Robert Bryndza never lets me down! In this fourth book about Kate Marshall we find her weakened both physically and mentally by a near drowning and her partner, Tristan, has to step up and take the lead for a while. This gave the book a slightly different angle to the earlier ones and it was more interesting for that.

Of course I loved the setting on Dartmoor which really is just as the author describes. When Tristan was jumping up and down on the bog my heart was in my mouth. I thought he was about to have a near death experience too!

The case this time is a cold one of a three year old boy who disappeared from a camp site eleven years ago and has never been found. I enjoyed the investigations but guessed the answers before Kate and Tristan did. The ending was a little bleak but true to life. This was a really enjoyable, easy read and I recommend this series to anyone who enjoys a good mystery. You could start with this book but you would find it even more enjoyable if you began with book one.

This is a character driven, police procedural novel. The mystery wasn't very mysterious, and the ending was pretty predictable, but the characters were so fully developed and enjoyable to read about that I still give it five stars. This was a quick read, and although it is the 4th book in the Kate Marshall series (and I recommend them all), it can easily be read as a standalone. Highly recommended

This excellent procedural (not exactly a police procedural, because ex-detective Kate Marshall is now a private investigator) is part of a series but can easily be read as a standalone. It does have a couple of spoilers about the first of the four books in the series, so people who want to read the others might consider starting in order. Kate is an accomplished detective with a track record of solving high-profile crimes; together with her younger partner, Tristan, she sets out to investigate the disappearance a decade earlier of a 3-year-old child. Their client is the boy’s grandmother, who crossed paths with Kate when they were hospitalized in neighboring beds. From the beginning of the book, there’s drama; Kate almost drowns (hence the hospital stay), and the author writes sensitively of her resulting physical weakness and emotional vulnerability. The story is expertly written and compelling—so much so that even if you’ve read a zillion mysteries and can see where this is all going, you still won’t want to put it down because you want to watch how Kate and Tristan get there.

Thanks to Netgalley and Raven Street Publishing for a digital advance review copy.

Layered in dark family secrets, a murdered social worker and plenty of twists and turns, this book is a good thriller to add to your tbr. I am always sceptical about how authors treat topics such as this as sometimes they can go too far and then the story becomes unbelievable, but Bryndza has done a good job to ensure this remains believable without the dramatics. This book is a good standalone novel with all the red herrings and other leads you’d expect of a psychological thriller.

I started this book towards the end of the series as you know but I felt I didn’t miss too much background information to read this. However, I do think I could have gotten more out of this story had I known the background detail. I worked out the ‘big’ twist fairly early on which is reflected in my rating nevertheless, I would definitely say this is worth a read. I was still keen to work out the story and whether Bryndza would throw another red herring my way.

There were areas in which I wasn’t a fan of the writing style. Some of the interactions between characters didn’t feel very natural and some of the descriptions of both characters and story development felt unnecessary. I would have liked to have explored more of the character development of both Kate & Tristan in this book as well as played more on Kate’s strained relationship with her son, who is now at university. I think this last relationship could have possibly lent itself more to this book than Kate’s initial swimming mishap right at the beginning, but this could be due to the fact I haven’t read the other books in this series so definitely take that with a pinch of salt!

There were characters which did make me laugh out loud a few times - namely Tristan’s friend and former police officer Ade. I found some of the comments and offhand remarks quite amusing which gave a really nice element of light relief to this book.

Bryndza’s ability to describe a sinister occult feel through descriptions of the Pixie Tree (a key landmark in this story) and its involvement gave me the spine-chilling feels that only come along from the really dark and twisted tales you shouldn’t read alone at night. This feeling I really loved and I would say this really helped immerse you in the setting of Dartmoor and its rugged, eerie and unforgiving landscape. Good play on the scene setting for me!

Having researched some of the other works by Bryndza, I think I would prefer the darker series which focuses on Erika Foster but this is only my personal taste. Overall, I think this is a good read and would recommend trying this novel if you are keen to explore the world of Kate Marshall and get started with Robert Bryndza.

Disclaimer: I would like to thank NetGalley, Raven Street publishers & Robert Bryndza for granting me an early access copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Devil's Way is the latest installment of Robert Bryndza's Kate Marshall series. Kate was a police officer who turned private detective. She and partner, Tristan, take on a 10+ year old missing child case when they are asked by the child's aging grandmother. Well written, interesting, good pace.... set on the coast of England, this one kept me engaged to the very end. Now, I want to go back and start at the beginning of the series. Robert Bryndza is a well known English writer whose work has been on the Amazon USA and Amazon UK bestseller lists. I would not call this a "cozy" mystery. There is mystery, but also suspense, lots of action and behind the scenes activity. I liked it and you will, too.

Devil’s Way by Robert Bryndza

A smartly written novel with likable, thoughtful characters. The author did a great job piecing together all the events of the story to make a plausible mystery.

A little boy disappears from a family camping trip. Years later his grandmother feels he is still live and hires two detectives to try to find him. Some serious step by step investigating makes this story interesting. Just so you know, many of the characters are alcoholics or recovering alcoholics. Didn’t see the purpose for why so many.

I would recommend this four star book to mystery lovers who like and easy to read tale with a satisfying ending.
Thank you #RavenStreetPublishing and #NetGalley for this ARC for my review.

My second book in this series. Kate and Tristan are an interesting pairing for a private investigator team. Kate meets Jean in hospital, after nearly drowning, and learns of the disappearance of Jean's grandson, Charlie, 11 years before. Jean had believed Charlie had drowned but is now not so sure and wants to know for sure what actually happened.
Kate and Tristan start to investigate, which takes them down many paths, and another death. The story is well planned and there are twists and turns galore. Good characters, good pace.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Robert Bryndza/Raven Street Publishing for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own,

A great read. Very real characters, an excellent mystery story. A definite page turner, makes you want to root for the good guys.

