Back with a bang. It may not be long but believe me Deadly Secrets packs a punch and hits the bullseye.

We are back with Erika and her team of course. It’s Christmas Day and Erika is on her way over to her bosses houses for lunch, reluctatantly.
Getting caught in traffic she notices the familiar flashing blue lights ahead and can’t resist getting out to see what is going on.

She has stumbled across a murder scene, a young woman lays in the snow in the garden of her house with her throat slit. Erika ends up in charge on the case.

The young woman is identified as Marissa Lewis, a burlesque dancer who seems to have as many detractors as she does admirers.
As the investigation gathers momentum it becomes clear that Marissa was no angel and had a ruthlesss side. She would do anything to get what she wanted and wouldn’t let anyone get in her way. A couple of affairs with two married men on her road when she was still a teenager are only the tip of the iceberg.

We also have another crime spree being committed and investigated along side the murder enquiry. Both women and men are being attacked and sometimes sexually assaulted by a man wearing a gas mask! As Erika investigates both, she wonders are the two crimes related as she unravels more clues and follows her instincts.

Well what a cracker of a read. It may only be 270 pages but it packs a hell of a lot into those pages. From the first page to the last it’s relentless(in a good way). Short chapters just make you read “one more..” and before you know it you’ve gone through another ten.

Erika of course is a great character and she’s given plenty of scope here to develop further and endear herself to the reader more. There’s a fragility here with her that is more more prevalent than in the other books. You can feel the years of the job and her troubled past being carried with her on every page and weighing her down heavily to the edge of breaking point.
There’s a lovely little scene in Starbucks shop where she has a little meltdown that reminded me a bit of the film Falling Down! Great stuff.

The story is very solid and well told. What’s starts out as a simple looking case of course becomes more complicated as the layers are peeled away and more clues present themselves but it’s a very easy story to follow. The writing is crisp and vivid and the storytelling very well paced and evenly told.

There’s a claustrophobic atmosphere to this book overall in more ways than one. Intentional or not I’m not sure. The story and investigation for the most part takes place on one street where most of the suspects are located. You have Erika finally struggling to cope with the demands of the job and her past as things close in on her, and then of course you have the purpotrator in the gas mask and all that is involved in that. Anyway, maybe it’s just me but I felt the nature of the crimes and the small investigative area perfectly reflected Erika’s state of mind in this novel and was a nice touch.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Mr Bryndza, now six books into this series, doesn’t seem to be anywhere near easing off with the quality or thought put into this series. This ones amongst the strongest in the series.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and Robert Bryndza for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was given an advance copy of this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

First off I’m a huge fan of this series, each book gets better and better as we peel back the skin of Erika layer by layer, with this book we learn a little more of her history and why she is like she is.. This is another addictive read, I downloaded it yesterday evening and finished it today as couldn’t wait to discover what happened and I was not disappointed.

As with previous books it’s another complex and challenging case for Erika but her instinct and knowledge never desert her and dogged determination means she wins through despite everything. I love we have a series with a strong female who plays by her own rules but remains true to herself and her team.

Roll on the next instalment.

I read this via Netgalley as soon as it was available. Another superb instalment of the DCI Foster series which I devour avidly each and every time. More please!

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I must start off by saying that I am a huge fan of this series. I did not really enjoy the previous book in the series so I read this one with trepidation. I was not disappointed by this one, in fact, I really enjoyed it.

Erika is faced with a difficult case once again. There aren't many clues and the victim seems to be somewhat an enigma as all the people they spoke to had different opinions of her. I particularly enjoyed this one as Erika had to deal with some personal issues and this made her seem more real somehow. I liked how the whole story played out and the conclusion of it. There were some surprises in this book too.

I really enjoyed it and eagerly await the next one in the series.

Another amazing story lots of twists and turns you dont see coming. Cannot wait for the next one. Was a just one more chapter book, but turned into 5 or 6 and then forcing myself to stop reading

The Erika Foster series of books never disappoints! It’s gripping from the first few words and I couldn’t put it down ‘til I was finished. Robert Bryndza is up there in my top three authors, alongside Karin Slaughter and Chris Carter!

First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Robert Bryndza, and Bookouture for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

Robert Bryndza is back with another Detective Erika Foster novel that takes the reader on a heart-thumping adventure in a thrilling police procedural. While headed out for Christmas lunch, DCI Foster comes upon a recent murder scene and decides to lend a hand. What she finds is a slain Marissa Lewis, her body frozen to the ground after having had her throat slit the night before. Lewis, a burlesque dancer who used the name Honey Diamond, was quite well known around the community, though not always liked. It would seem that she was quite popular with some of the local men, though used her wiles to blackmail them and pad her own bank account. With the investigation in full-swing, Foster begins using some CCTV footage and witness statements to determine that the killer was likely wearing an odd gas mask, a photo of which appeared in a document dump from emails of an early suspect. As a number of those on the police radar take drastic measures not to be fingered for the crime, Foster and her team hear of a man attacking people in a similar gas mask. Might the cases be connected? When an urgent call from Manchester pulls Foster away from the case, the team turns to DI Moss, who is unsure if she can handle the pressure of being in charge. With the case heating up and leads emerging from numerous parts of Marissa Lewis’ life, Moss takes a gamble to bring the case to a close, all while DCI Foster wrestles with demons from her past. Bryndza keeps the reader guessing throughout this piece, with captivating twists in a story that will keep series fans up late into the night.

