Amazing, nonstop action that keeps you interested and engaged. Edge of your seat read. Highly recommend. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy !

Another 5-star book in the Erika Foster series! A twisty plot and quirky characters come together to make Bryndza’s latest book the perfect thriller. I kept thinking I knew the outcome, and then the plot line would twist yet again. I’m already looking forward to Erika’s next adventure. Keep them coming!

To say I was pleased to be reading another Erika Foster crime thriller would be an understatement. Erika Foster was the protagonist of Roberts first thriller and after a long break she returns in a story where the stakes are high indeed.
It starts with an ‘off – duty’ Erika, stumbling upon the crime scene of a vicious murder of an aspiring actress Vicky Clarke, whose body has just been discovered by her sister Tess. Be warned readers, this murder is quite descriptive and not for the faint hearted.
During the police investigations it is discovered that as well as being an actress, Vicky also presented a true crime podcast. And that she had recently been working on a new episode about a sexual predator preying on young female students around the local halls of residence. Was she killed because one of her podcasts got too near to the truth, or was there more at stake? Added to dealing with the case Erika has also got to deal with moving into a new home (albeit one that seems to be crumbling around her), which causes a few obstacles, but also re- introduces Erika to an old flame who happens to be the driver who delivers some much-needed furniture to her new home.
As is usual with Roberts stories he has invented a wonderful array of characters and Erika has lost none of her feisty combative character which leads to some tricky situations for our heroine. And there was a glimmer of a happy ending for Erika for once!

This is the 17th book I have read by Robert Bryndza, and the 7th featuring the detective, Erika Foster.

Thanks once again to Robert Bryndza, Raven Street Publishing and NetGalley for furnishing me with this complimentary copy in return for an honest review.

Great plot to get yourself lost in. This book has everything. A real fast paced thriller. Will get your heart racing on more than one occasion. Very well written. Highly recommend this book

I've never read an Erika Foster crime thriller, but it was for the most part, a really enjoyable read. Gritty and rich in lurid detail, this is definitely one for those who veer towards the darker side of crime fiction.

A brutal murder. Mistaken identity. Another brutal murder.
A creepy neighbour.
And a total eh? moment towards the end. Whilst I like that I didn't predict the killer, I also felt that once revealed, it would have been good to look back and see little hints scattered throughout. But there was nothing I could detect, and it just made it slightly less satisfying as a conclusion, for me anyway.

Overall though, I was invested and enjoyed this dark, escapist thriller.

This is Book 7 in the Erika Foster series of crime novels. It does stand alone, although there are references to relationships both personal and professional from the other 6. Erika is an interesting detective, and the novel follows her process along the way to solve the crime.

A fantastic return, waited so long to see Erika and the gang again and was not dissapointed, filled with tension and intreage, leaves you wanting more, fastbpaced and exiting, highly recommended this series

Author Robert Bryndza's popular fictional detective, Erika Foster, must solve another mystifying case and put a murderer behind bars. As Fatal Witness opens, she has just purchased and moved into a sprawling, dilapidated Victorian house in the Blackheath area of London. A heath is a patch of semi-wild ground, she explains to her sister, Lenka, and the area was used as a burial pit during the Black Death plague. Hence the name. But now it's an up-and-coming, walkable neighborhood and the house has a view that will never be obstructed, thanks to the area’s sad history. Neither the furnace nor most of the home's multiple fireplaces work, and Erika hasn't gotten around to purchasing needed furniture -- including a bed -- so she winds up sleeping in the bedroom with the single working fireplace on an air mattress (that quickly pops) with the cat who immediately adopts her that she christens “George.” Erika is beginning to create a future for herself after mourning her husband, Mark, for the four long years since he died during a botched drug raid, along with five other colleagues. After having some dinner, Erika is walking home when she hears a woman scream and immediately responds to the apartment building from which the sound originated.

