3.5 stars

Shadow Sands by Robert Bryndza is the 2nd in the Kate Marshall series.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Thomas & Mercer, 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)

Kate Marshall lost her career, reputation, friends, and almost her life when, as a plain-clothes detective, she unmasked the Nine Elms Serial Killer, her boss and lover.   Pregnant with his child, Kate suffered. She turned to alcohol, and almost lost her son, but her parents stepped in to become Jake's legal guardian when he was six.  She is now sober, and back in his life.  She is lecturing in criminology at a small university, and occasionally doing some PI work, with help from her teaching assistant Tristan Harper.


My Synopsis:   (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)

Kate and her son Jake are scuba diving in the Shadow Sands reservoir before Jake returns to her parents home after a wonderful summer.  When they find the body of a teenager floating about 20 meters down, the police say it was an accident.  Kate is not too sure.

The boy's mother asks for Kate's assistance to prove the real cause of her son's death.  He was a swimming champion, and the thought of him drowning is ridiculous.

As the investigation continues, Kate and Tristan find that this goes much deeper than one dead boy.

Meanwhile, Jake is becoming a young man, with decisions of his own.


My Opinions:  

I am enjoying this new series,  although I do admit that Bryndza's Erika Foster series remains my favorite.

Okay, back to this book.  I was actually annoyed when Bryndza brought Peter back into the story (apparently other fans wanted this).  Writing about a woman who has a horrendous past that constantly rears its ugly face is so common place now, and I was hoping that Bryndza was going to be above that in this book.  I was wrong.  It wouldn't surprise me if she made regular trips to see Peter to help with her cases.  I won't be impressed.  A strong woman wouldn't need to go back to her ex for assistance.

As well, Simon's mother just sort of disappeared from the book once she hired Kate.  There was no follow-up, and I felt like there should have been something, even a couple of paragraphs.

On the good side, I really like Kate and Tristan.  I liked how Tristan is being fleshed-out.  The plot was really interesting, and the pace was fast.  The story was told through a number of perspectives, one being the current victim of the kidnapper.  That was quite interesting, and very well done.  As always, Bryndza brings his writing skills to the book, and it is an easy read.

Looking forward to more of Kate Marshall.

Kate Marshall is back! I am really enjoying this series and the characters.

The story begins with Kate and her son, Jake, on a diving expedition where they stumble upon the body of a young man. The authorities are very quick to label it an accident. It barely takes a day before the case is shut. However, Kate is convinced that there is more than what meets the eye.

There were so many questions right from the start. How did the young man die? Why did the police decide it was an accident so fast? Immediately after, more twists are thrown in as new discoveries emerge. If that is not enough, Kate’s colleague at the University goes missing. Needless to say, I was hooked from the start as I tried to guess what was going on.

Kate’s characterization continues to impress me. She is once again investigating the case as a civilian but the author portrays this very realistically showing how lacking access to police resources impedes the investigation. I like Kate’s role as a mother and also a woman just trying to put her life back together. I absolutely love Tristan. He is an interesting addition to the series and I love how the author portrayed him in this installment where we get to know him better. Let me not talk much about the other characters and risk spoiling the story for you but take my word, they are all memorable in their own ways.

Once again Robert Bryndza has delivered a cracker of a crime thriller. It is fast-paced, suspenseful, dark, twisty and utterly captivating. There were no dull moments and I found myself thinking about the story when I wasn’t reading it. I can’t wait to meet up with Kate and Tristan again in book 3.

Shadow Sands is the follow up novel to the beginning of the Kate Marshall series, Nine Elms. Whilst the second book is still a thrilling ride and did keep me engaged, it did fall a bit short of the first - i think the debut was much more exciting and kept you guessing. Kate Marshall is still a great heroine however, and i love her relationship with her sidekick and the beginnings of their private investigator careers.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Shadow Sands by Robert Bryndza is the second book in the Kate Marshall series but also works well as a standalone mystery. Kate is a professor and part-time private investigator. While scuba diving with her teenage son, they discover the body of a young man floating in the Shadow Sands reservoir on the moorlands. When police declare this to be an accident, Kate disagrees and puts on her investigator cap to determine if this death might be a murder. She soon realizes that several young people from the area have disappeared without a trace. A serial murderer is on the prowl on the moors. This is an original mystery and the lead character is flawed but sympathetic. The setting serves the story well and adds atmosphere. The ending is unexpected and a true surprise. All in all a very satisfying read. I look forward to reading more books by Robert Bryndza. Highly recommended. Thank you to Thomas & Mercer, NetGalley and the author for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a brilliant sequel. Thoroughly enjoyed this. An excellent read.

