I am always so excited when a new Ericka Foster book comes out. She is such a different type of leader that it's seriously entertaining to read about her.

I was so happy with where Robert Bryndza took this story. There were personal things that happened that I was sooooo thrilled with! The actual investigation was fascinating and I never wanted it to end! I just adore Foster, Moss, and Peterson.

One thing I didn't expect was all the feels this book gave me! I giggled at their jokes and their silly antics, there was so much more heart in this book than in any of the others. Ericka continues to struggle with the death of her husband and how to move on from that. I can NOT wait for the next one. I wish Robert could write a bit faster!

I received an ARC of this book with the hope that I will leave an Unbiased Opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that... my opinions.

Robert, you have done it again! Great thriller with twists and turns. I have loved this book and I hope there is more to come for Erika.

Wonderful read. Fantastic characters. Would recommend this book.

About: Last Breath: A Detective Erika Foster Novel is a thriller written by Robert Bryndza. This is book 4 in the Detective Erika Foster series. It was recently published on 4/12/17 by Bookouture, 281 pages. The genres are crime, mystery, and thriller. In the publisher area of NetGalley, it indicates that “Bookouture are a digital imprint providing entertaining, emotional stories that effortlessly transport readers to another world and keep them turning the pages.” Please see below for more information about the author.

My Experience: I started reading Last Breath: A Detective Erika Foster Novel on 4/17/17 and finished it on 4/25/17. This is book 4 in the series and I read it without reading the first 3 books. I have no problem understanding the story. The killer & victims are new and the police force are constant characters in the series. Their story continues and I able to understand enough of what goes on previously with Erika regarding her personal & professional life. It’s okay to read as a standalone or in a series, but read as a series is recommended so that readers can follow the characters development.

In this book, readers will follow Detective Chief Inspector Erika Foster as she struggles with her personal and professional career. Once her career picks up, she’s assigned to find the killer that left these young women in dumpsters across London. Erika and her team zero in on the killer and often caught the tail end of it all. There were many close calls but the killer was able to get away and able to set sight on the next victim. Readers will be able to follow the killer around and see what takes place around the life of a killer. This book has third person point of views as well as the two main characters. There were many introductions of new characters because of new witnesses and victims.

This story occurs during winter in London and it seems every chapter the snow begins to fall. At 42%, when describing Ella wearing a purse on her shoulder, one paragraph was “slung over her shoulder” and the next paragraph, it was “slinging from her shoulder”. I didn’t like that Bryony make the decision to go grab a knife instead of lock herself in a room as self defense. I didn’t like how two police shows up without the killer noticing them and still got shot. However, I do like the close calls of witnesses catching glimpses of the killer. I do like the police figuring out bits and pieces of the killer. For the killer to target social media, it would have been more interesting if one of the police raid the social media, but I guess that may be difficult. It could’ve been more interesting also if police could be one step ahead of the killer instead of only behind. This book is still a good read and I do recommend it.

Pro: different POVs including third person, backgrounds on the victims and even those who found the victims, the close calls, the killer’s steps taken, some humor, epilogue

Con: repetitions on fresh snow falling, police investigations

I rate it 4 stars!

***Disclaimer: Many thanks to the author Robert Bryndza, publisher Bookouture, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review. Please assure that my opinions are honest.

xoxo,
Jasmine at www.howusefulitis.wordpress.com

Last Breath by Robert Bryndza is an exciting psychological thriller about a serial killer targeting his victims via social media. Detective Erika Foster is tasked with finding the killer whilst also dealing with the sudden death of one of her superiors and an embryonic love affair with a colleague. This was my first introduction to the author and I will read more books in the series.

Last Breath is the fourth Erika Foster book and having read the first three I was looking forward to the next chapter in the series. The book however has been written in such a way by the author that it stands alone and can be read on its own.

Erika is a DCI who left the Murder Investigation Team after being passed up for promotion. She then gets a call from an old colleague about a murder, where the SIO happens to be the person who got her promotion. She soon however joins the murder team and so the story begins to unravel.

As with the earlier books by this author this book has a good backstory, an early murder and very little clues to who the murderer is, but good comes out on top and the case is subsequently solved by the team after much hard work.

Would love to Erica transferred to TV and can’t wait for the next chapter.

