This author is yet to write a book which is less than stellar and the Erika Foster is perhaps his best work. In this extremely satisfying read, we finally get to the bottom of Foster’s back story and find out what happened on the day her husband died. Bryndza misses no steps in unpicking the past while also progressing the plot in the present day. His sensitive story-telling allows us to appreciate Foster’s growth as a character and the depth of the relationships she has built both personally and professionally over time. I absolutely loved his handling of Igor’s efforts at detective work, not to mention the nail biting surveillance through London by the team. As always, the writing itself is impeccable, with tight dialogue and clear descriptions to really place the reader in the story. A genuine rave review for a fantastic book!

An exciting story and excellent well drawn characters, especially Erika. I read it at one sitting it was such a page turner. Highly recommended.

Thank you,Raven Street Publishing, for providing the copy of Chasing Shadows by Robert Bryndza. If you have been following Erika Foster’s adventures you know what a treat her stories are. This is book nine and I love how she deals with her past trauma. The character development of the characters is amazing and he multiple timelines add so much to the story. Do not miss this book, and while you can read it as a standalone after you finish it you will want to read them all! 5 stars!

Did I drop everything and move this book to the top of my TBR as soon as I received it.. you bet I did!! this is the book that Erika Foster fans have been waiting for and my goodness it was worth the wait. Outstanding once again Robert Bryndza, you never let me down!!

In book 9 of this amazing series we finally get the details of what happened on that day 10 years ago. Ow, when Erika’s husband Mark and her team were killed in a police raid in Manchester. That day changed her life and the way she sees the world. Now on an investigation into a murder, she comes face to face with the man responsible, only he claims to be someone else. Then she is told that the man who killed Mark is dead.

Now if you know Erika at all you know that she is not going to take this. She knows it was him and she wants justice for her husband. Even being put on stress leave isn’t going to stop her. And her loyal team and partner are there to help her.

This book was so good!! i just love Erika and her way of doing what is right, even when she is told otherwise. She is smart, determined and snarky and I love it. I cannot recommend this series more for those who love a good gritty police procedural.

Thank you so much to Raven Street Publishing for my early copy to read. Always such a joy to read these books. Easy 5 stars.

I could not put this down - I finished it in one day and it is easily in my top 5 books of 2025!

Reading Erika is like coming home - it's so comforting to know that once I start reading it will pull me in from the beginning and not let go.

Please keep writing Robert!!

Anyone who follows The Book Review Café knows I’m a huge fan of Robert Bryndza’s Erika Foster series, so you can imagine my excitement when Chasing Shadows landed in my hands. And WOW, it did not disappoint. This one grabs you instantly, and honestly, it’s a contender for the best book in the series yet. Robert Bryndza delivers everything fans have come to love and more: tension, twists, and emotional depth, all packed into one of those rare, read-in-one-sitting thrillers that refuses to let you go.

A routine 999 call turns dark when a body is found in a spotless flat, no evidence, no clues. But for Erika Foster, the real shock is recognising the face of the man who killed her husband ten years ago. Only his ID says he’s someone else, and his record is spotless.

Cut off from the case and running out of allies, Erika digs deeper on her own. What she uncovers is a dark web of secrets, lies, and betrayal, forcing her to confront the past she’s never been able to let go. It’s her most personal case yet, and the most devastating.

Robert Bryndza has truly outdone himself. Chasing Shadows is a taut, emotionally charged thriller that blends gripping police work with the raw intensity of a psychological drama. The tension is sharp, the twists are masterfully delivered, and the pacing is relentless. There are no wasted chapters here, just expertly crafted suspense. What truly sets this story apart is its emotional weight. Erika isn’t just solving a case, she’s confronting the deepest wounds of her past, and Bryndza captures her grief, resilience, and vulnerability with care.

I absolutely loved Chasing Shadows. It’s a standout in an already brilliant series. Whether you’re a devoted fan or a newcomer, this is one you won’t want to miss. Dark, twisty, and deeply personal, this might just be Erika Foster’s most disturbing case yet.

This latest in the DCI Erika Foster series is amazing! After ten years, Erika may finally have a break in the case that took the lives of four of her colleagues and her husband. After a strange series of events concerning a deceased nun-to-be and an old radiator, Erika is brought face to face with Jerome, the leader of the gang responsible for the murders in the failed raid. He goes by another name now, but she would bet her life it’s the same man – I mean, really, you don’t forget the face of someone who took your whole world away. Even though her team isn’t quite as sure of his identity, they back her up and help dig into the case again.

She has to be even more careful than usual, as there are some big (and shocking!!!) names implicated in the case with crooked officers engaged with Jerome and his gang for years. Luckily, nothing gets in Erika’s way and the team make some crazy discoveries that not only answer lingering questions but take away any liability Erika may have had for the raid going sideways all those years ago. But will they be able to get the solid evidence they need before someone tries to silence Erika for good?

