Two bodies are found dismembered in suitcases washed on the river shore, the contents being more than meets the eye. Erika has declined a promotion as she likes to keep on the streets in the thick of things. Things get a little thicker than she expected and she is home on enforced rest. I love Erika’s character. She comes to life through the pages as if you know her as a neighbour. A strong character who pulls no punches but also has a warm side and a sense of humour. Robert has the skill to do this in spades and with an excellent plot line, this makes for a gripping read. A plot that keeps you engaged until the very end. One of those where you don’t realise how long you have been reading as the pages turn so very easily. A well deserved 5*
I voluntarily chose to read this ARC and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased

I've said it before, but i'll say it again - this is one of my favourite series and at book 5 now, it just keeps getting better and better! Go Robert! :)

Erika Foster has a bit of a tumultuous time in 'Cold Blood' and even though we hate to see our favourite detective in turmoil, it was interesting to read that alongside the actual case going on.

Two bodies are found dismembered in suitcases along riversides in London and Erika Foster is on the case for the double murder. There seems to be no trace of the killer or killers and no way of tying the two bodies together.. then more evidence comes to light and as always Erika is onto it. I can't say anymore without giving everything away, but guaranteed you will love this series if you do decide to pick it up! Can't be read as a standalone.

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another explosive instalment of the Erika Foster series. Nice to see a vulnerable side to our heroine this time. I feel kinda sad for her. As with lots of these strong female leads, she's not lucky in personal life, as her professional one takes precedent. The story was everything it should be: intriguing, action packed, well written and had me invested in the outcome. Looking forward to the next one.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an electronic ARC of this novel, in exchange for an honest review. Erika Foster is back in Robert Bryndza’s novel, “Cold Blood”. The fifth novel in the series begins when a suitcase washes up on shore, containing the dismembered body of a man. Erika and her team investigate this crime and soon realize they are tracking down two murderers, a couple who continue to kill, dismembering victims and leaving them in suitcases. However, their final plan involves something a little closer to home and Erika and her team must rush to apprehend them before it’s too late.
I was delighted to be offered the chance to read this novel, as I was the four previous. This novel, in my opinion, is the best one in the series. I wouldn’t suggest reading it as a standalone however. There are characters from previous novels that have pretty intense storylines in this story (Niels? Really?) but those who have the other Erika Foster novels will fall in love with this novel. Erika is just as feisty as ever, fighting for what she believes in against all odds. The criminals in this novel are more dangerous and bloody than the last, full of intrigue and mayhem, yet the humanity shown by Nina in the end will leave you with a bittersweet feeling toward her.
This is a police crime drama I instantly fell in love with, and each novel is better than the last. Bryndza has made a lifetime Foster fan of me, and anyone who reads this series of novels will feel the same. Intrigue, violent crime, and romantic entanglements make this novel read like a cop drama on TV (one of my favourite kind, right behind FBI-themed behavioural investigators) and I highly recommend it- especially to those who have read Erika Foster in the past. Although this is the fifth Erika Foster novel, the author continues to shine, and the story is not at all “overdone” or “played out”. Each novel provides its own level of creativity and suspense, and I really hope that Bryndza brings more Erika to us!

This series just gets better and better! An absolute belter of a read - very clever and Erika's life is interwoven with the story in this book. Could be read standalone but I think more enjoyable as part of a series as you understand some of the references and interplay between the characters.

A big fat 5* belter of a book

Can't wait for #6!!!

I love this Erika Foster series and I think this has to be the best yet. Robert Bryndza is one of the best crime writers at the moment. I was hooked from the first body being found in the Thames. Gritty, well written, a great plot and well developed characters make this a sterling read. Definitely becoming one of my favourite series. Thank you Net Galley for my copy. I reviewed on Goodreads.

Cold Blood by Robert Bryndza

Once again Robert Bryndza has lived up to his reputation as a number one crime writer. Cold Blood is his darkest and most disturbing book yet with a story line that is as chilling as it is gripping.
Detective Erika Foster faces her toughest case yet when it seems a spate of killings are being carried out by not one but two cold blooded killers. There are so many twists and turns to this story which takes us along a very dark road.
I love Erika's friendship with Isaac Strong which has featured in all the books, he really cares about her which is what she needs when she discovers there are some people she can't trust.
The Characters are believable and time is taken to show how and why they do what they do which I think is important and makes them multi-dimensional.
The build up of suspense thunders through this book like a freight train and it's certainly not for the light hearted but for those who like an adrenaline rush then this is the book for you.
Once again I am waiting with baited breath for the next instalment of DI Erika Foster's life.
Huge thank you to Bookouture for the arc which I've reviewed voluntarily.

