Title: Nine Elms
Author: Robert Bryndza
Series: Kate Marshall, #1
Published: December 2019, Thomas & Mercer
Format: Hardcover, 396 pages
Source: Publisher
Summary:
From the breakthrough
international bestselling author of The Girl in the Ice, a breathtaking,
page-turning novel about a disgraced female detective’s fight for
redemption. And survival…
Kate Marshall was a promising young
police detective when she caught the notorious Nine Elms serial killer.
But her greatest victory suddenly turned into a nightmare. Traumatized,
betrayed, and publicly vilified for the shocking circumstances
surrounding the cannibal murder case, Kate could only watch as her
career ended in scandal.
Fifteen years after those catastrophic
events, Kate is still haunted by the unquiet ghosts of her troubled
past. Now a lecturer at a small coastal English university, she finally
has a chance to face them. A copycat killer has taken up the Nine Elms
mantle, continuing the ghastly work of his idol.
Enlisting her
brilliant research assistant, Tristan Harper, Kate draws on her
prodigious and long-neglected skills as an investigator to catch a new
monster. Success promises redemption, but there’s much more on the line:
Kate was the original killer’s intended fifth victim…and his successor
means to finish the job.
My thoughts: I’ve been a fan of Robert Bryndza ever since first discovering the other crime fiction series he writes, the Detective Erika Foster series. As soon as I heard he was writing a new series, I just knew I had to read it and I’m so glad I did…I really liked this one and am excited to see where this series will go.
I love reading series, that should come as no surprise to anyone who reads my blog. And for those who are traditionalists when it comes to reading series, like me, this first installment is a solid start to a new series…a lot of groundwork is laid out as you would expect.
Kate Marshall has a haunting past and I loved that as we are with her in the present, her past comes creeping out every once in a while. We do get a bit of her history right in the beginning but then for the most part the story is in the present. Yes, Kate is a deeply flawed character who does have alcohol issues. Is this an overused trait with police detectives? Maybe, but she is fighting her way past it and I can work with that. When you find out all that she went through, you might not be so hard to judge her for turning to alcohol.
There is a lot thrown at us in this first book, but as Robert Bryndza is such a gifted writer, it all works. The book is a bit gritty and gruesome at times, but it is so addicting and you find that once you start reading it, you can’t put it down. That is the magic of this writer’s words – he just pulls you into his story and keeps you flipping those pages.
I cannot wait to see where this series goes from here. Robert Bryndza creates some truly disturbing characters in this book so I can only imagine what we will get next. And I am eager to delve deeper into Kate Marshall’s character – she is such a great protagonist…I think I might like her even more than Erika Foster and I love her!
Books in this series:
- Nine Elms
- Shadow Sands – due out October 2020 (in the US)
I don't read a lot of crime fiction, but this does sound compelling. I enjoyed reading your favorable review, Kristin.