At first I really didn't like Erika Foster, to the point that I wasn't sure I would read book two. I found her blunt, rude, ignorant and I could find no redeeming features. She purely and simply annoyed me and it disturbed my reading flow. Bryndza is a very clever writer in my opinion.

However, I'm so glad I did because Erika Foster is fast moving up my list of favourite female detectives. This is book four in the series and where some writers would by now be struggling for new material, Bryndza makes each book fresh and provides enough tiny morsels of information on the main characters to make you feel you need to know more. There is so much scope for future novels and I can't wait for the next book.

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

Another 5-star page-turner from Robert Bryndza! DCI Erika Foster is fast becoming one of my favourite female detectives. Cannot wait to read the next one!

Another brilliant novel by this talented author. I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend.

In this fourth book in the series, Detective Chief Inspector Erika Foster's big mouth and abrasive attitude have got her booted off Lewisham's Murder Investigation Team (MIT) and stuck with a boring desk job. When the horribly battered body of a half-naked young woman is found in a London dumpster, Erika - on her own initiative - connects the killing to another murder a few months before. Desperate to get back on the MIT and investigate the appalling crimes, Erika is willing to do almost anything - even apologize to her nemesis, Superintendent Sparks.

Before long Erika is the Senior Investigative Officer in the cases of the murdered girls, working with her usual team, including Peterson, Moss, and Crane. Erika thinks a serial killer is at work, and she's proven right when a third body turns up in a dumpster. The top brass at Scotland Yard, fearing bad publicity and public backlash, put pressure on Erika to catch the perp - but budget constraints limit the resources assigned to her.

We learn that the killer is a short, pudgy office worker who resents the fact that attractive women won't look at him twice. Wanting revenge against women, the killer repeatedly creates fake profiles on social media to 'catfish' a pretty brunette and lure her into meeting him. He then kidnaps, cages, tortures, and murders the victim. When a not-so-attractive woman - the perp's awkward co-worker - invites him to a movie, he can barely stand to be with her.....which is pretty ironic.

The story alternates between the police investigation and the killer's activities. The description of the perp's step-by-step method of tracking, luring, and torturing his victims ratchets up the tension, and I had to take periodic breaks from the book. I hate the killer, despise his parents (a dismissive father and weak mother), and I'm not crazy about his dog, Grendel (though she doesn't know any better).

On the other hand, I admire the hard-working, dedicated detectives, who work day and night to stop the murderer and hopefully rescue a fourth victim. Erika is still experiencing angst about her cop husband who was killed in the line of duty, but a burgeoning relationship between Erika and Peterson may signal better times ahead.

The story held my attention and I was anxious to see how things played out. It was also interesting to see how the detectives discover clues, make deductions, and track down the killer. My one quibble: books that feature cops vs. a sociopathic serial killer are pretty common, and the story has a familiar ring.

Still, I'd recommend the book to people who like thrillers, especially fans of Erika Foster.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author (Robert Bryndza) and the publisher (Bookouture) for a copy of the book.

It's taken me awhile to get round to reading this latest installment in the Erika Foster series, but here I am, having just finished it! I love all the books in this series and this one is no exception, though it hasn't become my favourite one.

There's no doubt about it, these books are fast paced and full of thrills the whole way through. You'll find yourself losing yourself in the story within a couple of minutes, which is something I love about this series! However, this book did get a little cheesy romance-y at times which was a little bit cringey to read, but considering we've been there from the beginning of Erika and Peterson's relationship, it's not all that bad.

The characters, as always, are great. Lots of shocks developments with a few of them within this book too. Erika is sassy and hard headed as she always is, but I'm getting a little sick of her arrogance and need to fight with all authority. I was sad to find Moss took a bit of a back-seat in this story. She's one of my favourite characters because she's so real and brings a bit of humor to the book, so I would have liked to have seen more of her!

I like it when a book is mysterious and you have the ability to try and work out the who the bad guy is yourself, but you didn't get that with this novel. From very early on, you already know who the killer is and I think that really takes away from some of the excitement that comes with police procedurals. That being said, it is still fun to see how close the killer is to being caught and how they manage to evade Erika & her team each step of the way.