I love that there are finally answers for Erika and hope that her character stops carrying the guilt that’s burdened her for years. And I still can’t get over the high-ranking crooked official – I wonder if that was the author’s plan all along or if he just came up with it while writing this book. I don’t know how he’s going to top this one, but I’m so glad this wasn’t the end of the series and that there will be more to come for Erika and her team!

I absolutely love the Erika Foster series and this one certainly did not disappoint! Erika finally has to face her past of what happened in Manchester prior to her moving to London. During their latest investigation into a suspicious death she stumbles onto something which opens up old wounds and leads her down a path she has no choice to follow. An absolute page turner and would recommend to anyone who enjoys investigative books.

I’ve waited eagerly for this next instalment and when I saw it was on Netgalley I was so excited! It certainly hasn’t disappointed, every book Robert Bryndza writes is full of heart, mystery, thrills and page turning wonder. There’s been enough written about the plot so all I’ll say is go and buy it, you’ll not be able to put it down. I can’t wait for the next in the series!

Thank you to Netgalley the author and publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest review

5/5 stars! This is one of my favorite thriller authors, so I screamed a bit when I got the chance to read this. This is the 9th book in the Detective Erika Foster series and we finally get to unravel the moment in time 10 years ago that changed the trajectory of her life. This was masterfully written. I loved the twists and turns and was raging, needing Erika to get closure. Great story!

Ten years ago, on a drug raid in Manchester that Erika Foster was in charge of, her husband and some of her colleagues were killed and the murderer, Jerome Goodman, escaped. Now a DCI in London, inquiries into the death of a young woman find Erika face to face with Goodman whom she promptly arrests. The only problem is, the man she arrests has a different identity and Goodman supposedly died in an accident some years ago. She is placed on leave but cannot resist further investigation. With the surreptitious help of her team, she is determined to find out what really happened those ten years ago and bring Goodman to justice. As she unravels the truth, there are shocking revelations.

This is yet another riveting, can’t put down mystery/thriller from Bryndza. You always know with him that there will be a well plotted story that will hook you from the beginning. I like fifty two year old Erika, despite her propensity to being rather brash and often annoying to her superiors. A testament to her character, though, is the willingness of her team to assist her even when she is on the outs with her superiors. In this book, the suspense was heightened by Erika’s precarious job situation and her foreshadowing of possible doom.

This is the ninth in the Erika Foster series. As someone who has read and enjoyed some of the earlier installments, I liked learning more of her backstory. This would, however, work well as a standalone. I cannot wait for the next in this outstanding series.

I knew, after reading the first 3 chapters, that this would be a sprint not a marathon. I was right. I finished this book in 8 hours!
Brilliant. Absolutely bloody brilliant!
More to come after publication
Now, I eagerly await Erika’s next instalment

He’s done it again, another excellent Erica Foster book, this time going back to the trauma that brought her to London when her husband and colleagues died, and her life changed forever.
The discovery of a dead woman in a London flat leads down a strange path, where supposedly dead people still live, and bodies are not what they seem, ending in a house, with secrets, in Manchester. On the way there are familiar faces, unexpected betrayals, and loyal colleagues.
What I like about Erika and her team is that they all mature and develop across the books, and even admit to ageing and human failings.
Five stars.

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

I’ve been a fan of Robert Bryndza’s Detective Erika Foster series since the very beginning so I was excited to receive a review copy of “Chasing Shadows”which is the latest.
This is a bit different as it looks back at Erika’s earlier life and the incident which caused her husband’s death.
Whilst investigating a possible murder, Erika comes into contact with a man who looks remarkably like Jerome Goodman, the master criminal who shot her husband and colleagues 10 years earlier.
However, he claims he is Kieron Bagshaw and despite being absolutely certain she has the right man, Erika is forced to let him go.
As she begins to investigate and confront her demons she discovers a conspiracy of silence- no one wants this case to be solved.
This was a fast paced mystery which contained many surprises as well as filling in the missing part of Erika’s background.
With the help of her close knit team Erika is able to discover what happened all those years ago and finally overcome the guilt she has felt about the murder.
I like the way Erika does not give up, even when she is forced to take time out after her boss decides she has made a mistake arresting Bagshaw.
The flashbacks to the earlier time serve build up the tension in the plot and I was really hoping that Erika and her colleagues would manage to solve the earlier crime and catch the perpetrators.
The author ties in the cold case and the present day murder very cleverly and all is revealed by the last page. As is usual with these books I am already counting the days until the next one in the series.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for my advance copy.

