From my blog: Always With a Book:

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!

Great introduction to a new detective and I have already added the next release onto my good reads wishlist. Great for fans of Angela Marsons or Nicci French.

After his brilliant best selling Detective Erika Foster series, Robert Bryndza has embarked on a new series featuring Kate Marshall. In 1995, Kate was a young DC who caught the Nine Elms Killer, Peter Conway, in traumatic circumstances when he tried to make her his fifth victim. However, instead of being lauded for her efforts, she left the police in disgrace, her reputation in tatters with the intense media focus, she had made an error of judgement by sleeping with Conway, and ending up pregnant with his son. 15 years later, Kate is now a popular criminology lecturer with a bright and gifted research assistant, Tristan Harper, at Ashdean University on the south coast. She still carries the physical and emotional scars of the past, whilst trying to remain sober, attending AA meetings so that she can be the best mother possible. Her 14 year old son, Jake, has been brought up by her parents, with Kate being unable to cope in the past. She is now in a better place, having got over Jake being Peter's son, and built a stronger relationship with him.

However, the past rears its ugly head when Kate is contacted by the distraught Malcolm and Sheila Murray, whose young daughter, Caitlyn, disappeared years ago in Manchester. They are convinced she was another victim of Conway, but the police have given up on investigating, and they want Kate to find out what happened. Kate feels their pain and agrees to look into Caitlyn's disappearance with the help of Tristan. Additionally, there is a disturbed, obsessed and deranged super fan of Conway, replicating the brutally gruesome original murders of young girls. With enormous resources at hand, the present day serial killer will do anything for Conway and it is no coincidence that he is operating in the area around where Kate now lives, she is once again to find herself in deadly danger. In a narrative where Kate gets to dust off her old investigative skills, she tentatively begins to operate and establish herself as a private investigator with Tristan as her assistant.

It took me a little while to become fully immersed in this novel, part of the reason for this is that Bryndza was doing the groundwork in establishing the series with its new emotionally and psychologically damaged Kate, the mother of a son with a serial killer for a father. However, once I got hooked, I just raced through the tense and dark storyline, packed with suspense. Kate is a great protagonist, her character is skilfully developed by the author, and whilst we learn little of Tristan, something I am sure will be rectified later, what I did get to know, I really liked. The young teenage Jake is undoubtedly going to want to know more about his father, perhaps even want to develop a closer relationship with Peter in the future. This turned out to be a wonderful direction for Bryndza to take, this new series is thrilling and exciting, which has me looking forward the sequel. Many thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC.

A brilliant debut that had me totally hooked. I have always enjoyed Roberts books however this new book blew me away, It was gritty and exciting. I loved the main character and how she was feisty. The serial killer was also a great character to dislike, he was creepy and sent chills down your spine, exactly what you want the bad guy to be. Can’t wait for the next!

Firstly, thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for this ARC.

Having read the author’s Erika Foster series of books I had high hopes for this book. Wow, the book got off to a fast and thrilling start with the main character Kate Marshall catching the serial Nine Elms Killer. Fast forward 15 years and she has left the Police Force and is a Lecturer at University, and has a 14 year old son who lives with his grandparents. Young girls disappear and are found murdered days later and Police fear a copycat killer. Kate is asked to investigate what happened to a young girl who disappeared 20 years ago and finds links to the original Nine Elms killings. Without giving too much away I found this to be a fast paced, absorbing and compelling read. The story flowed really well, there were lots of plot twists to keep my attention. The further I read with this book, the better it got and I enjoyed it more. For a first book in a new series I think the author has set the bar high here. Will look forward to the next book and hope it is as good as this one.

After catching the notorious serial killer, The Nine Elms Cannibal, Kate Marshall saw her police career take a nosedive due to the circumstances surrounding the case. Now, fifteen years later, still traumatized by her past and working as a lecturer in a coastal university, the case is brought to the fore once again. A copycat killer seems to be emulating the murderer’s work, and Kate, along with her research assistant Tristan Harper, is drawn into the investigation. Fifteen years ago, however, Kate was the intended next victim – will the copycat be able to finish what the Nine Elms Cannibal started?