The crimes in this book were brutal and dark, like the other murders we've seen in this series so far. Our killer was the perfect mix between dweeb and arrogant tool, so he worked perfectly as our bad guy who hated women.

I have one little bug bear in relation to a social view in the book. Considering this book is so inclusive and diverse (black & LGBTQ+ characters) I found it a little odd that when the first body is found, and they notice her lady region is shaved, the first thing mentioned is "promiscuity". The pathologist says they can't be hasty to judge but then says "was it a bad choice on her part? or were events thrust upon her, out of her control?" as though being shaved is synonymous with prostitution and other antisocial sexual behaviours. This outlook didn't seem to fit with the overall tone of this series so far, but it wasn't anything too major, just me being picky.

Overall, I liked this addition to the Erika Foster series, but it wasn't my favourite one. It was fast paced, tense & thrilling, but I found it a little bland in comparison to book number 3. I will continue to read this series for as long as it goes on (or until I get sick of Erika being so snappy).

I've eagerly anticipated the next installment in the Erika Foster series - the 4th novel already if you can believe it - and the author's outdone himself with this one! It really is very strong competition for my favorite one which was, to this day, The Girl In The Ice, his first novel and the one that immediately turned me into one of Erika's biggest fans. Only now I'm just not all that sure anymore, this one's got so much going for it and could very well take first place!

Social media is a dangerous place, anybody can pose as another person and this plotline is effectively and thoroughly proving this point. It's a very actual theme with people being more and more online and on social media platforms so it was an amazing idea to make this a plotline and Mr. Bryndza spins it in such a harrowing way that it really made my blood run cold when thinking of the possibility of this really happening. It's easier to acquire info on someone than you think apparently. I'm certainly making sure I'm protecting my profile and identity to those I don't know after finishing this novel!

I felt there was a lot of change in this novel for Erika, both on a personal level and professionally, and I’m pretty sure this adds to the recipe of success that’s making this one another exceptionally good read. Erika’s still the same person as before of course, efficiently bulldozing her way into an investigation that isn’t hers but she’s more the likeable Erika from the first novel again, having shaken off a bit of that previous harshness. Everything is shaping up for her in this novel and I think she's starting to really feel better with where she is in life. I am pretty sure it’s against police procedure to make certain promises to the parents of victims, but there’s not a single hair on her head that isn’t convinced she won’t succeed in catching this killer. Of course I knew she would succeed but how was unclear and made me scratch my head more than once.

At the beginning I had some doubts about the killer's identity, it could be either of two characters brought to my attention, but soon enough the killer's POV took away any doubt. The police are doing great work but the killer stays out of their scope and reach. He's like a ghost on the internet and he avoids all CCTV cameras so how are they going to find him? Your guess was as good as mine, all I could hope for was that he would slip up and Erika would see this mistake and pound on him.

And then there's a tension that's creeping in when you see that someone in his vicinity is developing an infatuation for this person. I wanted to warn her, to shoo her away from him but the heart doesn't always see what it must. She's getting in some very dangerous territory there. It was like I was watching a trainwreck waiting to happen. It didn't help exactly that I could hear what he was thinking, it was very frightening :-).

Last Breath was full of suspense and drama with very well-developed characters, an enjoyable revisiting of my favorite characters and an outstanding plotline with an ending that would definitely have showed a spike in my heartrate if it were measured. Catching a killer is definitely not without danger!

You can read this as a standalone but I recommend starting with the first novel for the introductions to these people, they'll grow on you even more. Needless to say I think but I look forward to number 5!

There’s something very exciting about seeing an author you’ve enjoyed reading in the past put out a new book. Hopefully, you get to enjoy a new tale in a style you’re familiar with and like.

Robert Bryndza is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors, and, like “Dark Water” previously, “Last Breath,” is creepy, suspenseful and will make you check your locks at night.

The book follows Erika Foster as she finds out about the death of a young woman, found stuffed in a trash dumpster. Soon, Erika finds a similar death in the records and begins to think there’s a sick serial killer prowling the streets of London. As she finagles her way onto the case, she not only works to deal with her personal issues, but with the knowledge that she’s working against the clock to prevent more deaths.

