The second book in the Kate Marshall series and I really wasn't sure what to expect as the first book blew me away .


Tbe second book started off a bit slow but it fired up after a few chapters.  It shocked me at first as I find that I am growing to like Kate more and more.


Kate is extremely talented and also flawed.  It's what makes her more attractive of a character.  I really enjoy the fact that her relationships always seem strained and that she fights for everything.  Her desires to in some ways be back as police always seems to shine through. 


Tristan is such an interesting character who has such great potential while I am sometimes wanting to strangle him he still has so much to offer in a story.


The story itself deals around one family and it shows a lot about the priviledge of wealth.  Power of money is very important in this story and I think it permeates everything that happens in the book.


This book really shows how versatile the author is.  Each of his characters are so powerful and quite different.  I started reading this author when he wrote Erica Foster and the book and this character is so different from her it's amazing to see.

I've read and thoroughly enjoyed several books by this author, including the first in this series, Nine Elms. So even though I have at least three pre-release books on my Kindle that have review dates prior to this one, I simply couldn't wait to dive in.

And it certainly didn't disappoint. As this one begins in 2012, ex-cop Kate Marshall continues to put her life together years after an incident involving her ex-husband nearly ruined her life. At age 42, she's out of rehab and sober, but her parents took custody of her son Jake and haven't yet relinquished that designation. Now, she's a university lecturer in criminology, and Jake visits from time to time. Most recently, his visit didn't end well; diving in a reservoir near a hydroelectric plant that covered an abandoned village, they find a buried church - a good find - and a dead body - not so good. When the local police come to investigate, they conclude that the young man's death was accidental.

A few weeks later, however, Kate gets accosted by the young man's mother, who has heard of Kate's former police activity and insists that her son - an Olympic-quality swimmer - couldn't possibly have had an accident like this. Uncertain what to do, she tells her university assistant and good friend, Tristan Harper, that the mother is willing to pay good bucks to find out what really happened. They decide to look into things, trying first to confirm that the coroner's report was at best inaccurate.

Their investigation puts Kate and Tristan at odds with a very powerful local family that owns a vast amount of land near the hydroelectric plant. Meanwhile, one of their female university colleagues goes missing, adding yet another case to be solved and putting all three lives in danger.

From my perspective, it's another hard-to-put-down book in which the action never stops. Many thanks once again to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review it.

Without exclusion, I have relished Robert Bryndza’s work, most notably his character, DCI Erika Foster. Foster is a brilliantly flawed detective carrying some weighty personal baggage. Her flaws, baggage and oftentimes lackluster personality make for a very thoughtful and conversation provoking character profile. However, we’re not here to discuss Erika, rather Kate Marshall, former police officer and sometime private detective. Kate, too, has a sharp and perceptive mind which she puts to good use in Shadow Sands. Like Erika, Kate has some bones in her closet, but that history makes the both of them better judges of people and thereby better detectives.

If you haven’t read the first Kate Marshall, Nine Elms, no worries, Shadow Sands can stand on its own two feet. There are some references to the previous novel and an interaction between Kate’s son and his father that hearken back to Nine Elms, but it’s not a “no go”.

If I was asked to put Nine Elms and Shadow Sands on a scale to determine which the better read was, I would say Elms edged out Sands by a nose. A wealthy family, any one of which could be the murder suspect was just a shade trite for me. The revelation of the actual serial killer also seemed a bit hackneyed to me.

However, there was nothing banal about the strong supportive relationship shared by Kate and her assistant, Tristan. Their solid alliance is instrumental in solving the string of killings and saving a potential victim from the same fate. Kate and Tristan appear poised to launch a new career and I, for one, and looking forward to seeing them stretch their brains and muscles.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Mercer.

After being totally invested in the first series with Erica James. I highly anticipated the second release of the Nine Elms series.
This didn't dissapoint, Kate Marshall the detective turned private detective stumbles upon the body of a young man whilst diving with her son.
Whilst the police conclude accidental drowning, Kate prompted by the young boy's mother soon realises that there is more to this than meets the eye.
Kate and her assistant Tristan dig deeper into the case to discover more and seek justice.
Once again the characters in this book seem real and familiar the multi-layering of this novel leaves you invested in both the plot and the personal lives of the characters.
I loved the reintroduction of the prolific serial killer Peter Conway into the story that reminds you of Kate's vulnerability and bravery.
The clever changing perspectives throughout constantly has you hooked, building suspense until the plot unfolds.
All in all another exciting page turner by Robert Bryndza. I look forward to the next installment of both the characters lives and another dazzling storyline.
Many thanks to both Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for the preview of this novel.

