https://www.instagram.com/p/CmIi-7Krl...
December 26, 2019
I was a huge fan of Bryndza’s Erika Foster series. So I was really curious to see how his new series would hold up. No worries. Kate Marshall is another strong female lead. In her mid-twenties, she was a young detective. She almost became the fifth victim of the Nine Elms Cannibal, who just happened to be her boss, Peter Conway. Instead, she defeated him. But in the process, she lost her job. Now, she’s a lecturer at a small coastal University. She’s still haunted by what happened, and there were multiple repercussions, but she’s coping. Then a copycat killer starts up.
We hear from Kate’s Peter’s and the copycat’s perspectives. Peter is locked up in a mental hospital for the dangerous. His mother figures into the plot. This is the second book I’ve recently read where a serial killer and his mother have a warped relationship and I’m wondering if it’s a new trend. Kate works well as an engaging, dynamic main character. Bryndza spends the necessary time to let us get to know her. She’s a recovering alcoholic. She lost custody of her son while she was drinking, but she’s still very much a part of his life. She misses being a detective and still uses all the tricks of the trade she learned during her time as a DS.
The book moves at a nice strong pace and kept me engaged. There are lots of moving parts, between what the copycat is up to, Kate’s investigations and Peter’s attempts to get free. The ending is just perfect, very apropos.
It’ll be interesting to see where Bryndza takes the series from here. I, for one, will definitely be reading the next in the series.
November 30, 2019
Returning with a new series to captivate fans, Robert Bryndza delivers a knockout punch with Kate Marshall crime thriller. Back in 1995, DI Kate Marshall was hot on the heels of the Nine Elms Cannibal, a serial killer with a taste for flesh. While working the case, Kate almost becomes a victim herself, but is able to capture the killer, none other than her boss, DCI Peter Conway. Flash forward fifteen years, Kate has left the Met and is now teaching Criminology, able to lecture about the horrors she and the various female victims suffered. When she is contacted by a family seeking answers about their missing daughter from 1990, Kate is intrigued, wondering if this might have been one of Conway’s early victims. As she prepares to head out to meet the grieving family, Kate is contacted about a possible resurgence of the Nine Elms killer, though Conway is safely tucked away in a psychiatric ward. While trying to trace some of the last known whereabouts of the long-missing woman, Kate discovers that some of the new crimes mirror those from 1995. Meanwhile, Peter Conway might be locked away, but he is receiving messages from ‘a fan’ who admired his work and is ready to help him escape. Conniving but also highly calculating, this fan will stop at nothing to ensure Conway’s path is kept clear, placing Kate and the one she holds dear in the crosshairs. Kate’s already cracked open the case once, but now she will have to rely on her intuition and help from some skeptical coppers to bring down another killer, while keeping Peter Conway locked away forever. Bryndza does a formidable job of keeping the reader on their toes and wanting to know more. Recommended for those who have loved Bryndza’s Erika Foster series but need a new angle, as well as the reader who enjoys police procedurals with cunning antagonists.
Having throughly enjoyed all of Robert Bryndza’s past work, I could only hope that this new literary pathway would work well and not be a one-first flop. I was pulled into the story from the opening pages and wanted to learn more about Kate Marshall as soon as I could. Marshall has an interesting backstory, not the least of which that she was romantically involved with the man who was her boss and ended up being a serial killer. From there, the revelations and shock of the entire situation pushed her into academia—as well as into numerous drunken stupors—though she kept her passion for police work. Now, with life changes that have chilling aftereffects, Kate is pulled back into the investigation she swore she’d seen to its end, and cannot stop herself from wanting to help. With more to lose than her own life, Kate risks it all as the reader sees her take major risks and gambles everything. Others help keep the story riveting, including Peter Conway, who appears to be the innocent bystander in his psychiatric ward, until someone pulls him into the middle of a serial murder spree again. The balance between Kate and Conway is again apparent, as they flashback to 1995 and a connection that yielded more than they both could have expected. The entire cast work well together to tell a story the reader will want to hear and the intensity never lets up. With a strong story and chapters that coax the reader to push forward, Bryndza proves why he is the top of his genre and readers who are just coming to hear his name will rush to read more in short order. A great launch to a new series, though one can hope there is more Erika Foster to come, even if in a crossover effort.
Kudos, Mr. Bryndza, for keeping me up late trying to crack the case wide open alongside Kate Marshall. I cannot wait to see what else you have in store for fans.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
Having throughly enjoyed all of Robert Bryndza’s past work, I could only hope that this new literary pathway would work well and not be a one-first flop. I was pulled into the story from the opening pages and wanted to learn more about Kate Marshall as soon as I could. Marshall has an interesting backstory, not the least of which that she was romantically involved with the man who was her boss and ended up being a serial killer. From there, the revelations and shock of the entire situation pushed her into academia—as well as into numerous drunken stupors—though she kept her passion for police work. Now, with life changes that have chilling aftereffects, Kate is pulled back into the investigation she swore she’d seen to its end, and cannot stop herself from wanting to help. With more to lose than her own life, Kate risks it all as the reader sees her take major risks and gambles everything. Others help keep the story riveting, including Peter Conway, who appears to be the innocent bystander in his psychiatric ward, until someone pulls him into the middle of a serial murder spree again. The balance between Kate and Conway is again apparent, as they flashback to 1995 and a connection that yielded more than they both could have expected. The entire cast work well together to tell a story the reader will want to hear and the intensity never lets up. With a strong story and chapters that coax the reader to push forward, Bryndza proves why he is the top of his genre and readers who are just coming to hear his name will rush to read more in short order. A great launch to a new series, though one can hope there is more Erika Foster to come, even if in a crossover effort.
Kudos, Mr. Bryndza, for keeping me up late trying to crack the case wide open alongside Kate Marshall. I cannot wait to see what else you have in store for fans.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
February 24, 2021
Congratulations to Mr Bryndza, another great book and hopefully fantastic series.
He has created more wonderful characters in Kate Marshall, Tristram and Jake. Those are just the good guys. Even the "baddies", were well created and developed throughout the story. The story moves along at a good pace, fairly easy to follow, despite zooming all over country.
I look forward to reading more in this series. Originally gave 4.5 stars, rounded down 4, but having slept on it. Now giving 5 Stars, not going to nit pick over a couple of errors.
He has created more wonderful characters in Kate Marshall, Tristram and Jake. Those are just the good guys. Even the "baddies", were well created and developed throughout the story. The story moves along at a good pace, fairly easy to follow, despite zooming all over country.
I look forward to reading more in this series. Originally gave 4.5 stars, rounded down 4, but having slept on it. Now giving 5 Stars, not going to nit pick over a couple of errors.
January 11, 2020
Wow Robert Bryndza has done it again! i am a massive fan of his Erika Foster series and it was a no brainer that I would read the first in his new series featuring Kate Marshall. And as expected, Nine Elms is addictive and brilliant. I loved Kate from early on in this book and I can't wait for more from her.
