Fainting goats don’t work in mortuaries!

Kate, a private investigator, currently in hospital after an accident, comes across another patient, Jean, haunted by the disappearance of her toddler grandson on a camping trip 11 years before. Jean hires Kate to find out what happened – as the body’s never been found. The investigation will lead Kate in directions no one could imagine.

The premise pulled me in, as I love cold cases investigations and uncovering of old secrets. However, whilst the plot was interesting and took some unpredictable turns (the anthology!), the writing didn’t let me fully immerse myself in the story.

Firstly, the dialogues: stiff, full of pompous, official vocabulary that is difficult to imagine living, breathing people regularly using in their everyday speech.

Secondly, many occurrences of telling, when the better choice would be showing. It’s not true that every single thing needs to be shown in fiction writing – sometimes the better choice is to tell, but it’s important to know what a better fit for the situation is. A character will often be described as “creeped out” by the location, but we’re not entirely sure why. And then for no discernible reason we get to know 8 specific brands of soft drinks available in the corner shop. I don’t need to know that they stock Irn-Bru & SEVEN other named drinks, if they don’t play any part in the story!

Thirdly, unbelievable reactions of the characters. 1 example of many: an experienced, long-time mortuary worker won’t break down just because a corpse is young. Real-life holders of such positions will have developed a thicker skin, as otherwise they wouldn’t be able to do their jobs. Fainting goats don’t work in mortuaries.

I did enjoy some aspects of the book. The nature descriptions were great and realistic, I loved the addition of the wishing tree with clouties & the depiction of the bogland. I also absolutely loved the writing in the papers found during the course of the investigation. I wish the entire book had been written like those papers!

This book was a good mystery, hadn't read any of this series before but could easily pick up the characters and how well they worked together. Enjoyed reading and will check out more in this series. Received a copy from Netgalley.

British police officer turned private investigator Kate Marshall swims daily in the sea by her home. When she ends up in the hospital after getting pulled into a riptide, she doesn't trust her, decisions about anything.

After learning Kate's occupation, Jean, her hospital roommate asks Kate to investigate the disappearance of her young grandson. Charlie, eleven years in the past. The family was camping and, at the time, the police assumed the 3 year old had wandered into the river and drowned, his body never to be found. The child's death tore the small family apart and Jean's daughter eventually committed suicide.

Kate and her partner Tristan delve into the past and find numerous anomalies. A social worker who was concerned about the family was murdered shortly after the child's disappearance. Jean had an unsavory boyfriend who had had difficulties with the law. Possible explanations for the child's disappearance seem to multiply at every turn.

Read this well-written work to learn if Charlie was drowned, abducted, or suffered some other fate. Recommended for lovers of mystery. And now, I need to track down the first 3 books in this series.

Devil’s way is the forth book in the Kate Marshall series. I absolutely loved Robert’s first crime book The Girl in the Ice and back then in 2016 I knew Robert was going places and after that series we are now on the forth book in this series…..How the hell did that happen?! Bryndza just gets better and better each book he writes and this book is another winner. I keep saying this is his best one yet. But this one really is.

I was hooked from the start when Kate ends up in hospital from almost drowning…..What an exciting start to the book. Then we are taken on a roller coaster ride full of mystery and suspense when we follow Kate and Tristan on this fresh new case. I love the relationship between them. You know when you read a book and the characters come alive and are in your head?! This is one of those books.

This book has everything you would expect to find from a Bryndza novel. It is an easy fast paced read, that makes you feel right there in story. I totally loved the setting and everything about this story. The whole not knowing what happened to Charlie is sure to keep you on your toes. It is full of OMG moments where I found myself saying OH MY GOD out loud! I could’nt read it fast enough….It is so damn good!

Although this is a series it can be read has a standalone there is references to the previous stories so you know exactly where you are. Honestly this book is pure entertainment and would make an awesome netflix show. I cannot recommend it enough. Giving it all the stars!

Massive thank you to the author for a copy. All thoughts are my own and not biased in anyway.

Yep, liked this, it was a solid Kate and Tristan story - although Kate was a bit pathetic in this one :/
I do prefer the Erika books over the Kate ones, but this was a good book and I liked the main storyline.

As ever, it is set around my hometown so I love seeing all the local landmarks and names cropping up :) Kate and Tristan catch a case of a missing child that disappeared a long time ago with absolutely no trace, on the marshes. They eventually find out what happened and that's pretty much it in a nutshell.

There wasn't a lot else going on in this one, other than Kate having a near fatal accident in the sea when she was taken by a riptide. So I read it really quickly. I would have preferred something else to have been happening to get my teeth stuck into, but this just felt a bit linear.

Overall I enjoyed the book. I will absolutely carry on the series when the next is released, but for now Bryndza has a standalone on the way, so looking forward to that.