I have long enjoyed the writing of Robert Bryndza, particularly his work with DCI Erika Foster. Some may call the series too superficial for their liking, but there are times with a quick read police procedural checks all the necessary boxes. As with the previous five novels, this piece allows the reader to develop a closer relationship to Erika Foster, foraging through her personal life to touch a nerve, while also helping to build-up her strong police presence. Bryndza also seeks to personalise Erika’s struggle to move on after the loss of her husband and the pitfalls of finding that balance between work and a personal life. Foster remains a sharp character who answers to no one and seeks to find the minutiae in each piece of evidence to determine its validity. The handful of secondary characters in this story continue to develop as well, as Bryndza does offer scraps of information to flesh-out their work and personal lives. Readers can enjoy seeing this growth, which provides interesting sub-plots and offsets the intensity of the crimes central to the narrative. The story is clear and flows well, taking a few tangents, if only to allow the reader to be befuddled alongside the coppers. Bryndza weaves his narrative around two sets of crimes and merges them at just the right moment, only to leave gaps that need to be filled to solve the larger murder investigation. Through his use of short and choppy chapters, Bryndza offers up a story that cannot easily be put down and forces the reader to forge onwards, begging to know how things resolve in this high-impact case. To call the story addictive would be an understatement, even if there are police procedural purists who remain bitter on the sidelines.

Kudos, Mr. Bryndza, for another captivating novel in the series. I am eager to see how things will continue to evolve with DCI Erika Foster and her team in the coming novels.

4 and 1 / 2 stars

DCI Erika Foster is reluctantly on her way to visit the home of her Commander Paul Marsh on a snowy London Sunday. As she drives by an apartment house, she notices police activity. When she stops, she learns that the DCI in charge has been held up at another murder scene. She decides to take a look. What she finds is a young woman slashed to death with a knife. Her body is found right outside her building. She is identified as Marissa Lewis.

Their investigation seems to have barely started when another woman in murdered in the same way. The team goes about interviewing neighbors, witnesses and relatives. A tragedy occurs in the holding cells. Erika has another personal loss as well.

Meanwhile, Erika is feeling more than a little frazzled. Her boss recommends that she see a psychologist – just to have someone outside the job to talk to if nothing else.

Things spiral nearly out of control as the story progresses. Can they catch the killer before he gets away with murder?

I really enjoy reading Robert Bryndza’s novels. They are well written and plotted and are both an exciting and interesting read. I like that just the right amount of personal information is given about the main characters. I enjoy reading about Erika’s exploits and about her personal life as well. She gets along very well with her team and seems to have a good relationship with her bosses as well. Nicely done, Mr. Bryndza. Keep writing!

I want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for forwarding to me a copy of this good book to read and enjoy.

Book 6 and only getting stronger! Such a massive fan of this series and Robert Bryndza so I was very very excited to have the opportunity to read an advanced copy.

In this book we see more of Erika's relationships and those of her team. Without giving anything away it mixes it up a bit which I really liked. Erika is on her way to a Christmas Day lunch when she comes across a crime scene. A burlesque dancer has been found in her front yard with her throat slashed. Although she is not on duty she can't help herself and begins the investigation. Along with her team they start to look into the life of the victim and discover that there are plenty of people who were not her biggest fan.

This book is not at all predicatable and the ending is fantastic. I love the characters and how they mix. I hope there is many many more Erika Foster stories to come.

A big thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read and devour in exchange for my honest opinions

Another brilliant instalment in this well established series that would also read well as a standalone novel.
Fast paced gritty and with some really unexpected twists.

I was given an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review

I don't normally enjoy police procedurals/series, I prefer to see the target save herself, but Erika Foster is the exception. I would read about Erika checking her mail and doing her laundry, she is a wonderfully complex character. This book is a bit of a return to form as the last one was starting to dip into 3.5 star category (this one is 4.5)- with the usual ghoulishness and the delightfully three dimensional supporting cast - police and suspects I've come to expect from Bryndza. Did not see the twist coming. A treat.

Once again another superb book in the series featuring DCI Erika Foster. I read this book in two sittings in under 24 hours, it sounds cliched but I genuinely did not want to put it down. The series just continues to get better and better and I am grateful for the opportunity to read it early.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the Publisher, Bookouture, for this review copy given in exchange for an honest review. Also thank you to Noelle from Bookouture for organising and finding me a space on what was always going to be a very popular Blog Tour!!