Kate Marshall is a police detective in London. She is young and passionate and working on finding the Nine Elms Killer before he strikes again. But she is attacked by him when he tries to make her his 5th victim. Only he fails and is caught, while Kate's life changes forever. 16 years later and she has moved to the coast for a quiet life. She is now a lecturer at a university but she has never really recovered from her attack. She is is recovering alcoholic and her teenage son lives with his grandparents. When an ex-colleague asks for her opinion on a case they soon realise that there is a copycat killer out there. Girls are being murdered brutally and the same way that the Nine Elms killer killed. Kate cannot let it go and starts looking into a cold case of a missing girl a DNA finds more similarities.
Thanks to Little Brown Book Group UK, Sphere and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased
Kate Marshall is a police detective in London. She is young and passionate and working on finding the Nine Elms Killer before he strikes again. But she is attacked by him when he tries to make her his 5th victim. Only he fails and is caught, while Kate's life changes forever. 16 years later and she has moved to the coast for a quiet life. She is now a lecturer at a university but she has never really recovered from her attack. She is is recovering alcoholic and her teenage son lives with his grandparents. When an ex-colleague asks for her opinion on a case they soon realise that there is a copycat killer out there. Girls are being murdered brutally and the same way that the Nine Elms killer killed. Kate cannot let it go and starts looking into a cold case of a missing girl a DNA finds more similarities.
Thanks to Little Brown Book Group UK, Sphere and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased
November 18, 2021
This is the first book in Robert Bryndza's new 'Kate Marshall' series. Bryndza is also the author of the popular 'Detective Erika Foster' crime novels.
*****
In 1995 Detective Constable Kate Marshall of London's Metropolitan Police Service is on the team searching for the 'The Nine Elms Cannibal' - a serial killer who bites chunks from the teenage girls he murders. The killer's fourth victim was just found, and like the other dead girls, has a rope around her neck with a monkey's fist knot.
Kate's boss, and occasional lover, Detective Chief Inspector Peter Conway drives her to the crime scene and home, and accidentally drops a set of keys into her shopping bag.
At home, Kate finds the keys, which are attached to a rope tied with a monkey's fist knot. Holy crap! DCI Conway is the Nine Elms Cannibal! Conway comes back for his keys, and realizing he's been exposed, almost kills Kate before she clocks him and calls 999.
Kate is savaged during Conway's trial because she slept with him, and she subsequently loses her career, gives birth to Conway's son, and starts drinking heavily.
*****
Jump ahead fifteen years to 2010 and cannibal Peter is in a prison for the criminally insane.
Kate is a recovering alcoholic who teaches criminology at a university in Ashdean, on the south coast of England. Kate's drinking made her an unsuitable mother, and Kate's (and Conway's) 14-year-old son Jake lives with Kate's mum in London. Kate and Jake skype frequently, though, and see each other on school holidays.
Kate frets about Jake being the child of a serial killer because the boy may have inherited bad genes. Moreover, though Peter is forbidden to contact Jake now, he may try to get in touch when his son comes of age at sixteen. Kate and her mum try to protect Jake by curtailing his access to social media, but their attempts aren't completely successful.
Aside from worrying about Jake, Kate's life is going well. She likes to swim in the ocean; gets along well with her Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor Myra, who lives next door; and relishes her teaching job, where she talks about real cases.
In an ironic coincidence, Kate's school presentation about her brush with 'The Nine Elms Cannibal' is immediately followed by an email from the parents of a girl named Caitlyn Murray, who disappeared twenty years ago, at the age of sixteen.
The Murrays have come to believe their daughter was an early victim of Peter Conway, and they ask Kate to look for Caitlyn's remains.....so they can bury her.
At about the same time, the police become aware that a copycat cannibal, who calls himself a 'A FAN' of Peter Conway, has begun to mimic his hero's crimes. The copycat abducts teenage girls, bites and kills them, and leaves them in dump sites similar to those used by his idol.
Kate and her 21-year-old university assistant, Tristan Harper, start to look into Caitlyn's disappearance, and their investigation inevitably overlaps the copycat case.
This annoys Detective Chief Inspector Varia Campbell, who's in charge of the copycat inquiries, and she tries to freeze Kate and Tristan out.
However, Kate and Tristan discover helpful clues, and - with a nudge from DCI Campbell - call themselves private detectives, have cards printed up, and jump into the copycat probe.
(This is a bit dubious, since private detectives in England need to be licensed.)
Kate is so disturbed by the search for Caitlyn - and the grisly copycat murders - that she's tempted to drink.....which would scuttle her entire life.
The book switches back and forth between the detectives' investigations; Peter Conway's activities in prison; and the actions of the copycat killer. We come to learn that the copycat is able to contact Peter via his mother Enid, who's permitted to visit her son without a glass barrier. Enid is a seductive, well-preserved woman who'd do anything for her beloved son.....with whom she has a disturbing relationship.
(Once again this is highly questionable. Enid is strip-searched by prison guards multiple times, but they allow her to bring in bags of sweets THAT GO UNCHECKED. And when Enid's 'hearing aid' mysteriously switches ears - which is noted by a prison guard - it doesn't trigger alarm bells. Are we supposed to believe this?)
Peter is angry at Kate for unmasking him 15 years ago, and he plots all kinds of revenge. Peter is aided in this endeavor by the copycat, who is hatching a sinister plot. In the meantime, the copycat is happily abducting and killing girls, and the torture he inflicts is described in lurid detail. So if you're squeamish, this isn't the book for you.
For me this thriller is just so-so. The story is engaging, but there are too many unlikely details.....and the relationship between Peter and Enid is batshit crazy. It's hard to believe that someone as disturbed as Peter could have functioned normally and risen to the rank of DCI.
On the upside, the characters are interesting, and the copycat's plan - though it stretches credibility - is inventive. I'd probably read the next book in the series, in hopes that the kinks are worked out.
Thanks to Netgalley, the author (Robert Bryndza), and the publisher (Thomas & Mercer) for a copy of the book.
You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot....
April 6, 2020
Someone out there has developed a real taste for women. Beware of a young man with a killer smile, it has served him well and often. It's not difficult to find young women who fall for that smile, it shows off his pearly whites to perfection. What the ladies don't know is that he would just as soon take a bite out of them as not. And now, a serial killer has his sights set on Kate Marshall, but he is not the first.
December 23, 2019
Bryndza has a new series! This time featuring Kate Marshall, a police detective. Kate is known for catching the Nine Elms serial killer, which quickly turned bad for her. The experience was traumatic, and she was publicly called out.
It’s been fifteen years, but it doesn’t feel that way for Kate. She’s now a university professor when a copycat killer is following in the footsteps of Nine Elms.
Kate is determined to use her knowledge to stop this killer also. You should know, though. Kate was the Nine Elms killer’s intended fifth victim, and the copycat has her in his sights.
Nine Elms is super dark, as you would expect when a serial killer is involved. I found the storyline compelling, and I’m excited to see Kate back in more books. Overall, this was an intense and twisty read and I loved it!
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher.
Many of my reviews can also be found on instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
It’s been fifteen years, but it doesn’t feel that way for Kate. She’s now a university professor when a copycat killer is following in the footsteps of Nine Elms.
