Fatal Witness by Robert Bryndza is the 7th book in the brilliant Erika Foster series.
In short, Erika stumbles across a crime scene when she is walking home one night and hears a scream from inside a flat. When she goes to investigate she finds a woman sobbing and a young woman’s dead body which is obvious that she had been violently attacked before being murdered. The woman tells Erika that she came to check on her sister because she hadn’t turned up for her shift at her & her husband’s restaurant. It soon becomes very clear that the case is a mess and Erika hated messy!
Having read and thoroughly enjoyed all of Robert’s books I was eager to read Fatal Witness and I was not disappointed. His books are brilliant, he’s one of my favourite authors, expect dark, fast paced and full of tension books which once started impossible to put down.
It’s been 4 long years since Erika’s previous book, I just hope that it doesn’t take that long for the next ride!
Big thanks to Robert Bryndza, Raven Street Publishing and NetGalley for this eARC which I chose to read in return for my honest review.

I must confess to being a fan or Erika Foster, so I was eager to read Fatal Witness, the latest in the series. It won't be until you've read the book you'll realise what a great title it is. Poor Erika, she doesn't have much luck in choosing a neighbourhood to settle down in. Just walking from her house she steps in to a new murder case. Now this turns out to have quite a twist, as the body discovered isn't quite what it seems. So, two hooks in one. The rest of the novel is chronologically set out which makes a change from the all too 'normal' flip flop novels which alternate between different periods. I was disappointed with the finale as it was a bit corny, so that will lose it a star.
There were a large number of mistakes, so I'll point out the more obvious:
The flat had that fusty smell of other people. Should it have been older people?
Does Scotland have a unique type of lightning? One where lightning follows thunder? Additionally, the author seems confused with whether lightning or thunder crashes.
Erika must have a very high-end car as she makes use of the car's heater before she starts the engine!
When I was last in Worthing it was in West Sussex, however Robert Bryndza has had it moved to Kent!

I am sure these little things can be tidied up, so it has to be a four star review from me, purely because of the am-dram finale.

I love all Robert's books and was very excited when he announced a new Erika Foster book and it didn't disappoint.
As always there are plenty of twists, turns and red herrings and Erika doesn't always follow the rule book to the letter. As always she falls foul of her superiors and ends up in danger but alls well that end well
I love the other characters too and I really hope there are more books to come.
Thank you to the publishers for thos arc

It’s been over two years since I finished the last Erika Foster book in this series. Before starting this latest instalment, I struggled to remember all of the characters, their connections and everything they had been through. Still, I didn’t want to have to reread all six books, so I went into this expecting to be a little discombobulated. However, this could really be read as a standalone. Erika’s past is referenced, but anything you need to know is reiterated, and the rest remained inconsequential.
I had reread my reviews for the other books to try and jog my memory, and I’d said in most of them that Erika’s personal life overshadowed the main story. This is not the case in this book; yes, we get an insight into what is happening, such as her nightmare of a new house and desperately needing a bed, but other than that, it played along with the crime side of things nicely.
Even though the crime and murder start off as gruesome, the investigation is relatively tame, and I was left wanting just a bit more grit. It was all quite basic and very similar to a book I read only last month whereby a cold case is being investigated, and all evidence and witnesses start to end up dead. It wasn’t very original. There are a few twists towards the end, but I only had a couple of chapters left before anything was really tied up, so I felt it was rushed. At one point, I wondered if it would be left on a cliffhanger as so much still needed to be answered. However, it was brought to a conclusion, but I kind of blinked and missed it; it was so hurried. I was very disappointed.
This book certainly didn’t have the depth I remember the other books having. They had kept me gripped, and I read the last four in the series back to back. I was that hooked. This was just average. It was an easy read, and I kept turning the pages to find out the outcome, but I was left unsatisfied by the book as a whole. If I gave half stars, this would be a 3.5 read; however, I don’t, making the rating challenging to decide. In the end, I leaned on the four-star side as I enjoyed it more than I was let down by it.

