Member Reviews

Yay, Erika Foster is back with another explosive case. Having moved house she's on the spot when she hears a scream from a nearby flat. Rushing in she's confronted with a dead body and a women crying that it's her sister Vicky. Finding out Vicky has been recording crime podcasts Erika and her team suspect that Vicky got too close to a perpetrator. But it becomes a lot more complicated than that very quickly.
A great storyline that had me enthralled throughout. This is my favourite in the series so far.

Was this review helpful?

This is the latest in the Erika Foster series. Erika is a DCI at a London station, is highly regarded by her team and works well under pressure.

I haven’t read any of the previous books in this series, but it made no difference at all, it’s extremely well written and is a good standalone. Author has it spot on with his writing, a joy to read.

The red herrings come thick and fast and the speed at which the plot unravels is very punchy. Good characterisation and an interesting, absorbing plot made this one to recommend.

Thank you NetGalley.

Was this review helpful?

I was really looking forward to this book but was a let down by it as it just didn’t deliver for me sort of speak, didn’t find the writing great, very basic storyline and just not for me ….

Was this review helpful?

Detective Erica Foster has just moved to a new town when she hears a scream on the way back from collecting her dinner. A terrible scene confronts her when the scream belongs to the sister of a woman who has been brutally murdered. The victim is a true crime podcaster and Erica tries desperately to discover whether her murder could be connected to the podcasts she was working on.

I wasn't aware that this was a series of books when I started reading, but that really made no difference, Final Witness can absolutely be read as a stand alone novel. Gritty and tense, with a tangled web of twists and turns, this one kept me guessing until the end. Although I hadn't had the background on Erica I'm sure was contained in the previous novels, there was still plenty of information to give us a good feel for her character and the trials she'd already faced in her life;

I think I'm going to have to go and hunt down the first 6 books in this series to give them a try too!

Was this review helpful?

Woohoo, she’s back! I’ve missed DCI Erika Foster. This series is one of my favourites. Robert didn’t disappoint keeping me on my toes as he developed the story and kept me guessing to the end. Highly enjoyable & thoroughly recommended 5⭐️

Was this review helpful?

*5 Stars*

Copy kindly received via NetGalley for an honest review.

This was a very good read. The storyline was interesting. Great characters. Made me think. Liked the ending. Would recommend.

Was this review helpful?

Fatal Witness is the seventh instalment in the Erika Foster series and it definitely did not disappoint!

The book opens with Erika literally walking into the murder of Vicky Clarke by chance. What follows is an investigation into her murder and the seemingly intertwined lives of the occupants of the block of flats Vicky lives in. Erika and her team delve into the lives and deaths of the neighbours of Honeycomb Court in an attempt to unravel the mystery of the budding true crime podcasters death.

This book is so full of well written characters that you want to dive into and reveal their true stories! There’s the eclectic resident weirdo Charles, the well to do Henrietta who owns the building, Vicky’s sister Tess who is disapproving of her sisters lifestyle whilst trying to hold together her own marriage and business and Vicky’s closest friend Sophia plus Sophia’s highly strung sister Maria.

Erika suspects that Vickie may have uncovered something which has led to her death while investigating a series of attacks on young girls who were auditioning for places at Goldsmiths Acting Academy. Coincidentally her strange neighbour Charles was the janitor while these attacks took place, the plot thickens!

There are lots of twists and turns in this books and just as you are sure it is heading in one direction and you think you’ve solved the case in your head then something comes along that will blindside you! Rest assured this book will keep your attention, I could have read this book easily in one sitting if it was not for the fact I had to work!!

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys crime fiction and even to those who don’t! I love how Bryndza spins a story and his ability to create characters that you both relate but also aspire to be like! The ease of which he describes the characters and their personalities makes it easy for you to picture them vividly in your head. I cannot wait for future instalments of this series and to see the development of Erika Foster and her team and where this leads them!

Was this review helpful?

Readers who know and love Erika will enjoy spending time with her again as she skates dangerously close to the edge in her efforts to solve two murders. I loved the insights into the decidedly non-glamorous aspects of life in the police force as well as seeing Erika let down her guard a bit and accept help. She is a strong character and not always very likeable, and I think she is all the more real because of it. Brilliantly written, that kept me hooked from the first page. At times I just couldn’t read quick enough to find out what was going to happen next.

Was this review helpful?

I was hooked from the beginning. The cast of characters was likeable and believable and the plot was tight and fast-paced.

This is the first book written by Robert Bryndza I've read. Now I'm kicking myself thinking why did I wait so long?

Thanks to Raven Street Publishing and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

This is the best of the series. I was sucked into the mystery and stunned by the reveal. Erika has a lot of growth in this one and I'm starting to really like her. I'm not a James fan so the appearance of Igor made me happy. I forsee some drama coming. The case is more complex than expected and I was drawn into the action. I'm looking forward to the next book.

