Saturday, 26 November 2016

Review ~ The Night Stalker (DCI Erika Foster #2) by Robert Bryndza


Book Description:

If the Night Stalker is watching, you’re already dead… 

In the dead of a swelteringly hot summer’s night, Detective Erika Foster is called to a murder scene. The victim, a doctor, is found suffocated in bed. His wrists are bound and his eyes bulging through a clear plastic bag tied tight over his head. 

A few days later, another victim is found dead, in exactly the same circumstances. As Erika and her team start digging deeper, they discover a calculated serial killer – stalking their victims before choosing the right moment to strike. 

The victims are all single men, with very private lives. Why are their pasts shrouded in secrecy? And what links them to the killer? 

As a heat wave descends upon London, Erika will do everything to stop the Night Stalker before the body count rises, even if it means risking her job. But the victims might not be the only ones being watched… Erika’s own life could be on the line. 

The global bestselling author of The Girl in the Ice is back with a heart-racing, electrifying thriller. If you love Angela Marsons, Rachel Abbott and Karin Slaughter, you’ll be hooked on Robert Bryndza.

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Our Review:

Reviewed by Donna ~ 4.5 stars


“If the Night Stalker is watching, you’re already dead…”


Once again Robert Bryndza thrusts you into the world of police politics and a Rottweiler detective that won’t let anything go. DCI Erika Foster is once again presented with a case that is anything but predictable. With seemingly unconnected victims DCI Erika Foster has to dig deep to solve the mystery of The Night Stalker. This is one of those books that will have you checking under your bed for days, some things really do go bump in the night.


“My point is that bad people are everywhere. The world is filled with good, but it’s equally overwhelmed with bad.”


A reputable doctor is drugged and suffocated in his bed, a man who is newly separated from his wife and child and is seemingly breaking into the gay scene. DCI Erika Foster’s superiors want this passed over to hate crimes but Erika’s gut is telling her that this has nothing to do with the doctor’s sexuality. As in The Girl in the Ice, Erika soon finds herself ignoring commands and department politics and flies solo as she desperately tries to unravel the unfortunate demise of Doctor Gregory Munro.

When a Jeremy Kyle type TV presenter becomes the second victim it is soon apparent that there is a serial killer on the loose, affectionately dubbed “The Night Stalker.” This is a killer that stalks their prey, knows the ins and outs of their lives, drugs and subdues them, disconnects them from the outside world and then suffocates them with a “suicide bag.” Methodical, clever and leaves without a trace, The Night Stalker is one clever cookie and Erika Foster and her team are up against it.


“‘Did you watch from here?’ Erika said softly to herself. ‘How long were you here? How much did you see? You’re not going to get away with this. I’m coming for you.’”


With this book, Robert Bryndza also expands on the many character’s personal lives which really helps you to begin to paint a picture of each and every character, it is that character connection that has really made this an unputdownable series. Erika Foster is my spirit animal, a woman that is strong, fiercely independent, extremely intelligent and is a natural detective. She has the “nose” and is not afraid to put herself or her career on the line to reach an end result. Yes, she has her flaws, her personal life is shot to hell, but despite everything she has been through she is a Pitbull when it comes to her cases. Her superiors feel she is a loose cannon, but deep down they respect her and her results. While she bends rules, it is never for her own gain, it is to give closure to the victims and their families, she has a huge heart.

I have a huge soft spot for our forensic pathologist, Isaac Strong, I adored him in The Girl in the Ice and he has only cemented himself as a firm favourite in The Night Stalker. The whole team are characters that I have come to “know” and with every case they work, that connection only gets stronger.

With chapters in the voice and mind of our Houdini like Night Stalker, Robert Bryndza really ramps up the suspense and anticipation as the net closes. The unhinged and evil ramblings really add to that bone chilling feeling every time the Night Stalker is mentioned. With twists and turns aplenty and a brazen “I am untouchable” contact with The Night Stalker, Erika Foster and her team have to dig deep to solve this case. With a third victim, one that comes a little too close to home for Erika and her team, the battle really commences. The team are like family, no one touches the team and you never leave a man behind.


“When everyone else seems to have departed the world, the insomniacs are alone, stranded in the half-light.”


I cannot wait to read more from this series, compelling and totally addictive.


“‘This is the problem when you create enemies, Erika. They go off and plot, and often flourish in the shade.”


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