A late night walk leads Erika Foster to her next case full of twists and turns. Well written, pacey, a read in one sitting.
I received this book from Raven Street Publishing via Netgalley for a review

What a fabulous mystery/police procedural! If you are like me, you like strong characters with interesting issues outside of the "job." Better yet, a mystery or twisty story that you cannot guess the ending!
Detective Erika Foster is our hero, and this book is 7th in the series (but can be read as a fab stand alone!).

She has moved to a fixer upper and is still recovering from the job related death of her husband. She is clearly isolated and depressed and not necessarily interested in changing her situation. But not long after her move, she is faced with a murder near her home. She assigned to the case which included a crime podcaster as well as a debt ridden family and a well connected suspect. Utilizing her solid police team of Moss and Peterson, Erika narrows down the suspects and goes in for the arrest. The problem is, this suspect has been waiting for her all along! If you like police procedurals, strong female characters, stories of struggling individuals and of course mysteries, this novel is for you! #FatalWitness #RavenStreet #RavenStreetPublishing

I'm a big fan of Robert Bryndza's writing, so was very excited to read the latest Erika Foster. It certainly didn't disappoint. A young woman is brutally murdered in her own flat, and when Erika discovers that she was making a podcast about a sexual predator at a hall of residence, she wonders if the woman was close to revealing an identity. As with all of this author's books the plot is fast moving and there are many twists and turns that you won't see coming! Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

Aww I’ve missed Erika . The 7th instalment of this brilliant series and it didn’t disappoint 💗. Looks forward to number 8.. hopefully soon 🙏

After waiting patiently the last few years for a new Erika Foster story to materialize .Robert Bryndza duly obliged. I couldn't wait to start it. The story starts with the brutal murder of a young woman and of course Erica is on the case. The problem is is the woman is wrongly identified which sends the case in wrong directions. Then another girl is murdered. sending the police into an investigation taking many twists and turns, where no-one seems to be who they seem. Could the police chiefs strange brother be involved? and if so is the police chief covering for him? These are the problems Erika and her team have to sort out. The plot thickens and the tensions and dangers grow as the team start getting close to the killer almost costing Erika her life... A welcome return of Erika Foster. Please make the wait for the next one a little shorter please Robert..

Another great read in the Erika Foster series. I have read most of the other books in this series and always find them gripping with just the right amount of humour too (usually Moss delivering witty lines!).

I found the characters in this book really interesting. They're all quirky in their own way and that keeps you guessing. Usually there's one eccentric character that makes you think "could it be them?" But in this, everyone had their quirks! There was a really interesting twist relatively early on (I won't elaborate on that) that added to the intrigue of the book.

Foster continues to battle with her demons but not in a cliche detective way. Unlike other protagonists of this genre, she found love and it was taken away rather than being an alcoholic loner. I also really enjoy her friendship with deadpan pathologist Isaac. There are also some funny little quips other characters make about Erika, which adds to the character development. That being said, it still stays true to the police thriller genre that many of us love.

The story itself was gripping and filled with twists and turns. A classic whodunnit that also touches upon politics and sexuality.

My only criticism is that the ending felt rushed. I can't say how I wanted it to end as I'm not sure. And I didn't feel short changed by it as such, but I felt I wanted to know more about certain characters after the finale.

All in all a well-rounded and enjoyable thriller that kept me turning the pages. I'll be reading the next one!

I was excited to by a new Erika Foster book, and it was good to reconnect with all the team.
Erika has bought herself a “new” home in Blackheath, and is immediately dragged into a case involving the murder of a true crime podcaster.
The victim lived in a small block of flats inhabited by an oddball group of people who all seem to have something to hide.
As the team investigates, the case becomes more complicated with many suspects, and no material evidence, and it seems that the victim was killed because she was investigating historic assaults on drama students.
With many twists and false trails, the murderer is finally exposed in spectacular fashion.

Thanks to Netgalley and Raven Street Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review - - Grab this page-turner!
Vicki was working on a true crime podcast of a sextual predator of female students when she was murdered..
Then another student is murdered . Erika is assigned to the case which keeps her searching for the killer. Can she find him before another murder?

I thought Erika was never coming back it was such a long wait but have to say it is definitely worth it.