Robert Bryndza is a wonderful author, and the Erika Foster series is definitely one of my favourites.
She's a no-nonsense, headstrong detective and I love her to bits.
It was great to find out what happened all those years ago to Erika, her husband Mark and her colleagues back in Manchester when a drug raid when wrong.
It's a very clever fast-paced story, I just couldn't put it down
I'm excited to see what happens next.
Can be read as a standalone story, but start at The Girl in the Ice and you won't regret it!
Many thanks to Team Bryndza for the early copy, in which I give my honest review.

When I heard that I was being offered the opportunity to read book 9 in this amazing series, by the publishers I dropped everything to read it. We finally get to the bottom of Foster’s back story and find out what happened on the day her husband died. The author does not miss a step in relating the back story and unveiling the reasons whilst also progressing the plot in the present day. The way he has managed to relate the story and at the same time allowing Erika’s character to grow.

It was amusing to reads Igor’s guide on how not to investigate. She must be even more cautious than usual as the investigation progresses, and she uncovers some extremely shocking crooked officers .But as expected nobody is above the law in Erikas’s book.
Even by the authors extremely high standards this was an amazing book. Can’t wait for book

I was excited when I saw that a new Erika Foster novel was coming out. Thank you to NetGalley for the early copy to read and review.
It's the ninth book in the series and finally there is movement on the 10 year old case in Manchester that happened well before Book 1. Investigating a murder, Erika comes face to face with the man responsible for her husband's murder. At least she thinks so.
What follows is some excellent writing that jumps between the modern story and events that happened up to 20 years prior. We see the backstory of the people responsible for that 10 year old slaughter.
This was engaging, well written and includes all of the characters that we have grown accustomed to in the series. Love them or hate them, they are almost all in this novel.
Erika's story finally feels resolved. I didn't realize I needed or wanted to have it resolved, but in reading this novel, I was glad that this was the direction this novel took.

Like other Erika Foster novels, she gets into trouble with superiors, does her own thing and own thinking and stretches boundaries.

Another excellent read by Bryndza. I look forward to more.

Another incredible read from Robert Bryndza! I’ve read all of this series (and his other as well) and they keep getting better. I love how this book went back and told more of the story of when Erika’s husband and colleagues were all ambushed and murdered years ago. This event really shaped Erika into the woman she is today, so knowing more about it helped get to know her and her pursuit in trying to find them justice. I love all of the usual characters that work closely with Erika. They are true friends and amazing police people. I highly recommend this book and all of his others.

Oh.my.word.....what a story!!!
I've been waiting to discover the back story to Erika's life and the events that resulted in her husband's death, and we finally got all the details. I couldn't put this down.....read in a day and devastated when it ended!
Not really sure how it could be topped, but I'll be waiting patiently for the next installment (but please make it quick!).

Absolutely loved this!

We finally get to find out who killed Erika's husband and her colleagues during a police operation.

Great writing, outstanding storyline and to find out who was helping the criminals was mind blowing! Sincerely hope there will be a next installment....

Highly recommend.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced digital copy in return for an honest review.

My dilemma... What do you read after finishing an Erika Foster novel? Well it will be another Erika Foster novel. In my case, there isn't another one to read as I am still waiting for Robert Bryndza to write and publish the next one. As you can expect from Robert Bryndza this book was written brilliantly. Erika has come a long way since we met her in Girl in the Ice. In this novel, she does not disappoint with her brilliant detecting skills in trying to solve the murder of her husband. Without giving much a way I would recommend this book to all Robert Bryndza and Erika Foster fans. A solid five stars from me.

You cannot beat an Erika Foster novel and I was delighted to be approved for this one.

In Chasing Shadows, Erika comes face to face with the man responsible for the death of her husband, and many other officers, almost 10 years ago....or does she? The man in question has a different name and claims not to know anything about what Erika is referring to.

After pursuing this vendetta against him, Erika is 'asked' to take some leave meaning she needs to investigate from outwith her police role. However, when she returns she uncovers.....well, that would be telling.

This can be read as a standalone however, as with most of these novels, you would really benefit from having read at least some of the previous novels. This is a brilliant series of novels and always keeps you engaged.

Thanks to Raven Street Publishing and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

⸻

I couldn’t wait to read this book—it was brilliant. Finally getting the full story of what happened on that fateful day when Erica lost her husband after the police raid was gripping.

She’s called to a house where a body has been found, and during the investigation, she comes face to face with the man who murdered her husband. He has a different name and background, and officially, he’s someone else. But Erica knows it’s him. When no one believes her, she launches her own investigation, determined to uncover the truth.

This was such a compelling, well-paced story. I can’t praise it enough.

