My thanks to the Author publisher's and NetGalley for providing me with a Kindle version of this book to read and honestly review.
This is the second book in a series of four so far, and while there are some references to the previous book it could be read as a standalone story, however my advice start at the beginning. Well written with superb characters throughout, a brilliant totally gripping start and whilst it does not maintain the hold your breath tension throughout, it is totally absorbing and an unputdownable page turner. Why does everyday life force me to put book down. More than enough surprises and twists along the way for this reader, with serious tense moments to end.
Completely and utterly recommended.

This book is a police procedural. It is fast paced.
There is good character development alongside a lot of action
There was a lack of twists and turns.

This is the second book in a series based on character of Kate Marshall, but can be read as a stand-alone as the background story is included. The story starts with Kate and her son finding a body in the reservoir, and along with her TA she starts to investigate what has happened. I had read the previous book so enjoyed the development of the back story and to see the relationship build upon with the characters . The story includes many characters that you can get lost but the story comes to a surprising conclusion.

Absolutely gripping tale! Loved it from start to finish. With a great string female protagonist and a brilliant told story. Can’t wait to read more this author.

This is a Mystery/Thriller book which is the second book in a series.

The story is about Kate Marshall who used to be a Policewoman, but is now a Criminology Lecturer and Private Investigator. Along with her friend Tristan, she investigates a murder which has taken place where the boy, Simon, was left in a reservoir called Shadow Sands. I really liked Kate and Tristan, and their back stories.

This is a great book, which I highly recommend. Robert Bryndza’s books are always very good, and I have enjoyed reading more of them recently.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book.

Rounded up from 4.5

This is the sequel to Nine Elms, which I read a few years back and I've been meaning to get around to for ages now. I finally have and it didn't disappoint!

Kate Marshall has given up on private investigations to concentrate on her work as a university lecturer. That all changes when she's scuba diving with her son and they come across the body of a young man in the Shadow Sands reservoir. The police are quick to call it an accident, but the young man's mother thinks otherwise. Sensing a cover up, Kate begins to investigate and finds out a lot more than she bargained for.

Shadow Sands was an utterly addictive thriller that I honestly had a hard time putting down.
The story was nicely paced and kept me guessing until the end, with a few good twists and turns in there.

There was some excellent character development too. Kate is a complex character. Her troubles with alcohol are still ongoing, as is the rocky relationship between her and her son. I liked the way her problems were just magically cured or swept under the carpet. Kate's assistant Tristan didn't make too much of an impression on me in the first book, but in this book he gets more of a role, along with a bit more background on who he is. I really grew to like him over the course of the book.

If you're looking for a tense thriller with realistic and well-rounded characters, then I would highly recommend Shadow Sands to you.

I love the Kate Marshall series and each book seems to get better and better. The plot has you on the edge of your seat and the characters are detailed enough to make you care. Can't wait for the next one.

So you’re having some quality mother/son time together, diving in a local lake when you stumble across a dead body. Not exactly what you want to find, it’s no buried treasure, that’s for sure but it is a massive can of worms for Kate Marshall! Especially as things don’t quite add up as a tragic accident….

Shadow Sands is an addictive read. I devoured it in a matter of hours. Bryndza curated a tense crime thriller where no one can be trusted. My attention was kept prisoner until Kate solved the case. Loved it!

My first Robert Bryndza book, and wow, what an excellent read!

It was a definite page turner with plenty of action. It was so tense too.

I loved the Kate and Tristan tag team! They really worked well together and I look forward to reading the other books in the series!

Thank you to Robert, NetGalley and publishers Little Brown Book Group and Sphere.

Another cracking read from the author. I loved Nine Elms and this was just as good. Can't wait to read more!

This book wasn’t for me. Didn’t keep me engrossed like other novels from this author. I loved the Erika Forster series, read each of them in a couple of sittings.

Shadow Sands

When Kate Marshall finds the body of a young man floating in the Shadow Sands reservoir, the authorities label it a tragic accident.

But the details don't add up: why was he there in the middle of the night? If he was such a strong swimmer, how did he drown? As Kate and her assistant Tristan Harper follow the evidence, they make a far darker discovery . . .

This is only the latest victim in a series of bloody murders dating back decades. A mythic serial killer is said to hide in the rolling fog, abducting his victims like a phantom. And when another woman is taken, Kate and Tristan have a matter of days to save her from meeting the same fate.

I came to this book with some trepidation, because it is the second book in the Kate Marshall series and book one must have been a hard act to follow. Also, although I really enjoyed Nine Elms, I did prefer his other character Erika Foster and couldn’t see why he didn’t write more in that series. However, I can’t deny that Robert Bryndza has written a novel full of mystery, suspense and historic secrets here. I was drawn immediately into Kate’s world when she finds this investigation totally by accident. The body appears during Kate’s diving session with her son and now it’s definitely an experience he’ll never forget. It’s a tense opener and it becomes clear that some people. the police included, would rather she just forget it ever happened. The case is a tapestry, with so many threads woven together and Kate is standing far away looking at the whole picture, I couldn’t imagine how she could pick it apart.

