This is like a roller-coaster!. Kate, a former cop, finds a young man floating in the Shadow Sands reservoir, so she wants to know more about how this tragedy happened.
With Tristan, her associate, Kate is trying to get to the bottom of this case.
But it is not going to be easy.
Thank you Netgalley, the Publisher and the Author for this opportunity.

Sometimes you come across an author who seems to hit the mark every time, no matter how many of their books you read. This is definitely the case for me with Robert Bryndza (at least when it comes to crime fiction - I know he writes other genres but I haven't read these). From the opening page to the final chapter, I find myself drawn into the dark worlds he creates. They are worlds that feels comfortably familiar at the same time as new and different, meaning I never get bored.
Here, Kate Marshall, former Detective turned lecturer comes across the body of a young man in a local reservoir. It's a grisly scene. Kate calls the local police, whose response seems less than professional. Which is probably why when the young man's mother asks her to investigate, she can't help herself. What she finds out is something deeper and darker than she could have imagined.
Add to this a missing teacher, and you have a great mystery on your hands. One that kept me turning pages and staying up late at night to finish the book. It's hard to say more without spoilers, other than this is a great read with twists, turns and red herrings and I highly recommend anyone who loves crimes fiction reading it.

Shadow Sands is a continuing book to Nine Elms featuring Kate Marshall. As I was reading, I kept thinking that I had already heard about Kate Marshall. It turns out that I had. I've read seven of Mr. Bryndza's books and they are outstanding. I will have to read Nine Elms so I can get a better understanding of this book. She did go through some horrific stuff prior and bits and pieces do come up in the book which is helpful.

As she and her son are out diving, they come upon a body of a young man. When the police are informed, they tell her it was a drowning accident. Kate, being who she is, begins to suspect that all isn't what it's supposed to be. Her instincts, her drive, and impulsiveness lead her to question and investigate the case with the help of her partner, Tristan. She is now a private investigator and she finds herself questioning whether she should have left law enforcement or not.

My suggestion: please read Nine Elms. Actually, you cannot go wrong reading Mr. Bryndza's crime thrillers. Once you read one book, you will definitely get hooked!

After thoroughly enjoying the first book in the Kate Marshall series, Nine Elms, I was excited to read this second book. Although the story line wasn't quite as interesting--I really liked serial killer Peter Conway in the first book--this book didn't disappoint. It was a tightly plotted, page turning, suspense novel from start to finish. I was also happy that Peter Conway was back for a brief appearance.

Kate and her son are scuba diving in Shadow Sands reservoir when they discover a body. The police are quick to label the death an accidental drowning. Kate thinks otherwise. A college professor investigating missing people who all disappeared from a road bordering Shadow Sands reservoir gets Kate's attention. In her efforts to find this missing professor she also investigates the mysterious disappearances of these potential victims. She battles a possibly dishonest detective chief inspector and a powerful family that controls the power plant located on Shadow Sands.

I have been a fan of Robert Bryndza's Erika Foster series and this new series is just as good. Bryndza is a wonderful writer whose plots and characters are always interesting. Kate is a strong, complex character whose personal demons threaten to sidetrack her investigations. How she conquers them is always an absorbing read.

Thank you NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and Robert Bryndza for the opportunity to review this ARC. I can't wait for the next Robert Bryndza novel. He's that good.

Entertaining well paced easy read that will make you wish to go on reading. You will certainly enjoy the new story of Kate Marshal and experiment the thrill of this mix of a scary fairy-tale and Stieg Larsson. The local legends flavor will make you curious to go further and discover the real haunted stories and folklore of the area. It can be read as a separate book, but if you are interested in the first installment, read that one first because the author makes many comments on the previous book and reveals a lot of the previous plot.

One Night in august 2012, young Sam is camping out with his friend Geraint near the Shadow Sands reservoir and power plant. When he witnesses how a man dumps a lifeless body into the water, his own fate is sealed. A few days later, Kate Marshall (ex-policewoman now lecturer) and her son discover the body while diving to the flooded villages. The police and coroner rule ‘accidental drowning’ very quickly but the mother isn’t satisfied with this verdict and asks Kate to find out the truth. Her son was an Olympic swimmer, how could he have drowned?
Kate’s research assistant, Tristan is asked out by Magdalena Rossi, an Italian guest lecturer who’s taken a shine to him. But when she doesn’t turn up for their date, the police see him as a suspect. The reader, however, knows that she’s abducted and kept prisoner. Time is ticking away for her.