It starts late at night when Erika hears a terrible scream and finds Vicky Clarke, a crime podcaster, murdered after she was working on an investigation into a sexual predator raping students but it’s not as straightforward as you think there are so many twists and turns you don’t know where you are I would never have guessed the ending. Just hope it’s not too long to wait for the next one.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this brilliant book.

Yay, Erika Foster is back with another explosive case. Having moved house she's on the spot when she hears a scream from a nearby flat. Rushing in she's confronted with a dead body and a women crying that it's her sister Vicky. Finding out Vicky has been recording crime podcasts Erika and her team suspect that Vicky got too close to a perpetrator. But it becomes a lot more complicated than that very quickly.
A great storyline that had me enthralled throughout. This is my favourite in the series so far.

This is the latest in the Erika Foster series. Erika is a DCI at a London station, is highly regarded by her team and works well under pressure.

I haven’t read any of the previous books in this series, but it made no difference at all, it’s extremely well written and is a good standalone. Author has it spot on with his writing, a joy to read.

The red herrings come thick and fast and the speed at which the plot unravels is very punchy. Good characterisation and an interesting, absorbing plot made this one to recommend.

Thank you NetGalley.

I was really looking forward to this book but was a let down by it as it just didn’t deliver for me sort of speak, didn’t find the writing great, very basic storyline and just not for me ….

Detective Erica Foster has just moved to a new town when she hears a scream on the way back from collecting her dinner. A terrible scene confronts her when the scream belongs to the sister of a woman who has been brutally murdered. The victim is a true crime podcaster and Erica tries desperately to discover whether her murder could be connected to the podcasts she was working on.

I wasn't aware that this was a series of books when I started reading, but that really made no difference, Final Witness can absolutely be read as a stand alone novel. Gritty and tense, with a tangled web of twists and turns, this one kept me guessing until the end. Although I hadn't had the background on Erica I'm sure was contained in the previous novels, there was still plenty of information to give us a good feel for her character and the trials she'd already faced in her life;

I think I'm going to have to go and hunt down the first 6 books in this series to give them a try too!

Woohoo, she’s back! I’ve missed DCI Erika Foster. This series is one of my favourites. Robert didn’t disappoint keeping me on my toes as he developed the story and kept me guessing to the end. Highly enjoyable & thoroughly recommended 5⭐️

*5 Stars*

Copy kindly received via NetGalley for an honest review.

This was a very good read. The storyline was interesting. Great characters. Made me think. Liked the ending. Would recommend.

Fatal Witness is the seventh instalment in the Erika Foster series and it definitely did not disappoint!

The book opens with Erika literally walking into the murder of Vicky Clarke by chance. What follows is an investigation into her murder and the seemingly intertwined lives of the occupants of the block of flats Vicky lives in. Erika and her team delve into the lives and deaths of the neighbours of Honeycomb Court in an attempt to unravel the mystery of the budding true crime podcasters death.

This book is so full of well written characters that you want to dive into and reveal their true stories! There’s the eclectic resident weirdo Charles, the well to do Henrietta who owns the building, Vicky’s sister Tess who is disapproving of her sisters lifestyle whilst trying to hold together her own marriage and business and Vicky’s closest friend Sophia plus Sophia’s highly strung sister Maria.

Erika suspects that Vickie may have uncovered something which has led to her death while investigating a series of attacks on young girls who were auditioning for places at Goldsmiths Acting Academy. Coincidentally her strange neighbour Charles was the janitor while these attacks took place, the plot thickens!

There are lots of twists and turns in this books and just as you are sure it is heading in one direction and you think you’ve solved the case in your head then something comes along that will blindside you! Rest assured this book will keep your attention, I could have read this book easily in one sitting if it was not for the fact I had to work!!

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys crime fiction and even to those who don’t! I love how Bryndza spins a story and his ability to create characters that you both relate but also aspire to be like! The ease of which he describes the characters and their personalities makes it easy for you to picture them vividly in your head. I cannot wait for future instalments of this series and to see the development of Erika Foster and her team and where this leads them!