Lethal Vengeance by Robert Bryndza is the 8th in the Detective Erika Foster series.


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. All opinions are my own.


Series Background: (Warning – May contain spoilers from previous books)
DCI Erika Foster has not had it easy.  Her husband Mark and most of her team was killed in a botched drug bust years ago, and although she is now re-acquainted with and dating her childhood sweetheart Igor,  she is hesitant about moving on.  She lives in her own home, which she bought and fixed up (with help from Igor). Her  team consists of DI James Peterson (with whom Erika had a brief relationship), DI Kate Moss, Detective John McGorry, and Detective Crane.  Their boss is Superintendent Melanie Hudson. The forensic psychologist is Isaac Strong, and he has become a good friend to Erika.



My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
In an effort to escape a romantic evening with Igor, Erika re-enters the hotel from a different door, only to find a maid trying to contact the police.  There is a dead man, laying on the bed, naked,  face-down, his arms and legs hog-tied behind him, tape over his mouth.  It is politician Neville Lomas, and Erika is quickly removed from the case, presumably because it is out of her jurisdiction.  The death is quickly ruled accidental. Erika doesn't buy it.

But when Erika starts to investigate the death of a star football player, in a situation identical to Lomas, the powers that be don't really want to admit the similarities.  But then she ties the deaths to a casting director, and they can't ignore the fact that they have a serial killer out there.  But heads will roll, and Erika's hands will be tied.



My Opinions:
I think this was the first Erika Foster book that I struggled with.  Don't get me wrong, it was good, but as soon as it became evident that there was going to be a political agenda, I became a little less enthused.

The story alternated between Erika and Annabelle, and this was done quite well.  It was interesting to read the killers story and background.  As always, Bryndza creates really good characters.

As well, it was interesting to see the relationship between Erika and Igor expanded, and to see her vulnerable.

I did not like the ending....it felt like a cliff-hanger, and when an author resorts to this, I feel like it is only to sell his next book.  Not impressed.

Anyway, overall it was a good book, but (and I'm sure I'll be in the minority), not his greatest.

Loved this book. Great story and characters. I think Erika Foster is my favourite detective. She never
gives up.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the book.

Erika Foster is back!!!! Woohoo!!! I was so excited to see that Robert Bryndza had written a new book in this killer series! The wait was worth it! Lethal Vengeance was gripping, shocking, tense, well written, and thrilling. All the things that I have come to expect from Bryndza!

Erika Foster needed to take a breather while on a posh date with her boyfriend. She goes outside and when she is ready to go back to dinner, makes the mistake of going through the wrong door. She follows a commotion and finds Neville Lomas naked, hog-tied, and dead in his own bed. His will not be the first death. There will be other men who are found dead in the same manner. When CCTV shows 5 women who look and dress the same, Erika knows she is on to something. Am I the only one who immediately flashed to Robert Palmer's Addicted to Love music video? I digress....

Erika and her team are on the hunt for a killer as the tension, suspense, and sense of mounting danger ramps into high gear! The killer does what killer do - keeps killing. Will Erika solve this case, or will the Killer get away with murder??? It was so much fun reading to find out.

I really liked that the killer was intelligent and had so many things worked out. This was a real cat-and-mouse that had me worried. Erika isn't just trying to catch a killer, she is going up against the brass who want her to back down, but Erika is not one to let sleeping dogs lie.

I really like Erika (in case you didn't get that vibe). She is intelligent, tough, smart, vulnerable, assertive, caring and has some fun retorts to the higher ups. I love reading her thoughts as she carries on about her business. In this book, readers also see some of her personal life as well.

This is such a great series and is still going strong. I am happy to say that this book can be read as a stand-alone but with a series this good, I highly suggest reading them all. When I first read The Girl in the Ice years ago, I was blown away but not only the book but the writing.

Well written, gripping, hard to put down, and tense! If you have not read a book by Robert Bryndza, you need to remedy that!

In this new Erica Foster book, we find Erica beginning to contemplate her future, as an older woman and an active police officer.
A series of murders involving high profile celebrities and politicians cause even more of a problem to Erica and her team when shadowy figures from government want to influence the course of the investigation. This does not go down well!
Add a devious murderer who seems to always be one step ahead, and a final unexpected twist, and we have another page-turner.
I’m already looking forward to what happens to Erica next.

Thanks to Netgalley and Raven Street Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

This is the eighth book in the Erika Foster series by one of my favourite authors Robert Bryndza. I have read this series from the very beginning and it gets better and better. This latest book can be read as a standalone but why not read them all.

“Lethal Vengeance” is another exciting novel in this series and features Detective Erika Foster facing a serial killer. When politician Neville Lomas is found dead in a compromising position the Met dismisses it as natural causes, but the dead bodies of a casting director and a star footballer make it clear that a serial killer is at large. What follows is an exciting and well written story featuring Erika Foster dedicated to unravelling the truth against some resistance.

This is another excellent thriller, full of intrigue and suspense and impossible to put down with lots of twists and turns along the way.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Raven Street Publishing for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I stayed up until midnight on a weeknight to finish this book. I know I’m going to be tired, but it was so worth it. What a great book and a great character and what an ending - hurry up with the next one Mr Bryndza,

Yet another winner by Robert Bryndza, I couldn't put it down and read it in one rainy afternoon, no better way to spend a day. Such well observed characters. The plot line Wow!!!