Can easily be read as a standalone and brilliant in its own right.

An excellent page turner that thrilled from the start. Twists and turns aplenty and was a rollercoaster of a read.

Highly recommended 5 stars

My first encounter with Kate Marshall.

This is the second book in the Kate Marshall series. The good thing about this book is that the author explained what had happened previously, without too much emphasis on the past. It is often difficult to read the second book to relate to the first one, but I followed the plot in this book with no problems.

Kate Marshall is an ex-detective, who is now a university lecturer in Devon. She has a 16-year-old son, Jake, who lives with her parents due to the terrible trauma Kate has experienced when having a brief affair with Peter Conway, who became a serial killer.

Kate is trying to maintain her relationship with her son, and as part of the bonding process, they go diving in the reservoir near to Kate’s home. However, the bonding is put to one side when they discover the body of an 18-year-old student, Simon Kendall, at the bottom of the reservoir. The official verdict is drowning, but when Kate, her detective instincts re-awakened disproves this theory, the local police accuses Geraint Jones, who had been camping with Simon of murder.

The plot thickens as Kate discovers that various bodies have been discovered over the years in the reservoir. These discoveries have always been described as unfortunate accidents. The family, the Bakers, who owns the reservoir, are unwilling to delve into any of the murders. They seem in cahoots with the primary policeman, Henry Ko.

Kate has an assistant in her job at the university, Tristan Harper, and he becomes involved in her investigation. Both of them had toyed with the idea of forming a private detective agency in the past but had never pursued the idea seriously.

Together they unravel the shocking truth of what has been happening over many years. The ending is satisfying because it finally makes Kate decide that she wants to return to her detective roots and asks Tristan to join her. This will lead to the next book in the series that I would like to read, but it also promises more insight into Kate herself, who is an interesting character. It also means that I have to go back and read the first book as I really want to know the sequel background.

Dexter

Elite Book Group received a copy of the book to review

Not Robert Bryndza's best work. It kind of bummed me because all of his books have riveted me but this one was a bit lack luster.

This was my first exposure to Robert's work, and I realized this was not the first book in the Kate Marshall series. I was not sure if reading the second book would help me understand the characters at all. But I was mistaken, since I felt like I understood Kate, Tristan and her son very well through what was depicted in this book.

Coming to the story itself, I finished the book over two days, but I am sure that I could have done it in one sitting itself - the story is so rivetting. The plot is woven very well, and the flow builds the suspense very well towards the climax. It is a literal cannot-be-put-down novel. I am a fan of Robert now!

The only thing that I would have liked that Robert had not done (and there are some notes at the end of the book that it was not the original plan) - to disclose the name of the serial murderer of book one in this book (since a new fan like me would want to read book #1 after this!)- and I would still have managed if the story had let it go with one mention as I might have forgotten the name as I read further, but Robert brings him in again with a more detailed interaction with Kate. Now I will have to read book one knowing who the killer is :(

Final word : highly recommend reading this novel!

Another fantastic book by Robert bryndza. He’s now one of my favourite authors.
The book was fast paced from the very beginning. It kept me gripped throughout. I can’t wait for the next book in the series.

I loved the first book in the series, "Nine Elms" and was ready to be blown away by Kate and company in this second book. I was definitely not disappointed! The characters are so well done and the tension that builds up and up is not to be denied. And then the climax!!!!! Very well done!!! Can't wait for book #3!

Kate Marshall has come a long way since she took down the Nine Elms killer for the second time. She has become closer to her son and found that she misses being a police officer. Lecturing as a Professor while honest work doesn't quite fill the need of running an investigation.

Kate and her son Jake are diving in a Quarry and stumble upon a young man that has been drowned and missing. At once Kate knows that this is no accident. Frustration fills Kate as she deals with the local police, who seem to find the answer to the case rather quickly and carelessly.