She discovers Tess Clarke, who has happened upon the body of her sister, Vicky. Tess and her husband operate a restaurant, Goose, in a tonier section of London known as "the village." When Vicky did not show up for work there, Tess went looking for her sister. Erika finds a disturbingly gruesome murder scene showing evidence of a fierce struggle in an apartment building populated by eclectic tenants, including the two Bulgarian sisters, Maria and Sophie Ivanova, who are studying medicine, and Charles Wakefield, the brother of Julian Wakefield, Assistant Commissioner of Police. Wakefield is a decidedly odd chap whose apartment appears to be stuck in a time warp with no indication that its occupant leads a twenty-first century life. In fact, his brother owns the apartment in which he lives and all associated bills are in Julian's name. Charles does not have a driver's license, telephone, computer, or television, and his passport expired in 2012. It is as though, from a bureaucratic viewpoint, he disappeared a decade ago. When additional officers and the forensic team descend upon the crime scene, Wakefield's bizarre behavior escalates to his assault upon a paramedic . . . and good cause to arrest him.

Erika considers Wakefield a suspect, especially after learning that Vicky confided in Tess about his "creepy" persona and habits, which included listening outside her apartment door. But aside from his brother, Wakefield has another protector. The owner of the apartment building, Henrietta Boulderstone, insists that he joins her in her penthouse apartment each evening for a drink, thereby providing him an alibi and establishing that he could not have killed Vicky within the time parameters the evidence establishes. Erika is not convinced, especially when detectives find a threatening note hidden in a drawer, and is intent upon finding out who sent that note to Wakefield and why in order to determine if it links him to Vicky’s murder.

Vicky was an aspiring actress who had recently converted her bedroom into a recording studio. She was hoping to narrate audiobooks and had recently launched a podcast, calling herself "V.A. Clarke, True Crime Detective." Oddly, no notebooks or other documentation pertaining to her research is found in her apartment. Also, Vicky failed to upload the latest episode of the podcast. But where is that recording? Was Vicky's killing motivated by something she revealed -- or was about to reveal -- in the podcast?

Bryndza introduces Cilla Stone, a flamboyant, retired drama teacher in her sixties, residing in Scotland. She, along with Colin McCabe, was one of Vicky's teachers at Goldsmith's Drama Academy, and the two women remained close. Charles was the school's caretaker from 2007 to 2012. Over the years, several female students have reported being assaulted by intruders in their on-campus housing, but no arrest has been made. And college officials attempt to stonewall efforts to obtain information about those crimes, including details about the university’s investigations – if any – completed after the students’ complaints were tendered. Is there a connection to the murder Erika is investigating back in London?

Of course there is, and Bryndza's story is clever, intricately-constructed, and contemporary. Once again, he focuses on Erika's fierce commitment to her career and ensuring that justice is meted out. She is assisted by her loyal colleagues, Detective Inspectors Peterson (with whom she is no longer romantically involved) and Moss, and Isaac Strong, the Forensic Pathologist who calls himself her GBFc9Gay Best Friend0. Erika deftly navigates bureaucratic and politic roadblocks erected by Wakefield, Commander Paul Marsh, and Superintendent Melanie Hudson that threaten to impede her investigation, sometimes risking her career in the name of solving crime. Her personal life always takes a backseat to her professional endeavors, as demonstrated by her unwillingness to take time away from her search for the killer to shop for a bed and be at her new home to take delivery of it. And although she still misses Mark, she views her purchase of a new home, "for all its faults," as a "fresh start. I finally feel like I'm moving on . . ." she tells Lenka. When she finally manages to be at home when her new furniture arrives, it is delivered by Igor Mak, her first boyfriend with whom she lost touch after she moved from Slovakia to the United Kingdom when she was just eighteen years old. Bryndza delivers a sweet, hopeful reunion that causes Erika to feel "a little flutter of excitement" strong enough to make her forget all about the case she is working on.

Bryndza never disappoints, again weaving an enthralling tale about an educational institution that turned a deaf ear to female students' complaints about safety concerns in campus residences. He also explores familial duties, responsibilities, and expectations, and the sometimes-steep price of pursuing and revealing truth. He is a master at employing misdirection, and injects shocking plot twists and stunning revelations -- as well as a few red herrings -- at expertly-timed junctures that propel the story forward. The pace never lags, gradually accelerating as Bryndza places Erika in extreme danger from a crazed and menacing criminal who will use any means necessary to prevent his or her crimes being expose and evade apprehension. Will Erika survive to continue renovating her new home, possibly exploring a renewed relationship with an old flame as she does so, and solve future crimes? Finding out is, as always, highly absorbing and entertaining.