Was this review helpful?

Well, well well. How freaking awesome it was to be back reading an Erika Foster story. My word I'd forgotten how good this series was. What a truly amazing author Mr Bryndza is. Thank you for bringing Erika back into my life.

Well worth the wait, love, love, loved it. Easily worth 5 stars and more. I really wasn't sure what to expect after such a gap in this series. I wasn't let down, that's for sure. Right back into the action with Erika. After the 1st chapter it was like we'd never been parted.
As always, this author's writing style is phenomenal. Gripping, exciting, full of tension and leaving you gasping for more.
loved catching up and being re-introduced to an amazing kick ass character.

First class read as always. Now I need more, and I need it NOW!









#ErikaFosterReturns #NetGalley.

Was this review helpful?

This was such a good read. Well written with a compelling storyline and twists and turns galore. This book was so unpredictable it kept me turning pages and sitting on the edge of my seat. I loved it.,

Was this review helpful?

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review "Fatal Witness", the latest in the Erika Foster series. I have been following this series from the beginning, and was thrilled to be approved for this one.
Have to admit, the rather gruesome beginning to this one made me pause - for a moment - and then rush on to get to the investigation.
Of course, on the personal front, Erika has just bought her first home, and it's a bit of a fixer-upper to put it mildly. There's a bit of humour in her attempt to purchase a bed, after nights sleeping on the floor, and that leads to an interesting meeting with someone from her past.
Meanwhile, the team begins a deep dive into the murder of a young woman that turns out not to be what it appears at the beginning, leading to a series of events and the discovery of historical assaults and cover ups. And Erika ends up in peril from an unforeseen source!
Mr. Bryndza has a knack for creating mysteries that unravel at a rapid pace, and this one was no different. I could have probably read it in one sitting (not because it's short, but because I just couldn't stop turning the pages), but I managed to hold on for a couple of days.
Highly recommended as either a standalone or series read.

Was this review helpful?

Bryndza's Fatal Witness is the seventh novel in his Britain-based Erika Foster police procedural series, but don't feel that it is too late to start this series. This one works just fine as a standalone novel. Erika is a Slovak-born police detective whose husband, also a police officer, was killed by a drug dealer in the line of duty. As this novel opens, Erika has just moved to a new neighborhood in London and has not even furnished her new home yet. However, such nesting instincts can wait because no sooner does she land there then, on the way home from fish and chips, she hears a cry for help. What follows is a well-constructed story of a murder investigation with all the usual twists and turns that is an easy read and leaves the reader guessing who the ultimate culprit is until the bitter end.

Was this review helpful?

I enjoyed this book, i have read others by this author and have liked them as well, an easy read, with likeable main characters and interesting mystery to solve. Who is the murdered young woman and is it related to a true crime podcast. Many suspects along the way.

Was this review helpful?

Great to catch up again with Erika Foster and her team. A great read as always by Robert Bryndza.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me the chance to read it.

Was this review helpful?

Love the character of Erika, totally knew the perpetrator from the beginning, changed my mind multiple times and still had it wrong at the reveal!
A great read, set aside a few hours as you will not want to put it down!

Was this review helpful?

“The last thought that went through her head before she lost consciousness was that people would think she had had a car crash … and the killer would get away with it.”

Erika’s just moved into her new house in Blackheath and heads out for dinner only to be caught up in a brutal murder of a local actress and true crime podcaster.

Erik discovers that the victim was working on a new episode about a sexual predator who prayed on young students. The notes and recordings were stolen from the victims flat at the time of the murder and Erika realises that the victim knew her murder.

The case takes a twist when another body is found in the same building. The clock is tricking and the team need to discover who the murderer is before the killer strikes again.

I was so damn excited to jump back into Erika’s world that I ended up finishing this in one sitting. Book Seven in the Detective Erika Foster was every part as captivating as the other 6 novels. I feel in love with this series years ago and have really enjoyed the wild ride that’s is Erika life. If you’re looking for a police/mystery/thriller series to start look no further.

Was this review helpful?

A gripping and rollicking read, and what a ride for Erika! I’ve read all the Erika Foster series and the pace and adventures haven’t missed a beat. I am a fan of books where the series is helpful, but not necessary and Robert Bryndza does a great job of writing these books in a way where you don’t need to remember everything from before. Well written and recommended.

Was this review helpful?

I’ve long been a fan of the Erika Foster series and was pleased to receive this, the 7th in the series. Sadly I was rather underwhelmed.

The tensions which were so apparent in the earlier books seemed to be lacking and the finale and denouement were somewhat rushed and frankly unbelievable.

I’m disappointed to be negative in my review and I do hope that in the next story the author will return to the heart-stopping narratives we have become used to.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Was this review helpful?