This is the 2nd book in the Kate Marshall series.
I absolutely loved the Erica Foster and thought nothing could live up to it, but Robert has done it again.
Looking forward to the next installment !
Thank you netgalley for my advanced copy.

What an awesome book! Shadow Sands presents as a detective thriller taking on disappearances and murders, with a troubled lead investigator and her assistant, all set with the foggy Moors as a backdrop. This book pulls you right in from the very first pages and doesn’t stop. The characters are worth investing in, flawed as they might be. Their history is rich and they are well defined. The setting is perfect, with the author providing rich detail about the land and the fog. The feeling put into the characters lives and interactions is at times incredibly intense, and makes you feel as though part of the action as well. I haven’t previously read any works by this author, even the first in the series. I don’t feel it’s necessary to read the first book, but it would likely be enjoyable and provide additional background on the main characters. Despite my lack of experience with this author before, I will definitely put the next book in this series on my to read list!

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: November 3, 2020
Private detective Kate Marshall is scuba diving with her son when they come across the bloated body of a young man. Kate immerses herself into the investigation around young Simon’s death, and when it is ruled accidental, the police immediately drop the case. However, Kate is hired by the young man’s mother to find evidence that the death was not accidental, so Kate and her partner, Tristan, delve into Simon’s past, and pursue their own investigative paths. Kate and Tristan discover that similar deaths have occurred in Shadow Sands, the stretch of land near the dam where the bodies were discovered. When people who are related to the case start dying, Kate realizes that someone has a secret to keep- even if they have to kill to keep it.
I am a big Robery Bryndza fan and even though I have not read the first Kate Marshall novel in this series (“Nine Elms”), I instantly took the chance to enjoy this one. Kate Marshall is not unlike Erika Foster, Bryndza’s crime fighting character from his other novels (which I have read….each and every one), in that she is brazen, broken but exceptionally spunky and independent. She is trying to rebuild a relationship with her teenage son, Jake, and move on from the mistakes she made in her past.
I was fascinated with Kate’s relationship with her former boss-turned serial killer Peter, and I am even more intrigued to read “Nine Elms” now. However, it was not necessary to read the first novel to follow along, as “Shadow Sands” was enough of a gripping and entertaining crime drama on its own.
Bryndza narrates the story from Kate’s perspective, yes, but we also get snippets from Magdalena, the young woman our suspect kidnaps and assaults. This, of course, adds to the intrigue and mystery but also delves a little bit into the mind of a serial rapist and murderer, which of course is right up my alley.
Bryndza delivers another stellar police procedural, and I enjoyed every twisting, turning minute.

Love Robert Bryndza. He writes gripping, exciting page turning books. Couldn't read this one quickly enough. So very looking forward to book three in the series. Very highly recommended.

Shadow Sands is the second book in the Detective Kate Marshall series by Robert Bryndza. I found it a big improvement on the first book. The characters were better developed and the plot of the book better thought out. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

Good read, definitely holds your interest. The idea of scuba diving and seeing a former town under water was quite intriguing. The author Robert Bryndza, does a good job of always having interesting settings for his books, as opposed to the same ole same ole, one sometimes sees in books. I enjoyed the characters of Kate and Tristian, and would enjoy reading more of their investigations. I really fell for the victim Simon, in this story, and his demise was heart breaking, The scenes with the missing college employee were very intense, and palpable. I felt like I was there with Magdalena. Very enjoyable mystery.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for the eARC.

Went into this completely blind, not having read the first book and never having read anything by author Robert Bryndza. With that said, this was definitely a pleasant surprise.
I thought the characters personal lives were explored just enough for them to be interesting and not boring. The main character, Kate, had a back story which was clearly a continuation from the first novel and some of it I thought was unnecessary. It did not really enhance this story at all and the little tidbits into Kate were just repetitive and not character building.
The story of the kidnapper/killer and Magdalena pulled me in. I actually wish the author spent more time on them because he did a great job keeping me invested in what was going to happen. Overall I gave the story 4 stars because of this storyline. Otherwise I would probably give a 3.5.

