Member Reviews
This is my third book by this author and I haven't been disappointed once. The plots are always intriguing and fast paced with excellent characters and this latest offering is more of the same. Once you start reading the book you have to finish it because they are so intriguing. Very fast paced and I look forward to the next in the series.
Part of a series but can be read as a standalone. Erika Foster is our detective and she stumbled one night in a murder. Lots of twists which keep the reader guessing.
I have really enjoyed the Erika Foster series thus far.
When I saw the blurb for this one, I was thrilled. I am a huge fan of books that involve true crime podcasts- fact or fiction!
I thought this one had everything I love in the series- characters who feel like friends, a fast paced plot and constant drama and clues to keep you on your toes!
I did have the audiobook, but did find the narrator had a slight squeaky tone to her voice that didn't sit well in my ears, so switched back to the ebook version to finish.
Fast paced, entertaining and full of twists and turns. A great thriller. I really enjoy this author.
Fatal Witness is a good detective thriller that keeps you turning those pages as fast as you can. Theres’s twists and turns, with little breadcrumbs that think you’re building the case only for another twist to be thrown in. Imagery is great, character and plot development are fantastic, and it keeps you on the edge of your seat!
Fatal Witness by Robert Bryndza is the seventh instalment in the Detective Erika Foster series but it can be read as a stand-alone. I recommend you read the full series in order to get all the character development and because they are all so good. This book finds Erika once again in the wrong place at the right time. While out picking up dinner, she hears a scream and finds a grisly murder. The victim is Vicky Clarke, a true crime podcaster who has been investigating a serial predator who preyed on students years ago. Unfortunately all the the evidence she has found along with her notes are missing. Erika and her team don't have much to go on, as they are pulled into a murder investigation involving a case of mistaken identity, eccentric and strange witnesses, and a psychopath. When a second victim, a Bulgarian student doctor turns up, the case takes one more strange turn.
I enjoy Robert Bryndza's Detective Erika Foster series, but this one was a bit darker and it has some violent descriptions that might turn off some readers. It was a bit difficult to read. This was a well-plotted story with well-developed characters that pulled me in from the first page. Erika is a smart, independent woman who is still dealing with a lot of things from her past. She has finally decided to start anew and purchased a house to fix up and move into. Her team are brilliant. They work so well together and can feed off one another to come up with great ideas, clues and information. Bryndza created some truly slimy, unlikable suspects that all could have been guilty, which made it even harder to discern the guilty party. This is an extremely tense book that had me on the edge of my seat. I had no idea who the culprit was and the twists just kept coming. Another wonderful Erika Foster book that I highly recommend.
This is the 7th of Bryndza's Erika Foster series. It's the first one I have read. Knowing that, I'm not sure what I have missed out on - other than to say, this was fantastic as a stand alone. I will definitely start to read the rest.
I loved this book, it was a high suspence, high tension and quite dark.
Late one night, after just having moved into her new apartment, Erika comes across a horrific murder of true crime podcaster Vicky Clarke. As Erika and her team start to investigate, it becomes apparent that there is more to the story than meets the eye ... And then another murder happens.
I love the plot and twists, and felt the characters were so well developed I could have had a conversation with them. I'm annoyed I have only just discovered this author and series - yet equally excited that I have so many more to look forward to now!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Raven Street Publishing for mt advanced reading copy.
I have loved the Erika Foster Series since it was introduced to us in 2016 so I was eagerly awaiting this new installment. which is Book 7, Fatal Witness.
One of the main things I always love about Robert Bryndza's books is the incredibly descriptive way he writes. There is so much detail I genuinely feel like I am part of the story. I also love Erika she's a strong, fearless character, described so fantastically, that I feel I know her! She has her flaws and her gruffness and that just makes her an even more lovable character as you can see deep down she's a lovely person who's had some hard knocks.
This book is centered around the brutal murder of true crime podcaster Vicky Clarke. It's discovered that her notes and recording have also been stolen. Was Vicky close to finding her attacker?
And so begins a brilliantly fast paced, action packed story, with some gruesome scenes to get your teeth into, along with fantastic character development. I loved it!!
If you haven't had the pleasure of reading any of the Erika Foster books yet, I really recommend downloading the whole series and reading them from the start. If you enjoy gripping crime thrillers, you will not be disappointed.
Thank you to Netgalley and Raven Street Publishing for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.
An intriguing story with many suspects to mull over and consider. This is my first meeting with Slovakian DCI Erika Foster in this London-based series, though I've read some instalments from Robert Bryndza's other series. The author's writing style is a good fit for me, though here it is a little gruesome and the deep, multilayered, novel with its lurking danger has a nail-biting ending.
The audiobook was narrated very well and I alternated between reading and listening to this novel; listening to the story was a good decision; the narrator's engaging voice has the necessary worth and brings verve to the proceedings. Overall, Fatal Witness is a super book that contains brutality but is still a relatively easy read. Very highly recommended. 😊🔪👍
I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Raven Street Publishing via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.
Huge fan of Robert Bryndza. I have been reading him for years. This novel is another great addition to he Ericka Foster series. I will continue to read his material and recommend it to others.
I started reading Erika Foster books less than a month back, and this is my third book featuring her. I love her strong well-developed character. This book nevertheless is the least satisfying of the three I have read.
Erika Foster has moved homes and is just about settling in. One night, as she is out near her house, she hears screaming in a nearby block and finds a lady who identifies herself as Tess crying and distraught. There is blood all over and the body of a young lady who Tess says was her sister Vicky is on the mattress. There were only a few neighbours around and the behaviour of one of them is somewhat odd. Vicky worked at her sister & her husband’s restaurant part-time and also freelances as a podcaster. Her laptop hard disk has been wiped clean and it seems that a podcast she was working might have brought danger to her doorstep. There are complications of a suspect’s connections, mistaken identity and others to follow.