It took me a while to finish this book. [author:Robert Bryndza|5763380]I usually like police procedurals, however, I found the storyline a little far-fetched, and I couldn't engage with any of the characters. This is a book in a series with the same protagonist detective and they have a strong following, so I feel like I am commenting against the tide.
I hadn't heard of the author before, so had no preconceptions, and I didn't read any other reviews until I had completed this particular book.
I don't like giving reviews when I failed to enjoy the book, but I did find it a hard slog. There were several moments when I had to go back pages to re-read passages because I failed to grasp what was going on and there were too many red herrings and side issues for me to properly appreciate the flow.
Perhaps if I had read the series from the beginning I would have had a better appreciation of the dynamics of the permanent cast.
There were also several instances of the use of urban slang or colloquialisms, which took me out of the story as I felt I needed to look them up.
Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced reader's copy of Fatal Witness by Robert Bryndza in exchange for an honest review.

I’d like to report that this police procedural novel kept me flipping pages and grasping for answers. But, alas, I can’t.

Mistaken identity, and chasing clues from here to there regarding the death of a podcaster describes much of this book.

While it did start with something interesting, it quickly turned into a possible clue/red herring that felt unnecessary. (You’ll know when you read it.) It was a gimmick and not worth possibly upsetting some readers.

Though the plot sounded intriguing, I didn’t connect with the characters enough to care who lived or died. Okay, that sounds pretty harsh, but I really didn’t get to know them enough to emotionally feel the loss.

And though I’m just fine with a police procedural, it felt too one-sided. I needed to feel some connection to the characters. One without the other caused the story to fall flat. The characters were little more than names to me.

Final Thoughts
I’d suggest you check other reviews. This story has pleased lots of readers, so don’t let my review hold you back if the synopsis sounds good or you’re invested in the series.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy and the ability to freely post my thoughts.

London detective Erika Foster is back in FATAL WITNESS, the seventh of Robert Bryndza's Erika Foster Crime Series. While a well-established best-selling author of crime and romantic comedy novels, Bryndza is new to this reader. Erika has finally purchased her own home in Blackheath. No sooner has she moved in when she stumbles across a murder scene just a short distance from her home. It's a particularly vicious murder, creative in its nastiness, of a young true-crime podcaster named Vicky Clarke. Within a couple days, another young woman is murdered in the same apartment building--this time a young Bulgarian medical student. The motive behind these murders leads Erika on a circuitous and dangerous route to find the killer. This is a spot on police procedural intertwined with Erika's struggles as a new homeowner and the appearance of someone from her distant past. I thoroughly enjoyed the book so much that I intend to read Robert Bryndza's two crime series plus a romantic comedy or two! Thanks to Raven Street Publishing and #NetGalley for a pre-release copy of #FATAL WITNESS.

Erika is putting her life in order and has bought a new house in the neighbourhood of Blackheath. On a walk back to get food, she hears cry and find the dead body of a true crime podcaster, Vicky.
The mystery was well plotted and I enjoyed the book until the very last end.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book and a free audiobook from Raven Street Publishing, in exchange for an honest feedback.

Summary: Detective Erika Foster was on her way back home when she heard screams coming from a flat nearby. She goes to investigate and finds a woman crying at the entrance of the flat. The woman explains that she came to check up on her sister, as she didn’t show up for work, and she discovered the body of her sister was brutally murdered inside the flat.

The victim is Vicky Clarke, an aspiring true-crime podcaster. Who wouldn’t want to kill someone who’s having so much evidence and exposes criminals in her free time? From neighbors who act suspiciously, to her convicted brother-in-law, and even the brother of a senior police officer falls as suspect in this case.

Just when Erika and her team were about to have a clear lead, another young woman is found dead. So not only now there is a serial killer on the loose, but the victims are look-alike.

My thoughts: This is book seven in the Detective Erika Foster series, but you can read it as a standalone. I went with the audio version (narrated by Jan Cramer), as it’s been a while since my last audiobook. It’s my first book written by this author, and I’m glad I had the opportunity to be introduced to his work. The storyline is intriguing and there are a lot of suspects. I don’t want to give away too much from the plot, but for some reason I suspected that the criminal was another female. Especially one that enjoy… corpses for the sake of art? Let’s put it that way. At first, it may seem like an easy crime case, but it isn’t. I was wrong, and the plot twist was a good one. There were some parts/elements in the story that felt farfetched and unnecessary.