4.5 stars. Thanks to netgalley for my free copy. This is a very interesting and quick read. I have read all 4 books in this series and this may have been the best. I feel like the characters are evolving and I will enjoy reading future books in this series for that reason. The only negative for me was that we knew who the killer was early on and then it was a matter of Erika and her team catching him. I prefer a book where we don't know who did it until the end, but this was suspenseful and well written and I will continue reading this series.

Thanks to Netgalley, I have been fortunate enough to read all four books in this great series and I have given all four a well deserved 5 star rating! I started this book on a Saturday morning and finished it during the early afternoon and was amazed at how fast-paced this story was. This time around we know exactly who the murderer is and we spend some time in his world and in the wotld of one of the women whom he has abducted and as always DCI Erika Foster is working hard to bring down the perpetrator. Just an outstanding, intense read and i cannot wait for the next book! I highly recommend this entire series!

This author is fantastic and this is his best book yet. I highly recommend this series.

A girl's mutilated body is found in a dumpster. The medical examiner determined that the girl endured tremendous torture before her untimely death. Once again, Erika Foster fights to be the lead investigator on the case. She has a proven track record of solving these difficult cases and she knows that she can do it again. A similar murder was uncovered months ago where the victim had identical wounds and was also dumped in a similar location. Erika needs to find out how the killer is luring his victims so that she can find him before it's too late.

I loved how the evidence linked up in this case. I also loved that the killer's point of view is also expressed in the book. The alternating perspective was well-executed and added depth to the story. This is an absolutely fabulous read.

I received this book through Netgalley.com. Thank you to Netgalley.com, to Bookouture, and to Robert Bryndza for this opportunity.

Another intriguing story from Mr. Bryndza!

So, we meet again with DCI Erika Foster and her team and a new murder investigation. And this time they are chasing a guy who hunts his victims through social media, abduct and torture them and then leave the girls in dumpsters.
At the beginning i felt that i did not like DCI Erika as much as i did before, she seemed more agressive, but then she turned back to her unsubordinate stubborn self.

I liked those chapter about the killer. It was unnerving though to see how he acted and planned, to think like him and see things through his eyes. The creepy part was that in fact anybody can be a killer. It was almost like the perfect series of murder, a killer who leaves no trace and get away with it every single time.
I also liked the clin d'oeil to the dangers of sharing too much through social media and trusting whatever it is said through them. It is indeed a new kind of problems and risks.

Following the investigation was fascinating. Like always i really liked the team of Erika and it was good to be back again with Peterson, Moss and John. The complicated personal life of Erika was a nice bonus in this book and i am really curious to see how it will end.
At times i was not able to stop, i think i would have finished it in one sitting if i was not compelled to leave it and do other things.
I would definitely be waiting for the next one.

I don’t know how Robert Bryndza does it because this in my opinion is his best novel in the series so far. The other three books were brilliant but this just has the spit and polish feel that gives it that edge.
You know sometimes you think that you know what you want but when you get It, then you realise just what you had. Well Detective Erika Foster is a strong character that knew what she wanted but darn did she crave to be out of the office that she hated so much and back to  some real cases. So when Peterson gets a call about students finding a mutilated body of a young woman she is almost salivating at the thought of tagging along. Once she has dipped her toes into her past life she really needs the full blown fix of working a case again no matter how much humble pie she has to digest.
Erika Foster is one of my very favourite female detectives, she takes loyalty over popularity any day which gives this sassy lady a small number of colleagues that she would trust with her life.  Then what you do get is a boss that has her sleeves rolled up getting stuck into working with her team rather than commanding at the edge. The only thing is, is that Erika has been making promises to parents that this time she may not be able to fulfil?  It is almost like this violent killer doesn’t exist and time is quickly running out for his latest victim.  From the very first page this story has an urgency about it that you feel she is just one pace behind one of the scariest bad guys that Robert Bryndza has created so far.
This story certainly leaves readers something to think about, yes I have heard it all before and still think these things just happen to other people, unfortunately  they happen to someone, so carry on when the book has ended and read A Note From Rob.

Thanks to Netgalley, Bookoutre, and Robert Bryndza for this ARC. Erika Foster is one of my favorite protagonistic female characters. From the first book, to this fourth book. this character has grown and developed nicely. The authors stories have gotten more intense but still remain with the human element. Love this series, and it deserves every award it seems to get.

“It was three o’clock in the morning and the stench of the dead body filled the car…He drove with air conditioning on full, but the smell of her still permeated from the boot of the car. She was decaying fast.”


