Holy cow! Just when you think Robert Bryndza has reached his peak with Dark Water, he pulls Cold Blood out of the bag and blows his previous books out the water.

This is so much darker than the previous outings for Erika. Finding bodies on the banks of the Thames hacked to pieces to fit in a suitcase is a grim start and the body count keeps rising but with no connection between victims, Erika has her work cut out for her. We as readers start to see the evil perpetrators’ side of the story and that is a twisted side to the tale! They say love is blind….

I love Erika as a detective, I have from the start of The Girl In The Ice. As a character she’s developed over the past few books into a warmer character but still tenacious and passionate about her job. She’s started to show a caring side in her relationships but she’s still the hard nosed detective who says what’s on her mind even if it does get her in trouble!

I never thought I’d say this but thank goodness for hangovers; feeling rough gave me the perfect excuse to curl up on the sofa with my kindle and devour Cold Blood on a Sunday morning! The darkness and death distracted me from the pounding headache I was suffering! Mr Bryndza’s writing is highly addictive and each time I finish one book, I cannot wait for the next!!

Huge thanks to Bookouture for my copy of Cold Blood.

Cold Blood by Robert Bryndza is the 5th in the Detective Erika Foster Series.

They just keep getting better!

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Bookouture, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

When the dismembered bodies of two people are found in suitcases floating in the river within two weeks, Erika and the team are hard-pressed to determine identity and a motive. The male has a large quantity of drugs in his stomach. If this was drug smuggling gone wrong, someone has to be looking for the stash. But Erika suspects this is not about drugs, and fights to keep the murder squad on the case. She fears a serial murderer is on the loose, maybe a pair. When the twin daughters of Commander Marsh are kidnapped, evidence suggests that the murderers are to blame. It will be a race to find these two children before they become just another statistic.

On the matter of Erika’s personal life, not only is she is betrayed by someone she thought of as a friend, her love life is suffering as well. Bruised and battered, physically and emotionally, Erika is determined to keep her mind on the case. (Perhaps Mr. Bryndza could cut her a little slack from time to time.)

It was interesting to see things from the prospective of the “bad guys”. How a young insecure woman can fall for a tough guy, and be willing to do almost anything to keep him. How the tough guy became that guy, and his thought processes. How roles can be reversed, again and again.

This is a high action, quick-paced book. Bryndza continues to develop each character, and some are becoming even more loved. As well, although you know who the culprits are, the reasoning behind the killings and the twists keep this book gripping.

These books can be read as stand-alone novels, but really, why would you want to?

Already looking forward to the next installment!

Erika Foster is on the case again!

Whew! Where to start.....I know, how about the suitcases containing the dismembered dead bodies of a man and woman. Plus, there is that young girl who is hungry for love, she knows the slightly older man she has a crush on is up to no good, but you don't get to choose who you love, do you? What happens when you fall in love with a bad boy? A really bad boy - one who sells drugs and progresses to *gasp* kill people. Do you still love him? This reminds me of the quote by Friedrich W. Nietzsche, “Beware that, when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster... for when you gaze long into the abyss. The abyss gazes also into you.” What happens when you love a monster? Do you become one as well? Well, do you?

As Erika begins to investigate the dead bodies found in the suitcases, she finds that there is another victim, a woman in an identical suitcase two weeks earlier. While investigating the case, she is brutally attacked and sadly learns that someone she knows and trusts has set her up. As if she needs more on her plate.

But wait...apparently she does need more on her plate as her colleague's daughters are kidnapped. The hunt intensifies as Erika and her team are more motivated than ever to find the missing girls. Will there be justice? Will the killer(s) be brought to justice? Read and find out.

Erika continues to be a flawed yet likable character. She is tough as nails but also has a soft side that he keeps hidden most of the time. As with the previous books in this series, this book is fast paced and the action keeps coming. The reader knows from the start the identity(s) of the serial killer(S). There is not much guessing for the reader. I will admit, I do love putting on my super sleuth hat and trying to figure out who the bad guy is when I read a book. Having said that, I do really enjoy how the Author shows us the bad guy and the reader sees what motivates him/her. I like how Erika's investigation and the killer(s) actions are shown. The reader gets to see the sick and twisted relationship between Max and Nina.

