This was an incredible, fast paced, well written read with all the facts laid before you. I read it as a stand alone before I knew it was a series, totally fine as a stand alone, but now I need more Det. Erika Foster!!! Run. Quick. Read!
10/10 Recommend!!!

Another fast-paced installment in the Erika Foster. Series! One of my favourite thriller series. Could not put this one down.

Chasing Shadows is book 9 in the Detective Erika Foster series by Robert Bryndza. It's the book we've all been waiting for as we finally find out more about the case that killed Erika's husband 10 years ago. When Erika is called to the scene of a dead body in which a ceiling collapsed there is no evidence to be gathered. The apartment has been wiped clean and still smells of bleach. The drug dogs indicate something is amiss and they find cocaine on the ceiling. Weird. The dogs also indicate drugs in a parcel locker in the lobby. As they track down the owner of the locker, Erika finds herself looking into the eyes of Jerome Goodman, the man who killed her husband Mark. Erika knows it's him immediately and places him under arrest. However, his name is now Kieron Bagshaw, his passport and lawyer say. He has no record and has never been arrested.

Erika's boss wants her to take leave and deal with her PTSD as she can't keep a man arrested for no reason. Some of Erika's colleagues think she's gone over the edge and that she's seeing her husband's killer in the eyes of strangers. Is Erika projecting what she wants to see in Kieron? As she's forced to turn in her badge and gun while on a forced 2 week leave, Erika decides to investigate on her own. Erika makes a lot of discoveries with the help of a couple of her friends on her team who believe her. Some of the discoveries she makes will force Erika to look at people she's trusted. Will Erika be able to prove that Kieron is really Jerome? Will she be able to prove that he killed her husband and 4 other police officers? Will her boss find out she's working behind the scenes? Will Erika be able to redeem herself and prove to people that she's not crazy? Chasing Shadows is one of the best books in the Erika Foster series and I rate it 5 stars with my highest recommendation. If you love a great thriller, get this book and enjoy! I'd like to thank NetGalley and Raven Street Publishing for an advanced copy of Chasing Shadows in exchange for a fair review. #ChasingShadows

CHASING SHADOWS, a serial crime thriller killer case, is the 9th book in the Detective Erika Foster series by bestseller author, Robert Bryndza. Having read all his previous books in the series, I couldn’t wait to continue with the series. They keep getting better. I was so involved in this story that I resented any interruptions. Just leave me alone and let me read! I loved this book!

Detective Erika Foster
1. The Girl in the Ice (2016)
2. The Night Stalker (2016)
3. Dark Water (2016)
4. Last Breath (2017)
5. Cold Blood (2017)
6. Deadly Secrets (2018)
7. Fatal Witness (2022)
8. Lethal Vengeance (2024)
9. Chasing Shadows (2025)

This is my review of Chasing Shadows.

DCI Erika Foster of the London Metropolitan Police is back leading the investigation with her team including; DI Kate Moss, DI James Peterson, Detective John McGorry and Sergeant Crane.

Erika’s husband, Mark had also been a police officer, who had died on the job over ten years ago during a botched drug raid. Now Erika is dating Igor, recently divorced who has a sixteen-year-old son, Tom.

Detective Chief Inspector Erika Foster responds to a 999 call regarding a collapsed ceiling and a dead body of a woman in the empty flat above. Upon further investigation it was found that the room had been scrubbed clean with no evidence of DNA available, and cocaine residue on the surface of the ceiling.

Then a parcel locker was located outside the property…connected to Jerome Goodman, the drug dealer who was responsible for her husband’s death, 10 years ago.

Erika arrests Jerome Goodman, but his passport says his name is Kieron Bagshaw. But Erika knows that Kieron Bagshaw is Jerome Goodman!

Erika’s boss puts her on medical leave to deal with her PTSD…as she is getting too close to the fire, but she uses this time to investigate the case on the side. It is here that the tide changes and Erika undercovers some shocking discoveries.

Gripping, tense and impossible to put down, Chasing Shadows will have you on the edge of your seat, racing to the final page.

In this novel there was a nice mix of work and personal life for all the characters. Having read all Mr. Bryndza’s novels, it is a treat to follow this series and the journey of the development of the characters. I highly recommend both this series and this novel.