I've been reading Robert Bryndza for years, I loved Coco Pinchard and really enjoyed his first crime series with Erika Foster. This is the first book of the Kate Marshall series that I have read, you can enjoy Shadow Sands without needing to read Nine Elms and whilst Shadow Sands contains spoilers for Nine Elms the teasers have made me really want to read it!
SS was a great read which kept you on your toes, I didn't guess the twist which is always a win.
4 stars.

Wow! My first read by Robert Bryndza and it won't be my last Suspense, creepy, bodies and troubled people doing their best to make their way in the world. Kate ex cop, ex private eye dealing with issues from her past is one tough, troubled ,realistic woman. She's dealing with more than that, but it was a surprise to me, (I had not read book 1, I didn't know there was a book 1 when I requested from NetGalley) and I want you the next reader to be enlightened and troubled as you read the book. Her teachers assistant, private eye assistant Tristian is dealing with things from his own life that are so relatable to people in the world today and woven into the story line. This can be read as a stand a lone, with no issues what so ever. The creepy line with **do you want to touch the stars" will stay with me. If you like thrillers, suspense, looking over your shoulders I highly recommend Shadow Sands! Thank you to Robert Bryndza , Thomas Mercer and NetGalley for the arc. I freely volunteer my thoughts and opinions.

Kate and Tristan are back with a weird case to solve. When a woman goes missing and a boys body is found things start taking twisted turns. The reveal stunned me. It wasn't who I was sure was the guilty party.
Kate is dealing with her relationship with her son Jake. Tristan's character has a lot of growth in this one. This author has a knack for creating characters you feel strongly about. Those you love and the ones you love to hate.
I am going to wait anxiously for the next book!

This is a well written mystery with characters you care about and root for. It is part of a series but is fine as a stand alone book. It has a mix of the character's personal life and their growth and the mystery they are trying to solve

I’ve read an thoroughly enjoyed the whole Erika Foster series by Robert Bryndza but somehow missed the first on this new series featuring Kate Marshall, so I went into book two in the series blind.

Kate an ex cop who spent a small time as a private investigator is now a university lecturer. When she goes diving with her teenage son at a local reservoir, they uncover the body of a young man.

The police quickly rule it as an accidental drowning but Kate isn’t so sure and when she, along with her sidekick Tristan do some more research they find that there have been plenty of missing person cases in the local area that have been unexplained over the years and they fear the may have a serial killer on their hands.
When another woman goes missing they race against time to find her and uncover the killer before it is too late.

I enjoyed this one to a point without being wowed by it. Even though I haven’t read the first in the series, this one feels a bit like a filler book in the series. I won’t go into as I would be going into spoiler territory but that’s the conclusion I’ve reached after the ending and the heavy references here to the first book. Btw there are huge spoilers here about the first book so try to read that one first.

The story is a fairly simple one. You get the feeling it is more complicated than it is. Kate is an interesting character. I wish I had read the first one first as a lot happened in that one it seems.

This one had more than a hint of Silence Of The Lambs about it on more than one occasion. Not the story itself but there a a few scenes which if not an exact copy, certainly heavily influenced and dare I say lifted.

I’m a huge Bryndza fan. I wanted to enjoy this more than I did. It’s fine. It’s a decent read, just not a great read. I have a feeling if I go back and read book one I will enjoy it much more and I’d say the same for book three when that comes about. This felt like a bit of a holding or transition book in the series and perhaps suffers a little from that, even if it is needed in its evolution.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Thomas and Mercer and Robert Bryndza for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Love all of Roberts books, I couldn’t wait to read more about Kate! From the first page I was hooked, and raced to finish, to see how it would end! Would Highly recommend.

I totally enjoyed reading this book. Couldn't put it down. Perfect read at the end of the day. Definitely recommend.

Let me say right off the bat, I’m a huge Robert Bryndza fan. I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve read and I’ve read all his mysteries. This is the second in the Kate Marshall series.
Kate follows Erika Foster as another strong female protagonist. Now serving as a university lecturer, she still maintains a strong interest in solving crimes. So, when the mother of a deceased young man asks her to investigate his death, she doesn’t hesitate to say yes. Right from the get go, there appear to be flaws in the police investigation. When Kate starts to investigate, they quickly change their ruling from accidental drowning to accusing his best friend.
The book moves at top speed. A woman goes missing. Kate and Tristan uncover several other young people who have disappeared near the reservoir over the years. And the police appear incompetent, if not involved in a coverup.
I found Kate to be a very realistic MC. Her struggles with alcoholism are well portrayed. We learn more about both her and Tristan in this book. And Peter Conway even makes an appearance.
Once again, Bryndza delivers a great mystery that’s as taut as piano wires. The scenes with Magdalena had my skin crawling. This is great entertainment. I was thrilled to read there will be a third in the series.
My thanks to netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advance copy of this book.