This book is the fourth in the series, but can be read as a standalone (though you WILL want to read the other because they’re equally as good).

The killer is revealed in the first third of the novel, but the suspense is kept high as you keep wondering what’s going to happen next and what the heck is going on. It’s really the sign of a great author that you can continue to feverishly turn pages after they’ve “revealed” big info to you. The story needs to be great at that point, and this one is.

Again, as in “Dark Water,” Bryndza draws in current themes to the writing. It’s like an episode of “Law and Order,” “ripped from the headlines!” I really enjoyed this (I’m trying to stay vague to avoid spoilers) because it really ups the creepy factor. It makes you wonder about the “ordinary” people you see walking past you on the street.

The ending ties things up nicely, though I do have some questions lingering in my head….nothing major. I guess I’ll have to read it again to try to catch anything I missed! 🙂

I’m really looking forward to more in this series – it’s a great series of stories, about characters that are realistic and likable.

Highly recommended.

The Dangers of online dating.....If he seems too good to be true - he probably is.

Each murder victim in this book has met a witty, charming, handsome man online and then agreed to meet him in person - to never be seen alive again.

When a tortured, beaten dead body of a young woman is found inside a dumpster, Detective Erika Foster is one of the first on the scene. The downside...it's not her case. She is working in another division but she can't turn her back on the dead woman's case. She inserts herself into the investigation until a turn of events allows her to transfer back to her old stomping grounds and fully investigate the case. Or shall I say cases as more young women are found viciously murdered.

The killer is stalking his victims online using a fake identity. He changes his identity and picture to suit his victims interests. What is interesting, is that the reader knows the identity of the killer. Sometimes this works for me in a book, sometimes it does not. It WORKED in this book!!! I enjoyed reading his story, about his life, how he stalked his victims, and what he thought of the investigation. We also see how her interacts with others in both his professional and personal life.

This book is part of the Erika Foster series by Bryndza but it works well as a stand alone book. If you have not read the other books in this series, I encourage you to do so. If you have read the previous books as I have, it is a joy to see the character development and the characters from the previous books. Erika continues to be a strong female character who often shoots her mouth off when she feels strongly about the cases she investigates. She also continues to have commitment issues which stem form the death of her husband.

Bryndza continues to write a gripping fast paced series. I appreciate how he has written a strong, confident female lead character who feels real and yet struggle with issues in her personal life. She feels for the victims and pushes herself to always do right by them. This series, and this book, is well-written, entertaining, fast paced and twisted all at the same time.

This book (and the other's in this series) should appeal to everyone who enjoy mysteries, thriller, murder mysteries and police procedural books. Yes, there are murders but there is nothing too gory or cringe worthy to turn off most readers. I look forward to more in this series. I have a feeling that this Author is only getting warmed up and has a lot more up his sleeve.

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

I read this as a stand alone book having not read any of the three previous books. What have I missed?!!!! I was gripped from the beginning of the book and thoroughly enjoyed the relationships of all the characters. This book revealed the identify of the killer from the start so we had an insight into his thinking etc, I thought the build up of tension and suspense in the solving of the case was brilliant and was completely hooked by the end. I can't wait to download the first three books in the series to see how the characters have developed and what I have been missing.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for approving my request to read and review this book.

When I read 'The Girl in the Ice' last year, I couldn't help being swept away by that thriller and I felt sure author Robert Bryndza would never be able to write another equally brilliant thriller, however looking back, he has proved me wrong time and time again. The fantastic DCI Erika Foster series just seems to be getting better and better with each new instalment. With 'Last Breath', the fourth book, the author has once again managed to keep me glued to my Kindle from start to finish.

A vicious killer is kidnapping, torturing and murdering young women. He then dumps the victims' battered and broken bodies in dumpsters around London as if they were bags of rubbish.

Following events taking place in 'Dark Water', Erika Foster is now part of the Projects Team. This is a job she hates and she yearns to go back to the action of the Murder Investigation Team where her ex colleagues and friends Moss and Peterson still work.

