The Lost Victim
Robert Bryndza

“Are you famous?” He asked as she closed the door and put on her seat belt.
“No. More like infamous.”

I’ve read all of Robert Bryndza’s Erika Foster and Kate Marshall books and they always entertain and impress me. The Lost Victim is #5 in the Kate Marshall series but could still be read and enjoyed as a stand alone if you wanted to test the waters.

“You have your thirties, your forties, and in your fifties, you either turn to vinegar or wine. It’s up to you.”

This particular case hit somewhat close to home for Kate, in that Peter Conway, the notorious Nine Elms Cannibal (covered in book one) was a viable option for the disappearance of school girl Janey Macklin. But to add to the mystery and drama, there was also another serial killer active in that same area.

“And you don’t think this would make the most amazing true crime podcast?” Said Jake. “Two serial killers. Multiple suspects. A juicy mystery.”

Kate and Tristian are hired at their Detective Agency to research and look into Janey’s disappearance from 1988 - so they are dealing with another cold case to solve.

This case was compelling and I always enjoy his books. If you are a fan of crime mysteries and detective novels, check these series out.

“To live is the rarest thing in the world.
Most people just exist”
- Oscar Wilde

Thank you @robertbryndza for always delivering great books.


REVIEW POSTED 14th JULY 2024.

The latest installment in this excellent series sees private detective Kate Marshall and her partner Tristan take on a cold case that may be connected to Kate's history with Peter Conway, the notorious Nine Elms Cannibal and father of Kate's adult son. Thirty years ago, fifteen year old Janey Macklin disappeared days before Christmas and her body was never found, but after a tip that Peter Conway may have been involved, Kate and Tristan are hired to look into the case, with the client obviously hoping Kate can use her connection to Peter to find out the truth. It's not so easy, though, when 30 years has completely changed the neighborhood where the crime took place, and many of the key players hold back information. Kate and Tristan are "real" and likeable main characters, and the story held my interest from start to finish.

The Lost Victim is the fifth book in the Kate Marshall series. I have been reading this series from the start and always look forward to the next instalment. In book #5 private investigators, Kate and Tristan, investigate a cold case involving the disappearance of Janey Macklin, a teenage girl. Meanwhile, Peter Conway (the Nine Elms Cannibal) is still rotting away in prison however, his health is declining. The Lost Victim is another great crime novel from Robert Bryndza. Thanks to Netgalley for my ARC.

In the book The Lost Victim, author Robert Bryndza continue the Kate Marshall series. Kate and her private investigation partner Tristan search London for clues to a cold case from 1988 in which Janey Macklin disappeared. Hired by a true crime podcast company, they begin to look at leads the police did not examine. And what they begin to find is intriguing. But can they find the answer to what happened to Janey? I would recommend this book. I received a copy of this ebook from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love this series starring Kate Marshall and Tristan; it's so good and whilst this may not be the best out of the 5 books so far, it's still pretty damn good and had me racing through it to find out how it was all going to pan out.

Kate and Tristan make a brilliant partnership, I love how they bounce off and support each other; they are very believable and very likeable and their appeal grows with each book that comes along.

With great characters, an intriguing and clever plot with twists and turns aplenty and whilst it was written at a slightly slower pace and with less scenes of peril than his previous books in this series, it was no less riveting.

I am definitely a Mr Bryndza fan and would recommend his books to anyone who loves a great thriller and many thanks to Raven Street Publishing and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this latest outing for Kate Marshall and Tristan and I can't wait for the next.

A brilliant read, Bryndza is a master story teller. I couldn’t put this down! This book takes us back to the beginning of the series with Peter Conway.

Another excellent instalment in Sarah Ward's impressive Mallory Dawson series. Beautifully written and with a real sense of place (the Welsh countryside really comes to life), the series getas better and better. These are not conventional police procedurals as Mallory is no longer a cop; however, she is in demand and works closely as a consultant with local detective Harri Evans. In addition to an intriguing plot, the relationships between Mallory and Harri, and between mother and son, add to the interest. Very enjoyable.

The Lost Victim is the latest book in the brilliant Kate Marshall series by Robert Bryndza. I love private investigator Kate Marshall and her partner Tristan so was very excited to read the latest book. This cold case procedural picks up on a 35-year-old case that happened in an area of London that changed drastically. A gripping plot with the usual twists and turns from Bryndza makes this another smash hit for me 🤩 could be read as a stand alone but the series is fab so I’d say read them all!

