Have you ever loved reading and yet the world just doesn’t let you get to it as much? I have honestly had such a hard time getting into reading this last couple months that Shadow Sands is just what I needed Robert Bryndza books are such a joy that I feel more like myself after reading this. Shadow Sands is a beautifully written thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat from page one. Nine Elms is book one in the Kate Marshall and while Shadow Sands can be read as a standalone, I really do recommend you read it first. You will not only fall in love with Kate and the cast of intellectual people that have been penned you will also feel like you are solving the case with them.
This installment is two years after Nine Elms it packs a punch just like book one. In this installment Kate and her son Jake find a dead body of a young man while on a diving trip. From the beginning the prologue draws you in and chapter one shows you that this book will be like that movie Speed where you just can’t take your foot of the gas. While the ending is satisfying and I can see the direction of where the series is going I was truly sad that it was over. I know I haven’t said much on what actually happens but I am afraid to give too much away because I feel like you really should enjoy this like a great cup of coffee.

I will say that I loved catching up with Kate. The way that Robert Bryndaza writes his characters you get a sense that they are beautifully flawed and to me that makes the read more enjoyable. Kate has gone through a ton of things in Nine Elms and she will continue to be put through her paces in Shadow Sands. Tristian is also back in this installment and I can’t have my Kate fix without him. I loved how Tristian got more dimension in this book and I am hoping that he continues to grow in the next book.

If this is your first book by Robert Bryndaza book welcome to the party. If you love crime thrillers I can tell you that this is going to be a first class well researched book that is worth your time. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves to read. If you are looking for other books you will also love Girl in the Ice. Five Stars all the way this was great.

This is the second outing for Kate Marshall and Tristan. Kate finds a young man drown in a reservoir that she is diving in with her son. She had been exploring an underwater village that had been sacrificed and flooded when the reservoir had been constructed some years earlier. The young man had been a strong champion swimmer and neither Kate nor his mother believes that it was an accidental death.

It isn’t long before the list of missing persons in the area grows the further back in records that they look, along with a creepy legend that the fog rolls in and takes someone as it retreats. Kate and Tristan face major opposition from the local owners of the land, who seem far too threatening towards them. When someone Kate and Tristan knows becomes the next person to go missing they are determined it won’t be dismissed so easily.

Tristan is also facing his own crisis at home, where he lives with his older sister and her soon to be husband. Feeling terribly hurt he throws himself in his work with Kate and becomes even more determined to find where the missing woman could be.

So many people in this story make too many judgements on others lives, drawing their own conclusions and not listening. It made me feel so terribly frustrated at such attitudes.

The continuing cast of characters from the previous book seems to lift off the pages and become people of substance even more and the layers of who they are peeled back further. Kate’s dark years that followed the Nine Elms killings and Tristan’s hidden life that petrified him, terrified that he would lose his family and friends.

Kate has again to face her past and accept that her son is growing up and wanting to find his own way. I must admit that I am intrigued with him myself. What a legacy he has to carry! I am loving the pairing of tutor and pupil, Kate and Tristan and already hungry to know what is next for them both. I am sure it will be dark whatever it is.

I wish to thank the author and NetGalley for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.

Is there a active serial killer hiding in plain sight???
Shadow Sands is the second book in the Kate Marshall Thriller series. I have not read the first book and I feel you can read this book as a stand alone. Though I would like to read the first book just to know the back story.
The main characters, Kate and Tristan, are likeable. They work well together and are fun to get to know.
Definitely a intriguing police procedural with thriller moments as well as mystery and suspense.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author, Robert Bryndza, fir the opportunity to read and give my honest review about this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

I got this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I ended up really liking this book! It is the second in a series and I wound up not reading the first, but the important bits of book 1 are summed up and expanded in this book and not related to the mystery featured in book 2. So it ended up being fine.

I have to say, I really like Kate. I too have a son I don't have custody of (for different reasons involving health insurance and not addiction), so it was great for me to see a mother who still cares but is not a primary caregiver. I also liked Tristan and how he was brave enough to be honest about himself with the people he cares about. All in all I will definitely be going back for book 1 and then continuing with this series!