This is book 4 in a PI series. When I requested it, it wasn't clear on Netgalley that it was part of a series - I never start midway through.

Judging by the reviews on Goodreads, this may be a higher rating if you're into the series and/or characters more. That said, you didn't need to have read the previous books to follow this, so kudos to the author for that.

For me, I was captivated at the start and excited for what seemed to be a very good book, but then it became a drag pretty quickly and also a bit confusing with so many moving parts. The end was fab, with a great twist but I'd have preferred a shorter book without a lot of the details in the middle. I think a total of about 60% was a slog, hence reducing my rating.

Kate Marshall has a private detective agency and Tristan works with her as a partner. Kate had been out swimming when suddenly she gets caught up in a riptide and ends up in the hospital. An older woman named Jean is in the hospital at the same time as Kate and she asked her to help her find her grandson Charlie that has been missing 11 years. Jean and her daughter Becky, Charlie and Becky’s partner Joel had all been camping when Becky had discovered Charlie missing. They thought he had walked off and drowned. They police searched and searched but never found the body.

Kate and Tristan work on interviewing people and going to look at old evidence to try to piece what really happened to Charlie. From the child welfare lady Anna to the DeClan the ex boyfriend of Jean’s to the couple that had previously lived on Danvers Farm this book keeps you guessing. This was an awesome thriller and kept me wanting to know more and more. I will definitely read more by this author because I like the way he writes and keeps you interested.

I received this ARC from Netgalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Devil’s Way by Robert Bryndza
Publication date - 12 Jan 2023
Publisher - Raven Street Publishing
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This was a welcome return to the Kate Marshall series and I have been an avid reader of these books since I partook in a Tandem readalong for the opening chapter! To be honest I have been in a bit of a reading and Insta slump and this book helped me forgot about everything and just enjoy the story and what a story we readers got. It was dramatic from the off, we saw Kate struggle with life, Tristan become more involved and a twisty story that keeps the reader guessing! The reveal was brilliant and I totally was not expecting it at all!
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When Kate suffers an accident by getting caught in a riptide whilst swimming one morning she needs to spend some time in hospital to recover. Her bedside companion Jean tells her the story of when her grandson went missing one night whilst camping on Dartmoor. Jean hires Kate and Tristan to find out what really happened that night, did he wander off and fall into a nearby river or was something more sinister the reason behind it?
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Let me know if you pick this one up!

Wow what a brilliant read. Number 4 in Kate Marshall series and the best one yet.
A brilliant twisty tale that makes for compulsive reading

I listened to this book on audio and preferred the audio as gabe me a real sense of the characters! The book still read well thought and I enjoyed it!

This is the 4th Private Detective Kate Marshall book. When a near death experience puts Kate in the hospital, she meets Jane, a woman looking for her grandson who disappeared 11 years ago, By the time Kate leaves the agrees to take the case, but as she learns more and more about the case, she discovers a dark past that may have endangered the grandson. Can she find the truth before it's too late?

Devil’s Way is the latest book in the Kate Marshall series and the best yet since she became a private detective with excellent main and supporting storylines.

The author, Robert Bryndza, has created some great characters and uses them to keep the story moving along at a good pace.

Overall a definite recommendation.

An enjoyable cold case investigation inot the disappearance of a child by PIs Kate Marshall and Tristan..

Good to see the progression in the characters over the series and as ever, cod cases hold a mysterious appeal which draws the reader in.
Enjoyed seeing Tristan come inot his own a bit more and although I worked out the twist failry early on, I enjoyed this.

The second book of the year is by one of my favourite authors. It's Devil's Way by Robert Bryndza and I received it from Raven Street Publishing via Netgalley and it'll be out on the 12th of January.

This is book 4 in the Kate Marshall series and somehow I've missed book 3 😶! I've put it on my TBR list immediately. Just like the Erika Foster series (which I've read all so far!), This is an amazing series and one you should absolutely read!

Again, we follow Kate and Tristan when they are hired as PI's to investigate the disappearance of a three-year-old boy which happened 11 years ago. It is once again a tumultuous and exciting journey that leads to an inevitable conclusion turning the book into an amazing rollercoaster of emotions and drama.

This is a superbly written book with an incredible story that reads away so easily. The characters have already been developed well enough to understand the underlying emotions and reactions. From the very first page you are drawn into this story and it won't let you go until the very last page. Can't wait to read book 3 and all coming books by this author.

Most definitely a recommendation!

5/5⭐

Kate Marshall is an ex detective now running her own detective agency. Every day she goes swimming, but one day the riptide sweeps her away and she is rescued by some surfers. While in hospital recovering she meets a fellow patient Jean, who tells her about her grandson who went missing on a family camping trip 11 years ago.

Soon after, Kate and Tristan are contacted again by Jean and commissioned to find out what happened to Charlie. They unearth the facts of the old case, contacting those who were present during the search and looking again at the site of the disappearance. The story reads well and is much more believable than many mysteries where the detectives use implausible methods. The story is tight and very well written, and kept my attention to the end as the strands are skilfully drawn together to reveal the sad truths.

A great read, thank you. Thank you to NetGalley and Raven Street Publishing for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was quite a well written book and the characters were slightly interesting but it had a bit of suspense missing for me and unfortunately I did guess the ending . This is the first book I’ve read by this author and may read another in the future. I would recommend this book as I’m sure lots of people will enjoy it more than I did . I read so many books now that some stand out and some don’t so much . It lacked that certain something so only 4 stars from me .

Kate and Tristan make an excellent combination and their sleuthing is excellent in trying to solve the disappearance of a young child 11 years previous. The storyline was intriguing but I was able to best guess the outcome . A lot of underlying issues throughout the story