Many thanks to the author and Raven Street Publishing via NetGalley for my digital copy.

Another great book by this author.
This is book 9 in a series but can be read as a stand alone.
Characters around Erika are well developed and loyal to her.
Erika isn't herself in this one, she goes a little vengeful. Very exciting thriller.
I was given this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I want to start off by saying thank you so much for this arc! I was very excited to read it as I loved the authors other series. Unfortunately I feel like that series was much easier to jump into in the middle than this one and I found myself having a harder time connecting to the characters. I’m hoping to go back and read previous books, but ultimately is may just be this MC I do not connect to. Ultimately it wasn’t my favorite so I chose not to review on Goodreads as I do think this author is a fantastic author.

Buckle in for this fast-paced mystery! While Chasing Shadows is the ninth book in the Detective Erika Foster series, this easily is a stand alone novel.

There are some flashbacks for Erika as she recalls the murder of her husband and many members of her team. Murders that have become the coldest of cases. So imagine Erika's shock when she comes face to face with one of the murderers.

But it feels like a police cover up, perhaps at the highest levels. How do you even begin to investigate when you don't know who you can trust?

If you like a great mystery, look no further... pick up Chasing Shadows... a brilliant read! I highly recommend!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Raven Street Publishing for a digital copy of this book! It was published June 5, 2025.

Wow! Chasing Shadows is gripping, thrilling mystery that kept me enthralled from beginning to end! Erika and her team receive what appears to be a routine emergency call for a collapsed ceiling. They are shocked when the caller in the lower unit informs them that she believes there is a body above. They discover the body of a woman, in a room that has been chemically scrubbed of all DNA, with a film of cocaine on the ceiling. Drug dogs are dispatched and lead Erika and her team to a group of parcel lockers on the outside wall of the property. They chase down the owner, and Erika realizes she is staring into the eyes of the man who she believes to be responsible for the death of her husband and others during a drug raid years ago. She arrests him, but he has a new identity and is released. Erika is put on a medical leave, and from there, the real investigation begins. Robert Bryndza has written a brilliant twisting plot full of deceit, false identities, corruption, fraud and murder, with Erika at the center, fighting for both her life and her career. I just loved the book and look forward to reading more from Robert Bryndza. Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for my advance copy. The opinions of this review are my own.

Detective Erica Foster is investigating a mysterious murder case when she accidentally runs into the man who murdered her husband ten years ago. Even though she’s sure it’s him, he’s acting under a different name, has a squeaky clean record, and may even be protected by someone in power.

With everyone around her questioning her, Erica must find a way to uncover the truth.

This was a great story. Having not read the earlier books, I don’t think I experienced the impact that longtime fans of the series will. But this is a great investigative plot, can be read as a standalone, and while the pacing is a little slow at first, it leads to great conclusion. Definitely worth the read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Writing style
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Characters
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Plot
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Premise
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Pacing
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Impact

Thank you to Raven Street Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

*4.5 Stars*

Copy kindly received via NetGalley for an honest review.

This was a really interesting read with great characters. Erika was very determined to solve the murder of her husband and colleagues. She has a very good team. I enjoyed this book and I would recommend it.

Chasing Shadows
DCI Erika Foster is back in this ninth episode of the series. This time it’s personal as she finds herself facing the past trauma of the killing of her husband, DI Mark Foster, and four other operations in a police drug raid that went terribly wrong. As head of the Drug squad Erika was blamed and removed from the squad.

A body found in an apartment, thoroughly clean ed of all forensic evidence, except for traces of cocaine leads Erika to the man who killed her husband ten years ago, Jerome Goodman. The only problem is he’s going by another name now, Kieron Bagshaw, with the documents to prove it and her fellow police officers believe Erika is wrong and needs to take some time off to deal with her PTSD. However, Erika is nothing if not determined and tenacious and is not going to sit back and relax when she knows she’s not mistaken and with some digging she might just prove it and find out what really happened the day Mark was killed.
With short, pacy chapters that move between the two time-lines, this is a totally engrossing and intense mystery with plenty of suspense and unexpected twists. Bryndza’s characters and their relationships are always well written and develop further with each novel. Overall, this is a thrilling and gripping episode in a terrific series that I really enjoy.