This is the first book I have read by this author though it is the fourth in the series. It read like a perfectly fine detective series. Nothing about the characters jumped out at me to make them different than any other series I have read. That being said, as a stand alone, for me, it was a decent story. A child disappeared and someone is hired 11 years later to find him. Everyone wants closure to a missing child case. So, I read it quickly wanting that closure.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series but there have been some changes with each subsequent book that have eroded things bit by bit for me. With this fourth installment, we had a change of narrator so I sometimes wasn’t sure if I was struggling with the narration or the writing. I felt like the dialogue was more forced/stilted this time than in the previous books- Tristan snapping at his sister, Kate snapping at Tristan, etc. Even so, I was intrigued by the mystery and was along for the ride to find out what happened to baby Charlie!
*Thanks to Ravenstreet Publishing and NetGalley for the advance copy.

Very good believable mystery. It all comes together in the last 20% of the story. The story will grab you from the opening chapter. The blend of Private investigators, Kate and Tristan is very good. Im glad Kate has Tristan because I get concerned that she might get hurt if she was alone on these investigations. Kate and Tristan solve what you and I would consider an unsolvable 11 year old case. And they do it very convincingly.
My only negative is, I felt there was too much description of everything. I found myself skimming some paragraphs that didnt move the story forward.
I highly recommend This mystery.
I was given this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the 4th book in the Kate Marshall series but it was easily read as a stand alone. However I cannot wait to go back and start with book 1 as I loved the characters and need to see how their stories began! I loved the twists and turns throughout the story, who think you have it figured out but of course you don't!

11 years have gone by since little Charlie disappeared. So many questions left unanswered and no one is telling the truth. What happened to Charlie? Is he still alive?

Thank you Netgalley, the author and the publisher for my ARC!

This is the fourth in the Kate Marshall private detective series. Devil's Way is full of twists and turns. You think you know what happened? Think again and here's a big plottwist to confuse you even more. I'm a huge fan of thrillers that keep me on the edge of my seat and constantly provide new information, so this really was a book for me.

Robert Bryndza’s novels have great covers. I love covers that arouse my curiosity, and fit the story inside. So put on your walking shoes and let’s follow the mystery of the missing boy.

The story sounded familiar to me and I wondered if it was taken from the headlines or I saw something on one of my TV show thrillers. If so, Robert Bryndza managed to make the story his on. The mystery grows, taking on a life of its own, becoming muddled in murder. We have suspects, but none of them stand out to me. Of course, I blamed the family first and kept telling myself, don’t get tunnel vision, manipulating the facts to fit my hypothesis.

Devil’s Way is a police procedural that takes us step by step through the mystery with Kate and Tristan. I kept trying to come to my own conclusion, but I do that with every book. Don’t you?

I love water, and so does Kate Marshall. She lived in a house that sits on the top of a cliff looking out over Thurlow Bay, England. Water is her friend, except when she isn’t paying attention and gets caught in a riptide. That is when she meets Jean.

Kate Marshall is a private detective, and ex police officer, working with her friend and partner, Tristan Harper. They’d become close, since she took him on as a research assistant seven years ago. She also owns a caravan park, but that has stories of its own. She has a son, Jake, who is now a college student. His father is a convicted serial killer, and she lost custody of him because of her drinking problem. She has been in AA for thirteen years.

Mysteries and police procedurals are always hard for me to rate. I love thrills, blood and guts, edge of my seat suspense, but then, I also like to have to follow the step by step process of solving a crime. Devil’s Way by Robert Brundza has all the elements we need to follow the investigation to its conclusion, with a twist and turn thrown in for good measure.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Devil’s Way by Robert Bryndza.

See more at http://www.fundinmental.com

I have mixed feelings about this book, it is my first by this author, so I have not read the previous Kate Marshall crime mysteries.
The subject matter of a lost child, even though a long time ago, is heartbreaking. It’s a good story, if a bit implausible at times. It is a heavily descriptive book, especially of the terrain and weather conditions, when Kate and Tristan check out the scene of the child’s disappearance, and where the search ultimately leads.
My main difficulty was the lack of characterisation of Kate and Tristan, and their working relationship. I got very little sense of Kate, or of Tristan, as people, and how they relate to each other. I just didn’t find it convincing. Two and a half stars rounded up to three for me,
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book.

On a family camping trip at Devils Way (Eastern part of Dartmoor National Park) June 2007 Jean Julings was sharing a tent with her beloved three year old grandson Charlie, while his parents Becky (Jeans daughter) and Joel were in another tent close by.
Second night when putting Charlie to bed Jean promised to read him a story once she has had a cigarette, she went outside when finished she heard someone calling her name recognising the voice of her ex partner Declan and not wanting to disturb Charlie she went to tell him to go away. Returning after around ten minutes she found Becky looking for Charlie, he wasn't in either of the tents after checking the area the police were called they sent out search parties including sniffer dogs but no sign of Charlie was ever found, it was assumed he had stumbled into the river and drowned.
June 2018 Kate Marshall, an experienced sea water swimmer goes for her daily morning swim and gets caught in a rip tide there's nothing she can do, as she is dragged under by the strong current she feels the life draining from her as the life is leaving her body. Next thing she is aware of is feeling battered and bruised, but she's alive and in hospital feeling foolish as she knows the sea. Now the doctor was telling her she has pneumonia.
The woman in the next bed was loud shouting to the nurses to turn the light out woke Kate up, she started speaking to Kate asked if she'd heard right, are you a private detective? Kate said she was.
Jean introduced herself told her about her grandson going missing eleven years earlier said she wanted to hire her to find him. Kate asked her to tell her what happened Jean tells her what happened and Kate agreed to take the case.
When she woke up the bed next to her was empty she was unsure if the medication was playing with her imagination.
What a book Robert has excelled himself yet again. I absolutely loved this book, there are so many twists and turns keeps you guessing right until the end. I couldn't put this book down it really is a page turner. The characters really warm your heart sometimes they don't seem the most pleasant of people but with a bit of empathy you see through that. Love Roberts books roll on next one.