As she and her assistant Tristan dive deeper into the case they find answers that no one wants to be found. They are blocked at every turn while trying to find justice for the young man. When more bodies are discovered Kate and Tristan know that they are onto something sinister and evil.

Robert Bryndza writes a riveting series that is gritty and doesn't shy away from social issues that are prevalent now. Kate is a recovering alcoholic and Tristan is gay and nervous about coming out. The author weaves all of this into the story and when the end comes it is explosive. I highly recommend reading anything by this author.

Thanks to Netgalley for supplying this book.

A serial killer operating hidden in shadows for many years, and all t took was one lone cop along with her assistant to unmask the perp. The race was on.
My first book by this author, the story moved fast, giving me the depth of Kate's character. I liked how she and Tristan worked together. There were synchrony and balance in this crime thriller. I thought I would have loved the book more had I read the earlier one. Nonetheless, this one too managed to pull me in.
A fast exhilarating police procedural.

Shadow Sands, Robert Bryndza’s second Kate Marshall novel, far surpassed the series debut, Nine Elms, at least in my book. Even though the some members cast of characters are still a bit over the top and the plot seemed melodramatic in places, it felt much more grounded. We’ve gotten to know Kate Marshall better. She’s a former police detective, now a well-established university professor, a recovering alcoholic, and mother of a teenage son. Her son was sired by the mass murderer whose crimes she solved; in the process, she nearly bled to death at his hands. Jake lives with his grandparents. Mother and son have a good relationship, and now Kate must come to terms with letting Jake make more adult decisions.

The other prominent figure in the book is Tristan Harper, Kate’s research assistant. In the previous book, the two teamed up as amateur private investigators to solve a bizarre case. They have an excellent rapport, which grows even better in this tale as Tristan reveals some inner struggles. He also faces things that a seasoned cop takes for granted: attending an autopsy, for example.

This new adventure begins when Kate and Jake go diving in the Shadow Sands Reservoir and happen upon the corpse of a recently deceased teenager. This traumatizes Jake and opens a whole can of worms for Kate and Tristan, because why have just one body when you can have strange disappearances in the fog and the possibility of even more bodies in the murky waters of the reservoir?

Bryndza’s writing style is not particularly eloquent, but he did a good job making his spooky scenes feel creepy and suspenseful. His shady characters definitely felt unsavory, and each of them had me wondering whether or not he/she was guilty or just not likable. It’s not the best writing I’ve ever encountered, but it held my interest and kept me turning the pages. In the end, I was caught off guard.

Will I be reading Kate Marshall #3? While I still prefer Erika Foster, yes, I do think I will give Kate and Tristan another go.

My special thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC digital copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

4 stars

This is my first book by Robert Bryndza and I loved his writing style so much that I already ordered a copy on Nine Elms, the first book in Kate Marshall Series. While I really don't mind spoilers, I have to admire the author's skill in giving just enough background information to get me hooked on the series and not revealing any crucial details about Kate Marshall's previous case.

Shadow Sands starts with a bang. A young man is swimming for his life, trying to get away from a killer boat. The story picks up two days later and Kate and her teenage son Jake find a dead body deep down in a man-made water reservoir called Shadow Sands. Understandably, Jake is shocked, while Kate has to give details of their gruesome discovery to the local DCI Henry Ko. Although I didn't know her background, which was revealed later, I was struck by how professional she sounded. Kate Marshall, a university lecturer and a former police officer, may be struggling with her own demons, not least of which are hoding to her sobriety and dealing with her guilt over not being there for Jack during his childhood, but she is a tenacious investigator. Although the young man's death is pronounced to have been an accidental drowning, Kate is suspicious of the haste with which the case was closed. There are other things that don't add up such as Simon being a very strong, Olympic level swimmer.
Meanwhile , Kate's assistant Tristan is asked out on a cinema date by a beautiful visiting university lecturer, Magdalena Rossi. Magdalena's research focuses on strange disappearances around the area of Shadow Sands. Magdalena herself never makes it to her date with Tristan. Her yellow scooter is found next to a water drain. She might have been dragged by a flash flood and ended up falling into the sea...But what if she is alive and has been abducted? Can Kate and Tristan solve the puzzle of Simon's case and find Magdalena before it is too late?

