Dark Water by Robert Bryndza (Detective Erika Foster Book 3). Audiobook

• Paperback: 366 pages
• Publisher: Bookouture (17 Oct. 2016)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1786810697
• ISBN-13: 978-1786810694
• Product Dimensions: 12.9 x 2.1 x 19.8 cm

Synopsis

When Detective Erika Foster receives a tip-off that key evidence for a major narcotics case was stashed in a disused quarry on the outskirts of London, she orders for it to be searched. From the thick sludge the drugs are recovered, but so is the skeleton of a young child.

The remains are quickly identified as seven-year-old Jessica Collins. The missing girl who made headline news twenty-six years ago.

As Erika tries to piece together new evidence with the old, she must dig deeper and find out more about the fractured Collins family and the original detective, Amanda Baker. A woman plagued by her failure to find Jessica. Erika soon realises this is going to be one of the most complex and demanding cases she has ever taken on.

Is the suspect someone close to home? Someone is keeping secrets. Someone who doesn’t want this case solved. And they’ll do anything to stop Erika from finding the truth.

Review

Dark Water is the third book in the Erika Foster series, and I have to say that each book is just getting better.  Erikahas been moved to the drugs squad after her actions on the previous case as a reprimand. When her new team search a quarry for drugs she finds more than she bargained for, the remains of a young girl.  Erika finds herself back on the murder squad and trying to solve the historical case of Jessica Collins.  This is a different case to those in the previous two books, this is a single historical murder.

Erika is reunited with Moss and Peterson but she also has some new team members from the drugs squad, as well meeting the original detective Amanda Baker.  Amanda is now retired and has turned to alcohol as a coping mechanism after her failings in the original murder case. She is an interesting character, an product of the police force twenty five  years before, when practices were slightly different and in some case dubious.  There are plenty of suspects in this case with plenty of red herrings and twists to keep you on your toes.

Robert Bryndza gives us more of an insight into Erika in this book.  We are introduced to Erica’s sister and Lenka and her two children who come to stay with Erika for a few days.    This brings a softer side to Erica’s character, as we see her interact on a more personal level.  We also see a relationship develop between Erika and Peterson, her first relationship since the death of her husband.

Bryndza’s writing is brilliant in his plot outline and how each chapter ends on a cliff hanger so you think ‘just one more chapter’.  He is also able to really catch people’s emotions and make you feel for the characters.  My heart really went out to the family of Jessica Collins, especially her mother who has spent twenty five years pinning for her daughter which has resulted in the breakdown of her marriage and difficulties with her two remains children.  There were also the feelings of the other family members who grieved in their own way, and whose lives are also effected by the murder of Jessica.

Being a cold case this is not a particularly fast paced book but instead it builds slowly, keeping the tension throughout.  Of course there is a twist at the end, its a crime thriller, the tension and anticipation built to this conclusion with suspense and feel of unease.  I absolutely loved this book, I am becoming a huge fan of Erica and can’t wait for her next investigation and hopefully for her and Peterson to continue their relationship; a love interest is always good. A criminally good read, I will be starting the next in the series soon.

Thank you for reading my review of Dark Water.  If you liked this review please see my review of The Girl in the Ice  and The Night Stalker.  All shares, likes and follows really help grow my blog and are much appreciated.