I will admit that I do not think that this book was as good as the previous books in the series. It is still a 4 star read for me. I will absolutely keep reading this series but this one did WOW me as much as the other have. I would also love to see more of Erika's colleagues have more character development. They are in each book, I would like to get to know them a little better. I think there is a fine line here, in showing us the killers and what is going on in their life, the story cannot fully focus on the investigators besides DCI Erika Foster. I would love to see a way to have the best of both worlds: glimpse into the lives of the bad guys while still getting to see the investigative team in action in both their personal and professional lives.

As long as Bryndza keeps the books coming, I will keep reading them!

I received a copy of this book from Bookouture and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Book five in the Erika Foster series might just be the most disturbing yet. There were moments that were hard for this fan of dark stories to read! Another interesting case with characters we've gotten to know and love (mostly). We also get chapters from the perspectives of the thankfully fictional Max and Nina. I certainly would not want to meet Max in a dark alley. He is endlessly disturbing, only getting creepier as the story goes on.

A suitcase washes up on shore, but this one doesn't contain traveling essentials: there's a body inside. A dismembered body of a young man, cut up to fit inside. Quite a frightening sight, even for the experienced detective Erika Foster. It's not long before she connects it to an earlier case... a different suitcase, a different body.

We know that there are at least two victims, but there may be more. There also may be more than one killer, and the police haven't a clue as to either of their identities. When Erika is attacked and injured, she's taken off the case for weeks in order to recover. If you know Erika, you know she cannot be stopped. It's only a matter of time before she and her team solve the case... but it might not be in time to save the children of Commander Marsh, who she shares an interesting history with.

Less Marsh, more Peterson, please. That's just my personal opinion. I am not sure why I have such animosity towards Marsh, but I just don't like his character. He rubs me the wrong way. Erika, I will always love. I enjoy the rest of her colleagues for different reasons. I read this book with a group (hello, Traveling Sisters!) and some of them had some issues with the increasingly disturbing content. This book did up the creep factor. If you're sensitive towards books including sexual violence, you might want to tread carefully.

I received a copy of this book from Net Galley and Bookouture, thank you! My review is honest and unbiased.

The latest instalment of Bryndza’s detective series sees Erika coming to terms with Peterson’s injuries and thinking about her future with the Met. When a suitcase is pulled out of the Thames containing dismembered body parts it becomes clear that there is a brutal killer on the loose in London.
As the investigation links it to a second victim found in similar circumstances Erika knows that she has got a potential serial killer to find.

Pursuing the killer finds Erika in yet another life threatening situation. Can she get out of this one in one piece and save the people that she has grown very fond of.

You realise how invested you are in a character when you sit reading the book wondering how Erika is going to fare after Brexit! This is such a good series with really engaging characters. Surely some tv executive will be signing it up as the next big cop drama series soon?

Supplied by Net Galley and Bookouture in exchange for an honest review.

The Baryshnikov of crime. Smooth, yet gracefully gritty.

This was my first Bryndza novel and will not be my last.

As always Robert Bryndza is amazing! I love the Erika Foster series and Cold Blood is just as superb as its predecessors. I cannot wait for more

I read this one as a stand-alone and it worked fine, but I know I missed a lot of background on Detective Erika Foster. I did enjoy her strong willed character and would definitely like to go back and read more from the series!

This book seemed to focus more on the killers and I would have liked more of Erika and her colleagues, but maybe that is because I read this as a stand-alone. The author did a great job with character development because the evilness of the killers really came through and I didn't like them at all!

The investigation begins with a gruesome discovery of a male body in a suitcase and then a second body in an identical suitcase. The serial killer hunt begins and other bodies are turning up along the way. Erika is also brutally attacked while investigating the drug link. There is another twist in the end that brings all the clues together and closes the case in a tense and satisfying way.

If you enjoy crime detective fiction with some dark and alarming scenes, then you should give this series a try!

participate in this blog tour, but that meant that I had to read the previous two books before reading Cold Blood. Lucky me! Finishing this book also meant that now I have to wait for the next one. Which after this Erika Foster marathon feels a bit sad...