Robert Bryndza's writing is supurb and I really enjoyed reading about Erika as it has been a while. Unfortunately I didn't get into this one as much as his previous work and I felt a bit unsatisfied with the ending. Hopefully there is another one soon! This was still good read though and I would recommend it!
Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy

So enjoyed this return to Erika’s world. It’s a great read, fast paced and very addictive. I liked having the perspective of the murderer and by the description of her life history, you can’t help but sympathise with her! I didn’t want it to end. I would have liked more input on my favourite characters, Isaac, Moss and Peterson. They do feature in the book but not so much as in previous books. All in all, I’d thoroughly recommend this title. The series keeps getting better and better with each book. I can’t wait for the next instalment.

Thank You to NetGalley I have just finished Book 8 in the Detective Erika Foster series. As usual with this author it is a page turner. The characters are just so easy to relate to and once you start you don't want to put it down. Looking forward to Book 9 in this great series.

Back with the formidable Erika Foster. This is book 8 in this series and I have to say that to get the best out of the series you should read them in order.

Detective Erika Foster
1. The Girl in the Ice (2016)
2. The Night Stalker (2016)
3. Dark Water (2016)
4. Last Breath (2017)
5. Cold Blood (2017)
6. Deadly Secrets (2018)
7. Fatal Witness (2022)
8. Lethal Vengeance (2024)

Another superb read. This series of books just gets better. Once started this book is so difficult to put down. It brings out that, Want, that need to carry on reading. A storyline that is interesting and realistic. A cat and mouse game to catch a killer.
Gripping and thoroughly recommended.

Just brilliant another amazing instalment that I devoured in 2 sittings. A great game of cat and mouse trying to catch a killer who continues to disguise themselves so it is impossible to identify them. Brilliant characters, fast paced writing love this author

Thanks to Robert and NetGalley for allowing me to read Lethal Vengeance before the publication date.

Having read a number of Robert’s previous books, I was pleased to receive the advanced reader copy of the latest in the Erika Foster series.

He has created an interesting cast of characters, from the upper echelons of power to the sex workers and not to forget the uppity Felicity Brogues-Houghton. (Robert does seem to like to include hoity toity and uppity characters who are just begging to be taken down a peg or two.)


This investigation will reveal a multitude of secrets and lies, and that is just within the Met.
Erika finds herself unable to trust the chain of command and she is also suspicious of a new member of the team who was assigned without her knowledge.

Having been warned off anything connected with the MPs death, she is forced to sign an NDA. This leaves her in the unenviable position that she cannot be open and honest with her own team.
Can she unravel the connection between the victims in time to prevent further deaths?

I thoroughly enjoy Robert Bryndza's Kate Marshall series but had not read any of the Erika Foster series yet. When I was given an ARC through NetGalley of Lethal Vengeance, I knew I needed to read a couple of books in this series first to learn the characters, etc. Am I am glad I did.
This is an excellent series, with great characters, writing, and stories. Lethal Vengeance does not disappoint. These books always have a number of chapters written in the killer's perspective and clues are always given that make me think I know who the antagonist is, but I have been wrong in each book read so far.
In Lethal Vengeance, Erika is looking into the murders of, at first, two high profile individuals, while dealing with some of her own personal issues. As always she gets on the wrong side of her superiors, hijacking, again, a press conference, and ultimately being right.
Great read, great series and one I am excited to finish now.
Can't recommend enough.

Very grateful for an early copy from NetGalley!

And Erika is back! An MP Neville Lomas is found dead trussed up and with Polaroid pictures signed Annabelle. Then Jamie Teague a high profile footballer is found dead in the same circumstances. He’d been to a night club with a posse of women that all looked the same., went back to his flat with them and got killed there. A policewoman called Dahlia seems to be trying to thwart Erika’s attempts to solve the crime. I loved it until the end which I thought was very rushed and didn’t hi there’s was expecting it to. Perhaps it leads on to the next one. Still a wonderful book though. It’s lovely to have her back

Well what can I say, another 5 star read from Robert, Erica Foster is one of my most very favourite charecters, and again this book didn't disappoint, a great storyline wrapped up well, loved it

Thanks to Netgalley and Raven Hill Publishing for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Erika Foster is back and investigating the seemingly connected murders of an MP and a famous footballer. She is being shutout of certain aspects of the investigation by her superiors and dealing with some issues in her personal life.

4.5 stars.

Robert Bryndza is a must read for me and I am always excited when he has a new book available for request. It was nice to catch up with Erika Foster again, even though I really enjoy the Kate Marshall series quite a bit. This was another interesting case for Erika and I never got bored with the investigation. Can't wait for the next installment.

A great plot with loads of suspense and action. The characters were realistic with good dialogue. It held my interest from beginning to end. The dissection between Erica and upper management added another level to the story. I enjoyed the read and highly recommend it to others.

Absolutely brilliant book. I felt for the murderer and it shows what shady things go on in the world. #LethalVengeance #NetGalley

Robert Bryndza has done it again. Erika Foster is back, along with her team, investigating a series of murders involving high profile people.

A complex storyline, full of surprises, it keeps you turning the pages as you don´t want to put it down. Can´t wait for the next installment!

Thoroughly recommend this book to anyone.

My thanks to NetGalley and Raven Street Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced digital copy in return for an honest review.