The fourth book of Detective Erika Foster series “Last Breath” opens with such chilling lines.

My thoughts:- The Girl in the Ice, The Night Stalker, Dark Water and now Last Breath. Robert Bryndza and Erika Foster are rocking the way.

“A young girl lay on her back. She was filthy, and covered in dirt and dried blood. Her body was badly beaten, and her long dark hair was lank and greasy.” This is how the murderer dumps the victim after torturing her for days.

The murderer’s name is Darryl Bradley, only son of a farm owner. His identity has been given without keeping the readers in suspense. He acquires the information of his victims through their various social media accounts, makes a fake profile of himself, gathers mutual friends, interests and makes it too trustworthy so that his prey easily falls for it. Then he asks the girls on a date and he then injures her and kidnaps, keeping them in a deserted Oast House and touturing them to death. This time Erika Foster’s mission is to find this mystery lady-killer (pun intended).

As usual it is an amazing, insomnia provoking, tight-knitted plot. We can’t expect less from Mr. Brynzda. Erika’s life, her nervous relationship with Peterson that she accepts at the end, her rivalry with colleague Sparks that comes to an end with his unexpected death has been portrayed deftly.

But what really caught my eyes that in this latest book Mr. Bryndza has pointed a very much relevant topic and its dark sides. Social Networking. It is an important part of our lives right now. We are all active in social media. Posting photos of our achievements, showing off our gifts, connecting with like-minds, family and friends.
On the other hand some people take advantages of that and misuse these platforms. There are lots of fake accounts made in these social platforms that most of the times send people friend requests. Not just this but various other cyber crimes like hacking others accounts, stealing data and cyber bullying also take place.

I wholeheartedly agree with Erika in this matter when she says,
“When you “share” on social media don’t you give away something of yourself? Your privacy. Information. Social networks are free, aren’t they?...but in return for a free a service, don’t they want to find out everything about us? Our killer probably didn’t even have to leave his house or his bedroom until he was about to grab the victims. He found everything about them online.”


So true isn’t it? The reason Janelle, Lacey, Ella and Beth had been the victims. Or when Moss says,
“People put things on social media to show off. Look at my new car; look at my house…I think most people find their lives boring and uploading their achievements, things they are proud of, it validates them.”


Sure it does. But for this we can’t leave social media. So what is the remedy? I guess to be alert all the time about everything you share on social media and of course do not accept everyone’s request and don’t go meet some stranger of social media.

Drawbacks and ratings:- Nah! I was so engrossed in reading I couldn’t find any drawback.
5stars! And this book is highly recommended. Everyone should read it.

Thanksgiving:- Thanks to Robert Bryndza and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review this gem of a book.

5☆+  Nail biting, Non stop thriller

Last Breath is the 4th book by Robert.
However it was my first book and I absolutely LOVED IT!!

I was hanging onto every word. It was captivating, scary, exciting, pulse racing, and highly addictive... you have been warned!

What I loved most about this book was you found out who the killer was within the first half. Well in fact it was a little tease for all of a few pages when I was convinced it was someone else!

Robert has restored my faith in Detective books. I was beginning to tire of them till I read Last Breath.

Erika is the main character. She is the lead detective and I loved her!
 She was strong, determined, charismatic, A fantastic leader, sometimes a little too strong minded as she got her self into trouble.
But overall she was passionate about her job and I believe that is what made this book so great!

The story took on a cat and mouse chase, early on in the story. The killer was extremely clever he knew every detail to the last letter/ cctv camera... well that was until he became sloppy and lost control.

The killer had a very dark past and it is only at the end you come to realise he's torture and torment he faced growing up.
My only wish was that he's back story had more exploration as it was equally as disturbing.

It was extremely worrying how real this story could actually be. There are people out there who take on fake identities and lure innocent people. But it's to what cost...when does it become dangerous!!

I would like to applaud Robert for a fantastic piece of writing. It was such a quick read and kept the reader gripped till the very end.

I highly recommend this book to everyone. It was cleverly written and had a great female lead. It was fast paced and gripping. If you love exciting books with a great twist, a scary true to life enthralling crime thriller then this is Definetly one for you!

Brilliant!
A fast paced nerve wrecking plot that will make you think twice about how secure we really are.
This installment have well developed characters and makes emphasis on the workings of a serial killer's mind, motivation and background.

