Member Reviews
I have always enjoyed Robert Bryndza’s books. His writing is always so brilliant! The latest Kate Marshall installment begins with a child going missing in the middle of the night during a camping trip. On the other hand, Kate has a terrifying, near death accident and for a minute there, I thought Bryndza had gone the George R. R. Martin way and decided to just kill the protagonist. Luckily, Kate survived and took on the case to find Charlie, a 3-year-old who went missing 11 years ago.
Missing child cases are always so hard to read. I have heard of cases where kids just vanish, never to be seen again. Families are left broken, unable to move on and grappling with the hopelessness of not knowing. There is a case in Kenya about a woman who has been searching for her 4-year-old twin sons since 2012. I can’t begin to imagine the emotional turmoil and anguish. When Charlie disappeared in the night, Jean’s family was destroyed and remained so for over a decade.
This was quite a hard case to crack. There were so many dead ends and many people had moved on from the case with the passage of time. Kate and her partner, Tristan, were however determined to find answers for Charlie’s grandmother, Jean. They were afraid that the answers would not be what Jean was looking for but nonetheless, they wanted to offer her closure.
With twists and turns and a couple of red herrings, this narrative had me at the edge of my seat until the case was solved. This was yet another heart-racing, captivating, unpredictable Kate Marshall investigation and I cannot wait for the next installment already. What a stunner!
I had not read the previous books in this series, but that did not preclude my enjoyment of this one. ( I might go back and look for the previous ones,) Kate and her assistant are flawed characters that we can identify with. Kate is humiliated that she allowed herself to get in a dangerous situation in the sea that required someone else to rescue her. Taking on a case that was so old that the possibility of solving it was slim gave her a chance to redeem herself. A good read. I received and arc and am under no pressure for a good review.
Ramona Thompson
Devil's Way is the latest book in the Kate Marshall series, with Kate and her sidekick Tristan now running their own private detective agency. In this story, they've been hired by the grandmother of a boy who went missing from a family camping trip eleven years ago, and who was subsequently declared dead by the family without ever being found.
I enjoyed Devil's Way, although found it to be a slightly gentler read than others in the series so far. I think this was because it was focused on uncovering events that had already happened, rather than having real-time tension. There are plot twists, but it didn't have quite the same 'race against time' feeling that other books in the series have had.
Kate and Tristan and the cast of associated characters continue to develop nicely across the series, and I do feel invested in these characters and will continue reading the books as they come out. I can't surely be the only reader out there wanting Tristan to meet someone and possibly to re-evaluate his feelings for Ade!
Another great book in the Kate Marshall series. An easy read where I did not now what the ending would be until it was happening.
I like that both the main characters are vulnerable and human. They have flaws and the people around them are flawed as well. They both work though.
This story was highly enjoyable and it was hard for me to put down.
WoW...........and breathe. Devil's Way by Robert Bryndza Narrated by: Jan Cramer is the fourth book in the excellent Kate Marshall, series and this book was excellent from start to finish with lots of twists and turns from start to finish. and I've loved every page of this series.
Robert is an author that never disappoints. Every book I have read or listened to, by him has been a 5 star book.
I highly recommend all of his books especially Kate Marshall series.
The Narrated by: Jan Cramer was excellent and I preferred her to the last one....She just fitted in well with the series.
Another book in the Kate Marshall series but the first one I have read, however the lack of a back story did not detract from my enjoyment of this novel.
Kate and her assistant Tristan are private detectives running an agency in South West England. Kate, who enjoys a swim in the sea every morning, is nearly killed by a riptide in the fist few pages of the story. This leads her to her next case when she wakes up in hospital next to Jean who recounts the tale of how her three year old grandson Charlie went missing eleven years ago. Jean is now convinced Charlie is still alive and hires Kate to look into the case.
Full of twists Devil’s Way is a cracking read and I’m sure Kate and Tristan will be around for many years.
Another brilliant Kate Marshall investigation !
Charlie aged 3 vanished on a camping trip with his family about 13 years ago and although presumed dead -his body has never been found. His grandmother meets Kate while she is recovering in hospital after an accident and asks her to try and find out what happened to him all those years ago.
5 stars from me !!
Thankyou NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review
Yet again the author brings something fresh to the table. Kate finds herself, by coincidence, talking to someone who lost her grandson. Deciding to take on the case she discovers that things aren’t as simple as she first assumed.
Great addition to the series.
This was very good. I have enjoyed the other books written by Robert Bryndza and this was no exception. The investigation into a missing child was well constructed and had lo5s of twists and turns. Highly recommended
Thanks to Netgalley and Raven Street publishing for ARC.
Private eye and experienced swimmer Kate Marshall is swimming in the sea near her caravan park home when a riptide dumps her and she's rescued. While in hospital, a fellow patient recognises her from a previous case and asks her to investigate the disappearance of a young boy from Dartmoor over a decade ago.
She and her business partner Tristan follow the very cold trail through decidedly murky waters to eventually uncover the secrets at the heart of the disappearance.
This was the first Kate Marshall book for me, I think fourth in a series, and worked well as a standalone, making me curious about Kate's and Tristan's backstories and what they'll do next.
It's a good page turner, and I didn't mind working out the twist very early on, because the characters and sense of place kept me interested.
For some reason I was not terribly impressed by this book. It seems that I am in the minority, as most reviewers loved it.