This is a complex but suspenseful story with a rich family that behaves badly and harbours secrets of their own, an elusive serial killer that nobody knows about, a police force that may be corrupted, and an unwilling private investigator with enough trauma of her own. Put all those elements to stew for a while and Bryndza cooked up a delicious thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Personally I could relate well to Kate. She’s overcome some incredible traumas as well as an alcohol addiction. I’ve lived through some similar issues and I know how hard temptation can hit you at the most unexpected moments. “But virtue never tested is no virtue at all” Frankly, I think she’s not treated well by her own parents that never wanted to sign over the custody of her son back to her. Resentment and blame seep through in the way they talk to her. This puts a strain on the relationship between her and Jake, especially when he wants to see his biological father (a serial killer who tried to kill his mother twice.)
Her sidekick Tristan is more the adorable kind. He’s having trouble with his sister who’s not taking his coming out very well. Even prior to this I thought she was as acting the entitled diva and being self-centred.
In this list of protagonists, I can’t forget Magdalena who has to deal with an awful lot just trying to survive. She doesn’t sit down waiting to be rescued but tries to create any chance to force an escape. There’s not 1 but 2 strong female leads in this book. Not an easy feat for a male author, I think.
This is the second book in this series and there are quite a lot of references to things that happened before. Not only to those in the previous book but also to the further removed past. At first, it was a bit much to take in all at once, but once the dust settled, things were easier to understand. The story starts slowly but gains momentum and ends with a fireworks finale.

I didn't read the first book in the series (Nine Elms), but did not feel that it was necessary in order to follow Shadow Sands. I thought the plot and character development were great - Kate Marshall and her assistant, Tristan, are both very likable characters. The story is captivating and suspenseful and had me hooked from the very beginning to the very end. It's fast-paced and a quick read. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it. I do hope Bryndza continues this series. Now that I've read Shadow Sands, I will probably go back and read Nine Elms.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Thomas & Mercer, for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is the second book in the Kate Marshall series. I really enjoyed the first and this maintained the momentum.
Kate and her son are diving in a reservoir when they come across the body of a young man. The police investigation's findings are a little too convenient and the mother of the dead man begs Kate to investigate. Kate and her colleague Tristan start looking into the case unofficially and find their efforts blocked by the police and other parties. The pacing keeps the story moving and interesting.
Kate has become my favourite crime solver. I love her, warts and all, as she struggles to redeem herself in the eyes of her family and friends. Her colleague Tristan complements Kate perfectly and I was very happy to see him back. We learn a bit more about him and his own personal struggles and difficult family relationships in this book. I'm enjoying their character development.
I'm very much looking forward to the next book in the series!

“Although, how could a strong swimmer like Simon drown?”

Kate Marshall and her son Jake set out on a lovely day in August for a quick dive in Shadow Sands Reservoir. Unfortunately, those plans go awry when Kate finds the body of Simon floating by the submerged church. A couple of days after giving her report to the police, she is contacted by Lyn, Simon’s mother, to once again work as a private detective and uncover what actually happened to her son. Soon, Kate and her research assistant Tristan are entangled in the case and the mysterious disappearances of men and women around the Shadow Sands. Are these just coincidences? Or is it something more sinister?

I absolutely loved this book! While I haven’t read the first book in the Kate Marshall series, I didn’t feel as though I was completely lost when reading Shadow Sands. The characters are incredibly realistic. I loved seeing how Kate and Tristan had personal lives outside of the case, as well as the way that they struggled with doubt. I found them to be very relatable. I really enjoyed the corruption element and the way Kate butted heads with DCI Henry Ko. It made everything feel so much more real--not all police officers are good, and this book really highlighted that.

The book definitely made me anxious at times, but I enjoyed that as it means I felt deeply connected to the story and the characters. I would highly recommend this book to anyone that loves strong female leads, creepy serial killers, and realistic characters.

I loved Nine Elms so was excited to read this follow up. I'm happy to report that it's just as good, if not better! It's fast paced and exciting and hooked me from the start.

Kate Marshall and her assistant, Tristan, are both very likeable, well developed characters, and in this book we learn a little more about Tristan, who I love, and I felt for him as he fought to overcome problems in his personal life.

I really hope there will be more books in this series.

Shadow Sands has a great plot with well developed characters. Once again Kate shows her talent as an investigator and refuses to give up. The story pulls you in at the beginning and supplies loads of suspense to hold your interest through out the read.

Thank You to Net Galley, The author and of course Bookouture for an ARC Copy of the new Kate Marshall, Book 2 by Robert Bryndza.

Firstly let's just mention Erica Foster is one of my favourite Police Detective characters, and Robert Bryndza has backed it up with a powerful new series with Nine Elms with Kate Marshall, here we have Shadow Sands a strong second in the series books.

When Kate Marshall finds the bloated body of a young man floating in the Shadow Sands reservoir, while diving with her son in the Shadow Sands reservoir, the authorities label it a tragic accident.

But the details don't add up: why was the victim there, in the middle of the night? If he was such a strong swimmer, how did he drown?

Kate is certain there is more to this case than meets the eye. As she and her research assistant Tristan Harper dig deeper, they discover a bloody trail that points towards an active serial killer hiding in plain sight. People have been silently disappearing for years, and when another woman is taken, Kate and Tristan have a matter of days to save her from meeting the same fate.