Kate is determined to use her knowledge to stop this killer also. You should know, though. Kate was the Nine Elms killer’s intended fifth victim, and the copycat has her in his sights.
Nine Elms is super dark, as you would expect when a serial killer is involved. I found the storyline compelling, and I’m excited to see Kate back in more books. Overall, this was an intense and twisty read and I loved it!
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher.
Many of my reviews can also be found on instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
January 10, 2020
Book Reviewed on www.whisperingstories.com
Have you ever watched a movie when the tension is picking up, something bad is about to happen and you sit shouting at the screen ‘don’t open the door’ or ‘don’t let him in’, as you know what will happen next in the scene if they do? Well, Nine Elms gave me this reaction right from the start.
The book begins fifteen-years before the main plot when Kate Marshall was a police detective working the Nine Elms Cannibal Case in which a serial killer is targeting young women, not only does the killer strangle his victims using a distinctive rope knot, he then leave them in the open, posing their bodies and takes bite out of his victims too.
Through a mishap, Kate realises who the killer is just before he tries to make her his fifth victim. She just about gets away with her life, but not without lots of injuries and her reputation as a detective in tatters. Now, fifteen years later she is a university criminologist lecturer at Ashdean. The killer is in prison where he will spend the rest of his life.
Kate receives an email from a couple whose daughter went missing in 1990, they believe that she may have been one of the first victims of the Nine Elms Cannibal and would like Kate to take a look at her case. She is also called to a mortuary where a body of a young girl lies after being discovered in woodland, posed, strangled and bitten. It looks like there is a copy-cat killer on the loose and they are following the same pattern as the original killer which means Kate could end up being the fifth victim, again, but will she be so lucky this time?
Nine Elms is the first book by Robert Bryndza that I have read. I know of his Erika Foster series and even own a couple of the books but I’ve never gotten around to reading them, shame on me because if they are anywhere near as good as this one I really must.
Kate is a great character, she has been through so much in her life. After nearly being murdered, it turned out that she was pregnant with the killer’s child and by the time she awoke in the hospital after the attack and subsequent surgeries it was too late to abort. She lost her job because of her relationship with the killer too. Everything got too much for her mentally and she took to alcohol to numb her pain. She has been sober for six years now, her son still lives with her parents after she was unfit to look after him when drinking.
The book is dark and you can feel the tension radiating off the pages. It is very addictive and most certainly gripping, helped by the fact that it is fast-paced with short chapters which I always feel gives it an even faster plot feel and makes you want to keep on reading.
The suspension is terrifying at times yet it is a book I just couldn’t put down I need to know more and see where it would all end. I now can’t wait for more books in this series as I think Kate has great potential and she has proven that she has amazing detective skills. I also hope that we find out more about her young assistant Tristan in subsequent books too.
Have you ever watched a movie when the tension is picking up, something bad is about to happen and you sit shouting at the screen ‘don’t open the door’ or ‘don’t let him in’, as you know what will happen next in the scene if they do? Well, Nine Elms gave me this reaction right from the start.
The book begins fifteen-years before the main plot when Kate Marshall was a police detective working the Nine Elms Cannibal Case in which a serial killer is targeting young women, not only does the killer strangle his victims using a distinctive rope knot, he then leave them in the open, posing their bodies and takes bite out of his victims too.
Through a mishap, Kate realises who the killer is just before he tries to make her his fifth victim. She just about gets away with her life, but not without lots of injuries and her reputation as a detective in tatters. Now, fifteen years later she is a university criminologist lecturer at Ashdean. The killer is in prison where he will spend the rest of his life.
Kate receives an email from a couple whose daughter went missing in 1990, they believe that she may have been one of the first victims of the Nine Elms Cannibal and would like Kate to take a look at her case. She is also called to a mortuary where a body of a young girl lies after being discovered in woodland, posed, strangled and bitten. It looks like there is a copy-cat killer on the loose and they are following the same pattern as the original killer which means Kate could end up being the fifth victim, again, but will she be so lucky this time?
Nine Elms is the first book by Robert Bryndza that I have read. I know of his Erika Foster series and even own a couple of the books but I’ve never gotten around to reading them, shame on me because if they are anywhere near as good as this one I really must.
Kate is a great character, she has been through so much in her life. After nearly being murdered, it turned out that she was pregnant with the killer’s child and by the time she awoke in the hospital after the attack and subsequent surgeries it was too late to abort. She lost her job because of her relationship with the killer too. Everything got too much for her mentally and she took to alcohol to numb her pain. She has been sober for six years now, her son still lives with her parents after she was unfit to look after him when drinking.
The book is dark and you can feel the tension radiating off the pages. It is very addictive and most certainly gripping, helped by the fact that it is fast-paced with short chapters which I always feel gives it an even faster plot feel and makes you want to keep on reading.
The suspension is terrifying at times yet it is a book I just couldn’t put down I need to know more and see where it would all end. I now can’t wait for more books in this series as I think Kate has great potential and she has proven that she has amazing detective skills. I also hope that we find out more about her young assistant Tristan in subsequent books too.
November 6, 2019
First of all let's get my pet peeve out of the way. Why does Kate have to be an alcoholic? Mr. Bryndza - you have let me down. Such a cliché!
Anyway I rose above that and enjoyed the book. I did not like Kate as much as I did Erika but I expect she will grow on me. Tristan was an excellent offsider. However if I am ever expected to believe that Jake would go anywhere near his father then I will not be able to read any further. I have a horrible feeling that it will go there though.
Nine Elms is a good book with interesting characters and a clever story but it seems my review is as all over the place as my feelings are about it. And I just remembered the chocolate eclairs which was another point where the book went into fantasy land.
My final conclusion. It is an entertaining book but suspend belief before you start.
Anyway I rose above that and enjoyed the book. I did not like Kate as much as I did Erika but I expect she will grow on me. Tristan was an excellent offsider. However if I am ever expected to believe that Jake would go anywhere near his father then I will not be able to read any further. I have a horrible feeling that it will go there though.
Nine Elms is a good book with interesting characters and a clever story but it seems my review is as all over the place as my feelings are about it. And I just remembered the chocolate eclairs which was another point where the book went into fantasy land.
My final conclusion. It is an entertaining book but suspend belief before you start.
August 4, 2020
"Persoonlijk vond ik de Erika Foster serie stukken leuker om te lezen, gezien zij wel echt bij de politie is en dus meer aan de touwtjes kan trekken. Ook haar karakter kan ik meer smaken, de opstandige Erika heeft wel écht mijn hart gestolen!"
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September 9, 2019
After 6 successful crime novels featuring Erika Foster, Robert Bryndza comes with a new series, introducing private investigator Kate Marshall.
As a young detective with great potential and a promising career, Kate had an affair with one of her colleagues only to discover soon after that he was the notorious Nine Elms serial killer. Kate manages to put him behind the bars but realises too late that she is pregnant with his baby. Fast forward 15 years and this is where the book #1 starts. Kate is no longer with the police. She teaches criminology at a university and tries to get sober for her son who is in the custody of Kate's parents.The Nine Elms serial killer has been in prison the whole time when girls start disappearing and being murdered in almost identical way to the Nine Elms murders. Police seem to be clueless and so Kate and her uni assistant decide to do some investigation on their own.