Cold Blood is the fifth and the latest book in the Erika Foster series and this time Erika has to stop a serial killer couple. Nina and Max are a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde couple whose love story pretty much starts off with a brutal murder. Nina is blinded by love for Max and right from the start is it pretty clear that he is using her blind devotion to him to make her do what he wants her to do. Should one feel sorry for her? Well, perhaps at the start, but as the story progressed is it hard to feel that much sympathy for her. To be honest, did I not feel that much sympathy for her at all, she didn't have a bad life, and the choices she made, well she made the bed....

Erika has her own problems in this book, besides the hunt for the serial killers is she faced with a betrayal that will danger her life and her relationship with Peterson seems to have come to a stop. Marsh is back, and that thrilled me as he is a character that I like and it will be interesting to see if he will be able to save his marriage.

Cold Blood is an excellent book, with a story that thrilled me from the start. As always do I love reading about the characters personal life as well as the crimes that they have to solve and I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series!

When I find out another Erika Foster book is coming out I feel like I have to read it. I know it's going to be the same as the ones before it - Erika goes through hell and then saves the day. I know the descriptions of people are going to drive me nuts again (horse-faced girl, jowly face with several chins), and there's going to be so many convenient things that will happen to make the story fit together. But I still find myself turning the pages quickly and when the book is finished I'm happy I read it. I'm also happy that Erika is not in a relationship. I'd like the focus to be on her job. I want her to be an independent woman!

Erika Foster is back and I couldn’t be more excited! This is one of my favorite series out there and every single time a new book is released, I celebrate. I swear, not only does each book get better but there is a sense of maturity and growth, not only in Bryndza’s writing but also within the characters themselves. If you want to catch up with my reviews from the earlier books, here’s Dark Water and Last Breath. I read the first couple of books before I started blogging so no links I’m afraid!

Erika undergoes quite a bit of emotional upheaval throughout this book and I loved seeing this side of her. Of course it wasn’t fun to see her struggling, but seeing how she handles various challenges and situations just provides such depth of character and really made me feel like I know her now. Peterson is still recovering and not on the job after the events in the last book, but Marsh is back and the dynamic between him and Erika is interesting to say the least. There’s also a new supervisor, Melanie and her and Erika are trying to find their footing with each other, Erika’s abrupt manner is not conducive to making friends. All of that to say, you go even deeper with Erika and team this time around and the characterization is just superb.

This stays mostly in the present day as Erika works on a bizarre case where bodies are being found hacked up and stuffed into suitcases. There are flashbacks from a young woman named Nina starting in 2015 and ending up in the present day. At first I had no idea who Nina was, or why she was important but rest assured, things all come together in an impeccable manner that never fails to leave me breathless.

A few distinct things make this series a standout for me. First, Bryndza always comes up with a fresh angle in regards to the cases Erika works on and this is no exception. You know how sometimes you’ll have a series you’re really into and then things sort of fall flat towards the middle? That doesn’t happen here, I’m just as invested and excited about these books as the day I finished book one. This really has everything a fantastic police procedural needs, it’s dark, gritty and disturbing, always intricately plotted, has a group of characters that you know and love, and pacing that leaves you on the edge of your seat the entire time.

Thank you very much to Robert Bryndza and NetGalley for the advance copy of "Cold Blood" Having read all of Robert Bryndza's books to date I'm a HUGE fan of Erika Foster so I couldn't wait to read "Cold Blood" A suitcase containing a decapitated body washes up on the beach and while Erika Foster and her team are trying to discover the identity of the missing person another body in the same predicament gets washed up this time containing a woman's body. Thus begins a gripping tale with a bit of Bonnie and Clyde element to it. Absolutely loved it another 5 star rating from me!!!

I was very pleased to read the latest Robert Bryndza novel. It is another solid, complex, well-written story. It was great to welcome Erika, Moss and Peterson back like old friends and the gripping story gets going straight away. Be warned though, it's a pretty bleak one, even by Erika's standards!

My preference is usually for books where you don't know 'whodunit' already, and I think the book blurb perhaps gives a bit too much information this time, but there are still plenty of twists and turns to enjoy along the way. Although I was left with a couple of questions by the end, I recommend this highly and am already looking forward to book 6.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of Cold Blood.

As many of you will already know Robert Bryndza is one of my all-time favourite authors and this series is everything, in my opinion!!! I could never have anything bad to say about the wonderful Erika Foster novels!