3.5 stars (rounded to 3 stars)

First of all, I’m a huge Robert Bryndza fan and can hardly wait every time I find out he is about to release a new book. Note the present tense—I AM a huge fan, and I CAN hardly wait for book 6 in the Erika Foster series. Book 5, however, was a little disappointing to me.

Now before you Bryndza fans (and there are certainly a lot of you!) get all excited, let me say the number one problem I encountered with Cold Blood was triggered by a quirk of my own. Man, I just did not like the Nina/Max arc at all. Every time I began a Nina/Max chapter I groaned. Not because the writing was bad. Mr. Bryndza is a fine writer. It was because I have a real issue with the type of story that arc was telling. I have no desire whatsoever to read that kind of story. But I had to here, as I was dying to get back to the part featuring Erika and her colleagues. Again, that was my main issue with the book. Most crime fiction lovers will sail through the Nina/Max arc and in all liklihood love it.

I came upon some other issues, which were not so bad, but still were there for me. Gosh, Rob, couldn’t you cut Erika a break? She has a pretty bleak time in this installment and it was kind of painful to see. Also, we do continue to learn more about Erika and also Marsh, but what about Moss, McGorry and Crane. Could we get these guys featured more? I would love to learn more about them. Finally, there were a few occurrences that hit the believability wall for me. I may have passed over these if the rest of the book had been perfect, but I was feeling grumpy and the ability to suspend the believability issue disappeared on me.

I feel like a real meanie now. Forgive me, Rob. I love you and Erika, I do. There was a lot of good in the story. The plot, getting to know Erika and Marsh better, the interaction of Nina with the humans near the end of the book. I liked seeing that in the worst criminals, there can be some good, however too little or too late it is.

Sigh. I always rate by how a book makes me feel. So, Rob, when you look at these measly 3 stars, know that it’s really 3.5 stars and know that this crappy rating is primarily due to my abhorrence of having to watch how evil Max treated formerly sweet Nina. I still declare the Detective Erika Foster series to be part of the cream of the crop of crime fiction, and I encourage all crime fiction fans to read it. Best start at the beginning with The Girl in The Ice in order to watch the characters develop.

I will say it again. I can hardly wait till the next Erika Foster book arrives on my kindle. Bring it, Rob!

Many thanks to Net Galley, Bookouture, and Robert Bryndza for gifting me an ARC of this book. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.

Wasn't a huge fan of the first book but the rest just get better and better. This is no exception. 4 stars for me as I prefer not to know 'who did it' as early on as this book but otherwise I couldn't fault it.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for my copy.
Detective Erika Foster and her team are back. A dismembered body is found packed into a large suitcase. It is soon linked to a body found previously dismembered and stuffed into a suitcase.

Nina is a lonely vulnerable teenager who is captivated by the older charismatic Max. She is soon catapulted into a violent and isolating relationship with him. We have murder, drugs, emotional manipulation, kidnapping and a stone cold killer. Everything you could possibly want in a thriller.

Erika is brutally attacked one night whilst on duty and the suitcase murders are reassigned to a different team. We have the usual cast of characters, Moss, Peterson and Superintendent Marsh.

Robert Bryndza reels me in with his tense shocking violent but thrilling writing.The way the pieces of the puzzle he weaves all come together is masterful. I love Erika and Kate Moss. Strong ballsy no nonsense female police officers. Another sure fire winner from this author. Can't wait for the next one.

Here we are at Erika Foster book number 5 and once again Robert Brynza has pulled me hook, line and sinker into the wold inhabited by the ballsy detective and her team. When a suitcase washes up on the beach and a dismembered body with a stomach full of drugs is found inside Erika finds herself once again chasing her tail to find clues, suspects, anything that will lead her to catch the killer. Then just two weeks later a second body is found also in a suitcase, chopped up in exactly the same way. Throwing into the mix the utter and spectacular betrayal of one of her colleagues Erika struggles to stay on top of the case.

Meanwhile Neena tells you her story, she lives with her Mum, works part time in a chippie where she spends most of her days mooning over the older Max. Then one night as her car is stopped at the traffic lights and Max jumps in and tells her to drive….and from that moment on her life is changed forever.