Aside from the case I enjoyed getting to know our two main characters, Kate and her partner Tristan. Kate's rather complex personal circumstances were explored in Nine Elms and I’d hoped things had changed for her. However, it’s clear that she isn’t quite ready to walk away from that situation yet, or it won’t let her go. I enjoyed learning more about Tristan though and seeing him within his family fleshed his character out a bit more. I felt for Tristan’s difficulties in his personal life and his sister was a nightmare. Making a change, it is Tristan's issues in his personal life that actually brings unexpected clarity to the case and a change of focus. This brought tension to the case and sped the plot up considerably, making it even harder to put the book down. I also felt the pair really gelled in this novel and became a solid partnership.

I thought the sections of narration from the killer’s perspective was a brilliant idea. Within the narration are clues to who the killer is, but the writer is so careful to make sure the reader is learning what type of person the killer is and how he thinks. All the time keeping their outer appearance secret, so the reader can’t pinpoint who they are. This was such a clever device for building tension,but also making the reader uneasy. The killer is menacing and truly scary, the type that sends a shiver down the spine. I think I suspected everyone at least once. I was constantly running through characters in my head , trying to discern who would be capable of murder and why?
Shadow Sands was a fantastic setting, full of atmosphere because of the unusual weather conditions around the reservoir. Then there’s the remoteness of the place, adding a claustrophobic feeling, as if you can’t get away. Kate can sense something isn’t right in this place very quickly and simply can’t leave something alone when it’s under her skin. The case is disturbingly, dark and chilling, easily matching up to the first in the series. I also loved that he kept aspects of Tristan and Kate’s lives open for next time. The case may be a rush, but there isn’t the same urgency about their private lives. There will be more books for that. I hope so anyway.

I loved this authors previous books, but unfortunately I did not finish this one. It didn't grab my attention. Sorry. Xx

Kate is back lecturing, until she is contacted by a devastated mother who asks her to investigate her late sons death. She unveils a lot of historic details on the Shadow Sands Reservoir, which answers a lot of unanswered questions!

Yet again, Robert Bryndza amazes me with yet another fab crime/detective novel! This is the second instalment of the Kate Marshall series, and I thoroughly enjoy it, just as much as his other series on Erika Foster!

Who doesn’t love a book on serial killers, bent cops, corruption and a rich family who has almost unlimited power on what they can do?!

I love Bryndzas writing and the multiple POVs used in all of his novels. Not only do you get the POV of “the good guys” - you also always get the POV of the murderer/murderers! I would have thought it takes away the mystery and scare of a thriller, but actually I think it does the opposite? It’s super intriguing getting the thoughts of a killer who is yet to be caught!

I highly recommend this series to all thriller and crime lovers out there! It can be read as a stand-alone but I recommend reading them in order as there are mentions of previous books/cases that link to this, and give potential spoilers to the first book!

A brilliant 'second' in the Kate Marshall series - I'll definitely be picking up the next! This instalment features more of Kate's family, and even more of sidekick Tristan - one of my favourite additions.

Book 2 in the Kate Marshall series and yet again Robert Bryndza has written an absolute cracker of a book. From the beginning this book had me completely hooked, I just loved everything about it, the storyline , the characters and I really enjoy the rapport Kate has with her side kick Tristan. I did guess correctly quite early on who the perpetrator was but that certainly didn’t take away from my enjoyment of this book.

This was a good book , it wasn't a great book for me like his other books . I just didn't enjoy it as much as his others . I felt it dragged on a bit and the pace dipped someway through

Shadow Sands by Robert Bryndza
This book is a brilliant follow up to Nine Elms, having read both books back to back I really enjoyed both.
I love Kate as a character, and really looking forward to the 3rd book in the series.
This book kept me guessing, and my heart thumping as I read the pages, a great read.

This is the second instalment of the Nine Elms protagonist Kate Marshall and this review will include mentions of the previous book.

Simon is an excellent swimmer, yet his body was found deep in the shadow sands reservoir whilst Kate was diving with her son Jake.

His body was ripped to shreds by what looked to be a boat’s propeller and was put down to being an accident.

The story is set in 2012, and we pick up with Kate, former met police officer and lover of the Nine Elms cannibal, who tried to take her life twice.

She is trying to build a relationship with her son Jake, who is also Peter Conway’s son. Kate, after turning to drink due to her ordeal, lost custody of him to her parents.

At the university where her and her assistant Tristan work, an Italian exchange lecturer is investigating urban legends, including one where people have gone missing in the gif around Shadow Sands reservoir.

Magdalena goes to investigate this and goes missing herself.

What develops are connections between the missing people and they they all keep coming back to shadow sands.

What another amazing novel from Robert Bryndza. Twisting and turning as usual with plenty of theories to keep you on your toes.

Not for the faint hearted, the details included are vivid.

The story kept me guessing until the end and I loved how everything became intertwined within. It s connected perfectly. Often an author can throw out red herrings to put you off the scent, which are often unnecessary. This novel had none of that false info and was cleverly developed.

Robert Bryndza has created another strong female character who has her flaws, but remains calm and intuitive throughout. Even when she wobbles, her family and realism of her situation being her back.

This can be read as a stand along novel, but I’d recommend reading Nine Elms first as it’s so good!

The very exciting 2nd book in the Kate Marshall series and we're back in great company with Kate and Tristan.

After discovering a body while diving with her son in the Shadow Sands reservoir, Kate delves further into missing people and tales of fog monsters.

There was great character development and I loved finding more out about the lives of Kate and Tristan