Well, there’s nothing like throwing in a curveball at the start of a book, and there are a few huge ‘gasp’ moments within the first 10% of Nine Elms. This was an incredibly clever start to the book and made sure that I was hooked right from the off. I would be surprised if anybody saw this early twist coming, and it definitely made me want to read what happened next!

Due to her experiences, Kate is a complex character, battling her demons every day. I admired her tenacity, however, when she put aside what had happened in the past to help locate a missing girl, thought to be an early victim of the Nine Elms killer. This was not an easy thing for her to do as it was sure to stir up unpleasant memories from the past. I enjoyed her, almost motherly, relationship with Tristan, and look forward to seeing how their private investigation sideline develops in subsequent books.

Although the book is named after the original serial killer, the main focus throughout the book is on the copycat, and what a truly horrific person he is! This is someone with no redeeming qualities whatsoever, and his actions constantly made my skin crawl. His depravity was echoed in the original killer and several revelations about him made me feel quite ill!

I don’t want to say too much about Nine Elms, as I feel that this should be one of those books where it is best going in completely blind. Suffice to say, if you are a fan of Robert Bryndza’s Erika Foster series, then you are going to be completely blown away by this. Nine Elms is a superbly-written, chilling start to a new series and I can’t wait to see what comes next!

This is a new series introducing Kate Marshall, who was a high flying officer in the Metropolitan police force, with a bright career ahead of her. She was working on a case trying to catch a Serial killer known as the Nine Elms killer., she had cracked cases before, but this one was proving difficult. She was having an affair with a colleague Peter Conway who it turned was the Nine Elms killer, Kate was to be his next victim number 5.

Fifteen years later Kate a recovering alcoholic is lecturing Criminology in a university on the coast, going for a more relaxing atmosphere, moving away from everything that reminded her of that time in her life. She has a teenage son who is the son of the Nine Elms killer. He currently lives with his grandparents until his mum has managed to get her alcoholism under control.

Kate was contacted by an old colleague about a body, whose death shows similarities to the bodies left by the Nine Elms killer. Is there a copycat on the loose.? Kate and her assistant Tristan decide to do an investigation of their own, as it seems the police are struggling.

This is not a cozy mystery, not for the faint hearted, at times this is quite gruesome, especially some of the deaths. It is dark, gritty and thrilling. I like Kate, some of the characters are just not nice but others are, Will look forward to watching them grow.

A brilliant start to a new series, let’s hope we see more of Kate and see her grow.

I would like to thank #netgalley and #Spherepublishers for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest, fair and unbiased review.

Nine Elms by Robert Bryndza
Having read some of the Erika Foster series by this author I was looking forward to reading this novel. It opens with Kate Marshall as a young policewoman piecing together the evidence to establish who The Nine Elms killer actually is. Then her life is nearly ended and her career destroyed by the events surrounding his capture. Turn the clock forward 15 years and Kate is now a lecturer in criminology at a university in Devon. Her course deals with the Nine Elms cannibal, the case which made her so well known. She is dealing with her own demons and is then contacted by a parent who believes that his daughter might have been a victim of the same killer and asks for Kate’s help in discovering what happened to her.
Kate begins her investigation but as she does so, enlisting the help of her assistant Tristan, she discovers that there could be a copycat killer at recreating the murders carried out by the Nine Elms Cannibal. It has to be said that the descriptions of the violence perpetrated against the young victims is extremely graphic. It is a dark and gory book definitely not for the fainthearted. Having said that, I found it gripping and wanted to read on to discover who the “Fan” actually was. An interesting novel and a character who will hopefully be developed over future books.
Many thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for an advance copy of the book in return for an honest review.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC, which was absolutely terrifying and gruesome in parts but a fascinating read.
This is a new series started by Robert Bryndza with Kate Marshall as the main lead character. Nine Elms is an intriguing, interesting storyline about a serial killer, the former police officer, Peter Conway otherwise known as, the Nine Elms Cannibal and his copycat serial killer, whom Kate Marshall and her assistant Tristan managed to track down.
The storyline is very clever and tense, the story moves along at a terrifying pace towards the end and you are never real sure of the outcome. This is a great start to a new series and I look forward to reading more about Kate and Tristan’s investigations in the future.
Highly recommended.