📚 𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊 / 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝗪 📚⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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Title: #ShadowSands⁣
Author: @robertbryndza⁣
Publisher: @amazonpublishing⁣⁣
Pub Date: 11/3/2020⁣⁣
Type: #Ebook (thanks @netgalley!)⁣
Total Pages: 310⁣⁣⁣
Genre: #Mystery #Thriller⁣ ⁣#CrimeFiction⁣
Must Read Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⁣⁣⭐⁣
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My thoughts:⁣
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Guys. If you're not reading books by Robert Bryndza, what is wrong with you?! No seriously, he is an incredible author that I stumbled upon earlier this year because #bookstagrammademedoit with his novel, #NineElms and my obsession has not faltered. I think about that book constantly and was desperate to see what Kate Marshall was up to in this next installment of the series.⁣
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This book was excellent ... dark, twisty and super intense! I find myself unable to put his books down, so make sure you carve out some time to read this one. I love popcorn POV's and this one did not disappoint, though I really wanted more chapters featuring the serial killer (because I am a huge weirdo and their actions/intentions fascinate me). We also take a trip down memory lane, when Kate visits Peter in jail (trust me...just read Nine Elms so everything makes sense) and those chapters were CREEPY. All in all, a wonderful follow-up to a book series I'll gladly binge read as the novels publish ... thank you Netgalley for my #ARC!

Shadow Sands by Robert Bryndza
A Kate Marshall Thriller #2

Chilling, creepy, killer abducting, terrorizing, torturing, and killing unsuspecting young people is the focus of the case Kate takes on in this book. A young man dies and then a professor where Kate teaches disappears and the hunt is on to find out where she is and what really happened that caused Simon’s death. Great book!

What I liked:
* Kate: smart, tenacious, methodical, uses her police background wisely, flawed but likable. I am invested in hearing more about her.
* Tristan: a great investigator, supportive, good brother, shares a personal truth in this book, likable and a great person for Kate to have as her assistant.
* Jake: Kate’s son is mature for his 16 years on earth. I have a feeling there will be more about him in the future.
* The many threads followed in pursuit of finding the evil person doing wicked things and how it was all tied up in the end.
* Magdalena: admirable woman with internal strength that was amazing
* The plot, writing, twists, turns, and surprises
* That the baddie was caught in the end

What I didn’t like:
* Knowing that psycho sickos exist and do the horrible things they do
* The Baker family all seemed a bit off the deep end and overly entitled
* Having to wait for the next book to be ready to read.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series/by this author? Definitely!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tomas & Mercer for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

I really enjoy the Erika Foster books by this author. Somehow I did not realize he also had started a series involving Kate Marshall, therefore I did not read the first book Nine Elms. Regardless this book had a great beginning but lost some of its intensity as the book progressed. Kate’s past is revealed in this book and her time in policing gave her the edge in solving a multiple of crimes in this book. The book just left me wondering how so many deaths and missing people were not investigated by this small town police force . There were just some events that just did not seem plausible. For the most part I found the majority of the characters dishonest and unlikeable.

I thought this was a good second installment in the series.

I like the way the main characters are growing and their relationships are developing. But, I don't think that Peter needed to be included in this story. I find his story line to be unnecessary and distracting. The series is supposed to be about Kate Marshall and her relationships and cases should be enough. We could happily move on without him.

Otherwise, I found the story interesting. I enjoy Robert Bryndza's writing. I really like Kate and Tristan and I look forward to reading more about them.

Shadow Sands takes us back into former-DC, now University lecturer, Kate Marshall's world.
While out scuba diving with her son in Shadow Sands reservoir, Kate discovers the body of a young man. She reports it and while unimpressed by the new DCI, she is more concerned about how it has affected her son Jake at that time and leaves it to the police.
When she is approached a few weeks later by the dead boys mum asking her to look into her some death further, Kate is more than happy to.
With her trusty assistant Tristan, they start to look into the suspicious circumstances surrounding his death and uncover a lot more than they bargained for.
I really enjoyed how the main characters are developing, particularly Tristan and am looking forward to seeing what they get up to next!