There were many things I liked about this novel. The plot is tight, and while there are a lot of characters (something that usually confuses me), they all serve to show how deep the roots of the evil described in the book were. There are several twists, and it isn't easy to work out the identity of the killer. Magdalena's storyline was full of vivid details and kept me on the edge of my seat. As if there was any doubt that this book neatly falls into the thriller category!
At first, I was a bit unsure about Kate Marshall's life story- there are so many books with detectives or private investigators battling addictions. Well, although it would be nice to meet a well-adjusted, successful, happily married detective for once, and Kate can't be called any of these, she is a well-developed, strong character, and I would like to read more books featuring her. Tristan is also extremely likeable and it was great to get to know his family background and get a glimpse of his private life.
The pace was excellent with a great sequence of dramatic scenes and quieter investigative work that is the foundation of any successful police procedural. Roberta Bryndza's writing style draws you in straightaway and makes you read compulsively until you reach the end.
I'll be looking forward to reading the first book and all subsequent ones as well. Recommended to all lovers of police procedurals who enjoy gripping plots and great detective work.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas&Mercer for the review copy. all opinions ar my own and were not influenced in any way.

3.5 stars

Shadow Sands is a tense procedural about a mysterious death and an investigation that leads to the uncovering of a serial killer.

This is book #2 in the Kate Marshall series, and I must say it is much better than book #1! It can be read as a standalone.

When former DC Kate Marshall discovers the body of a young man in a reservoir, she inserts herself into the police investigation. Although the police rule the death an accident, Kate believes otherwise. Hired by the boy’s mother to investigate, Kate and her research assistant, Tristan, delve deeper and unearth a sick and twisted killer who takes pleasure in hunting his prey.

The narrative is split between Kate, Tristan, the killer, and the killer’s latest victim, Magdalena. The killer’s chapters were intriguing, but Tristan’s chapters were my favorite.

Shadow Sands is fast-paced and easy to read. There is a lot of action, but also a lot of time is spent on character development, especially on Tristan’s character, which was lacking in book #1.

Tristan’s coming to terms with his identity were some of my favorite moments in this book. I also thoroughly enjoyed Kate’s confrontation with Peter Conway--those two have an interesting history and an even more interesting chemistry.

Overall, when it came to the killer and mystery, there weren’t many surprising twists or turns or crazy developments, but Kate and Tristan's characters made this an enjoyable read. I was ready to give up on this series after book #1, but the reviews of this book sucked me back in. I think this series will get even better with book #3.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Robert Bryndza and Thomas & Mercer for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

I have been a big fan of Bryndza since his very first novel and I haven't been disappointed by his writing yet! I really enjoy his strong female characters, they may be flawed but that's life. The crimes are generally unique and I never know who the guilty party is. I really like the dark and dreary atmosphere and I don't think I'll ever tire of Kate Marshall. It's a fairly fast paced novel and I found it was really easy to read! Definitely recommend.

On a scuba diving trip, Kate Marshall, and her son Jake find the bloated body of a young man floating in the Shadow Sands reservoir. The police quickly label it as an accident.

But Kate is not convinced with the explanations given by the police. As she and her associate Tristan Harper dig deeper, they discover that this is the latest in a series of mysterious deaths and disappearances. The trail is pointing towards a serial killer who has been active for many years. When another woman disappears, Kate and Tristan have to act fast to save her from meeting the same fate.

This is an amazing installment to a very promising series. Kate and Tristan's characters are developed beautifully. The story is perfectly paced, with heart pounding action and some chilling scenes with the killer. I absolutely loved it. Looking forward to book 3, Darkness Falls, expected to release in December, 2021. Thanks to Netgalley, Thomas & Mercer and Robert Bryndza for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Kate Marshall, a lecturer at Ashdean University that used to be police officer, finds a corpse while diving at the Shadow Sands reservoir with her teenage son. Despite the coroner ruling the death as accidental and due to drowning, Kate's mind keeps returning to the strange lacerations in the body and to the fact that the dead man was an excellent swimmer, and the more she learns about the case the more she believes something isn't adding up. Then, she's asked by the dead man's mother to look into the matter.

I enjoyed this thriller a great deal and how, what started as a simple investigation, gained more and more ramifications as Kate kept interviewing other residents of Ashdean and its environs, to reveal a complex story spanning decades that, curiously, seemed to have the Shadow Sands foggy landscape as epicentre. I also liked how the characters had all different personalities, lives and motivations and how they really interacted with a landscape, that wasn't just a background, but that also determined so much within the story.