As a continuation of Erika Foster’s series, you have Erika starting a new life for herself and finally moving on, after years of pain, agony and regret, from the death of her husband Mark. Until a new murder happens just around the corner from her new home in Blackheath, it causes Erika to once again put her life on hold for the job she worked so so hard for. You also meet someone from Erika’s past life in Slovakia, and I loved this and I feel like it works really well. Erika deserves some kind of happiness, and I feel like this new character could be the start of something for Erika’s future…

Was I expecting this book to be good… yes! Did I expect it to become one of my favourite of Bryndza’s… absolutely NOT! It may have even knocked The Night Stalker off of the top my favourite’s of his…

The brutality of the murder in this had me on the edge of my seat, and in some ways I think I had an inkling of who was behind them… but yet I was equally as shocked when it was revealed? Bryndza throws in many curveballs throughout the novel, leading you down other avenues of suspects, and just when you think you have figured it out… you’re proven wrong!

I think it is obvious that Robert is by far my most favourite author, and he never ever fails… I cannot WAIT for more of Erika’s books, they are by far my favourite series of the two he currently writes!!

I wholeheartedly recommend this to every thriller lover out there, but maybe even people that haven’t got into the genre just yet… I feel like the set the bar high, and just continue to do so?! So yeah, everyone should buy this and the rest of the series because it’s just unfathomable how good they all are!

I am grateful to Net Gally and the publisher for an ARC copy in return for an honest review.
I had never read a book by Robert Bryndza, so when I was offered this book, I was intrigued by this thought - how do you find a killer who has destroyed all the evidence?
So, I read Fatal Witness, which is the seventh novel in the Detective Erika Foster series, even though it's been four years since the last book, Deadly Secrets. For all that, I found it read very well as a standalone novel, though I guess some better familiarity with the principal character Erika Foster, would have increased my level of enjoyment.
I was immediately engaged by this action-packed thriller. The plot is concise, with short chapters and excellent characterisation that keeps your interest. Robert has the barest modicum of needless writing, though there are more twists than your average mega-rollercoaster.
It was just a great read from start to finish with Erika Foster and her team once again solving a great crime thriller.
I also found that Robert Bryndza is very good at telling a story where you end up caring about the characters and where the support characters are as well fleshed out as the main characters.
So, if you have never tried Robert Bryndza, I would highly recommend giving it a try.

Admittedly this was my first book of the series, so I'm not sure how much it impacted my review of Fatal Witness. The synopsis of it drew me in, but when it came to actually reading it it fell short. The premise of a serial murderer podcaster seemed so juicy to me, but I think the character development was lacking because despite the gruesome murder at the beginning, I just didn't care enough about any of the characters, including Erika Foster the detective herself. I did enjoy a few of the twists, which I won't spoil here including a character may or may not be dead.

Perhaps I'm too accustomed to unrealistic detective novels, or just GB detectives but Fatal Witness stalled out at certain points and I had to force myself to continue the book. I did enjoy Detective Fosters side romance, and the ensuing awkwardness. For there being so much action in the story it still ended up being lackluster for me.

I am sad to say that this is the first book in the series that has left me disappointed. Erika Foster is such a great protagonist, and there was so little of her own story in this installment. It felt disjointed and choppy, and took a good third of the book before much suspense developed. The characters seemed more like charicatures than actual people.

Having said, I am a loyal fan of this author and his characters, and I will continue to read everything that he publishes!

Wow wow wow! Another great book in the Erica foster series. I actually tried to savour this one and not finish it too quickly but I just couldn't stop myself from picking it up constantly! Every spare moment I was reading this.

Love all the characters so much. They are very complex and well fleshed out. Great storyline as usual. Not too many suspects but just enough to make you question who it could be. Very easy to keep up with what is going on.

I recommend Robert's book to everyone I know and I will definitely be recommending this one. Can't wait for the next installment!

Not my favorite Bryndza novel. Stilted sentences had me rereading in order to understand. Possibly just a matter of style, but disappointing nonetheless.

While this one had a compelling plot and plenty or twists and turns I just found myself not really connecting with the character which made this a more difficult read for me.