In the newest book of Robert Bryndza's Kate Marshall series, Kate discovers the floating body of a young man while diving with her son Jake. Following up on the investigation they discover a string of missing people interwoven with local legends. When another young woman goes missing, Kate and her assistant Tristan are set on solving the mystery and hopefully save a life.
I have to say that I had high expectations for this book since I have read and loved the previous work by Robert Bryndza (Coco Pinchard, Erika Foster, and the first book in the Kate Marshall series). Also in his newest book, he manages to draw the reader in from page one. The writing style is unpretentious and serves the storyline.
I especially enjoy the author's ability to paint the scene, allowing you to form a mental image of the surroundings of the characters. Rather than losing himself in too many details, the author manages to tie in with the reader's own experiences, leaving me with the feeling that I could draw up each scenery. I felt I was in the scene and could feel the mood of the characters. The main characters are flawed and well developed and clearly another one of the author's strengths. The only character I found a bit flat was Magdalena. She felt a bit stereotypical Italian in places. However, this did not hurt the story.
The storyline is fast-paced and if anything I wished the author would have given certain scenes a bit more room. Without wanting to provide spoilers, I wished the author would have dwelled a bit longer on the relationship between Tristan and his sister or Jakes's feelings towards his father. Also, I would have liked more sections from the killer's point of view.
Speaking of Tristan, I very much enjoyed getting a bit more of a glimpse into Tristan's personality and I hope the author will keep developing this character further. I am also curious about where the relationship between Jake and his father will lead.
One very tiny remark on some wording. To me, it seemed weird that the mother spoke of the "beautiful body" of her son being injured. However, seeing the friend's description of the mother/son relationship I thought it could be a hint towards the mother's obsession with her son's athletic accomplishments. I would love to hear the author's thoughts on this.
In conclusion, I can definitely recommend the book to any lover of a great storyline and absolute page-turners. This book fully stood up to my high expectations! I finished it in 3 days and it would have been 1, would I have had more time. I cannot wait to read more from Robert Bryndza.

“The internationally bestselling author of Nine Elms and The Girl in the Ice Robert Bryndza is back with a nail-biting new Kate Marshall case, a woman with a dark secret and a powerful sense of justice”
Another stunning read from Robert. A young man and his friend have been camping at Shadow Sands reservoir. The young man, an excellent swimmer, is found dead in the water by Kate Marshall when diving with her son. Kate used to be in the police force but is now working as a Professor lecturing. In the past her and her business partner Tristan Harper have also done P.I work and it looks like they have another case as suspiciously the police rather too quickly put the death down as accidental. Something the man's mother disputes. The family owning the reservoir and visitor centre are less than welcoming to say the very least and threaten Kate and Tristan with a gun when they have look around the campsite. This is the second in the Kate Marshall series but will happily stand alone. We are now getting to know more about both Kate and Tristan, each having their own demons in life. Kate is a strong tenacious character but with her own weaknesses like all of us. I really enjoy this series and look forward to the next instalment. A brilliantly entertaining read.
For more reviews please see my blog http://nickibookblog.blogspot.co.uk/
or follow me on Twitter@nickisbookblog
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Shadow Sands is the second instalment to feature Police Detective Constable turned Ashdean University Criminology lecturer and Private Investigator Kate Marshall. Kate is on a scuba-diving trip with her 16-year-old son, Jake, when they dive toward a shocking discovery: the body of a teenage boy entangled below the surface of the man-made Shadow Sands reservoir. The victim turns out to be 18-year-old Simon Kendal, who had been camping with his mate, Geraint Jones. The police and coroner have ruled his death an accident but Simon’s mother, Lyn, pleads with Kate to get to the truth of the matter whatever that may be, as she believes there's something more sinister at play. Ably aided by prodigious research assistant Tristan Harper, they both realise early on that the DCI’s too-quick narrative of a tragic drowning doesn’t add up. Only after anomalies in the post-mortem results are the police forced to concede that Simon was murdered. Meanwhile, Tristan finds himself a suspect in the abduction of Italian professor Magdalena Rossi, and as he and Kate investigate they realise just how dangerous and powerful those involved in the kidnapping really are.