This is the ninth book in the Erika Foster series by Robert Bryndza. If you like strong female characters then this book is for you. Erika Foster takes no prisoners and her no nonsense style makes entertaining reading.

Chasing Shadows, is an high stakes crime novel with Detective Chief Inspector Erika Foster in her most personal and dangerous case to date. A bizarre scene in a flat with a collapsed ceiling and a scrubbed-clean crime scene spirals into a relentless hunt through the shadows of Erika’s past.

Erika stumbles across a familiar face, a man she believes killed her husband a decade ago and her world is immediately turned upside down. Erika is certain the man is her husbands killer but records show he has a clean record and a new identity. This case is obviously very personal to Erika and she struggle to get any of her colleagues or superiors to believe what she knows to be the truth.

This case is so personal that Erika is forced into leave and alienated from the Met, she will need to delve into a maze of encrypted messages, drug trails, and chilling betrayals in her own time. The stakes are sky high which raises the tension even more. The novel is fast paced with a very well written plot. A gritty atmospheric crime novel set in a London backdrop that pushes you to turn those pages to learn the truth.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Raven Street Publishing for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

If you've followed me for a while then you know that I'm a huge fan of the Erika Foster series! I get so excited every time I find that a new book is coming out!

This is book nine in the series and it's as thrilling and suspenseful as all the others! I liked that in this book, we learned the back story about what happened when Erika's husband, Mark, was killed on the job ten years prior. There were lots of twists, turns, and surprises, and I'm already anxious for book ten!

Thank you, @netgalley, @robertbryndza, and Raven Street Publishing, for the #gifted e-arc!

I couldn’t wait for another Erika Foster book and the reappearance of Moss and Peterson. This series is my favourite, and I just love Erika’s tenacious character. This 9th book in the series takes us back to the murder of Erika’s husband Mark and the uncovering of betrayal and lies.

In the past I have given 5 stars for every one of Robert Bryndza’s books I have read. They are dynamic, thrilling and have lots of twists and turns and this book is no different. However, this book’s pace was a little slower in the first half than I had anticipated. So, for that reason it is a reluctant 4 star from me. Even so, the plot was fantastic as usual, and I cannot wait for the next. If you haven’t read the series, I recommend that you do, you won’t regret it.

A big thankyou to NetGalley, Robert Bryndza and Raven Street Publishing for providing me with a copy of this publication.

📖 BOOK REVIEW 📖

#ChasingShadows

by @robertbryndza #ravenstreetpublishing

Synopsis ➡️

You know your in safe hand with Rob, he never lets you down - I’ve loved all his thrillers but this one just had that little extra sparkle. I felt it had real maturity to it. It knew what it was and where it was going. I loved going back to the beginning of Erika’s story, getting answers to parts I’d read about in previous books, I loved the familiarity of the returning characters / investigation team and it was a really good cat and mouse chase.

Instantly addictive, easy to read yet satisfying full, this one really is a great addition to the series. More please!

With thanks to author #robertbryndza #ravenstreetpublishing and @netgalley for allowing us to read this one early!

PUBLISHING: June 5th

-EMILY
@the_book_girls_1

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC of Robert Bryndza’s newest release featuring Erika Foster. I’ve read the entire EF series and also Robert’s Kate Marshall series. I enjoy them both for some of the same reasons - strong, but flawed female characters. I was very happy to see that RB finally gave us the answers to the case that ended in the deaths of Erika’s husband and police team. A long time
In the making, but worth the wait. One of the things I really love about Erika is her not being afraid to buck the system when it comes to rooting out the truth. Precisely the case here!