I found the whole story a little tedious and not terribly believable, especially the seemingly rather rushed ending.
However it was a fairly good read that passed on a few hours.
This review will be posted with Waterstones
This book chugged along nicely. I have not read this author before so I had no knowledge of the previous books. It was an OK read.
Private Investigator Kate Marshall has always found her morning swim in the sea a good way to start her day until she is caught in a riptide & nearly dies. Whilst she is recovering in hospital the woman in the next bed tells her of her grandson Charlie who went missing on a camping trip eleven years ago. It had been presumed that he wandered away from the tent & fell in the river. Jean assures Kate this wouldn't have happened. Along with sidekick Tristan they look into this & find themselves looking into more than a child's disappearance.
This is an enjoyable series of books with interesting characters & settings that the reader can visualise easily. I didn't work out the answer- but then I'm used to that! Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book
Kate and Tristan return in this excellent story, the fourth instalment of a series that has grown in my estimation with every novel.
Kate is having a bad time (of course) after getting caught in a riptide. Her confidence shook, but things brighten up when she manages to get a case just by lying in a hospital bed next to a rather grumpy woman. And in fairness, Jean has good reason to be grumpy. Her grandson Charlie disappeared without a trace eleven years ago, her daughter holding her responsible. She wants Kate to find out what really happened to Charlie. Was he taken? Did he fall into the river known as the Devils Way? Or could something from Jean's own past have endangered the boy?
Many questions, loads of twists, and a lot of enjoyment lie in the pages of this book and the series as a whole. I am thinking of renaming a 5 star review "Doing a Bryndza"!
Well, okay....guess I have a new series to get into! SWEET! I guess this story is actually Book 4 of the Kate Marshall series. Glad I broke my self-imposed rule of never starting anywhere but Book 1 of a series! This can be a standalone for sure, but it is SO good I wanted to know all about Kate and Tristan so I will definitely be going back. Kate is a PI searching for a cold-case missing child. Great mystery, great characters! Highly recommend!
Thank you to #NetGalley, Robert Bryndza and Raven Street Publishing for this ARC. All opinions are my own.
Devils’ Way by Robert Bryndza is the fourth book in the Kate Marshall series and it’s a captivating mystery that explores the long-buried disappearance of a young boy. In the multi-layered plot, suspicion attaches to the boy’s grandmother and mother, who aren’t who they seem at first blush. There’s depth to the narrative that draws the reader in early on, taking us to the secluded moors and dangerous waters near Dartmoor.
Judiciously sprinkled with twists and red herrings, this is a welcome addition to the series. As always, Bryndza’s writing is top-notch, making this a must-read for fans of mysteries set in the UK. And if you like this one, be sure to go back and read the first three.
Bryndza has become an author I don't want to miss put on. His writing is engaging , engrossing, and highly addicting. When a child goes missing, the plot becomes gloriously twisty and dark. Keeps you guessing until the end.
Wow wow wow!!! I loved this book and I love Kate! 5 star all the way and I wouldn't expect anything less from this author!
WOW. I love all the books in this series. I love the characters too, especially Kate, who you feel instantly sorry for. She is vulnerable but strong at the same time, It makes a change to see that a character tackle her demons and vulnerabilities, which you see Kate do. The author tells Kates story very well, which is unusual for a man, and there is just the right amount of personal and background story. This story is about a cold case and is really quite sad, which the author doesnt hold back . I would like to read a pre-quel, of when Kate was still a police officer before 9 Elms, and I feel sad that she was unable to pursue her dream career, I love the other characters aswell and like that there is just enough detail and background on them.
I was delighted to be approved for this book. It’s the fourth in the Kate Marshall series. I’ve read and enjoyed all of Robert's books (Erika Foster, Kate Marshall and also Coco Pinchard). I’ve never been disappointed and Devil’s Way is no exception. I really like his writing style. He draws you in with a Prologue / Chapter 1 and then it’s a journey, with some twists and turns, to the last page.
Kate is a former police detective who left the Met after she broke the Nine Elms ‘cannibal’ case, and almost died in the process. She ended up lecturing in Criminology at Ashdean University on the south coast. She now has a private investigation agency with her business partner Tristan, who was formerly her research assistant at the University.
The prologue takes us back to 2007 when a 3 year old child goes missing while on a camping in Dartmoor National Park with his parents and grandmother.
Eleven years later Kate wakens up in hospital having almost drowned when caught in a rip tide during her daily swim in the sea. During her recovery she learns from Jean, an elderly lady on the same ward that her 3 year old grandson Charlie went missing in 2007 on a camping trip and she desperately wants to know what happened to him. By the time Kate leaves hospital she has agreed to take on the case.
There are many questions. Was the child abducted? Did he fall into fast running water near where they were camping that vanishes into a gorge? There are questions about the family’s past. A social worker known to the family had been found murdered shortly after the child vanished.
I really like Robert’s writing. There is a wonderful balance of narrative and believable dialogue. You can picture the various locations and even sense the atmosphere. The characters are credible. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing. Robert writes the kind of book that makes me want to keep reading till 2 or 3 in the morning.
Although this is the fourth in the series it can be read as a standalone. I’ve enjoyed the series from the first book, Nine Elms, and its been interesting to be part of the ‘journey’ of the main characters as they develop and establish their investigation agency.
I would definitely recommend this book (and the series of course!)