I have a soft spot for Erika so it was always going to be hard for a new detective to compete with her. Like Erika, Kate has an eventful past that still haunts her. Is a bit too much going on there - alcoholism, child with a serial killer? That's what I was thinking at first but as the story progressed I was slowly swayed and pretty much onboard with everything by the end of it. As per the author's usual style, this is a gripping but gruesome novel with a number of unexpeted twists.
Overall, 4 stars for Kate Marshall and her first novel!
Many thanks to Little Brown Books for my review copy in exchange for an honest review.
As a young detective with great potential and a promising career, Kate had an affair with one of her colleagues only to discover soon after that he was the notorious Nine Elms serial killer. Kate manages to put him behind the bars but realises too late that she is pregnant with his baby. Fast forward 15 years and this is where the book #1 starts. Kate is no longer with the police. She teaches criminology at a university and tries to get sober for her son who is in the custody of Kate's parents.The Nine Elms serial killer has been in prison the whole time when girls start disappearing and being murdered in almost identical way to the Nine Elms murders. Police seem to be clueless and so Kate and her uni assistant decide to do some investigation on their own.
I have a soft spot for Erika so it was always going to be hard for a new detective to compete with her. Like Erika, Kate has an eventful past that still haunts her. Is a bit too much going on there - alcoholism, child with a serial killer? That's what I was thinking at first but as the story progressed I was slowly swayed and pretty much onboard with everything by the end of it. As per the author's usual style, this is a gripping but gruesome novel with a number of unexpeted twists.
Overall, 4 stars for Kate Marshall and her first novel!
Many thanks to Little Brown Books for my review copy in exchange for an honest review.
April 14, 2020
Kate Marshall is a young, police detective on the rise who by sheer luck manages to solve the Nine Elms Cannibal Killer case. The culprit is Peter Conway, the detective in charge of the investigation, who, before he is subdued by Kate, tries to make her his fifth victim and manages to give her a nasty stab wound. Although she is responsible for getting him captured and locked away for life, instead of being lauded for her efforts, Kate finds herself at the opposite end of the spectrum with her reputation in tatters and has no choice but to leave the police force; before his capture, Kate had slept with Peter and hence, is somewhat thought to be his accomplice.
Now, fifteen years later, Kate is a popular lecturer on criminology at Ashdean University and seems to have her life in control. She has a 14 year old son, Jake (result of her short, disastrous relationship with Peter) who lives with her parents. Then, out of the blue, she receives an email from the parents of a girl who went missing in 1990 and who believe was a victim of the Nine Elms killer and want Kate to investigate the matter. At the same time, a copy cat killer seems to have decided to recreate the Nine Elms murders (to honour the original killer) and Kate unwittingly finds herself back in the centre of the same nightmare.
Nine Elms is the first book in the new Kate Marshall series and the second book I have read of Robert Brynzda (the first being the Girl in the Ice from the Erica Foster series). I absolutely loved the Girl in the Ice. Nine Elms is also an addictive book, although I found it a teeny bit slower paced. It's dark and the description of the murder victims and how they were killed is a bit uncomfortable to read. The characters are strong and believable. I look forward to reading more from this series (and finishing the Erica Forster series) and getting to know how each character will subsequently shape up as the story moves forward.
My thanks to Netgally, the publisher Thomas and Mercer and the author Robert Brynzda for the e-Arc of the book to read.
Now, fifteen years later, Kate is a popular lecturer on criminology at Ashdean University and seems to have her life in control. She has a 14 year old son, Jake (result of her short, disastrous relationship with Peter) who lives with her parents. Then, out of the blue, she receives an email from the parents of a girl who went missing in 1990 and who believe was a victim of the Nine Elms killer and want Kate to investigate the matter. At the same time, a copy cat killer seems to have decided to recreate the Nine Elms murders (to honour the original killer) and Kate unwittingly finds herself back in the centre of the same nightmare.
Nine Elms is the first book in the new Kate Marshall series and the second book I have read of Robert Brynzda (the first being the Girl in the Ice from the Erica Foster series). I absolutely loved the Girl in the Ice. Nine Elms is also an addictive book, although I found it a teeny bit slower paced. It's dark and the description of the murder victims and how they were killed is a bit uncomfortable to read. The characters are strong and believable. I look forward to reading more from this series (and finishing the Erica Forster series) and getting to know how each character will subsequently shape up as the story moves forward.
My thanks to Netgally, the publisher Thomas and Mercer and the author Robert Brynzda for the e-Arc of the book to read.
August 12, 2021
A good start to a new series !
In 1995 DC Kate Marshall was on a case The Nine Elms Cannibal operation it controlled her life, she was also fighting her demons with booze being her best friend her son Jake was living with Kate's parents as she couldn't handle the pressure & was an AA member, Her sponsor Myra was her strength & regularly spoke to her.
Years Later Kate was terminated from the police force due to her behaviour she now a university lecturer in criminology The Cannibal Killer Peter Conway still haunts her 15 years later when bodies of young girls are found with a plastic bag over their heads & bite marks on their bodies& Kate Marshall is on the case to solve the copycat murders.
Will Kate discover who the perp is or will this case finally get the better of her?
I liked the start of this new series by Robert Bryndza its a dark compelling read that is at times slow but it still kept my interest the pacing was good but at times i found it long winded, plus one think that ii would criticise is that there wasn't any back story on her partner it was like he just appeared but his character was likeable, a strong start to this series. 3.5 stars
In 1995 DC Kate Marshall was on a case The Nine Elms Cannibal operation it controlled her life, she was also fighting her demons with booze being her best friend her son Jake was living with Kate's parents as she couldn't handle the pressure & was an AA member, Her sponsor Myra was her strength & regularly spoke to her.
Years Later Kate was terminated from the police force due to her behaviour she now a university lecturer in criminology The Cannibal Killer Peter Conway still haunts her 15 years later when bodies of young girls are found with a plastic bag over their heads & bite marks on their bodies& Kate Marshall is on the case to solve the copycat murders.
Will Kate discover who the perp is or will this case finally get the better of her?
I liked the start of this new series by Robert Bryndza its a dark compelling read that is at times slow but it still kept my interest the pacing was good but at times i found it long winded, plus one think that ii would criticise is that there wasn't any back story on her partner it was like he just appeared but his character was likeable, a strong start to this series. 3.5 stars
November 18, 2019
Check out all of my reviews at: https://www.avonnalovesgenres.com.
NINE ELMS (A Kate Marshall Thriller Book 1) by Robert Brynzda is the debut suspense/thriller book in a new P.I. series. I love Mr. Brynzda’s DCI Erika Foster series and was thrilled to receive an early copy of this book. I could not put it down!
Kate Marshall was a young police detective when she was placed on the task force for the Nine Elms Cannibal case. She was determined to prove herself. She caught the serial killer, but at great personal expense, physically and mentally, to herself. Due to a bad personal decision during the investigation, she went from hero to villain during the trial and it ended her career on the police force.