Every single time I review these books I say the latest is THE best one yet and Cold Blood is certainly up there and did not disappoint!! I love how in each book we get more of an insight into a different characters life who previously we don’t know much about. In Cold Blood this character is Nils, we get to know him more and find out about his problems which actually cause a lot of drama particularly in the first half of the book! The development of new characters keeps the series alive and interesting as each book is SO much different even though generally the same team investigate each murder.

One of my favourite aspects of Robert Bryndza’s detective novels is the reader finding out who the killer is before the investigation team, I absolutely love being able to read the story from both sides, I find it engrossing to be able to develop a relationship and understanding of the killers mind-set! Cold Blood was even more exciting and addictive as there were two serial killers!! Right from the start I felt so so sorry for Nina, it was so obvious that she was being morphed into somebody she wasn’t just to impress the guy the fancied, it’s insane the lengths people will go!!

Robert Bryndza created the perfect book 5 in the Detective Erika Foster series, with the perfect amount of uncertainty and intrigue, setting the pace so high for readers! As always, I am so excited for the next treasure Bryndza will provide us with, hopefully very soon!

Robert has written another cracking thriller in the Erika Foster series.

This time a man's mutilated and dismembered body is found in a suitcase washed up on the Thames. Erika links it to a young woman's body that had been washed up in an identical suitcase two weeks earlier.

There are lots of things I like about Robert's crime writing.

I love the way we are straight into a crime scene almost on the first page – no beating about the bush.

I like that we get to know fairly quickly who has 'done the deed' and we see events unfold from the perpetrators' point of view as well as Police investigations. This doesn't spoil the story; that's when it becomes a gripping psychological thriller – how Erika and her colleagues work to solve the crime and try to catch the criminals. Robert is a very good storyteller. You also see the killers' relationship change throughout the book. What starts off as something that might be considered an infatuation quickly develops into something more sinister and manipulative and then something very violent, brutal and shocking.

I like the fact that it's a series, that characters have a bit of depth and there is some continuity although they may have a principal supporting role in one book and in another a more minor role. Equally important, each book can be read as a stand alone although I would recommend reading them in order. I really like Robert's writing style and the way the words flow easily although, if I'm honest, I felt there was something different at the start of this book, almost as if someone else had written the first few chapters. Nothing specific, just a vague feeling. I still really enjoyed the story but it did take me a little bit longer to get my teeth into it.

I've read all the Erika Foster books and travelled with her on her 'journey'. She has definitely moved on from the first book/s. She seems more mature, mellow. She began by fighting against her superiors frequently – not always to Erika's advantage. If she believes she is right she will argue her case and then do what she feels she has to do. She is still disagreeing with her superiors but I get the feeling she's a bit less abrasive and argumentative. Even if she's taken off a case, she's more than likely to find another way of continuing her investigation.

In the last couple of books I feel she's been more reflective, wondering what path she should take. She's now a widow in her 40s (approaching 50) with no children. She's turned down a promotion because she couldn't see herself as a pen pusher stuck in an office most of the time.

There are some pretty gruesome bits to this book. The horrific murders, a shocking betrayal by a colleague, a brutal assault on Erika herself, the kidnap of Commander Marsh's two young daughters, a race against the clock to find the little girls all leading to a shocking climax.

I would definitely recommend this book to those who like crime thrillers. In fact I recommend all five books in the series so far.

COLD BLODD is the fifth in the Erika Foster series. Regrettably, it isn't as compelling as the previous four. The plot is okay, but lacked suspense and edge-of-your-seat thrill. There were two scenes which SHOULD have produced that adrenaline thrill (one occurring as Erika's life is threatened and one where two girls' lives are in jeopardy). However, in both cases, the suspenseful spark sizzled and petered out. How disappointing! I really can not pinpoint why this heretofore fabulous series fell flat. The synergy wasn't there. The niggling, edgy character interaction wasn't there. It took me days to read- the interest wasn't there. I have LOVED Bryndza's other publications, and will not give up on this series! After all, everyone deserves to have a one-off!

Detective Erika Foster is back .....
After turning down promotion she's ready to get back to crack her next case.
A suitcase is found in the river Thames but it's what's inside that shocks her to the core.
A body of a dismembered man.
nd more disturbing this isn't the first either only a few weeks previously the body of a young woman also dismembered is found in the same way.
Erika and her team will have to work non stop to find this serial killer.
Or maybe the shocking reality is that there maybe more than one.

