Erika Foster has just moved into her new home, a real fixer upper. She's out for a walk in the Blackheath neighborhood when she hears a scream and finds a new murder case.
The victim, a true crime podcaster, is identified by her sister as Vicky Clarke. Was her work the reason for the killing and, if so, where are the files and recordings? The investigation leads Erika and her team on a frustrating trek around the South London area. Interviews are hampered or blocked and the evidence leads nowhere. In a puzzling twist, there's another slaying and Erika is working hard to put the pieces together and find the perpetrator.
I must admit, this was a bit of a disappointment after waiting so long for this installment in a series that I had really liked. Most of it is police procedural and the plot is a little thin with it being fairly obvious quite quickly who the villain was. Erika is the typical genre protagonist, single and a workaholic, who manages to get herself in danger as do all the female detectives who go it alone without their backup. We do not hear much about the rest of the team as they come and go keeping busy. And, I wonder, what was the point of including that bit about the cat mutilation (might be a trigger for some)? I had some other moments of irritation but just glossed over them. I will likely try this author again, but this one was formulaic without the intense suspense, thrills, and excitement that I have come to expect from this type of book. I have read all of Bryndza's previous work.
Thank you to NetGalley and Raven Street Publishing for this e-book ARC to read and review.
This is the 7th in a series that should be read in order.
Genre - police procedural, crime thriller
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