If you know me, you’ll know how much I love Robert Bryndza! This is book six of the Erica Foster series and I have read and become absolutely hooked with every single one of them. I remember reading book #1 The Girl in the Ice and thinking that it was a fantastic piece of writing. Some series start to go a bit stale, but six books in and these are still going strong, if anything they are getting better and better.

For those who haven’t read the other books (where have you been???), Erica Foster is a Detective Chief Inspector in the Metropolitan Police. Formerly from Slovakia, Erica moved from the Greater Manchester Police following the death of her husband, who was also a policeman. Erica leads a fantastic team of detectives, who all give her the loyalty that she deserves. A young woman is murdered on her doorstep on Christmas Eve. Erica and her team are given the task of finding the killer, but with few clues and no witnesses it looks like they are coming up against a brick wall. As they delve into the investigation, reports come in of several attacks involving an assailant wearing a gas mark. Could the cases be linked? Alongside this, Erica is still having her own personal demons to deal with and finds that she needs to confront the past to be able to move on.

So, did I enjoy it? Hell yeah, it was absolutely brilliant! As with all of Robert’s books, I started it as soon as I got it (putting aside all the other books I need to read!) and didn’t put it down until I’d finished it just over a day later. I love Erica Foster, and now we are at book 6 begin to feel that she is some sort of old family friend! The book starts right in at the action with the murder of Marissa, a burlesque dancer with high ambitions. There are no clues as to why or who committed the murder and I love the way how all the little pieces of information slot into place as the book goes on.

Again, the book mixes business with pleasure. Erica is fantastic as the boss, but is still finding it difficult to cope with aspects of her own personal life. Her late husband features a lot in this book, and Erica finds that she needs to confront the memories that she has obviously pushed to one side. I love the personal side of Erica, she shows she’s not this ‘big, bad detective’ all the time and underneath that stony exterior she has a heart of gold. All my favourite characters are back and on fine form, some with more secrets than others.

With regards to ‘whodunit’, the story keeps you in suspense right to the end with more red herrings than you can shake a stick at. I honestly didn’t guess who it was until the reveal actually happened, and loved the twist towards the end – very cleverly done!

I have to admit that this is probably the best book of the series so far! I also have to admit that the series goes up there as one of the best series I ever read, and I really hope there are many more Erica Foster books to come. I work in a library and am always recommending this series to my borrowers who are stuck for something to read! This book gets a huge thumbs up and five big fat stars from me!! Thank you Robert for my Erica Foster fix…..when’s the next one!!

Deadly Secrets may be the sixth book in the brilliant Erika Foster series but the author has written it so that he gives enough background so that anyone wanting to dive straight into this one can easily do so.

The story is set at Christmas time. There is no festive spirit or Christmas cheer in this book though. Set at the coldest time of the year, the author takes us on a dark and chilling journey in the hunt for a killer.

Erika never fails to surprise me. I enjoyed there being a bit more of her personal life as it reminds you of how human she is. She very much comes across as being some kind of super woman and constantly pushes people away and lot letting anyone in.

The case is a truly intriguing one. Someone going around in black wearing a gas mask. You can't help but get creeped out. I love how the author doesn't give anything away and kept me guessing throughout. I truly had no idea who could be behind the killings and when all is revealed it, with some shocking twists, it won't be what you are expecting! 

Deadly Secrets is a thrilling and addictive read that chilled me to the bone. The author ensured he commandeered my attention right from the start and didn't let me go until the very last page.  I am proud to admit that I am an Erika Foster junkie who is on a high now having her fix. Please Mr Bryndza, don't leave me hanging too long until my next one.

Erika Foster is and will be my favourite detective along side Logan McRae. These books are always a treat to read! Every story is full of action and twists and will keep you interested until the last page

This is the 6th book in the Erika Foster series and once again it’s a fantastic read, read in one day and had a major book hangover afterwards! When a mother awakes Christmas morning to find her daughter has been brutally murdered on their doorstep during the night Erika and her team once again start to try and unravel the case. But the more they speak to the girls’ friends and family the more confused things get. With two suspects dead and not much to go on Erika must leave London when a family emergency calls her and hands the case over to our beloved Moss.
I love this series; the characters are very well developed and relatable. Each member of the team is like an old friend. This book is full of well-placed misleading morsels that send you off on a “I bet it was such and such……… but he wouldn’t make it that easy” tangents. As the story unfolds I had serious and possible life-threatening heart palpitations when poor Moss fell into danger. And I love the will they won’t they story with Erika and Peterson. As the story wraps up and you slowly begin to understand what is being laid out well……as always you never even saw it coming!!!!
Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for a copy of this book to read and review