I enjoyed the story and would recommend.

went into this completely blind—and was both surprised and pleased by how enjoyable it was. although i was gripped from the very beginning, i was initially pretty uncertain as to whether i'd end up connecting to the characters or the writing, since both were a little flat; i suspect this is because i'm unused to the conventions and style of british crime fiction, and as the story really started to pick up, that stopped being an issue. anyway, this is a pretty great book.

shadow sands is the second installment in a series following kate marshall, a university lecturer recovering from alcoholism and struggling to cope with losing her job as a cop and full custody of her sixteen-year-old son, jake, after a case that left her disgraced. when she and jake come across a body while swimming in the shadow sands reservoir, kate—along with research assistant tristan—is thrown into a murder investigation that may be a lot bigger than it seems.

like i said previously, the writing is a bit dry, lacking the emotional punch i craved—this is especially apparent when we're allowed glimpses of kate's personal struggle. similarly, despite kate being a very flawed, deeply human character, i wasn't immediately sympathetic or reeled in by her, although i did really warm up to tristan. by the end of the book, however, i loved kate, too. the antagonists are perfectly antagonistic, the horrors perfectly horrible, and the mystery perfectly mysterious; everything is deeply visceral when the scene demands it, and so well-crafted—i knew this from the opening scene when kate and jake find simon, which made my stomach turn.

the way shadow sands dealt with alcoholism and trauma, as this constant pulsing issue underlying all of kate's life, struck me as being especially sensitive and well-done. i also absolutely adored kate and tristan's friendship—the way she supports him is poignant and so sweet, and their dynamic is a real partners-in-crime sort of thing. there's a bit of family drama which i wasn't as intrigued by, for a myriad of reasons, but i'll get to that.

i think the structure holds up pretty well until the very end, when it falls apart a little trying its best to bind up all the loose ends and fill all the unexplained gaps. the lead-up with the corruption and the bakers is intense, but then it just... falters. this was my major criticism, and what led me to knocking down a star. i think i just wanted the end to be as heart-pounding as everything that came before it, and i didn't get that.

the second issue, which is more minor—some of the side characters are stupid or unlikable to the point of being corny; namely dci henry ko, tristan's future brother-in-law gary, and to an extent, tristan's sister sarah. it was difficult to glean whether this was intended as comic relief—if so, it wasn't all that comical—but especially fell short in the context of tristan's relationship with sarah, which, for much of the book, is pretty seriously strained. these characters just didn't work for me.

i think the best way i can describe my experience with this novel is that it was like reading a mature sort of nancy drew—just something about that not-so-amateur sleuthing, kate's quick wit, and the way the storyline played out overall felt almost nostalgic. and i really liked that! so i think this is a solid 4 star read.

#2 in Bryndza's new Kate Marshall series and it was just ok for me. When Kate and her son are scuba diving in the Shadow Sands Reservoir they find the body of a young man. Although the police rule it an accidental drowning, Kate thinks it was murder and despite not being in law enforcement at all, pushes the police to further investigate. Kate, and her cohort Tristan, do their own research and find that many bodies have actually been pulled from this reservoir over the years. When another young woman goes missing they realize a serial killer has stalked this area for years. This story started out great, but somewhere in the 2nd half it seemed to bog down for me and I never found the WOW factor I always look for. But that won't stop me from reading #3 when it comes out as I have had success with this author in the past. Thanks to Net Galley, the author and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A sincere thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing me with an ebook copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is not my usual genre, I’m more into romance stories and literary fiction however I wanted to take the opportunity to read something from outside my norm. And I am glad I did!! Thank you for opening up my mind to something totally different.

I love all of Robert Bryndza's books, and this new series is no exception. His stories are fresh, unique and edgy, and I always look forward to a new book coming out.

This authors writing is like coming home, it just feels so familiar and easy to read that the book just flys by. You have no worries about whether your going to like the book etc you just settle in for the ride. The characters are likeable and relatable. The settings are excellent. The story is entertaining and engaging. You can really feel the authors knowledge and creativity shine through his writing. I felt this book was like the foundations of what is going to be a great series going forward and I can’t wait! I would have liked a bit more of a investigation side to the story; more clues being found with a few twists as i did feel it was quite easy to work out who the baddie was quite early on but that’s only a slight niggle and doesn’t reflect the enjoyment of reading this author writing! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 stars!

I absolutely love books from this author and really enjoyed the Erika Foster series. This is the second book of a new series focussed on Kate a former police officer who has found herself by chance taking on private detective work. Police corruption, complex psychological issues and fantastic character development a must read!!

When Kate Marshal, a university lecturer, and former police officer, finds the body of a young man floating in the Shadow Sands reservoir, everything points to it being an accident.
But Kate's experience tells her otherwise.
With the help of her university assistant, Tristan, she begins her own investigation. Soon, a young woman goes missing near the reservoir, and Kate realises that her disappearance might be connected to the body she found earlier.