This is a riveting, gritty and fast-paced read which has dark, intense undertones and a plethora of twists, turns, danger and exciting developments. You are always in for a treat with Bryndza thrillers as he knows exactly what crime connoisseurs want and provides it by the tonne. This is one serial killer thriller that I devoured; I found the tension palpable, so much so that my heart was pounding and my palms were sweaty as Kate and Tristan raced to save the lives of those who could be in future peril. We learn much more about both Kate and Tristan’s pasts and personal lives in this book and it certainly shows that Bryndza takes care to craft protagonists who are interesting, engaging and realistic. In fact, their lives are almost as compelling as the central plot and sometimes they overlap. Kate continues to work through the trauma of her past relationship with serial killer and ex-boss, Peter Conway, which had driven her to drink in the past. All in all, an unmissable and utterly absorbing page-turner that'll be thoroughly enjoyed by long-term fans and new Bryndza readers alike. Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

Robert Bryndza has again come up with a cracker of a book.

Some time has passed since the events of Nine Elms. Rather than pursue her notions of becoming a private detective Kate Marshall is back lecturing. But fate it seems has other ideas. On a scuba dive in a local reservoir she and her son are horrified to kind the body of a young man. It's quickly ruled as been an accident - too quickly for Kates liking. She was once a police detective so knows the procedures. Her gut tells her something isn't right. So when the boys mother approaches her and asks her to look into it she doesn't need much persuasion. Again her friend and one time partner in detection Tristan Harper is on hand to help. But soon its apparent there's something fishy going on at the Shadow Sands Reservoir....the young man wasn't the first body found there. And if Kate and Tristan can't persuade the uninterested local police he might not be the last.

So I have to say I'm still really missing Erika Foster. I had two favourites that I could absolutely not miss and she was definitely one of them. But Kate....well Kate is a bit different. She's more fragile, warmer and shut out from the police job she loved so much. She's steadier but always on the brink of some disaster be that the bottom of a bottle or rushing into danger. And for me the first EF book was just quite good then the series became brilliant. Kate is starting great and heading rapidly towards fantastic. Looking forward to much more from this series.

I am glad I found the Kate Marshall mystery series that begins with a man in the wrong place at the wrong time and a little late Kate and her son find the body of the young man while swimming. Kate wants to remain full time at the University, but finds herself pulled back into private detective work. As with all good mystery series, the reader learns more about the characters as the series progresses. It is a fast paced mystery that can be read as a stand-alone, but I recommend reading the previous book as well.

Kate Marshall #2

Kate and her son Jake are on a scuba trip on a reservoir when they discover the body of a young man. The police quickly close the case but the mother of the dead man asks Kate to further investigate the case. Kate believes that there has been a cover up over the young man's death. 5hen a young Italian lecturer from the University goes missing without trace. Kate learns she's not the only person who had vanished.

We met Kate and Tristan in Nine Elms, the first book in this series. Kate is flawed but that makes her more likeable. We get to know Tristan a bit better too. There were parts of the book I found a little slow but it didn't spoil my enjoyment. There's a few twists to keep your interest. The story is told from Kate's perspective with snippets from Magdalena. This is another well written mystery that will keep you guessing.

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #ThomasMercer and the author #RobertBryndza for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Nothing I enjoy more than a twisty suspenseful murder whodunit. Kate has incredible instincts for hunting bad guys. Her protege, Tristan, is eager to learn and seems to be an intelligent side kick. Kate has a past that was addressed in Nine Elms. This time we see Peter again briefly but Tristan is the one with personal baggage. He’s an interesting guy and someone I hope we get more of. Several times I think I had it solved and then Kate took me on a new clue, quite clever. Netgalley provided my copy but my review was provided voluntarily. Always a favorite author for me.

I always enjoy reading Robert Bryndza's books, and this one was no exception.

Kate is back and although she is no longer a police officer, it doesn't stop her from doing a bit of investigating as a private citizen, even more so when when she is out and about with her son and comes face to face with a victim of crime.

As always, there are graphic, heart-stopping moments when it comes to this case. There were times when I just couldn't concentrate on things in my everyday life, because I was thinking about the latest victim, being held by a madman. I had trouble reading this in bed just before sleep as well, this book was not conducive to restful sleep! The story flowed well, I liked Kate and Tristan's characters and wonder what the future holds for them.

Great book. Looking forward to the next one in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publishing house for the opportunity to read a complimentary advance reader copy of this book in return for review based upon my honest opinion.