Fifteen years later, Kate has become a lecturer in criminology at a small university. She has worked hard to get her life in order. She attends AA meetings and has rebuilt her relationship with her fourteen-year-old son who is in the custody of her parents.
Kate receives a call from the original medical examiner on the Nine Elms case. He has been called to the scene of a murder which is an exact replica of a murder from that case. As more bodies are found, Kate knows they have a copycat, because the original killer is locked up in a psychiatric prison.
Kate is told to stay out of the investigation by the local DI handling the case, but she cannot ignore the fact that she feels she can help. She enlists the help of her research assistant, Tristan Harper and the two set about combing the new and old facts to find the copycat. What Kate does not realize is that the killer knows who she is and plans to finish what the original Nine Elms Cannibal did not.
This is an amazing debut that kept me turning the pages to the very end. The plot is tightly woven between past and present. It is dark, thrilling and delivers discoveries that surprise throughout. The crime scenes are written in explicit detail and may be disturbing to some, but this antagonist is a cannibal serial killer as is his copycat, so it is not gratuitous. Kate is a memorable character realistically flawed, intelligent and dogged in her pursuit of the copycat killer. Tristan is an interesting character who is great at doing the research that Kate requires, but Kate is definitely the mentor in their partnership. I am looking forward to learning more about Tristan in future books. I am also looking forward to reading how Mr. Brynzda handles the character arc of Kate’s son in future books.
I highly recommend this debut thriller and I am looking forward to many more books in the Kate Marshall series!
NINE ELMS (A Kate Marshall Thriller Book 1) by Robert Brynzda is the debut suspense/thriller book in a new P.I. series. I love Mr. Brynzda’s DCI Erika Foster series and was thrilled to receive an early copy of this book. I could not put it down!
Kate Marshall was a young police detective when she was placed on the task force for the Nine Elms Cannibal case. She was determined to prove herself. She caught the serial killer, but at great personal expense, physically and mentally, to herself. Due to a bad personal decision during the investigation, she went from hero to villain during the trial and it ended her career on the police force.
Fifteen years later, Kate has become a lecturer in criminology at a small university. She has worked hard to get her life in order. She attends AA meetings and has rebuilt her relationship with her fourteen-year-old son who is in the custody of her parents.
Kate receives a call from the original medical examiner on the Nine Elms case. He has been called to the scene of a murder which is an exact replica of a murder from that case. As more bodies are found, Kate knows they have a copycat, because the original killer is locked up in a psychiatric prison.
Kate is told to stay out of the investigation by the local DI handling the case, but she cannot ignore the fact that she feels she can help. She enlists the help of her research assistant, Tristan Harper and the two set about combing the new and old facts to find the copycat. What Kate does not realize is that the killer knows who she is and plans to finish what the original Nine Elms Cannibal did not.
This is an amazing debut that kept me turning the pages to the very end. The plot is tightly woven between past and present. It is dark, thrilling and delivers discoveries that surprise throughout. The crime scenes are written in explicit detail and may be disturbing to some, but this antagonist is a cannibal serial killer as is his copycat, so it is not gratuitous. Kate is a memorable character realistically flawed, intelligent and dogged in her pursuit of the copycat killer. Tristan is an interesting character who is great at doing the research that Kate requires, but Kate is definitely the mentor in their partnership. I am looking forward to learning more about Tristan in future books. I am also looking forward to reading how Mr. Brynzda handles the character arc of Kate’s son in future books.
I highly recommend this debut thriller and I am looking forward to many more books in the Kate Marshall series!
December 19, 2019
Well now.....
Let's sort through this one, shall we?
Robert Bryndza, an author that we all look forward to, seems to have headed in a different direction with this one. My eyebrow went up when Bryndza chose another female lead character for this new series. How can you top the reader revered character of Erika Foster? And why would you want to?
That brings me to a hunch I've had while reading Nine Elms. While well done, it just doesn't seem to have the polish that the Erika Foster series has had. Brings me to my point......Perhaps this was a way earlier work from some time back that Bryndza dusted off and tweaked here and there. Just kickin' around this idea which may not hold water.
Bryndza opens this one up in Autumn of 1995 in the south of West London. Kate Marshall is a Detective Constable who takes the lid off of Pandora's Box when she comes upon a set of keys tied with a monkey's fist knot. This was one of the calling cards of the Nine Elms serial killer. Bodies had been piling up marked with the killer's bite marks. But it's double horror time as Kate knows who owns these keys. And she knows him intimately.
Fast forward fifteen years and Kate has botched up her career due to the Nine Elms killer. In the aftermath, she and a booze bottle were her only intimate friends. But she's been dry for six years and attending AA meetings. Part of the fall-out was losing custody of her now fifteen year old son, Jake. He lives with her mother. Fortunately, Kate caught a break and has been hired as a criminology lecturer at a seaside university. Her assigned assistant, Tristan, will be a godsend for Kate.
Bryndza doesn't set Kate on an academia shelf for long. She's contacted by the parents of a missing girl whose body has never been found. The parents are convinced that she was a victim of the Nine Elms killer. Kate agrees to help them and Tristan finds himself in the role of sidekick detective. Bryndza is gonna take us down some sleezy roads so know that going in. It's a rough world out there.
I rated Nine Elms at 3.5 Stars kicked up to 4 Stars. It's a grabber and I know that it will be popular here on Goodreads because of the Bryndza name. I'd like to see more of Tristan's viewpoints and more of his background in the next. (Now that's a series unto itself.) Let's not have the reader more concerned about Kate's battle with the bottle than the actual plot in the future. Too many detectives with too many vices popping up lately.
But then, my arms are wide open for Kate Marshall #2.
Let's sort through this one, shall we?
Robert Bryndza, an author that we all look forward to, seems to have headed in a different direction with this one. My eyebrow went up when Bryndza chose another female lead character for this new series. How can you top the reader revered character of Erika Foster? And why would you want to?
That brings me to a hunch I've had while reading Nine Elms. While well done, it just doesn't seem to have the polish that the Erika Foster series has had. Brings me to my point......Perhaps this was a way earlier work from some time back that Bryndza dusted off and tweaked here and there. Just kickin' around this idea which may not hold water.
Bryndza opens this one up in Autumn of 1995 in the south of West London. Kate Marshall is a Detective Constable who takes the lid off of Pandora's Box when she comes upon a set of keys tied with a monkey's fist knot. This was one of the calling cards of the Nine Elms serial killer. Bodies had been piling up marked with the killer's bite marks. But it's double horror time as Kate knows who owns these keys. And she knows him intimately.
Fast forward fifteen years and Kate has botched up her career due to the Nine Elms killer. In the aftermath, she and a booze bottle were her only intimate friends. But she's been dry for six years and attending AA meetings. Part of the fall-out was losing custody of her now fifteen year old son, Jake. He lives with her mother. Fortunately, Kate caught a break and has been hired as a criminology lecturer at a seaside university. Her assigned assistant, Tristan, will be a godsend for Kate.
Bryndza doesn't set Kate on an academia shelf for long. She's contacted by the parents of a missing girl whose body has never been found. The parents are convinced that she was a victim of the Nine Elms killer. Kate agrees to help them and Tristan finds himself in the role of sidekick detective. Bryndza is gonna take us down some sleezy roads so know that going in. It's a rough world out there.