Thank you to Netgalley and Raven Street Publishing for an ARC

Such a great entry in this series! Erika has just started a new investigation into a murder, when one of the first people she interviews looks just like the guy who killed her husband. This starts off a chain reaction to the current investigation and the events that happened 10 years ago. Erika goes through a lot in this one, especially confronting her emotions about the past. I enjoyed seeing her handle this and not letting people bring her down. I also liked that we finally got answers to what happened to her husband and that entire situation. I’m still loving this series a lot and I’m happy to see that RB is going to continue writing more Erika stories.

Bryndza at His Best: A Haunting Mystery That Blends Past and Present

Chasing Shadows by Robert Bryndza is a taut, emotionally gripping thriller that dives deep into Detective Erika Foster’s most personal and painful case yet. Ten years ago, a drug raid in Manchester went tragically wrong—her husband, Detective Inspector Mark Foster, and four of her team were gunned down. Erika survived, but was left physically and emotionally shattered, taking the fall for the operation’s failure. Erika has never stopped searching for the truth.

Now, a seemingly unrelated case leads Erika straight back into the shadows of that day. When she comes face to face with the man she believes was responsible, he claims to be someone else entirely—setting off a relentless investigation that forces Erika to confront the past head-on.

Bryndza’s writing is razor-sharp, packed with emotion, suspense, and expertly timed twists. The flashbacks to the fateful raid are woven seamlessly into the present-day narrative, adding layers of complexity and heartbreak. The pacing is relentless, the tension palpable, and the psychological depth of Erika’s journey is compelling.

This is not just a procedural—it’s a story about grief, justice, guilt, and the strength it takes to face the truth. With a strong supporting cast and a cleverly constructed plot, Chasing Shadows is one of the most powerful installments in the Erika Foster series. Whether you're a long-time fan or new to the series, this book will keep you hooked until the final page.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Robert Bryndza and Raven Street Publishing for this digital advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review

This really is crime thriller writing of the highest order. Robert Bryndza never disappoints and with this new novel he once again affirms his position in the very top tier of contemporary thriller authors.
This is surely the author's most complex and compelling plot to date. It's a dark, sophisticated gem, with intense characterisation and many heartbreaking moments. I always find it easy to have empathy for Erika Foster and her colleagues but never more so than here with the flashbacks to the awful events in Rochdale in 2014.
The author continues to explore the dire horrors of our modern world where drugs and violence have become endemic making an important statement of the perils we all face in an age rapidly losing its moral compass.
The plot is an absolute rollercoaster of nail-biting tension with shocks, surprises and twist after twist keeping up the relentless momentum.
I didn't get to sleep until the middle of the night...but what a night!

When a ceiling collapses in a rundown flat, a body is found. The last thing DCI Erika Foster expects is for the trail to lead to the man responsible for the death of her team a decade earlier. Most notably amongst that team, her husband Mark.

Showing an incredible presence of mind, she arrests the man on the spot. But when is Erika’s life ever that simple? The man she arrested supposedly died years ago, and this man has no police record. His passport and solicitor prove he’s not the man Erika thought.

When her bosses fear she won’t leave this well enough alone, Erika is put on involuntarily leave; told to get a handle on her PTSD once and for all.

But this is Erika we’re talking about ..

Another absolute corker from Robert Bryndza. I joked that life would be on hold once I turned the first page - it was no joke. I devoured this in less than a day. Conflicted as I couldn’t put it down, but also didn’t want it to end. It’s intricately plotted, suspenseful, and filled with clever twists. The definition of a page-turner.

It’s always a joy being reunited with Erika, Moss and the wider team. Their relationships and interactions feel as authentic as ever. Their camaraderie a respite against the tension throughout the book. That said, not everyone is on the side of justice!

Such a great and satisfying story - that ties up so many of the big questions from as far back as book one (The Girl In The Ice). I’m relieved to hear that there are no plans to end the series!

Whilst this is book nine - and I would definitely recommend reading this series in order - enough back story is provided for this to work as a stand alone. But I’d question why you want to limit your enjoyment to just one book.

This marks 21 books and 12 years of reading Rob’s books. Here’s to another 20!

A huge thanks to Rob and Jan at Raven Street Publishers and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book for review consideration.  All opinions are my own.

I absolutely adored this book and devoured it over a couple of days! It has easily been one of my favourite books of the year and I can’t wait to read more from the author in the future.

Dirty cops, drug runners, doppelgangers, and mysterious deaths all come together to give Detective Chief Inspector Erika Foster almost more than she can handle. Add to that, her boss has required her to take leave pending her passage of a wellness exam that she's not at all sure she can pass.

Erika is not easily put off, however. When a routine stop to question a potential witness briefly surfaces the man who killed her husband and three of her colleagues ten years prior, she will do anything to track him down. Convincing higher ups that this murderer is still alive is all but impossible but with the help of her colleagues, she's determined to find him.

Whether you're new to the Erika Foster series or are eagerly awaiting this latest entry, you won't be disappointed. This is detective writing at its finest.