As always Brynza has written a book that will have you staying up all night with the promise of just one more page. Fantastic book…again!

Another brilliant book in the Erika Foster DCI series. They truly keep getting better. This was a really original thriller with dark characters - awful but believable. Once again, full of the great camaraderie with the police team and the frustrating office politics. This book cleverly leads you to thinking you know it all but then throws some spectacular twists. I loved it.

Robert Bryndza continues to amaze me. I love reading the Erika Foster series and can't wait for the next one to be published. I love the new Superintendent, way better than the ones before her and I wonder what will happen between Marsh and Foster. Great writing and great characters. A must read if you are a Erika Foster fan.

WoW, Robert Bryndza books just get better and better! Thank you for giving me the chance to read the next instalment in the Erika Foster series.
If you want a brilliant police and serial killer series then these are the books to read. This book had me gripped from the first page to the last page. So turn off your phone, get comfy in your favourite chair and open this amazing book...........This book starts with a body found in a large suitcase and then they find another body in another suitcase.......Does Erika Foster and her team solve the case! Are there more murders and are there several killers?
Another brilliant book.....Looking forward to the next book in this series.
Thank you to Bookouture via Netgalley for this advance reading copy.

Review on Goodreads and Amazon UK.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2114855667

This is the 5th book by Robert Bryndza in the Detective Erika Foster series. Erika is my favourite detective of all time. Another dark and gruesome story full of twists and turns and an ending that I wasn't expecting.

I’ve been a big fan of the Erika Foster series from the start, and was duly excited to see that a fifth book is coming out, doing my usual happy dance around the kitchen when I got the approval for an ARC from Netgalley. I’m not sure what it is exactly that makes Erika such a stand-out character for me, but I find the series totally addictive! Bryndza has a very direct, “no-frills” writing style that works well for the genre and really appeals to me. The short chapters are filled with action and move the story along at a good pace. Plus, I have grown very fond of the team of detectives and forensic scientists that have been featuring alongside Erika, eagerly following their side stories.

As usual, Bryndza has given Erika a chilling and challenging case to solve, which she approaches in her usual “give-it-all” manner, determined to find the killer/s before the body count mounts. Parts of the book are narrated from the perpetrators’ POV, and I must admit that on this occasion this did not work as well for me than in previous novels, especially Nina’s diary entries. The trouble I have with most fictional diaries is that they rarely read like a real-life diary, and tend to slow the story down with lots of internal dialogue. Personally, I thought that this distracted me from the main story and pushed Erika and her team into the background. I felt that I was not invested enough in Nina’s story to care about her most intimate thoughts, which made the book flag a bit for me in the middle. I would have much preferred to be more involved in Erika’s investigation and problem solving, which was overshadowed by the story of the two perpetrators and always being a few steps ahead of the police. This is purely a personal preference and will probably not bother other readers, but I didn’t feel that Cold Blood offered the same thrilling cat-and-mouse game as previous books. I am also not a big fan of the theme of detectives becoming targets, finding it overused and often quite far-fetched. That said, once the story picked up pace in the last quarter of the book, there was plenty of action to make up for the short lull, and I loved the tense and thrilling finale.

Whilst Book 5 was not my favourite instalment in the Erika Foster series, it features a chilling murder case, a ruthless perpetrator and plenty of action, and I am sure that many readers will love it. I am still a big fan of the series and am looking forward to Erika’s next case - I hope that she will finally find a bit more happiness in her personal life!