My thoughts
Robert Bryndza first came to my attention when his first book The Girl in the Ice was released and I knew we were being introduced to something special.
This had a slightly different feel and it really worked.

Nina and Max had me gripped, their build up story that ran alongside the main plot was both gripping and nail biting.
Nina is at a lost, no real job, her friends have moved on and her mother has a new boyfriend.
Then she meets Max and her fate is written.

Max climbed in and sat beside her. He wore blue jeans, a white T-shirt and a brown leather jacket. His dirty-blond hair hung down to his shoulders and he had a small cut above his left eye. He smelt of beer and sweat.
Max is no Prince Charming.......
His slow manipulation of Nina was uncomfortable reading but she was so infatuated with Max and no matter what he did she accepted everything he said.

Unfortunately for Nina by the time she realised, it would be too late ......
I like Erika, her job is everything but thats all she has. Her family are all in Slovakia and her boyfriend is still recovering from a previous attack.

Commander Marsh is a distraction but when his 2 twin girls go missing, Erika must do everything to save them before time runs out. But that may not be as easy as we think.
I could not put this down, each character is woven into the plot and there are twists and turns just waiting to catch you.

Another hit Mr Bryndza

Cold blood is the fifth book in the Erika Foster series which could be read as a standalone however I would highly recommend reading from the beginning. You'll appreciate Erika's sudden vulnerability even more if you know the back story.

Another great read by Robert Bryndza! I hope we don't have to wait too long until book 6?!

Thanks to Bookouture for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Well I finished Cold Blood by Robert Bryndza last night and I’m still trying to pick my jaw up from the floor and calm the sparks in my brain from the enormity of what I’ve just read. I tried to write my review last night but my mind just wouldn’t settle, so I slept on it hoping my review would become clear. It’s took a bit of time today but finally the buzz has subsided a little to allow my review to be written.

Cold Blood is book five in the series surrounding Detective Erika Foster. Robert has by-passed all the others in the series as far as I’m concerned, this book blows everything out of the water. Anything I thought I knew about the book, felt or read about the book disintegrated in from of my eyes in one foul swoop with the intensity of Cold Blood.

Detective Erika Foster is called to a crime scene where a large suitcase is found on the shore of the Thames, upon opening its discovered a dismembered body of a man is inside. Further to Erika’s investigation its revealed two weeks previously another body had also been dumped in the Thames in an almost identical manner, this time of a young woman……

Is there a link, can Erika stop the serial killer before another life is taken?

While trying to keep on top of work, Erika’s love life takes a tumble and falls apart. I thought she had found a new love but it wasn’t to be, Erika never seems to have it easy, but on the other hand she seems to thrive on complicated in her personal and work life. The most captivating part of Erika’s persona is that she strong willed and quite impulsive, this becomes apparent when she is removed from the investigation but doesn’t let it hold her back she is still determined to capture the people responsible.

Max and Nina are two lovers on a dark path of destruction. Max has psychotic tendencies, I found when Robert wrote about Max’s eyes I could almost see the self destruction in them, sending chills through my body dreading what was coming next but unable to stop reading. Nina comes across as being naïve, she fell for the local bad boy but no amount of torment or terror inflicted on her stopped her from loving Max and becoming part of it all.

Well Cold Blood is a certain five stars, Robert you have managed to turn my brain on its head and set a fire a couldn’t put out because of a damn good book. I would recommend everyone sprint to the computer and grab a copy of Cold Blood, you won’t regret it, I didn’t.

My only problem is I can’t wait too long for the next instalment, I need my fix of Erika!

Thank you to Bookouture, Robert Bryndza and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy of Cold Blood to read and review in exchange for an honest review.

As soon as I saw that this book was being released I was practically desperate to get my hands on it!!  If it was going to be anything like the others in the series I knew that I was going to be in for a HUGE treat and I am so delighted to say that YES - he has gone and done it again and this one might even be my favourite so far out of this brilliant series!!  Erika is on top form again and I love her along with the other characters in the book, I was hooked from the start with the gritty and gripping plot and I loved the pace for the book and the writing style which were absolutely spot on as always - another fantastic 5 star read - I need more Erika!!!