When another girl is found in a dumpster, Erika aches to investigate the case, but not being part of the MIT, she's not allowed. Her arch enemy, Superintendent Sparks makes sure she's kept as far as possible from his case. But destiny soon turns things in her favour and Erika finds herself at the helm of this investigation. It is evident that the killer is after a certain type of woman, but with no evidence or witnesses, how can she ever catch this monster? When yet another girl goes missing, Erika and her team find themselves on a desperate race against time to find that elusive link between the victims that will hopefully lead them to the killer. But it's as though they're searching for the proverbial needle in a haystack. The killer is shrewd and knows how to cover his tracks. Can they ever stop this killing machine?

All books in the series can be read as a standalone, however to fully appreciate and follow the secondary storylines and character developments, I would still recommend readers to go through it in the correct order.

In the majority of crime thrillers, authors do not reveal much about a killer. Some keep their identity a mystery till the very end, others tell us who the killer is but nothing much more. However in this book, the author does not only reveal the killer's identity, he also makes us familiar with him. He takes us inside his head, his family home and at his place of work. He makes us know his family and colleagues. The killer in this book is just another character. He's given a full identity, description, depth, character, history. He's as real as can be! And I liked that!

Through this book, the author made me more aware of the dangers of social media and internet dating and how impossible it is to read the true nature of individuals just from their appearance. As per all previous books, 'Last Breath' is fast-paced, very well written and full of suspense and realistic characters and dialogues. After reading four books, I have grown to love Erika, Moss and Peterson and almost consider them as acquaintances, not just fictitious characters. I'm always waiting for the next instalment to see what these awesome 'friends' would get up to and I always fear for their safety. Am I going nuts? Maybe, but in my opinion this goes a long way towards showing the author's ability in drawing in the reader and giving vivid life to words.

The last part is so fast paced I found myself swiping furiously the pages on my kindle, holding my breath, wincing and biting my knuckles. I wanted to know what will happen, how it will all end.

From the shocking prologue to the nail-biting ending, this is an absolutely amazing thriller and I can't stress enough how much I loved it. This author's writing skills are impressive and if you haven't read anything written by Robert Bryndza, you're seriously missing out.

With thanks to Bookouture for approving my request to read and review this book through NetGalley.

Last Breath

Bryndza has done it again!

Erika Foster is back and better than ever!! I do think you need to have read the rest of the series before reading this one as the background is important.

Dark, gritty and chilling, Last Breath is not for the faint hearted but is most definitely recommended! Gripping, I finished this in a couple of days as I literally couldn't put it down!

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher, 5 shiny stars!

Last Breath by Robert Bryndza is the 4th in the DCI Erika Foster crime series.

First, I'd like to thank Boukouture, NetGalley, and of course, the author, for providing me with a copy of this book for an honest review.

Erika is no longer with the Murder Investigation Team, mostly through her own fault. Now she is stuck in an office all day, and it's killing her. She needs to be out investigating, and when she intrudes on an active crime scene, there is no stopping her. Then she ties it to an older unsolved murder, another young woman dumped in a similar location with identical wounds. Eventually, by stepping on a few toes, and an unforseen death, she finds herself as the Senior Investigative Officer in the case of young women being kidnapped and murdered. She gets her team back together, including Peterson, Moss, Crane and McGorry. She's back in her element!

The underlying theme seems to show that social media can easily be used for crime. The kidnapper searches social media sites to find details of his victims, to create a false identity for himself, and to finally befriend them. It's a little scary to realize how easily this could be done. It's not going to stop me from using Twitter or Facebook, and I'm already cautious with friend requests and what people can see of my profile, but still. It makes you think. Which every good book should do!

With every book I read, Robert Bryndza earns more of my respect. He is a brilliant writer, his plots are precise, his characters deep, and his "mystery" wonderful. He writes a very suspenseful, compelling, fast-paced novel. I love the dynamics between the characters, and I love the fact that Erika, although a strong woman, can show weakness.

Gripping novel! Definitely worth a read or two....