Shadow Sands is another page turner from Robert Bryndza. I loved the way he brought Peter Conway , serial killer , into the book . He was in his previous work called Nine Elms. This writer never disappoints. Love all of his work and highly recommend it to all mystery lovers.

I’ve always been a fan of this author. He never seems to disappoint. And this book was amazing! Unputdownable! I loved the mystery and the intrigue. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

We've got a heavy-duty suitcase here bursting at the seams with the weight of its contents. So let's unpack all the vital articles that make this one a sure-fire winner.

If you've had the pleasure of reading the first book in this series, Nine Elms, then you've been introduced to Kate Marshall. Bryndza likes his characters complicated and so do we. Case in point, Kate had been a detective constable for the Metropolitan Police back in 1995. She was a dedicated officer until she stepped over the line and had a relationship with her superior, Pete Conway. I'll let you read the details about ol' Pete. Kate left the force pregnant and later took to the bottle for comfort. Her parents fought and won custody of her son, Jake.

Fast forward to 2012 and Kate has a handle on her life and works as a lecturer in Criminology at Ashdean University. Her assistant, Tristan Harper, has a steeltrap mind and sidelines with Kate as an investigator. I commend Bryndza for deepening Tristan's character and widening his presence in this one.

Bryndza swings the storyline over to a mother/son outing. Both Kate and Jake have gained their diving licenses. They've chosen to dive in a reservoir near a hydroelectric plant where a small village is now under water. There in the midst of an old church steeple hangs the body of a young man. Nothing prepares them for a devastating shock like this.

It is this uncanny discovery that will set the stage for the rest of the book. Kate and Tristan will take it upon themselves to find out what happened to this young man. The story becomes more compounded when a young professor from the university goes missing. Are the two connected?

Robert Bryndza even tops off his own superb writing in this latest edition in Shadow Sands. Hence, that ol' suitcase crammed with good stuff that you can't ever leave out. We're treated to more layers in the Kate/Tristan duo and a more bumpy, rolled up relationship between Kate and her son.

Bryndza creates scenes that boggle the mind. Without droppin' a sock out of that suitcase, Bryndza has us living vicariously through that missing professor. Yowzers! Big boys and big girls can legitimately be scared of the dark......with good reason.......with poppin' terror. You've got to lift the lid on that suitcase.......to see for yourselves what is, indeed, inside.

I received a copy of Shadow Sands through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Thomas & Mercer and to the very talented Robert Bryndza for the opportunity.

This is the second book in the series, Nine Elms being the first.
Kate Marshall an ex police officer, is diving in the water near shadow sands with her son Jake when at 20 feet under they find the body of a young man. Police are called and it’s said he drowned accidentally.
She soon learns the circumstances of his apparent death aren’t all they seem so her and her assistant Tristan set out to find out the truth getting mixed up with some intriguing characters on the way.

After reading Nine Elms I couldn’t wait to read Shadow Sands. I find Kate Marshall really likeable, she’s had her issues but she’s changed and is still clearly missing her role as a police officer.
I enjoyed the story and found the book impossible to put down. I really look forward to the next book and if you enjoy a crime mystery then I’d recommend this book.

Reading an ARC or any book by Robert Bryndza is like getting an early birthday present !

Starting with the first chapter to the epilogue the pages will turn quickly.

I love Kate and it was great that you got to know Tristan more, I would hire those two in a heartbeat!

Lots of characters to sneer at, to cheer with and to be suspicious of.

Treat yourself to any of Mr. Bryndza's books, just make sure to include the Kate Marshall series.

Can't wait for Book 3. No pressure!

Thanks to Net Galley and Thomas &Mercer for an intriguing read!

I didn't realize that this was a second in series and haven't had a chance to get caught up. I hope to come back to this in the future but will not be reviewing at this time.

After reading book 1 in this series and being utterly blown away by it I was so excited for book 2. Well yet again I have read an absolutely fantastic detective thriller. This book had me hooked from the very beginning . I was holding my breath at times whilst reading this book. Robert Bryndza has yet again written a superb book.

I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. I have been waiting for this book as the first in the series, was the first book I read from Robert Bryndza. I enjoyed it so much that I went back and read his other books in the Erika Foster series. I was excited to see the on netgalley and I started it as soon as I read it, once I got into it, I couldn’t put it down, it’s a wild ride from start to finish. It was nice to see the relationship between Kate and her assistant Tristan develop and we find out more of his back story.