I have one of Robert Bryndza's books on my TBR shelf, so I was happy to be approved for this ARC.
I hadn't realised that this was the second book in the series, but luckily I found that it reads well as a stand-alone novel.
The story contains clear details of the past - as opposed to some series that are usually too vague in that respect, which I find distracts me from the plot at hand - and it made me more curious to read the previous book.
The story follows multiple perspectives, Kate's, Tristan's, and that of the missing woman.
This was a good and entertaining read. It kept my interest throughout, and it had a surprising ending, but I found it lacked the wow factor that could distinguish it amongst the genre.
Overall, it was a nice, easy read, and I do recommend it.

Kate Marshall gets accidentally drawn into the investigation when she discovers a dead body in a reservoir while scuba diving with her son. The death is ruled as an accident but the boys mother pleads with Kate to look into it further.

Kate is not quite an amateur being a retired police officer, and you can feel her frustration at not having the resources she once did but her background allows her insights that a lay person might not see.

The investigation into the reservoir veers off from the original crime and into a much darker and larger investigation including disappearances on foggy nights, a wealthy local family protective of its privacy and potentially police cover ups.

The pacing of the story was good, the characters interesting and I would definitely enjoy reading more of this series.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for the eARC.
At first I was hesitant to read this because serial killer books are low on my list right now. I'm glad I did though, it was a gripping mystery without any creep factor.
Kate and her assistant Tristan are looking into the drowning death of a young man, apparently a great swimmer, whose body was badly cut up, probably by a boat. Kate found the body when she was diving with her teenage son Jake, who's obviously traumatized.
As they delve deeper into the mystery, they discover a number of people have disappeared over the years, all near the same area. The police are no help and the wealthy family who own much of the area around there are positively hostile to their questioning...they're even threatened with a gun.
In her personal life, Kate is unfortunately asked by Jake to meet with his father, the incarcerated serial killer, who was featured in the previous book in the series, Nine Elms. This is the last thing she wants!
Kate and Tristan are appealing characters, the story clips along at a fast and intense pace and I loved the plucky Italian girl. Definitely recommended!

Shadow Sands is the second book in the Kate Marshall thriller series. The author blew me away with Nine Elms, the first book, so I was very eager to see what he had in store for me with his latest offering.

Well, yet again the author did not disappoint. What a start to novel and just thinking of Kate and her son even now as they uncover the dead body sends chills down my spine. Trouble never seems to be far away where Kate is concerned, especially with a past such as hers. I am really enjoying the pairing of her and Tristan and they have all the markings of a great partnership.

We get to know Kate’s trusted side kick, Tristan, more in this book which I loved. I have to admit his sister Sarah wound me up with her attitude and small mindedness and a few times I wanted to give her a good shake. I felt for Tristan as he struggles with certain aspects of his personal life but it all adds in making the main characters more appealing to the reader and by the end, I was desperate to read more from this pair.

The story centres around Shadow Sands which was a great location for a crime book. Kate being an ex copper, hasn’t lost her ability to pick up when something is not right. She also can’t leave things alone which makes things much more interesting. It soon becomes a race against time for the pair and have to say I love how it all ends.

Shadow Sands is a novel that has a lot riding on it. To follow on from such a phenomenal book, the pressure must really have been on the author to create another brilliant novel with expectations undoubtedly being high. Robert Bryndza has more than achieved that with this book though. It is dark, disturbing yet every bit as thrilling as the previous one. I love how he has kept certain aspects of Kate’s past open and I just know there are more thrills and chills awaiting us in future books in the series. Kudos to the author as he has well and truly nailed it.

Another fantastic read in this series. This is better than book one, it had me gripped till the last page.
Looking forward to reading more in this series.

In “Shadow Sands (Kate Marshall #2)” by Robert Bryndza we are thrown back into the life of Kate Marshall. When her and her son are diving, they come across the body of a dead young man. Being an ex-police officer Kate questions how the local police are handling the case.

As Kate and her assistant Tristan work to figure out what happened, a colleague of theirs goes missing. Thinking they are related they must work fast before her time is up.

A nice second book to the series – great characters and the back story is all set up. Looking forward to more of Kate Marshall. I received an ARC of this book through Net Galley and this is my honest review.

Great thriller with interesting characters. Fast paced and exciting with lots of twists and turns and plenty of suspects.