Thank you for allowing me an ARC of Robert Bryndza 4th Erika Foster book, wow it was another amazing read. I have read the previous three books in the Erika Foster series and this new book from Robert Bryndza did not disappoint. This thriller was a definite page turner from beginning to end, I read it in just under two days, When three young ladies are victims of social media FB cat fish, Darryl, their are murdered and their bodies are found in dumpsters. Erika Foster begins piecing the clues together and eventually all the pieces point to Darryl and the arrest by Foster is mad. Its nice to see how Erika had developed as the sequels are written. Erika Foster is finally beginning to become more relaxed and i really hope she finds happiness with Peterson in the next sequel, she really deserves it.

really enjoyable book to read and easy to follow story line. look forward to reading more from this author.

This is book 4 in the London-based police procedural series about DCI Erika Foster and my favourite. I know I said the same for book 3, sorry. Ideally, these should be read in order starting with The Girl In The Ice. There is a lot of personal development happening and I think the relationships between various characters can be appreciated more with all the background.
In this one, Erika barges in on a murder case where young women are abducted, tortured and then left in dumpsters. The identity of the killer is revealed early but it didn't make this any less enjoyable because I found the chapters from the killer's perspective totally gripping albeit unnerving. The killer's exploitation of social media and online information was fascinating to follow but disturbing.
The balance between developments in Erika's personal life and the focus on the investigation was perfect. I wasn't fully on board with the path Erika's personal life was taking in the previous book, Dark Water, but I loved the way it all developed here. The scenes between Moss, Petersen and Erika provide a welcome relief from the darker passages.
Having learned from previous mishaps, I started this on a day when I knew I'd be able to get through to the end without having to stop. The short chapters and fast pace encourage you to keep reading. I switched between reading and listening to the audible version. The narration wasn't outstanding - more differentiation and work on the accents would have been nice - but as I got further and further into it, I was so consumed by what was happening in the story, the tone of the narration became insignificant. Highly recommended for any fans of crime fiction.
Bring on book 5!
Thanks to Bookouture for my ARC.

This is another fantastic book from Robert Bryndza. It was great to have plenty of familiar faces back in the frame - especially Moss, my favourite! There are quite a few surprises along the way in an already shocking story and there are some extremely creepy characters lurking within! It's very well written, easy to read and compelling. There are some good developments for the regular characters and it was really interesting to see the police investigation develop. My only minor quibble is that the ending felt a little too quick, too abrupt, given how steadily the threads of the story had been woven together. Nonetheless this is another cracking entry in the Erika Foster series and I look forward to the next one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of Last Breath.

Thank you to netgalley, the publisher and author for a copy of this book.

In the last two months, I've read the complete Erika Foster Series (to date), and after the first one (The Girl in the Ice), this was my favourite. Where the first 3 novels had a very standard format, I found that the character of Erika finally starts to grow in this 4th novel, and made for a more interesting read. I hope to see this character and her various relationships continue to grow in a (hopefully) 5th installment!

have read and loved all the Erika Foster series so Last Breath had a lot to live up to but it certainly did I couldn't put it down!!!I've only just discovered Robert Bryndza recently as I kept seeing great reviews about last Breath and I was lucky enough to receive it from NetGalley but then I realised it was no.4 so I went back to the beginning and read The Ice Girl, The Night Stalker and Dark Water first and loved them all and I just finished Last Breath in the early hours of this morning....I've read all 4 books in 10 days that's a personal record just couldn't put them down ....Robert Bryndza is right up there with my favourite authors now and he's a total master of suspense (the amount of times his books will make your heart pound and make you speed read to find out what happens next!!!!) Can't wait for more of Erika Foster!!!
Thank very much again to NetGalley and Bookouture for the advance copy of Last Breath in exchange for an honest review!

Fast-paced, as usual, but also a little formulaic. I've become a big fan of Erika Foster, and love the way Bryndza has let her slowly evolve. However, my small gripe is that the cases are always very grim and the killer predictably sadistic, and I wish there were a little more depth sometimes. It was still a good addition to the series, though and all the books are definitely page-turners. I will certainly read the next one Bryndza produces.