I've read all four books in this series and I have to admit this one was probably my least favorite. The story was interesting enough but I felt like it was more family drama than tense thriller. Kate and Tristan are great characters but this case didn't have the same gripping climax as Nine Elms or Shadow Sands. I'm willing to give this series another chance but this book was just not the one for me. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I enjoyed this story immensely. It was very believable and the main characters are likeable.
Will Kate and Tristan be able to find out what happened to Charlie and solve a murder? You’ll have to read it to find out.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this eARC.

I thought this book was an absolute pleasure and joy to read. Kate and Tristan are asked by a young boys grandmother to look into his disappearance some years before. Kate isn’t at her best at the start of their investigation so Tristan steps up and I felt really comes into his own as a character here, which I really liked. I liked the author’s writing style, the plot line is good and the story is very well told and easy to follow, and comes together effortlessly. I could picture the characters in my mind when reading, and think the author has a great connection and rapport with his readers. I loved following Kate and Tristan as they leave no stone unturned looking into the past and what happened to Charlie. There are a lot of twists in the story to keep the reader guessing and the last part of the book is a very tense and thrilling read which raced to a fitting ending, which I’d already guessed. Overall a very good and entertaining read that grabbed my attention and interest straightaway and held it all the way through to the end. This is becoming a really good series, and one which I’d recommend. It’s a refreshing change from police procedurals and I like this book and series as it’s told from a private investigation perspective. Will be looking forward to the next book.

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is the fourth Kate Marshall book I’ve read by Robert. This one seemed to kind of drag on for me. The ending was good though! I have always enjoyed the relationship between Kate and her partner Tristan to figure out the crimes, but this one fell a little short for me.

A cold case for Kate & Tristan. While recovering in hospital Kate is told the story of a little boy who disappeared 11 years ago and is asked to look into it. This really opens a can of worms. Kate and the police end up looking into a short story written - or not - by a local amateur writer. Or was it a murdered social worker. Did the amateur writer kill the social worker for the story? Somebody murdered her.

Enjoyed it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher I read a free advance review copy of the book. This review is voluntary, honest and my own opinion.

Have read every book in this series and this one didn’t disappoint! Love the relationship between Kate and Tristan ( would like to see a romance for them both) another great mystery to solve, it was fast paced with a believable story and likeable characters.

Robert Bryndza's latest addition to his former police officer, PI Kate Marshall series is absolutely terrific. Kate has 13 years of sobriety under her belt, is missing her son, Jake, now at university in California, runs her private detective agency with her partner, Tristan Harper, who takes a much bigger role in this twisty and complex 2018 case. She lives on the beautiful Thurlow Bay, and part of her everyday routine is waking up in the morning and going for a swim in the sea that sets her up for the day, only this time she fails to notice a deadly riptide. She almost pays with her life for this error, waking up in hospital, learning she had been rescued by 2 surfers, finding herself struggling to process the terror of what happened and its impact on her health, mentally and physically.

Next to her on the hospital ward is Jean Julings, who goes on to relate the traumatic events of 11 years ago, on a camping trip to Dartmoor where her grandson, 3 year old Charlie, went missing, with a search party unable to find him, and it being assumed he fell into the river and drowned. This horror is exacerbated when Jean's daughter, Becky, unable to cope with this and in 2014 commiting suicide. Jean needs closure, she has to know what happened to her beloved grandson, and using her precious savings, hires Kate and Tristan to investigate. Kate makes few allowances for the state of her health, and as a result is laid low as she is forced to rest as she endeavours to come to terms with what she went through. With Tristan having to take a bigger role, the two of them dig deep, including delving into Jean's personal history, going to Dartmoor, looking into the police investigation, and discovering the brutal murder of a social worker, Anna Treadwell, taking place soon after Charlie disappeared.

One of the delights of this crime read is the wonderful sense of location, Dartmoor is a magnificent place of great beauty, but it has its menacing and deadly side, with dangerous bogs that can claim a life so easily, and its folklore, such as that surrounding the Pixie tree. This is a darkly atmospheric, engaging, thrilling and intense read, it is eye opening observing how Kate responds to her near death experience, not that this stops her rebellious side coming to the fore, and which is to prove crucial to her and Tristan solving their cold case. Fans of the author and this series are likely to love this, as will other readers who enjoy the crime and mystery genre. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

I love these books. Bryndza definitely does not disappoint. This is another gripping instalment which allows us to revisit favourite characters.
This is another book by this author that I have devoured in just one sitting.

**Full Review to Follow****

A good story, and a well-paced book. The ending was very predictable though, and I didn't think the book was particularly well-written. A good read to while away a few hours, but I found it a bit disappointing.

This is the second Kate Marshall book I have read from Robert Bryndza and again it is a face paced, twisty, well written crime novel.
Private Detective Kate and her assistant Tristan are asked to help discover what happened to a child who disappeared on Dartmoor some eleven years ago. It is an odd request made by an old lady when Kate is in hospital recovering from a near drowning after she was caught in a riptide. At first it looks like a simple case of a child wandering off in the night and falling into a a swollen river - this is at least what the police decided was the most likely outcome, but dogged detective work by Kate and Tristan uncover other leads.
By the time the ending came I have to say I had guessed the outcome but the book was a delight to read and it was an interesting and well through out plot. The characters are well rounded — Kate with her history of alcoholism and being estranged from her son, Tristan with his sister bossing him around. Even the minor characters are good too. I particularly liked Maureen who ran the writer's group, but couldn't write and who dressed in a suit with anchor decorations to go on a cruise.
The setting of child's disappearance near Devil's Way on Dartmoor is nicely menacing with the gorge and the whirlpool well described and the tor and creepy pagan tree adding to the atmosphere. The reader can almost feel the drop in temperature as Kate and Tristan walk out of the warm sunny day and follow the water towards the ground through mossy, ferny walls of granite.
A great read. I hope to read more in this series.
With thanks to Raven Street Publishing and Netgalley for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

Many thanks for the advanced copy, this was my first book by this author so I am not familiar with the series unfortunately. I could not put it down, start to finish. Two amazing characters which I believe must run throughout the series, a fantastic case with a lot of plot twists that kept me gripped. I think I will go back and read some others in the series.

