03 March 2020

Nine Elms

Crime

By Robert Bryndza

Paperback 416 pages
Publisher Sphere (25th Jun 2020)

'A narrative that is never less than throat-grabbing . . . Robert Bryndza knows how to keep the pages - and your stomach - turning.' The Times





📕My Review


Not having read any of Robert Bryndza's highly acclaimed Detective Erika Foster books, I went into this first book of the author's new series without any preconceived ideas. What I discovered was an excellently plotted and thrilling read with likeable characters.

In 1995 Metropolitan police officer Kate Marshall was responsible for capturing the Nine Elms Cannibal serial killer, Peter Conway, and putting him behind bars. But nothing is ever simple — he just so happened to be her boss and father of her unborn child.

Fast forward fifteen years to 2010 and Kate is working as a Criminology lecturer at Ashdean University on the English coast. She's contacted by the family of a girl missing since 1990 who believe she may have been an early victim of Peter Conway. It also comes to light that there have been a spate of more recent killings; all with the trademark of Peter Conway. But with him securely locked away it would appear there's a copycat killer on the loose.

I thought Nine Elms was a great read. The relationship between serial killer Peter Conway and ex-detective Kate Marshall was disturbing yet fascinating. The added complication of having a son together made the story all the more gripping. Can you imagine your dad being a serial killer? Yikes!!

Despite being quite gruesome in places (the word 'Cannibal' kinda gives the game away here!), I really enjoyed the story. It was a very promising start to what I'm sure will become another bestselling series for author Robert Bryndza.   

Book Source: Review copy from the publisher
Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

📗The Blurb


Sixteen years ago, Kate Marshall was a rising star in the London Metropolitan police force. Young, ambitious and driven, with a talent for getting into the minds of criminals, she solved several high-profile murder cases.

But when Kate was tasked with tracking down a vicious serial killer, even her instinct and ability to immerse herself in violent worlds couldn't help her find him - until he found her.

Now, years after her narrow escape, Kate lives a quiet life on the English coast, though her years with the police are still with her. And when one day she receives a letter from someone in her past, she is pulled back into the twisted mind of a murderer she knows only too well - and into a case only she can solve.

📘The Author


Photo of Robert Bryndza
I’m a crime writer and my books have sold 3 million copies, and they’ve been translated into 29 languages. I’m British and live in Slovakia.

I’m the author of the international #1 bestseller THE GIRL IN THE ICE, which is the first in my Detective Erika Foster series, and to date, it has sold over one million copies. There are six books (so far) in the Erika Foster series.

NINE ELMS, the first book in my new crime thriller private detective series, has just been published!

In addition to writing crime fiction, I have published a bestselling series of romantic comedy novels.

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