The Lost Victim is the new Kate Marshall book from Robert Bryndza.

"Kate is asked to look into the cold case of a missing girl. Janey Macklin disappeared 35 years ago. The man convicted of her death was later acquitted, because there was no body. Now the client thinks that Peter Conway, the Nine Elms cannibal, might have been the one to kill her. Kate is apprehensive because that area of London has changed so much. Plus she was having an affair with Conway when he was an active serial killer. Her son is Conway's child. Can she and her partner, Tristan, find the answer to who killed Janey?"

This is a cold case procedural. A 35-year-old case that happened in an area of London that changed drastically. Memories are older and witnesses are gone. And old serial killers have other things in mind. I did guess a big plot point but it was just a guess - kind of a "What if that were the case?" It's an interesting way that Bryndza solves a case. And an unexpected ending for Kate. (you'll like it)

Crime fiction fans will enjoy this new book from Bryndza.

Private Investigators Kate Marshall and Tristan Harper are approached by a creative agency who want to commission them to investigate a cold case for either a true crime podcast or a book. In 1988, young teenager Janey Macklin was on the way back from an errand to the local newsagents for her Mum in London’s King’s Cross when she disappeared. An employee of the shop, who offered her a lift in his van was convicted for her murder without her body being found, but later acquitted. Now a new theory has emerged, that Jenny may have been another victim of the infamous Nine Elms Cannibal serial killer, Peter Conway, who was in the area at the time.

Kate at first hesitates to take on the investigation as she was having an affair with Peter Conway as well as being responsible for his arrest. Also, she and Tristan will need to base themselves in London during the investigation, but her agency really needs the money on offer. It turns out to be a challenging case. With a gap of thirty years since Janey disappeared, places have changed, people have moved on, died or changed their names. But Kate is as tenacious as always in following leads and unearthing the truth.

The gripping plot moves at a good pace with plenty of twists and blind alleys to build the suspense and ramp up the tension. Kate and Tristan form a good team who are in tune with each other and there are a range of interesting secondary characters, including Kate’s son Jake and Peter Conway himself, who Kate really had hoped never to have to face again. Well written and absorbing, this is another excellent addition to the series.

I’ve been following Kate Marshall and her assistant Tristan throughout all their adventures as private detectives so I was excited to receive a review copy of “The Lost Victim”.
In this book they are asked to look into a cold case of a teenager who went missing in the late 1980s. Her body was never found and although an arrest was made, the suspect was eventually acquitted. Kate’s old nemesis, the Nine Elms Cannibal, Peter Conway, is implicated. Although in prison there is some evidence that he met Janey, the missing girl.
Hired by a literary agency with a view to a true crime podcast being written , Kate and Tristan start to look into the case. However, Kate has to work very hard to try and not get too emotionally involved, particularly as it also concerns her son Jake who is Peter’s son.
Did Peter commit this murder or was it someone else and why has the body never been found. When another murder occurs and some papers go missing, Kaye and Tristan realise that someone might not want them to find out the truth.
I really enjoyed this fast paced and well plotted story. The setting of London, in the newly developed Kings Cross area made for an interesting change of scene from the previous books which were set in the Exeter area.
The author obviously knew Kings Cross very well as he was extremely accurate in his descriptions of Granary Square. I’ve walked past the Midland hotel many times and have always fancied staying there- I actually got to vicariously enjoy a sojourn in this imposing building when Kate and Tristan splash out towards the end of the novel!
I really liked the two main characters and their development in “The Lost Victim” - they fitted really well into the London setting but both appreciated the peace and indeed contrast of their normal milieu.
I definitely recommend this as a five star read and eagerly await the next book in this excellent series.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy.

Another excellent book from this wonderful author. It is the fifth book in the Kate Marshall series but reads well as a standalone. Kate and her private Investigator partner, Tristan, have been contracted by a media company to investigate a cold case murder from some thirty years previous. A case that opens up old wounds for Kate. It is well paced and well described throughout. As is the norm with this author the storyline is full of mystery, twists and turns. During the course of the investigation certain matters come to light that put the lucrative contract at risk but the true professionals that Kate and Tristan they carry on regardless despite the potential consequences.
Roll on book six!