I am a huge fan of Robert Bryndza's books and the idea of a new series with a new character at its heart was quite intriguing.

I didn't think his new heroine could match his other character, Erika Foster, but Kate Marshall is more than fit to fill her shoes!

A former detective, Kate is now lecturing in crime , but is drawn back into the case that effectively ended her police career. This was a great story with a twisty but sound plot that raced along at pace. I actually read it in one sitting.

Look forward to Kate's next adventure!

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this review copy.

I am a big fan of Robert Bryndza and the DCI Erika Foster series and I was sad to hear that it ended but I shouldn’t have worried. Mr Bryndza has done it again with Nine Elms. Wow what a book and I can see from the other reviews that I have read that others feel the same.
Kate Marshall had a promising career in the Met police that could lead her to the top. But after having an affair with a colleague Peter Conway with devasting effects. When it turns out that he is the Nine Elms cannibal Killer and she nearly became his 5th victim. After her experience she leaves the net.
Sixteen years later Kate now moved to the south coast and is a lecture in Criminology and has an assistant called Tristan. She lives the quite life after what happened all them years ago took their toll on her. She has a son, who the father is Peter Conway who is now detained in a high secure Mental facility.

She gets a call one day from a pathologist Alan Hexham who is doing an autopsy of a body. Which has similarities of the Nine Elms killer. They know that they have a copycat killer on their hands. But the police are not happy at first happy that Kate has got involved. But when another body turns up that soon changes.
Wow what can I say about this book. This is an excellent start to a new series from Robert Bryndza. He has upped his game. This is s gripping and thrilling page turner with a lot of twists and turns. I did though feel a bit squeamish and my stomach turned with the references of cannibalism. So, anyone that reads this book needs a strong stomach. Five stars from me.

I have been a fan of Roberts writing since I picked up his very first book back in May 2013. Since then I have been a huge fan and have seen his writing and ideas progress through from Comedy, chick lit comedy and two terrific thriller series of which this is his latest.
Once again Robert has written a strong female lead character, but Kate Marshall seems to be his most complex to date.
We first find Kate, a recovering addict working as a university lecturer having left the police force 15 years previously after a particularly nasty case that ended her career and very nearly ended her life. She is drawn back into helping the police on a case that has all the hallmarks of those of the ‘Nine Elms Killer’ who she put behind bars all those years ago.
Just who is this ‘copycat’ killer and will Kate become their next victim?
I loved that we get to see the whole of Kates life, her struggles with sobriety, her difficult relationship with her teenage son, and the ongoing effect that her previous work still has on her life.
Peter Conway and his mother were genuinely creepy and terrifying and the mother, Enid, reminded me very much of the depiction of Violet Kray as played by the fabulous Billie Whitelaw in the 1990 film ‘The Krays’.
I can highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for an intense story featuring strongly written character, both good and bad. And I look forward to the next book in this new series.
Thank you to Little Brown Books, NetGalley and of course Robert Bryndza for giving me the opportunity to read this amazing book.

I have read and enjoyed every previous book by Robert Bryndza and I was really looking forward to this first book in the Kate Marshall series.

The book starts in 1995 when Detective Constable Kate Marshall catches the notorious “Nine Elms Cannibal” serial killer. After almost losing her life she never worked as a detective again and is now a lecturer in Criminology in Devon. Her life is changed when a copycat killer starts operating in the region and slowly Kate and her assistant, Tristan Harper, get drawn into the investigation.

It is another well written start to a series, with good characters and I predict it may even surpass the Erika Foster series.

Warning. This book is addictive. I don't usually go for the serial killer, violent type of thriller but this kept me turning pages. I haven't read any of the Erika Foster ones so I can't compare but I think the partnership of Kate and Tristan shows real promise. Suspension of belief is needed as with all thrillers but the writing is good enough to take you along on the ride. I thought the parts dealing with her battle to keep sober were done well and I will be intrigued to see if the next adventure can live up to this one!