A wealthy local family fiercely protective of its privacy and hints of a police cover up in a range of investigations, A visiting academic from Italy, a young woman called Magdalena, disappears while investigating local legends.

Many mysterious deaths and disappearances linked to the moorlands and a mythical phantom said to be hiding in the rolling fog. When a researcher of urban legends vanishes without a trace, Kate and her associate Tristan Harper must act fast and look deep if they hope to find her alive.

I found this a more powerful book then the first, we get to know the two lead characters in Kate and Tristan, well paced, gripping and tense.

Highly recommended, an easy four star book.

#ShadowSands #NetGalley
I have read previously one of Erika Foster serious and loved it.
Missed reading the first book in this series ( Nine Elms) though I didn't find it essential to follow and understand Shadow Sands. I loved it and can't wait to follow Kate and Tristan in their new adventure. You wouldn't be able to put the book down once you started it, took me less than 24 hours to finish it.
Thanks NetGalley and Robert Bryndza for an early access to this book.

Enjoyed the book, the main characters along with the story line. Recommend and would read more of this series from this author. Thanks to Thomas & Mercer & NetGalley for a copy of this book.

I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. It is the second book featuring Kate Marshall and is every bit as good as the first, it drew me in from the beginning and I just wanted to keep reading it as it was so good, I will be recommending this book to everyone I know.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advance copy of Shadow Sands, the second novel to feature lecturer and part time PI Kate Marshall.

Kate finds a body in the Shadow Sands reservoir when diving with her son. The Police quickly brush off Simon Kendall’s death as an accident until Kate starts asking questions. Then Magdalena Rossi, a professor at the university goes missing Kate and her assistant, Tristan Harper, realise there is more to these events than meets the eye.

I enjoyed Shadow Sands which is an easy read with several twists. It is told from various points of view, mostly Kate and Tristan, but also includes Magdalena’s ordeal. To maintain the tension the perpetrator remains a shadowy figure, unnamed and unclear motivation until the denouement.

There is nothing particularly profound in the plot but it does the job of holding the reader’s interest with key developments, the odd touch of humour and the surprisingly difficult private lives of the characters. In many ways I found this latter element the most interesting as it poses more real life tangibles that the reader can identify with. Tristan is fighting with his sister and Kate’s teenage son wants to meet his father, the notorious serial killer, Peter Crawley. This brings all sorts of repressed feelings into the open. I give the author 5/5 for his realistic handling of these difficult situations as it all seemed very natural, well, apart from the “my dad’s a serial killer” bit.

The murder plot is a bit run of the mill as amateurs Kate and Tristan run around in the dark until one fateful lie reveals all. It’s almost cosy in its approach. I must admit that I found the denouement extremely satisfying with all who deserve it getting their comeuppance and Kate and Tristan resolving their immediate problems.

Shadow Sands is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Kate Marshall and Tristan are back on the case in the most recent work by Robert Bryndza. Who knew spending the day exploring the waters for a buried village would lead to so much heartbreak and danger. I very much enjoyed this second installment of the series. The book was paced so intensely that it had me turning the pages well into the night. Just one more page was my mantra when I was devouring this captivating read. I can hardly wait to see what will happen in the next book, especially now they are going to be officially private investigators!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of the book.
#netgalley #ShadowSands

The follow-up to Nine Elms, Shadow Sands brings back former police officer Kate Marshall. Contrary to the expectation left at the end of Nine Elms, Kate has returned to her criminology lectureship and stumbles across a dead body while with her son. She gets sucked into the case and finds that she hasn't lost her detecting skills. While I didn't find this as good as the first one, it was an enjoyable read, and I'll be interested to read of Kate's further adventures.

Thanks to NetGalley for access to a digital ARC.

Another fantastic thriller from this author and it's better than the previous one. The plot is well brought out and the characters are better developed and the suspense is wow. There are some loose ends and the conclusion is a little bit rushed. The police force of the area seem to be stupid and so many people cannot be missed. A very good read. Waiting for the next in the series.

Another fantastic book by Robert. Can this man do no wrong?? I have adored everything he has written and this is no exception! I'm just gutted that I now have to wait an age for the next instalment!

This is the second book in the Kate Marshall series. I really like Kate and I also like that she isn't a police officer and so therefore "out of loop" as such when it comes to the case...not that that stops her from becoming completely embroiled of course.

It starts with Kate and her son swimming in the reservoir when they discover a body floating in the water. She immediately suspects foul play but the police seem eager to close the case and put it down to drowning. Obviously Kate is not satisfied so she and Tristan (who is Kate's assistant) decide to do a bit of their own investigating. They soon discover that more bodies have been pulled from the reservoir over the years so it looks like a serial killer is in the area. Then another girl goes missing and the race is on to find her before it is too late.

I especially liked the scenes with the kidnapped girl who is being held captive underground with absolutely no light so she has to feel her surroundings in order to survive. Such an ingenious (and therefore incredibly scary) way to keep some captive as we rely so much our sight.

Another fab book...now to wait for the next.