I’ve read every book this author has written, and I’ve loved every one. This is the second series of his that I’ve read, I didn’t think I could like this one more than the first series but I do. This is the second book in the Kate Marshall series, I do not think you would have to read the other book to get the gist of this one but you might want to anyway because it was fantastic and gives some back story to Kate.

When Kate and her son Jake a road scuba diving in a man-made lake on his last day of break with her, they find a body. When Kate is contacted by the dead teen’s mother because the police have ruled this an accidental drowning and she does not believe it, Kate also has questions and she delves into try to find the answer. Next we discover people have been going missing for years. Will Kate and her assistant Tristan get themselves in danger, and the overall question is why are people going missing in the fog out by the reservoir.

I really enjoyed learning more about Tristan and Kate. Cannot wait to see where this series goes next.

This is the second book in a series featuring Kate Marshall, a former DC in the Met Police, now a lecturer in criminology at Ashdean University in Devon. Kate had left the Met under a cloud when her lover and former boss turned out to be the notorious Nine Elms serial killer. But her past years spent as a detective never allow her to find the peace she wants as she rebuilds her life in Thurlow Bay for there's a new mystery to solve after she and her son, Jake, find a dead body in the Shadow Sands reservoir on a SCUBA dive. NO SPOILERS.

Kate is an interesting character with her history of alcoholism and the grief she experiences over lost time with her now teenage son. She's had to overcome a lot of personal and professional turmoil and is slowing getting her life back together. She and her research assistant at the university, Tristan Harper, have an interesting partnership as they work as unofficial private detectives in this case. I like the further development of their characters in this story and am looking forward to seeing what comes next for them.

The book was fast-paced and I've long been a Bryndza fan and enjoyed his other thrillers as well. I was thoroughly entertained and read in a single sitting. I'm ready for #3 and will try to be patient as I wait. I don't think this works well as a standalone as Kate's backstory is very important so be sure to read the first before picking up this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this e-book ARC to read and review.

I’m such a huge fan of Robert Bryndza and his writing-he delivers incredibly gripping pageturners with likeable and relatable main characters and his Erika Foster series is one of the best crime series out there. I had been worried I wouldn’t take to Kate Marshall as much as Erika but after the brilliance of Nine Elms, I knew this new character would work perfectly! Kate Marshall has had a difficult life and really been through some major traumas but she’s come through everything with a strength of character that makes her an intriguing woman. She commands respect due to her respect of others and she is not afraid to show her fears and acknowledge the things that have happened to her previously have lead to those emotions. Her determination to discover the truth makes her a natural leader and that is shown in the relationship she has with Tristan, her research associate.

Sometimes I forgot that Kate wasn’t a police officer anymore as those qualities she commanded as a serving police officer followed her in her private investigation into how the body of a young man man turned up in a local reservoir. Due to the fact that Kate herself had found the body when she was diving with her son Jake, there was a personal connection driving her on and once Kate gets involved then she is invested until the very end! As you can tell, I love her and enjoy how Robert Bryndza peels back the layers of her personality, exposing the true emotions of the woman who refuses to be defined by her past.

Shadow Sands has an intriguing storyline full of twists and turns that meant I had no idea who was behind the crimes that were taking place! The location of Shadow Sands and the descriptions of when the fog came rolling in meant that there was a feeling of menace throughout that gave me goosebumps. The other threads that ran through the narrative also served to keep me on the edge of my seat. There was a claustrophobic atmosphere that enveloped me every time the storyline peered into the makeshift prison of one of the victims just like that “killer” fog that appeared alongside its companion of evil. Honestly, Shadow Sands really is one hell of a creepy thriller!

If you’ve not read Nine Elms then I do recommend you read that book first-especially as you will then get to meet a vicious serial killer who makes a surprise cameo appearance in Shadow Sands (which does contain spoilers for Nine Elms). And I’m hoping that’s not the last we see of him either as he certainly seems to have more up his sleeve and I don’t think he has finished with either Kate or her son Jake yet-worryingly for them!

I loved Shadow Sands and couldn’t put it down. It’s a dark and compelling read with an exceptionally good female lead character so make sure you don’t miss it! Truly terrifying!