Cold Blood, In Cold Blood, Cold Blooded are all phrases and titles well known. But in this mystery novel, would they apply to the murders, the murderer, or the murder cop? D.I. Erika Foster, charged with solving and stopping a series of murders is known for her icy demeanor and one track mind.
One, then two bodies are neatly dismembered and stuffed into large suitcases and thrown into the Thames where they are found weeks apart. To her bemusement, Erika keeps hearing comments about how difficult it is to obtain large suitcases because of airline weight restrictions. Large suitcases cause wonderment rather than grisly dismemberment. Go Stiff Upper Lip.
Lack of funds, lack of manpower and lack of everything is a theme of this book and so Erika’s supervisor, Melanie Hudson is anxious to move the murders onto another squad. Drugs perhaps, since 50 cocaine filled condoms are found in the stomach of one of the torsos.
A stunning betrayal by one of Erika’s closest colleagues sidelines her for months. The dismembered bodies’ case falls by the wayside. As Erika is ending her leave, another murder and a taunting note suddenly heats up Erika’s former investigation and once again Erika is at center court.
At one point Erika finds a diary. All along we have been reading this first person diary and watching the change of a young girl with a severe crush to a young girl in thrall to an older man who twists her in ways almost unimaginable.
Erika herself has been emotionally twisted for the last five years, widowed, childless, no partner, and almost fifty, nothing in Erika’s life is as she envisioned it. Cut off from about the only thing left to her, Erika struggles with grief and maybe some healing. Should I be embarrassed to say I tear up even thinking about those pages?
Erika maintains hope for the girl’s humanity when Commander Marsh’s twin daughters are kidnapped and Erika is once again mostly sidelined from the investigation.
Robert Bryndza is a master of his craft. But I think he made a few tiny missteps. I was amused that he wasted so much time explaining about raising fingerprints with superglue. Anyone who has been reading mysteries in the past 20 years could explain the process. Also, big suitcases difficult to obtain, so where did these come from?
Otherwise, Bryndza is brilliant and one of the best authors of police procedurals. He slams the readers with scenes of such emotional resonance or shock that this reader, at least had to stop, then reread several pages. No cheap twists, just logical progressions that still manage to shock and dismay.
Read this book. I don’t care if you haven’t read the preceding four. Catch up later.
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I have read every book in this series, and I have to say Mr Bryndza just raised the bar, when I thought it couldn't go any higher.I have loved each book and always look forward to the next one, but this one was in a different class, and that is not to say the others were not good because they were, but this was unputdownable this book deserves all the plaudits it will get it really is a fantastic action packed and breath taking read.I always love the main characters,Erika is great and so is Moss, throw in some very nasty villains , non stop action and some real surprises along the way and you have a total winner.I couldn't read it fast enough and stayed up way too late and couldn't wait to pick it up and read it again, best thriller I have read in ages and I've read some good ones.No spoilers from me, but seriously if you read just one thriller this year grab yourself a copy of this book, this is as good as it gets, and for me it was brilliant.I loved it, and would like to say a big thanks to the publishers and netgalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Cold Blood is the latest in the Erika Foster series and this one finds Erika investigating another murder after a suitcase is washed up on the River Thames containing a dismembered, decapitated body of a man. Erika is certain this murder is linked to one of a young woman that was discovered in the same way, in an identical suitcase two weeks previously and soon realises they have a serial killer on their hands. Can she and her team catch the perpetrator before they strike again?

Nina meets Max whilst working in her local chip shop and is immediately drawn to him, but Max is hiding a dark side which, when it is revealed, makes Nina wish she'd never set eyes on him, by then it's too late and she becomes responsible for the events that follow right alongside him. But where will it end......

This book is equally as good as the rest in the series, it's dark, gruesome and gritty and keeps you guessing right to the end what the final outcome will be, and when it comes it's very unexpected. Robert Bryndza has once again excelled in the 5th book of this series, the characters are well written and plausible and I look forward to book number 6!

Thank you to Bookouture for the auto approval. I will post my review on Goodreads now and on Amazon UK & .com and share on Twitter on publication day!

I REALLY wanted to love this book. I am a huge fan of Bryndza's books.... but I'm sorry Robert this one just didn't do it for me.
Detective Erica Foster and her team are back at it again. An old rusted suitcase has washed up onto shore with a dismembered body of a young man. 2 weeks later Erica makes a gruesome discovery of ANOTHER body that washes up onto the same river but with a young female. Are the bodies linked together?! Detective Foster quickly realizes that she is following in the footsteps of a nasty and violent serial killer.

The body count begins to rise, but nothing can stop the bad- ass Erica even when she is brutally attacked along the way.....

But, can Erica find out this mystery even when the serial killer has abducted her fellow colleague Commander Marsh's two beautiful daughters?!

So, the premise of the storyline was very intriguing and I have been on the Erica Foster train since book one. But, I was disappointed in this book. I felt like the story didn't have enough juice to the orange.... and my attention span was swaying in and out. I am pretty sure I'm going to be the outlier on this one... since I am already seeing raving reviews. This definitely was not my favorite in the series. With that being said, I love this series and will be looking forward to book 6.

Overall, 3 stars on this one.