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this awesome book

man i love this series.... and you know when you open a book by this author you are in for the ride of your life

janey macklin has been missing since 1988... she was abducted just before christmas and her body was never found... though someone was later jailed for her murder ... her body was never found and the man jailed was later released proven innocent

now kate and tristan are approached to investigate this cold case with the view that it will be made into a podcast

but even at the start of the investigation things are weird

nothing is at it seems ....

what a ride ...

cant get enough of this authors book they are wild

Kate and Tristan are hired to get details about a missing girl from decades ago, not to solve just to research. They are sent on a twisty adventure with serial killers in prison and reading between the lines of sketchy characters. Kate used to be a policewoman now a PI so she has the skills to find this girl. If you’ve read the series you know the connection she has with one of the serial killers. She and her son finally get some closure and can let the weight be lifted from their shoulders. It could almost be the end of the series, but each book is a separate mystery and there’s always a new case. As an American I’m unfamiliar with some of the phrases and places, however it did not impede on my reading enjoyment. After enjoying an early copy I’ve written this review voluntarily.

Book 5 in the Kate Marshall series, The Lost Victim follows Kate and Tristan as they are asked to investigate a cold case by a media agency who want to make a true crime documentary. Janey went missing 30 years ago and with a local man who was the last to see her the only suspect, he was jailed for the crime, but with no body or any further clues, the investigation stopped there. With possible links to the Nine Elms killer, the agency believe that his ex-partner Kate will be the best person. To get them the answers they want.

Set across two timelines showing the time when Janey went missing and the cold case investigation, this one gripped me from the start. The relationship between Kate and Tristan has grown throughout the series and they are now a very competent team who are also great to follow when they go off on their own tasks. While it could be read as a standalone, there is a whole lot of backstory that it would be beneficial to know, so I do recommend starting at the first one, plus it is a great series!

Book 5 in the Private Investigator Kate Marshall series and the pace continues from the previous novels which I recommend you read for context, although this reads well as a standalone. It is 1988 and teenager Janey Macklin is sent by her Mum to get cigarettes from a nearby shop in the Kings Cross area of London. She is seen getting into a van and that is the last sighting of her. The driver is arrested and found guilty of her murder even though there is no body but 8 years later is retried and acquitted. I don’t know exactly what it is, but once I start reading one of this authors books, I can’t put it down until I’ve finished it, and this was no different.

Briefly, 30 years after Janey Macklin went missing Kate and business partner Tristan are asked by a creative agency to investigate her disappearance for a podcast the agency want to run about the case. Was her nemesis ex DCI Peter Conway, the notorious Nine Elms Cannibal, now well and truly ensconced in HMP Wakefield involved? What are the people from the agency really after and why has the van driver vanished completely?

With twists and turns aplenty and Kate having to finally face up to the reality of Conway and his effect on both her life and that of son Jake, this is another superb thriller. A brilliant fast paced plot and some excellent characters, good and bad, this is a compelling read. I’m sure I’m dreaming but wouldn’t it be great if she met and worked with Erica Foster in the authors next book!

This is book 5 in the PI Kate Marshall series. Because this book refers to a previous character from the series, the ‘Nine Elms’ killer, I would not read this as a stand-alone.
Personally you do yourself a major injustice to not read this whole series in order!
Kate and her trusted partner Tristan travel to London to investigate a cold case from the late 1980’s when a teenage girl disappears the day before Christmas Eve while running to a shop. A modern investigator to on into 1980’s London and a mixture of characters, some who remain in the past, others who try to forget.
Great work yet again!

Having read all the preious books in the Kate Marshall series, I had to pick up this fifth book. It's a really good series.

Description:
When school girl Janey Macklin disappeared from the seedy side of London in 1988, her case went cold, with no body and no witnesses. Now, thirty years later, private detective Kate Marshall has been approached by a true crime podcast producer with an intriguing question they need her help answering: What if Janey was killed by Peter Conway, the notorious Nine Elms Cannibal?

The contract would be the most lucrative of Kate’s career, but it comes with a price of its own, dredging up a sordid, complicated past that she would sooner forget . . . one that the paparazzi are determined to keep in the headlines.