Thanks to Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group UK for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Kate Marshall was a detective who caught the Nine Elms serial killer 15 years ago. Now out of the police force, and working as a lecturer at a college she gets entangled with an investigation involving a copycat killer.

As with all novels from this author, this was a solid suspenseful detective story. I read it in 2 days and when I put it down, I wanted to get back to it as quickly as possible. I started out wondering why we needed this new character when we had Erika Foster, whom I really like, but Kate has a unique backstory and I look forward to more books featuring her. I really like this author’s writing style as he has been on my must read list for awhile now.

A brand new series by Robert Bryndza you ask? Oh yes! This series revolves around Detective Kate Marshall and it's just as good as his Erica Foster series, if not better!
Just as dark and twisted as his previous work it grabs you immediately and takes you on a rollercoaster till the last page, ama patiently waiting for his next one! Thanks to Netgalley.

This is a great start to a new series featuring Kate Marshall. This author never disappoints and he has a sure fire winner with this book. Well written, plenty unexpected twists and a nail biting ending. I loved it. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

I am a big fan of this author's Erika Foster series and so I was quite looking forward to seeing what this new series opener had in store. Sadly, for me anyway, it didn't quite hit the mark, mainly cos I really didn't connect with the main character. There were also far too many things along the way that jarred with me and that I had to just accept and move on to be able to keep reading. You expect some level of suck it up and carry on in this genre book but, for me anyway, there were a few too many. I obviously can't go into detail here due to spoilers but it all meant that the book didn't flow for me and I did want to keep putting it down. But, I bit the bullet and carried on and the ending, albeit a tad contrived, did make up for my persistence.
We start in the past when Kate was a detective in the police, on the case of the Nine Elms serial killer. She managed to solve it, albeit by herself being a victim, and the perp was put away. Her own career ending in scandal (one of the things I found it hard to accept wholly). Fast forward 15 years, Kate has relocated and now works in a university as a lecturer. Her peace is shattered and her safe world is rocked when a body turns up that bares too much resemblance to the Nine Elms victims. We have a copy cat - but who and why? Using her insider knowledge and resurrecting her dormant detective skills Kate, ably assisted by her research assistant inveigle themselves into the investigation. I say inveigle - I actually mean bulldoze - and I also struggled with some aspects of this too... At the same time (when does she actually manage to do any of her own paid work and I know that it was reading week, even so) Kate is also privately investigating a potential previous victim of the original killer. All at the same time as trying to keep her own personal crutch in check.
I don't like Kate. There I've said it. I wasn't too enamoured by Tristan either. Oh dear! That said, it is a first in series and so it's way too early to sack them off completely. Maybe now her past is done and dusted things will calm down in future books. Judging by the other reviews for this book, it appears I am in the minority with both this and some of the other issues I had along the way. So be it! It's still a four star read as the niggles I had, although high in quantity, were low in affecting the overall quality of the book which did conclude well and left me mostly satisfied.
As far as my relationship with the MC is concerned, there's another series that I read and I gave up trying to like the MC at book 5, only to actually warm to her half way through book 7 so I am not about to give up on Kate so early on. I also suspect that my other issues with what she manages to achieve and how she goes about it will also calm down in future books.
All in all, niggles aside, it was an overall solid read that, although didn't keep my attention wholly throughout, I did manage to keep reading. I am definitely interested in seeing what direction the author will take the characters in the follow-up. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

As a huge fan of the author’s Erika Foster series I wondered if this might not live up to my expectations but I need not have worried- it’s an epic read. Fabulous new series with great characters. The plot is twisty turny and very clever. The characters are brilliant and this first in the series has set them up with such a cracking backstory that I’m really looking forward to the next instalment

Wow. A excellent start of a new series, I have been looking forward to reading this and I was not disappointed.
A twisty plot that had me guessing throughout, I'm looking forward to reading more in this series.