I rated Nine Elms at 3.5 Stars kicked up to 4 Stars. It's a grabber and I know that it will be popular here on Goodreads because of the Bryndza name. I'd like to see more of Tristan's viewpoints and more of his background in the next. (Now that's a series unto itself.) Let's not have the reader more concerned about Kate's battle with the bottle than the actual plot in the future. Too many detectives with too many vices popping up lately.
But then, my arms are wide open for Kate Marshall #2.
October 11, 2019
I love Robert Bryndza novels whether they are his Detective Erika Foster series or his humorous Coco Pinchard series so I was really looking forward to the first book in the Kate Marshall series.
Sixteen years ago, Kate Marshall was a rising star in the London Metropolitan police force. Young, ambitious and driven, with a talent for getting into the minds of criminals, she solved several high-profile murder cases. When Kate was tasked with tracking down a vicious serial killer her instinct and ability to immerse herself in violent worlds couldn’t help her find him but he found her. Years later Kate now lives on the quiet English coast enjoying a much calmer life until she receives a letter from someone in her past, all her memories flood back to the murderer she is so aware of and a case she is determined to solve.
This is another outstanding novel by this talented author and yet another series I will be hooked to. Great strong characters, gripping plots and so well written.
I would like to thank both Net Galley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Sixteen years ago, Kate Marshall was a rising star in the London Metropolitan police force. Young, ambitious and driven, with a talent for getting into the minds of criminals, she solved several high-profile murder cases. When Kate was tasked with tracking down a vicious serial killer her instinct and ability to immerse herself in violent worlds couldn’t help her find him but he found her. Years later Kate now lives on the quiet English coast enjoying a much calmer life until she receives a letter from someone in her past, all her memories flood back to the murderer she is so aware of and a case she is determined to solve.
This is another outstanding novel by this talented author and yet another series I will be hooked to. Great strong characters, gripping plots and so well written.
I would like to thank both Net Galley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
October 17, 2022
This was a brilliant read,first book in a series,I've read many books from this author and enjoyed his books immensely.was hooked from the start.Kate Marshall an ex cop with a young son she catches a serial killer,years ago,she receives a letter of parents of a missing daughter who suspects she been murdered by the same serial killer all they want is to lay her at rest and asking Kate for help.will she find out what happened to the girl.And theres a copycat killer.she has help from her assistant Tristan.I found this book intense and exciting read.Im really looking forward to reading book two,Highly recommend...
January 2, 2020
Okay, now that the holidays are behind us (YAY!) I can finally write this review. This book was my first foray with Robert Bryndza and I was not disappointed.
Right at the beginning of the book you are thrown into a scene where Detective Kate Marshall captures the Nine Elms serial killer. There are, however, certain circumstances and details surrounding the case that ultimately ends her police career.
Fifteen years later and she is now a lecturer at a small university when she is contacted by a family who think that their daughter was abducted and killed by the Nine Elms killer even though her body hasn't ever been found. Kate along with her assistant, Tristan, decide to investigate her disappearance.
As they get closer to finding out what happened to Caitlin it appears that there is a copy cat on the loose and they have their sights set on Kate and that is all I am willing to say.
Kate and Tristan are both likable characters which helped with my enjoyment of this book and while I don't always like getting involved in book series I will say that I would gladly dive back into the world of Kate and Tristan. Recommended! 4 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Right at the beginning of the book you are thrown into a scene where Detective Kate Marshall captures the Nine Elms serial killer. There are, however, certain circumstances and details surrounding the case that ultimately ends her police career.
Fifteen years later and she is now a lecturer at a small university when she is contacted by a family who think that their daughter was abducted and killed by the Nine Elms killer even though her body hasn't ever been found. Kate along with her assistant, Tristan, decide to investigate her disappearance.
As they get closer to finding out what happened to Caitlin it appears that there is a copy cat on the loose and they have their sights set on Kate and that is all I am willing to say.
Kate and Tristan are both likable characters which helped with my enjoyment of this book and while I don't always like getting involved in book series I will say that I would gladly dive back into the world of Kate and Tristan. Recommended! 4 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.
April 6, 2020
This is a promising, if somewhat dark start to a new series featuring ex-police detective Kate Marshall. As a young London detective she nearly lost her life as the fifth victim of a serial killer she had just unmasked. As his one time lover, and carrying his son, her reputation was badly damaged by the subsequent trial and resulted in her leaving the force and becoming a lecturer in criminology in a small coastal town in Devon.
Fifteen years later, Kate still carries the physical and emotional scars from her encounter with Peter Conway, nicknamed the Nine Elms Cannibal due to the bite marks he left on his victims, but enjoys her job and is looking forward to a visit from her son who now lives with her parents. Out of the blue she is contacted by the parents of a girl who went missing twenty years ago in the area where Peter Conway was living. The police have never found any clues to her disappearance and ask Kate if she could look into the possibility that their daughter was another of Peter Conway's victims. At the same time a copycat killer and fan of Peter Conway is replicating Peter Conway's original murders and Kate is called in by the police pathologist to look at the victims.
I like the fact that Kate is a different type of investigator, an ex-cop who is now a criminology lecturer. I didn't warm to her initially but liked her better by the end of the book. Her young assistant Tristan is also an interesting character and I hope we’ll learn more about him in the future. Otherwise the plot was suspenseful, if a bit gory, although I do hope that’s this is the last we’ll see of Peter Conway in this series .
Fifteen years later, Kate still carries the physical and emotional scars from her encounter with Peter Conway, nicknamed the Nine Elms Cannibal due to the bite marks he left on his victims, but enjoys her job and is looking forward to a visit from her son who now lives with her parents. Out of the blue she is contacted by the parents of a girl who went missing twenty years ago in the area where Peter Conway was living. The police have never found any clues to her disappearance and ask Kate if she could look into the possibility that their daughter was another of Peter Conway's victims. At the same time a copycat killer and fan of Peter Conway is replicating Peter Conway's original murders and Kate is called in by the police pathologist to look at the victims.
I like the fact that Kate is a different type of investigator, an ex-cop who is now a criminology lecturer. I didn't warm to her initially but liked her better by the end of the book. Her young assistant Tristan is also an interesting character and I hope we’ll learn more about him in the future. Otherwise the plot was suspenseful, if a bit gory, although I do hope that’s this is the last we’ll see of Peter Conway in this series .
December 19, 2020
Robert Bryndza, author of the popular Erika Foster series, introduces a new character in this novel. Detective Constable Kate Marshall is a member of the team searching for the 'The Nine Elms Cannibal" in London. The story opens with the discovery of a fourth victim and a call from her boss, Detective Chief Inspector Peter Conway, that she needs to go to the scene. She is on the train and on her way home but he will pick her up. When they are finished at the crime scene Peter gives her a ride home. That is when Kate finds evidence that Peter is the 'The Nine Elms Cannibal" and almost becomes his fifth victim.