It is nice to see continuity of characters with Kate Moss, James Peterson and Isaac Strong. Though I jumped from book 2 and book 7, had no trouble reading along. The story is just about average and the pace is slow. The last sections introduce an unexpected twist but feel force-fitted. In all the books, Erika faces a life threating attack at the end – feels very repetitive and unavoidable.
My rating: 3.25 / 5.
It was nice to have a familiar character back. Good story line as ever cannot say how much i enjoyed this book. Great read highly recommend
This is the first Robert Bryndza book I've read and the first in his Detective Erika Foster series. I obtained an advance copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and I'm very glad that I requested it. The book itself starts off with a very gory scene and I was concerned that this wasn’t a book for me, however I kept going and soon found myself sucked in. I thought the book had an excellent plot, I was kept guessing until late in the book as to who the murderer might be, with several possible options suggested. I would recommend this to fans of police procedurals and would definitely look this author out again based on reading this book
Definitely not my favourite Erika Foster.
Something irked me from the beginning in the investigation. It was nice finding Erika's team again and I liked the dynamics between them.
But the investigation kind of annoyed me, it was somehow missing something, I felt it was wrapped up quickly and it didn't help that I couldn't care for any of the other characters.
Fatal Witness by Robert Bryndza is the seventh instalment in the Detective Erika Foster series but it reads well as a stand-alone. This is such a tightly written novel that I now will be looking to read all the preceding books. This is a murder mystery in its highest form. The police procedural is so well-detailed that the reader feels like they are observing the action in person. The mystery begins with a vicious murder, before the victim is introduced to the reader. It shocks and captures the attention. Detective Erika Foster is immediately involved in the case because, while walking in her new neighborhood, she hears a scream which brings her to the murder site. The victim, believed to be Vicky Clarke, is a true crime podcaster who has been investigating a serial predator who preyed on students years ago. All the evidence she had painstakingly uncovered is missing. This leaves Erika and her team without much to go on. This mystery has an original and fascinating plot. The characters, whether good or criminal, are shown in great detail and the reader will have no clue who the criminal is. The tension keeps the pages turning and the author takes his time with the conclusion. This is a superior novel to be enjoyed by anyone who enjoys a plausible mystery. Highly recommended. Thank you to Raven Street Publishing, NetGalley and the author for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
While I’ve read many in the Detective Erika Foster series, this latest can be read as a standalone. It is an adult British murder mystery set mostly in London.
Another chilling crime investigation starts out with a heinous attack close to Inspector Detective Erika Foster’s newly purchased fixer upper. Her team includes longtime friend (occasional lover) DI Peterson, officer Moss and Detective Crane, and the pathologist Isaac.
An aspiring actress turned podcaster is brutally murdered. The area has several units close together with Charles Wakefield the caretaker at some of the rental properties. He is an odd, off-putting individual always lurking about. The victim’s sister and her chef husband live close by. Two nursing students are rarely home, but are interviewed. Even with all this, the CCTV, DNA, autopsy, checking alibis and interviews, the leads are scarce.
Erika hasn’t even unpacked moving boxes or purchased furniture and has little time to do so. She is taking small steps towards a life without Mark, her slain husband. She still hates the politics in the office, but is attempting to play nice. A chance encounter with a long ago high school boyfriend, from her native Slovakia, holds possibilities.
Then the case takes a dramatic turn. Everything plotted out about the victim is upside down, the team has to take a new direction. The secrets and cover-ups pile high, evidence is a dead end, and it seems they are no closer to the truth. The subject of the victim’s final podcast becomes a critical focus of the investigation.
The pace of the story is good, making it hard to find a place to take a break. The action is suspenseful and the clues made it difficult to settle on a perpetrator. Will be looking forward to the next In this authors series.
Many thanks to NetGalley for the advance digital copy of “Fatal Witness: Erika Foster #7” and to Robert Bryndza and Raven Street Publishing. These are my honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily.
I enjoyed this book even though I had not read any prior books in this series. I loved the characters and the overall story. I think that the epilogue should have been the final chapter. I am one of those readers that read the epilogue, but if you don't read it, then you would be missing some important parts! Overall, if you enjoy detective thrillers/mysteries, then you would enjoy this one!
det. Erika Foster is walking home from dinner when she discovers a grizzly murder.. Only to discover that the murder victim is not who was initially id'ed. The original intended victim, Vicky, was in hiding with a friend. Once she returns will she be the target again. Thanks netgalley.
After waiting so long for another Erika Foster installment, i really thought perhaps i had lost interest or it wouldn't have the same feel as the preceding books. Oh how i was wrong! And gladly so. Robert has hit it out of the park with the now seventh novel in the Erika series. Such a gripping mystery and i truly had no idea who did it! I do love when i can't predict the ending.
Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is my first book by this author. I don’t usually take books written by males as I usually don’t like them as much. At least not this type. But this is an exception. The only other male authors that I love are Stephen King and possibly a handful of others. This book was great. From start to finish it was over the top good. I throughly enjoyed it. Even though I have not read any of the others in this series this one was so good.
It held my interest and kept me turning the pages all the way to the dramatic finish. I felt for the characters and the descriptions were perfect to pull you in.
Thank you #netgalley, #RobertBryndza #RavenStreetPublishing for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book without giving one thing away.
5 stars and a high recommendation.