Well, Mr. Bryndza has outdone himself again, this is now my favorite book in this series, hands down. I know I say this every single time a new book in the Erika Foster series is released, but it’s the truth! They just keep getting better and going from strong suit to stronger and every time I finish one of these books I struggle to catch my breath.

Erika is out of sorts in the beginning of the book, she’s not working with the MIT and she’s restless and agitated. But fear not, she manages to bulldoze her way into a murder investigation anyway when she links the killing of a young woman found in a dumpster to a case from four months previously. The only thing the team can uncover is that the killer is using social media to stalk his victims. He knows every little thing about them from what they post online and then he uses this information to create fake dating profiles to lure them in. This is some next level stuff, it’s no Catfish, no Nev and Max there to bring things to a tidy resolution. This chilled me to the bone and had me gripped well and truly in its grasp from the first page to the very last.

Erika is my favorite female detective, hands down. Hell, she’s up there with my favorite detectives period. You get to see a softer side to her personality this time around, a vulnerability behind that tough exterior. The character development is flawless, you get to learn enough about her and the team to leave you satisfied, yet there is enough left hanging in the air to leave you wanting more. I’m most eager about seeing what happens to her personal life next, she’s at a bit of a crossroads and it could go in several exciting directions.

The who behind the killings is revealed to the reader early on, but not to the police until the end. This was great as you see a deadly game of cat and mouse being played right in front of your eyes with the characters that you’ve grown to know and love. I love social media and use it constantly, both personally and for this blog, but it absolutely freaks me out when I think of my kids getting to an age where they’re on it. My eight year old already asks for a Facebook page! Umm, no try again when you’re 29 my love. It was such a clever plot line and so timely as the majority of us use social media daily and anyone could be watching us. Shivers.

If you are a fan of crime fiction and you haven’t read this series, please do. It’s outstanding and you’re really missing out. Bryndza is a genius, his plot threads always come together in an impeccable manner, you won’t be able to put his books down and they’re such well written, exciting reads.

Guess who’s back and better than ever!!

As some of you will be aware, Robert Bryndza is one of my all time favourite authors so I absolutely LOVE starting a new book in the Detective Erika Foster series and knowing I’ll be spending the next couple of days in the exciting life of Erika, Moss and Peterson makes me super happy!!! I love how I have developed a relationship with the characters of this series and can visualise everything in my head as I read, I feel as though I am part of the Murder Investigation Team alongside them!

Bryndza describes and provides a superb amount of detail of the characters which always allows me to gain an understanding and be able to relate on an emotional level to the individuals involved in the story. In Last Breath I particularly thought Bryony was a very cleverly used character because the reader was made to pity her because she was just lonely and I guess, innocent, and just wanted somebody to like her. Which then led me to hating the killer so much more!

No book in this series has left me feeling disappointed and Last Breath was no exception to this! I’m unsure how Robert Bryndza does it but each book just gets better and BETTER, honestly I finished the third in the series and thought it was the best ever, I realised I was wrong after finishing Last Breath.

The one thing that makes these books so intriguing and absorbing is how each killer in each book has completely different characteristics and the different victims are absolute worlds apart! Making each book utterly different from the last, although the main characters are always the same. Robert Bryndza clearly has a fascinating imagination and excellent research skills to create these sensational, unputdownable books!!

Another thing that makes the Detective Erika Foster Novels so engrossing is it’s literally impossible for me to foresee the ending, what the killer will do next and how Erika and her team will finally catch them! The ending of Last Breath was overwhelming! It left me breathless! I was sat bolt upright on the edge of my bed, flying through the final few chapters! There’s just so much suspense to deal with throughout the last 10%!!

I cannot recommend this detective series enough!! If you haven’t entered the life of Erika Foster yet, all I can say is start with The Girl in the Ice and work your way through these captivating novels!

https://lovintoread.blogspot.com/2017/04/erika-foster-is-on-new-case-in-last.html


The review is also on Litsy and tumblr as well.

This is the fourth book in the Erika Foster series and they just get better & better. I enjoyed the first in the series and I think they are best read in order. As the characters develop and relationships deepen, Robert Bryndza makes the reader care about them.

Young girls have been brutally murdered and left in dumpsters across the capital. The reader knows the identity of the killer. We follow this loathsome creature's planning and killing. Erika manages to get herself assigned to the murder squad and along with Peterson & Moss attempts to catch the killer before more bodies are found.

This was a real page turner and I couldn't put it down. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for giving me the chance to read & review this gripping tale- Can't wait for the next one!