I also appreciated how the story, as a thriller, focused more on the characters and their feelings, their desperation, confusion or fear, than on providing thorough descriptions of the heinous acts.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I'll definitely be reading more in the future. This is the second book in a series and I could understand everything perfectly without having read the first instalment, but I would recommend starting the series with the first book, not only because of its introductory merits regarding the characters and their situations but because this second book has many spoilers of the first one!

In this second book in the 'Kate Marshall' series the former police detective looks into a death and a disappearance. The book can be read as a standalone.

*****

Kate Marshall was a Metropolitan Detective Constable until she discovered that her boss, DCI Peter Conway - with whom she'd been romantically involved - was a serial killer. The subsequent scandal, plus the fact that Kate was pregnant with Peter's child, got her fired. Since then Kate became an alcoholic, lost custody of her (and Peter's) son Jake to her parents, started going to AA, and became a criminology lecturer at Ashdean College in southern England.

Jake is now 16-years-old, and Kate - who's on the wagon - has partial custody. In addition to teaching and looking after Jake, Kate puts her cop instincts to good use as an 'unofficial' private detective, in collaboration with her academic assistant Tristan Harper.

Over summer break, Kate and her son Jake are scuba diving in Shadow Lakes Reservoir near Ashdean, when they discover the body of 19-year old Simon Kendal. The police call it an accidental drowning, but Kate sees signs on the body that suggest otherwise. Thus, when Simon's mother - insisting her son was a champion swimmer - asks Kate to investigate, the former police constable agrees to look into the matter.

While Kate and Tristan make inquiries about Simon, they continue their duties at Ashdean College. There hunky Tristan catches the eye of Professor Magdalena Rossi, an exotic beauty from Italy. Rossi is writing a paper about mysteries in the Ashdean area, including a giant pawprint and a slate of disappearances.

Magdalena is also curious about bodies found in the Shadow Sands Reservoir, a man-made structure that feeds into a hydroelectric plant. Rossi's been exploring the area on her Vespa, taking photos and interviewing residents, to get information for her study. After Magdalena tells Tristan about her project she asks him out on a date, but then she doesn't show up.....and seems to vanish into thin air.

The police are oddly reluctant to investigate Magdalena's disappearance, suggesting she voluntarily left town. When Kate pressures the cops to search the reservoir, the police make excuses not to, and investigate (what Kate considers) the wrong things.

So Kate and Tristan make it their business to search for Magdalena themselves. This puts the amateur sleuths on the wrong side of the region's dynastic family, the Bakers, who own a large portion of the reservoir and don't want anything to shut down the hydroelectric plant.

In the midst of all this hoopla Kate's son Jake says he wants to meet his serial killer father, Peter Conway, which Jake is allowed to do now that he's sixteen. Peter is incarcerated in Great Barwell Hospital for the criminally insane, and will only agree to see Jake if Kate visits him as well.

So mother and son trek to the hospital and (individually) speak to Peter, who sits behind a window of unbreakable glass. The conservations are surprisingly current and relevant...but you'll have to read the book to see what everyone discussed. 🙂

As the story unfolds Kate and Tristan are caught in dangerous situations, made worse by the fact they have no official standing to probe into criminal activity.

In addition to the investigations, we observe Tristan's sister Sarah plan her wedding; see Kate lamenting her son's increasing independence; watch Kate struggling with sobriety; learn some long-held secrets; and more.

My main quibble with the novel is the use of plot devices I've seen many times before, but this is a solid thriller with engaging characters. I look forward to the next book in the series.

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

First off I want to say huge thank you to the publisher Thomas & Mercer ,the author Robert Bryndza , and to NetGalley for letting me read and review it. Because as soon as I realized who the author was I knew I had to get it. And I'm so glad I did, because I got lost in the story as soon as I started it and couldn't put it down at all, I had to know what was going to happen next, and the characters out of them my two favorites are and was Kate and Tristan. There was twist and turns that was nonstop, and every time I thought I had it figured out , I found out I was wrong. So if you like a story that is non stop, has lots of twist and turns and keeps you guessing then this is the one for you,