The story fast forwards fifteen years. Kate is now a professor in criminology at a small university. Her once promising police career destroyed during Peter's trial when it is revealed that she and Peter had had a relationship and that she has a son by him. She is a recovering alcoholic trying to put the pieces of her life back together. Her son, Jake, lives with her mother because during her active drinking the court determined that she was an unsuitable mother. She and Jake Skype regularly and he visits on holidays. She worries whether Jake inherited bad genes from Peter and if he will want to have any contact with his father when he turns sixteen. Other than that her life is going well and she is sober and happy.
This is about to change. She has just finished a lecture on serial killers and ironically she opened with 'The Nine Elms Cannibal" when she gets an e-mail from the father of a girl who disappeared twenty years ago. The Murray's believe their daughter, Caitlyn, may have been an early victim of Peter's and are asking for Kate's help so they can have closure. At the same time it appears that there is a copycat killer who is recreating Peter's crimes. "A Fan". Kate agrees to help the Murray's and along with her assistant, Tristan Harper, they become private investigators. They also find themselves involved in the copycat killings. Of course all of these events become a challenge to Kate's sobriety and there are times when she is tempted to drink. Not only is her sobriety in danger but so is her life as well as Jake's life. In yet another coincidence all of these events occur just as Jake is due to visit Kate.
This was a good story. I did not enjoy it as much as the Erika Foster stories that I have read (I have not read them all). This appears to be the first book in a new series and I know that it often takes time to develop the characters. If there is a second book I would be interested in reading it. Hopefully the author will stay away from the alcoholic detective who nearly picks up a drink. Hasn't the whole cliché been done to death already?
The story fast forwards fifteen years. Kate is now a professor in criminology at a small university. Her once promising police career destroyed during Peter's trial when it is revealed that she and Peter had had a relationship and that she has a son by him. She is a recovering alcoholic trying to put the pieces of her life back together. Her son, Jake, lives with her mother because during her active drinking the court determined that she was an unsuitable mother. She and Jake Skype regularly and he visits on holidays. She worries whether Jake inherited bad genes from Peter and if he will want to have any contact with his father when he turns sixteen. Other than that her life is going well and she is sober and happy.
This is about to change. She has just finished a lecture on serial killers and ironically she opened with 'The Nine Elms Cannibal" when she gets an e-mail from the father of a girl who disappeared twenty years ago. The Murray's believe their daughter, Caitlyn, may have been an early victim of Peter's and are asking for Kate's help so they can have closure. At the same time it appears that there is a copycat killer who is recreating Peter's crimes. "A Fan". Kate agrees to help the Murray's and along with her assistant, Tristan Harper, they become private investigators. They also find themselves involved in the copycat killings. Of course all of these events become a challenge to Kate's sobriety and there are times when she is tempted to drink. Not only is her sobriety in danger but so is her life as well as Jake's life. In yet another coincidence all of these events occur just as Jake is due to visit Kate.
This was a good story. I did not enjoy it as much as the Erika Foster stories that I have read (I have not read them all). This appears to be the first book in a new series and I know that it often takes time to develop the characters. If there is a second book I would be interested in reading it. Hopefully the author will stay away from the alcoholic detective who nearly picks up a drink. Hasn't the whole cliché been done to death already?
August 17, 2019
Anyone who knows me, knows what a huge fan I am of this authors books. I absolutely love his Detective Erika Foster series so I could hardly contain my excitement when I heard he had a brand new crime series coming out!
Now I won’t lie, when I picked up this book I was filled with not only excitement but with a bit of trepidation also. Where as with the other series I knew mainly what to expect knowing the main characters but with this one, it’s all very new with new characters and new setting but I needn’t have worried as after reading the first chapter, I was well and truly hooked.
Boy, oh boy, oh boy. Where do I start with this amazing piece of crime fiction! There is just so much to LOVE about it! Honestly, don’t take my word for it, read it for yourself. Kate is one hell of a protagonist. A former detective trying to get on with her life although she constantly lives under the shadow of her past.
The manner that the victims are killed in this book were pretty shocking to say the least. A couple of times I could feel myself turning a bit queasy at what I was reading. Even thinking about it now sends shivers down my spine. On top of that there are a few characters who literally made my skin crawl. These are some seriously messed up people and whilst they made me feel sick by some of their actions, oh my goodness they really just take the story to another level.
In Nine Elms, Robert Bryndza has delivered a masterpiece in crime fiction. It is dark, gripping, nail biting and oh so wonderfully twisted. Definitely not one for the feint hearted but for me it showed me a new side to this authors talents and I blooming well loved it. For me this is way up there with Silence of the Lambs. Couldn’t have hoped for a better start to a brand new series and going by this one, well I think us readers need to hold on tight as we are in for one hell of a ride.
My thanks to Sphere Books for an advanced readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway.
Now I won’t lie, when I picked up this book I was filled with not only excitement but with a bit of trepidation also. Where as with the other series I knew mainly what to expect knowing the main characters but with this one, it’s all very new with new characters and new setting but I needn’t have worried as after reading the first chapter, I was well and truly hooked.
Boy, oh boy, oh boy. Where do I start with this amazing piece of crime fiction! There is just so much to LOVE about it! Honestly, don’t take my word for it, read it for yourself. Kate is one hell of a protagonist. A former detective trying to get on with her life although she constantly lives under the shadow of her past.
The manner that the victims are killed in this book were pretty shocking to say the least. A couple of times I could feel myself turning a bit queasy at what I was reading. Even thinking about it now sends shivers down my spine. On top of that there are a few characters who literally made my skin crawl. These are some seriously messed up people and whilst they made me feel sick by some of their actions, oh my goodness they really just take the story to another level.
In Nine Elms, Robert Bryndza has delivered a masterpiece in crime fiction. It is dark, gripping, nail biting and oh so wonderfully twisted. Definitely not one for the feint hearted but for me it showed me a new side to this authors talents and I blooming well loved it. For me this is way up there with Silence of the Lambs. Couldn’t have hoped for a better start to a brand new series and going by this one, well I think us readers need to hold on tight as we are in for one hell of a ride.
My thanks to Sphere Books for an advanced readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway.
May 16, 2020
I acknowledge the issues that some reviewers found with this book and, well, I didn’t care! Yes, we all loved Erika Foster and it’s sad that the series seems to be over but I’m going with flow and reading the new books. This one certainly grabbed me right at the start. It had me at serial killer and cannibal - oh yeah.
OK you did have to suspend disbelief but most thrillers ask that of you. I found Kate, our chief protagonist quite relatable. Yes, she had been an alcoholic but no longer. She had put all her past issues to rest and was now lecturing in Criminology at Ashdean University. Everything was going tickety boo until the horrors of her past reared their ugly head again and she is dragged back into the nightmare that is the Nine Elms Cannibal case. A copy cat is at large but he has bigger plans for himself, for Kate and for his idol - the real killer who is in a high security facility for the criminally insane.
It was quite gripping, very dark and a real page turner. I wanted to read this one before the ARC of the sequel and I think that was a good idea as we got a whole lot of background on the major characters. I enjoyed this and I’m onto book 2 next.