As Kate and her partner, Tristan, scour King’s Cross for clues, no two leads seem to point in the same direction. The last person to see Janey alive has already been tried, convicted, and then acquitted of her murder, Peter Conway is in poor health and fading fast, and the line between their clients and their suspects is blurring with each new revelation about the case.

With little to work from, can Tristan and Kate wade through clandestine phone calls, decades-old secrets, and deteriorating DNA evidence to solve Janey’s murder, or will she remain one of London’s countless missing persons, forever lost to time?

My Thoughts:
Kate and Tristan make a good private investigator team and work together playing off each other's strengths. Kate's history with serial killer Peter Conway comes into play again in this book - seems she will never be free of him even though he's been in prison a long time now. In this book Kate and Tristan are trying to find out what really happened to Janey Macklin who disappeared thirty years ago. A case couldn't get much colder I think. The expertise Kate and Tristan show in their investigation is outstanding and they turn over possible evidence that others missed trying to find the truth. The book held my attention and was well plotted. It build tensino as it progressed. This book can be read as a stand along and will appeal to mystery/thriller lovers.

Thanks to Raven Street Publishing through Netgalley for an advance copy.

4.5 stars

The Lost Victim by Robert Bryndza is the 5th in the PI Kate Marshall series.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Raven Street Publishing, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

  Series Background:    (Warning – May contain spoilers from previous books)
Kate Marshall lost her career, reputation, friends, and almost her life when, as a plain-clothes detective, she unmasked the Nine Elms Serial Killer, Peter Conway - her boss and lover.   Pregnant with his child, Kate suffered. She turned to alcohol, and almost lost her son, but her parents stepped in to become Jake's legal guardian when he was six.  She is now sober, and back in his life, although he is currently in California studying.  She is now a PI, partnered with her old teaching assistant Tristan Harper.


My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Kate and Tristan have been approached by a media agency to investigate a cold case, thereby allowing the company to produce a podcast, or possibly a true-crime book.

Over 30 years ago, teenager Janey Macklin disappeared.  Initially someone was convicted of her murder, but as no body was ever found, he was eventually acquitted.

Now, the podcasters want to tie her disappearance to legendary Peter Conway, who is currently serving time for other atrocities.  His health is already poor, and he may not have long to live. They figure Kate, having an "in" with the serial killer, will be able to get more details.  Although the podcasters will pay well, Kate is unsettled by the fact that her past with the Nine Elms Cannibal will be dredged up again, and that both she and her son will be center stage with the paparazzi.

As Kate and Tristan delve deeper into the case, they become more suspicious about their clients, who have lied on more than one occasion, and may be more involved in the cold case than they should be.


My Opinions:
Well, this was really good.

It was interesting to see how differently Kate and her son deal with Peter.  Both felt "right".

Plot-wise, there were enough twists to keep me interested.  Character-wise, I love the friendship between Kate and Tristan -- they really care for each other.  They make a good team.

There were a couple of things I would have liked to see expanded:  Jake asked Kate to get her mom's opinion before taking this case, but unless I missed it, nothing was said either way.  What happened with Tristan's possible room-mate?  What happened with the media agency?  What happened with Jake's idea of selling the story themselves?  None of these things were "needed" in the book, they were just questions I still have.

That being said, Bryndza is an amazing author, and this was another fast and compelling read.

The Lost Victim by Robert Bryndza was another superb book in the excellent Kate Marshall series and this is the fifth book. This series is one of the best you can get your teeth into especially as it just grips you from the beginning till the end. I found this book hard to put down just like Robert's other books.
I love Kate Marshall and Tristan character's they work really well together.

School girl Janey Macklin disappeared from the seedy side of London back in 1988, her case went cold, there was no body found and no witnesses. But, now, thirty years later, private detective Kate Marshall has been approached by a true crime podcast producer with an intriguing question they need her help answering: What if Janey was killed by Peter Conway, the notorious Nine Elms Cannibal?

The Lost Victim is more personal to Kate especially as Peter Conway, the Nine Elms Cannibal is the father to her son, he reappears his ugly head again, still in prison, may have all the answers they are looking for..........But did he kill Janey Macklin?

Wow this book is so good, especially as it can be read as a standalone. But, I do recommend you read the other four books within this series. They will not disappoint they are excellent.

Big thank you to Netgalley and Raven Street Publishing for my ARC.