Highly recommended

The sea will never be restrained.

Kate Marshall wrestled with it and nearly lost. A daily swim in Thurlow Bay was the usual for P.I. Kate Marshall. It helped to release tension and get the kinks out of her mind. But this day the sea revved its muscles and the result was a treacherous riptide that almost proved too much for even Kate. Two surfers came to her rescue. It could have been her last swim.

As a precaution, Kate was sent to the hospital for tests and recovery. Nothing proved more frustrating for her. But an older woman, Jean Julings, just so happened to be her room partner that day. And Fate would deal out the cards. Jean explained that her three year old grandson, Charlie, went missing eleven years ago. She hires Kate and her partner, Tristan Harper, to sift through evidence and see if they can find out what actually happened to Charlie. It came to a dead end for the police.

Robert Bryndza paints a whole different set of scenery for Kate this time. She's been weakened by the riptide accident and must lean more on Tristan. She even sees herself in a different light. Tristan takes the lead and we're impressed by his stamina. He searches out former police officers who were on duty that day when Charlie went missing by Devil's Way. This was a dangerous area for any three year old to survive.

Bryndza is known for his multi-layered storylines and he certainly doesn't disappoint in Devil's Way. He lines this with a cast of characters who live on the shadier side of life and those who held information never realizing its true value. Kate and Tristan will come upon the murder of a young woman who may or may not be tied somehow to Charlie. Bryndza is gonna make us work for this one.......and we're delighted to step up front and center to do just that.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Raven Street Ltd. and to the talented Robert Bryndza for the opportunity.

Another fabulous instalment in the Kate Marshall series. Kate and Tristan are wonderful characters. I really enjoy Mr. Bryndza’s books regardless of what he writes about. Kate almost drowns and then she and Tristan investigate the disappearance of a child many years before. Loved the ending. Many thanks to NetGalley, Raven Street Publishing and the Author for allowing me to read and review this book.

A really enjoyable read that left me wanting to catch my breath at times. Well written with a gripping storyline and well developed characters that are that rare mix of relatable, believeable and likeable - well some of them, others were not so likeable.

I flew through this book, which is exactly what I expected as I love this series. Kate and Tristan continue to be superb leading characters and I always love the balance between their case and glimpses into their personal lives. This case in particular was a haunting one - a child going missing is everyone’s nightmare and there was a lot of emotion laced into the case. I loved all of the twists and turns and had many suspects along the way. I did guess the big reveal shortly before but it certainly didn’t ruin anything for me as I was completely invested in the story by that point. Another brilliant crime thriller from Bryndza, I just can’t get enough!

I am a great fan of the author's books and book 4 in the PI Kate Marshall series is another fine read. The relationship between Kate and her assistant, Tristan, is very touching and the developing characterisation is lovely. This book finds them investigating a cold case disappearance of a 3 year old boy, in a many layered tale filled with interesting characters and bleak descriptive passages of Dartmoor. Robert Bryndza has created another 5* read which fans will love.. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

I really enjoyed this 4th installment in the Kate Marshall series by Robert Brynzda. If you haven’t read this series I highly recommend starting with the first book. Kate Marshall is a Detective Inspector turned Private Investigator who has been through the proverbial wringer. Single mom, disgraced police officer, recovering alcoholic. She has fought to rebuild a life for herself and her son.

In “Devil’s Way” Kate winds up in the hospital after a near drowning and becomes friendly with an older woman in the next bed. Turns out this woman’s grandson disappeared from a campsite 11 years earlier and the woman is still haunted by this family wrecking tragedy. She hires Kate to resolve her grandson’s disappearance and off we go into the world of cold cases.

Kate, along with her investigative partner Tristan doggedly track down every detail to bring the case to a surprising closure that left me thinking about these characters for a long while.

Many thanks to Netgally and Raven Street Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Another great instalment in the Kate Marshall series of books. Devil’s Way is a gripping thriller investigating a young boy’s disappearance. It had me hooked from the start, quickly gathered pace and was a joy to read. Thank you to NetGalley, Raven Street Publishing and the author for the chance to review.

Another fantastic read from Robert Bryndza. The only thing I’m really upset about is that I’m all caught up with both of his mystery series. I continue to be impressed by his writing. He really brings these characters to life. I love that none of them are perfect and have relatable flaws. I feel like Kate and Tristan should not work so well together, but they totally do. They are such a great team, and really support each other in such realistic ways. I sped through this one and loved every minute of it. I can’t wait to see what Robert has in store for us next!

An excellent mystery. Private Investigator Kate Marshall is in the hospital recovering from a dangerous rip ride encounter. She meets Jean, an elderly woman who asks her to investigate the mysterious disappearance of her 3 year old grandson on a camping trip 11 years earlier. The trail is quite cold but Kate and her partner Tristan manage to dig around and uncover surprising secrets. I really enjoyed this suspenseful but not outlandishly twisty mystery, and now I have to go back to read the three prior novels in this series.