OK you did have to suspend disbelief but most thrillers ask that of you. I found Kate, our chief protagonist quite relatable. Yes, she had been an alcoholic but no longer. She had put all her past issues to rest and was now lecturing in Criminology at Ashdean University. Everything was going tickety boo until the horrors of her past reared their ugly head again and she is dragged back into the nightmare that is the Nine Elms Cannibal case. A copy cat is at large but he has bigger plans for himself, for Kate and for his idol - the real killer who is in a high security facility for the criminally insane.
It was quite gripping, very dark and a real page turner. I wanted to read this one before the ARC of the sequel and I think that was a good idea as we got a whole lot of background on the major characters. I enjoyed this and I’m onto book 2 next.
December 27, 2019
In Robert Byrndza's latest novel, he introduces us to a Kate Marshall. In 1995 she was nearly murdered by her lover and former boss, Peter Conway, who she discovered as the Nine Elms cannibal serial killer. She survived the attack, then shamefully left the department to become a lecturer. Today, she continues to maintain her sobriety while raising her son (Conway's offspring) alongside her mother. One day, she is called in as a consultant to a murder that has remarkable similarities to the Nine Elms case. As Kate and assistant Tristan dive deeper into the past, the present seems to become seriously more dangerous. A great new series for those who love Bryndza's Erika Foster stories.
January 5, 2020
I discovered Robert Bryndza with his outstanding Detective Erika Foster series. “Nine Elms” is a new series, featuring Kate Marshall, a young police detective who caught a cannibalistic serial killer but was unjustly forced out of her career due to a scandal. Kate has become a college professor of criminology, but is drawn into the investigation of a copycat killer who is meticulously following the scenarios of the original murders. Although the book was very suspenseful, it didn’t quite meet the high marks of the Foster series. It takes a lot to launch a new series so while the first book in this one may not be stellar, I will definitely be looking forward to the second book. Even better would be if Bryndza also continued the Erika Foster series!
Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
June 28, 2020
Robert Bryndza is my type of author and Nine Elms is my type of book. Twisty, dark and layered with a protagonist you root for from page one, this is a superb start to what promises to be another stand out series
Anyone who knows me from my reviews on goodreads, Amazon and on my Facebook page, knows what a huge fan I am of this authors books. I absolutely love his Detective Erika Foster series so I could hardly contain my excitement when I heard he had a brand new crime series coming out!
Now I won’t lie, when I picked up this book I was filled with not only excitement but with a bit of trepidation also, wondering if this book would be as strong as the great Erica Foster.
From the breakthrough international bestselling author of The Girl in the Ice, a breathtaking, page-turning novel about a disgraced female detective’s fight for redemption. And survival…
Kate Marshall was a promising young police detective when she caught the notorious Nine Elms serial killer. But her greatest victory suddenly turned into a nightmare. Traumatized, betrayed, and publicly vilified for the shocking circumstances surrounding the cannibal murder case, Kate could only watch as her career ended in scandal. Fifteen years after those catastrophic events, Kate is still haunted by the unquiet ghosts of her troubled past. Now a lecturer at a small coastal English university, she finally has a chance to face them. A copycat killer has taken up the Nine Elms mantle, continuing the ghastly work of his idol. Enlisting her brilliant research assistant, Tristan Harper, Kate draws on her prodigious and long-neglected skills as an investigator to catch a new monster. Success promises redemption, but there’s much more on the line: Kate was the original killer’s intended fifth victim…and his successor means to finish the job.
Robert Bryndza cleverly chooses to open Nine Elms by first going back fifteen years and showing us how the end game to that altogether life-changing case played out. In visiting the crime scene of the killer’s most recent victim and the scenes which follow, we not only get a sense of the brutal crimes committed but we also see Kate Marshall as she then was, how she uncovers who the killer is and the way she interacts with him in those critical moments immediately after making her discovery. These are key to helping us understand just how much she has had to give up and how greatly the case impacted upon her life and career.
I would have liked to have known a little bit more about Tristan in this first book but hope to discover more about him as the series continues. The relationship between him and Kate could be interesting, too. Kate clearly trusts and values him enough to open up to him and involve him so closely in the investigations and, while I think she asks a lot of him, she does check in with him periodically to make sure he’s okay with what they’re doing and wants to continue. Crucially, she also has his back when his research position looks like being compromised.
It is hard to read sometimes due to such violence against women, especially when they’re young women as in this case, yet despite this, I found the story we’re given into the Nine Elms serial killer and his copycat’s intent and motivation made for strangely interesting and compelling reading, and a another great character from Robert Bryndza, and look forward to number 2....
Oh thank Net Galley, the author and the publisher I have number 2 ready to go next.....
Four stars.
Anyone who knows me from my reviews on goodreads, Amazon and on my Facebook page, knows what a huge fan I am of this authors books. I absolutely love his Detective Erika Foster series so I could hardly contain my excitement when I heard he had a brand new crime series coming out!
Now I won’t lie, when I picked up this book I was filled with not only excitement but with a bit of trepidation also, wondering if this book would be as strong as the great Erica Foster.
From the breakthrough international bestselling author of The Girl in the Ice, a breathtaking, page-turning novel about a disgraced female detective’s fight for redemption. And survival…
Kate Marshall was a promising young police detective when she caught the notorious Nine Elms serial killer. But her greatest victory suddenly turned into a nightmare. Traumatized, betrayed, and publicly vilified for the shocking circumstances surrounding the cannibal murder case, Kate could only watch as her career ended in scandal. Fifteen years after those catastrophic events, Kate is still haunted by the unquiet ghosts of her troubled past. Now a lecturer at a small coastal English university, she finally has a chance to face them. A copycat killer has taken up the Nine Elms mantle, continuing the ghastly work of his idol. Enlisting her brilliant research assistant, Tristan Harper, Kate draws on her prodigious and long-neglected skills as an investigator to catch a new monster. Success promises redemption, but there’s much more on the line: Kate was the original killer’s intended fifth victim…and his successor means to finish the job.
Robert Bryndza cleverly chooses to open Nine Elms by first going back fifteen years and showing us how the end game to that altogether life-changing case played out. In visiting the crime scene of the killer’s most recent victim and the scenes which follow, we not only get a sense of the brutal crimes committed but we also see Kate Marshall as she then was, how she uncovers who the killer is and the way she interacts with him in those critical moments immediately after making her discovery. These are key to helping us understand just how much she has had to give up and how greatly the case impacted upon her life and career.
I would have liked to have known a little bit more about Tristan in this first book but hope to discover more about him as the series continues. The relationship between him and Kate could be interesting, too. Kate clearly trusts and values him enough to open up to him and involve him so closely in the investigations and, while I think she asks a lot of him, she does check in with him periodically to make sure he’s okay with what they’re doing and wants to continue. Crucially, she also has his back when his research position looks like being compromised.
It is hard to read sometimes due to such violence against women, especially when they’re young women as in this case, yet despite this, I found the story we’re given into the Nine Elms serial killer and his copycat’s intent and motivation made for strangely interesting and compelling reading, and a another great character from Robert Bryndza, and look forward to number 2....
Oh thank Net Galley, the author and the publisher I have number 2 ready to go next.....
Four stars.
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