I haven't read the first 3 books in this series but after enjoying Devil's Way, I will be going back to the start! That being said, I had no trouble reading this as a stand-alone. Kate Marshall is a former Met police officer turned private detective. After getting caught in a riptide and pulled from the sea by a couple of young surfers, Kate ends up in the hospital where she meets Jean. Jean tells Kate about the night her grandson Charlie went missing 11 years ago and hires Kate and her partner, Tristan, to find out what happened to Charlie: did he drown and disappear into the Devil's way gorge, or is he still alive, as Jean "feels"? Even though I thought I figured out what happened to Charlie well before the reveal, that didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story (and there were enough red herrings to keep me not-quite-sure). The story is well written, the characters are relatable and have depth, and the mystery unfolds at a good pace.

I have to say, I am enjoying the Kate Marshall series of books as much as the Erika Foster ones :)

Kate goes for her customary swim in the ocean and ends up in a riptide, which causes her to have to be rescued. Whilst in hospital, she gets chatting to an older lady, Jean, about her grandson who went missing 11 years earlier. Kate agrees to take on the case of this missing grandson but she has no idea what a twisted saga this ends up being.

Luckily for Kate, she has her trusty sidekick, Tristan, there to help her out, and between the two of them and some help from others along the way, they unravel what happened to Charlie.

Great story from Robert, once again. I loved the setting of this story, and the Pixie Tree sounds really creepy! It doesn't make me want to wander around Dartmoor at night, that's for sure.

4.5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Raven Street Publishing.

Kate Marshall is a former police officer turned private investigator. She is pulled into a riptide on her daily swim early one morning and rescued by two surfers. While recovering in the hospital, she is rooming with Jean. Jean is a grandmother who lost her three-year-old grandson while on a camping trip. Although eleven years have passed, the case remains unsolved, and Charlie has been declared dead. Jean hires Kate and her partner, Tristan, to investigate the decade old case. As Kate and Tristan begin digging up the past, they uncover secrets, and a murder that may or may not be tied to the case. Was Charlie abducted or did he fall into the raging Devil’s Way River?

Review:
This is a suspenseful, mystery thriller with twists and turns, multiple suspects and red herrings. Kate’s character is well developed as is her struggle with aging, her relationship with her son and partner, Tristan and her battle with alcoholism. The setting of Devil’s Way is a character in the story with details and atmosphere allowing the reader to be present at the campsite on the evening of Charlie’s disappearance. The clue of a short story within this story was unique and an excellent part of the plot. Overall, a quick paced mystery with a realistic ending.

Note: This is the fourth book in the Kate Marshall series but can be read as a stand-alone. This book contains missing child, the death of a child, murder, alcoholism and suicide.

Thank you to Net galley and Raven Street publishing for and ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book was published on January 12, 2023.

Robert Bryndza writes riveting thriller that kept me turning pages and guessing. This one confirmed my opinion and I had a lot of fun, was surprised by the twists and love the relatable characters.
Great storytelling and plot developmnet.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

With an enticing start to the book, where Kate, a PI who is a sober alcoholic, gets caught in a rip tide and nearly loses her life, it sets the scene for a tense read.
There are few remote chances in this book, surviving a lone swim when caught in a riptide as well as a chance meeting with a woman whilst in the hospital recruiting her to investigate the disappearance of her grandson some years after his disappearance.
What proceeds is a convoluted but engaging read, as she and her PI partner uncover more, following up some good as well as some wasted leads to work it all out in the end.
Her personal demons, as well as the challenges of trying to run a successful PI firm are pertinently included. There is good collaboration, perhaps more than usual, from the local police, but delivers a show of very good detective work that keeps you intrigued and engaged via its carefully paced reveals.
Really enjoyed, not much of an afterburn once I put it down, but it did its job in entertaining in a very skilful manner.

Kate Marshall is now a PI a recovering alcoholic, while she was wild swimming she is caught in a riptide and while she is in hospital Jean the lady in the next bed asks for her help to investigating the disappearance of her 3yr old grandson 11yr ago, Kate and her young partner Tristan accepts the job.

Loved the storyline and the twists all woven together to get the end result, just couldn`t put it down.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC
Posted to Goodreads

One of my goto authors,always enjoy reading his books and this latest offering is no exception.
Great storyline, characters you can emphasise,very descriptive of the area where it is set with,twists and turns right to the end.
Brilliant read