Fatal Witness: A gripping, twisty mystery and suspense thriller (Detective Erika Foster Book 7)

Oh happy day, Erika Foster is back! And what a case she is faced with in this long awaited return. High stakes and high threat, this is one investigation that could prove quite costly for our favourite Detective. Never fear folks. If any of you were wondering whether, after a four year gap, Robert Bryndza could recapture that Foster magic, let me reassure you that the answer is a resounding yes. Stepping back into the world of Erika, Peterson, Moss and the team was like greeting old friends. After all the hellos you just fall back into stride with them and away we go.Which is just as well really as we find Erika has to hit the ground running, faced with an unexpected case almost literally on her doorstep. Whilst settling (?) into a new home and a new neighbourhood, she happens upon the scene of a brutal murder as true-crime podcaster, Vicky Clarke has met a very violent and sticky end. We’re present during the time of the attack. We get the full force of the what, but not the why, and believe me when I say that in this most twisted of cases, absolutely nothing is as it seems. The case leads Erika and the team in a direction they really weren’t expecting, bringing them into the world of a well known drama school, Vicky’s former school, which is nursing more than the odd secret of its own.Full of tension and packed with mystery this gave me all the thrills of a classic Erika Foster story, but with a brand new feel to it too. There is a sense of this being echoed in Erika’s own story as she is starting afresh in a new home, putting herself and her relationship with the team back on track, especially with Peterson which, anyone who has read the earlier books in the series will understand. There is a quiet awkwardness between them, but not one that hinders the case. The uncertainty through, that hesitation, helped to join those dots for me between where we left them in Deadly Secrets to where we are now. This is a fresh start, for everyone, including us readers, but it is also vintage Erika Foster, and if you think that her tendency to get herself into trouble may have waned over the break, think again. Towards the end of the book she finds herself in a real pickle, leaving me wondering how she, and the author, would work her way out of it.I loved the pacing and the flow of this book. There are moments of real tension, those pulse pounding scenes that the author is so good at creating. Moments where the sense of jeopardy is off the charts. Characterisation is, as always, excellent, and I have to wonder whether, given the author’s own history, there might not be echoes of people he has met in the past within the characters he has created. Only partial of course, as, murder aside, there is a darkness at the heart of the novel, one which is almost too believable. But amongst all the intensity of the investigation there is the human side. The grief of the bereaved, the vulnerability of the victims and, more importantly for fans of Erika, a fresh outlook on life courtesy of a face from the past. It brought a smile to my face and to Erika’s too. After all her heartbreak and drama, is a glimmer of something positive on the horizon?I can’t wait to see where Robert Bryndza takes us next. It’s been so good reuniting with this series and these characters. I’d say I hope Erika gets an easier time next time too, but not too easy. It wouldn’t be the same if she didn’t rush in, giving the investigation her everything – where would the fun before readers in that anyway? Tense, action packed and with that oh so familiar, if not quite comfortable, feel, fans of the series will not be disappointed.

Firstly, thank you to Net Galley, the publishers and of course Robert Bryndza for an ARC Copy for an honest review.Secondly my apologies for the delay, nearly two years of catching up on all my autobiographies and biographies, over 200 to read.Thirdly, so nice to come back to some of my favourite authors, now up to date with DCI Erika Foster.How do you find a killer who has destroyed all the evidence?Detective Erika Foster is on a late-night walk near her new house in Blackheath when she stumbles upon the brutal murder of Vicky Clarke, a true-crime podcaster.Erika is assigned to the case and discovers that Vicky had been working on a new podcast episode about a sexual predator who preys on young female students around South London, staking out his victims in their halls of residence before breaking in at the dead of night.When Erika discovers that Vicky's notes and sound recordings were stolen from her flat at the time of her murder, it leads her to believe that Vicky was close to unmasking the attacker, and she was killed to guarantee her silence.The case takes on a disturbing twist when the body of a young Bulgarian student doctor is discovered in the same building, and this makes Erika question everything she thought she knew about Vicky. With very little evidence, the clock is ticking to find the killer before he strikes again.A very well paced crime thriller, strong story, and such a great character in Erica Foster, strong willed personality, outspoken, always getting in trouble with her bosses, but always solves her cases.Robert created a selection of great characters, adding more for this novel, but great strong side stories adding to Erika's life.Robert always delivers, onto the next Kate Marshall story now.

Erica Foster is a maverick DCI whose instincts take over as she impulsively leaps from one lead to another not frightened to speak her mind or be self deprecating. Her colleagues are great characters and this was an intriguing story line.

I was first introduced to Robert Bryndza books a couple of years ago having been sent an advance copy of the first Kate Marshall book to review. I was immediately drawn in by Robert’s easy to read style of writing, sometimes damaged but always likeable main characters and fast-paced, gripping storytelling.Last year whilst recovering from surgery, I was introduced to and binge-read the DCI Erika Foster series. I was gutted when I reached the end of the final book and hoped there would be more but, of course, Kate Marshall was now on the scene and I assumed Erika would now take a back seat. I was delighted then to be prompted to pre-order “Fatal Witness” and be reintroduced to Erika and team.It was quite a wait for this instalment but it certainly didn’t disappoint. Two murders, mistaken identities, diverse suspects all with seemingly something to hide, car chases, this book has it all. The central characters all return with the introduction of a new character who hopefully will feature more in the next book/s of which I hope there will be many.If you want an easy introduction to police procedurals, crime thrillers etc, Robert Bryndza is your author. Easy to read, fast paced but not uncomfortably so, never overlaid with mountains of detail, just enough to get your sleuthing skills honed, his books have it all.

Always a surprise ending 😊 Never disappointed in this author’s story. Erika is a strong character and always a good plot.

I recently started reading the Detective Erika Foster series and have enjoyed all the books so far. Robert Bryndza is a talented writer who keeps you interested throughout the entire book. It has everything… suspense, mystery, crime and a little bit of romance. I like how the reader sees the main character grow and develop since the first book. She is extremely intelligent but is now able to display some vulnerability that the reader can really connect with. Such a great book and series!

If you like good thriller, I highly recommend this saga.I can’t wait to see what else is coming in the following books

Wow, what a read. I was a bit concerned that it would slow down and became an “automated” story. But nope, it turned out really well! A good strong read, with good character development. Can’t wait for the next one.

Dank für das Buch. Ich liebe diese Schreibe!! Konnte kaum warten. Ich freu mich aufs Nächste! Please, Keep going in writing!