EXCERPT: Melanie got up, went to the window, and looked out for a moment. 'There are people in the Met and higher up who have you on their radar. I'm sure you know this?'
'I've been fighting against it for years.'
Melanie turned back to her.
'You ruffle feathers. You can't be swayed from your course when a case gets sensitive. It makes you a bloody good police officer but also puts a target on your back. I'm saying this as a boss, and as a friend. Take the next couple of weeks as annual leave. You have plenty left. Do the tests. I know you'll pass. And then I can let you get on with doing your job without things getting potentially more difficult.'
'Difficult for who? You or me?'
'Remember. I'm one of the few friends you have left,' said Melanie, her voice now icy-cold. There was a knock at the door. 'Come in.' PC Waller entered.
Erika looked between them. 'You're having me escorted from the premises?'
'I need your warrant card.'
'A police officer taking annual leave doesn't have to turn in their warrant card.'
'Erika. Don't embarrass yourself.'
Waller put out his arm to indicate the door. There was a nasty little look of triumph on his face.
Erika wished she had a witty or elegant comeback, but the only thing she could think of was 'go fuck yourself', which she refrained from saying out loud. She took out the leather wallet containing her warrant card, placed it on the desk, and looked Melanie in the eye.
'That man is Jerome Goodman. Ad I'm going to prove it.'

ABOUT CHASING SHADOWS (DETECTIVE ERIKA FOSTER #9) BY ROBERT BRYNDZA: In a deadly game of cat and mouse, Detective Erika Foster confronts her greatest nemesis—where the lines of justice blur and secrets unravel.

A collapsed ceiling. A dead body. What starts as a routine 999 call takes an unexpected twist when Detective Chief Inspector Erika Foster arrives on the scene and discovers the body of a woman in an empty flat, with all DNA evidence scrubbed away. When forensics find cocaine residue coating every surface of the ceiling, Erika calls in the drug dogs, who lead her to a mysterious parcel locker on the outside wall of the property. Chasing down the locker’s owner leads Erika back where she never expected to be – staring into the eyes of Jerome Goodman, the drug dealer who murdered her husband, Mark, ten years ago.

She arrests him on the spot, but there’s just one problem. His passport and his solicitor say his name is Kieron Bagshaw, and his record is squeaky clean.

With top brass demanding she take leave to deal with her PTSD and even her closest colleagues questioning her sanity, Erika decides to use the time off to do some digging of her own. Trawling for clues through old newspapers, encrypted messages, and secret underground passageways, Erika makes a series of shocking discoveries that move Mark’s murder from cold case to active investigation, all while flying under the Met’s radar.

The revelations will push Erika to the brink, forcing her to confront the trauma of her past and the truth about what happened the day Mark died – and who among her friends was involved from the shadows.

MY THOUGHTS: Robert Bryndza's Erika Foster series is one I am always up to date with. Yes, it is THAT good!

Although the author goes over the events from the first book in this series, The Girl in the Ice, I recommend you read at least that one book before this as Chasing Shadows relates back to the events that occur in that book.

I love this series, and Chasing Shadows is another solid addition to the stable. I read late into the night, reluctant to put this down, needing to know that Erika was, at last, going to get justice over the death of her husband and friends.

Chasing Shadows is tense, thrilling and action-packed, with plenty of surprises including corruption in the most unlikely of places. The investigation is complex as Erika is indeed chasing shadows, people who 'don't exist', although they once did and Erika is sure that they still do.

Erika's character is the lynchpin of the series. She is smart, dedicated and calls it as she sees it. She has earned the loyalty of her team who stand by her even when she is stood down.

I felt sorry for Erika's partner Igor - he really gets a rough ride here.

Chasing Shadows ties up the unfinished business from The Girl in the Ice and does so in a stunning fashion. I was riveted and can't wait to read book #10.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

#ChasingShadows #NetGalley

MEET THE AUTHOR - ROBERT BRYNDZA: was born in the UK and lived in America and Canada before settling in Slovakia with his Slovak husband Ján.

When he's not writing Rob is learning Slovak, trying to train two crazy dogs, or watching Grand Designs all in the hope that he'll be able to understand his mother-in-law, build his dream house, and get the dogs to listen.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Raven Street Publishing via Netgalley for providing both digital and audio ARCs of Chasing Shadows by Robert Bryndza for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

My first read by this author and it certainly will not be my last! In fact o has not read the prior books in this series and I can say I didn’t have a problem understanding and enjoying this installment.
Well written, well paced, it took me a few chapters to understand what was going on in this read but the author masterfully lays out the story so that it was easy to understand and follow.
Solid story and complex plot that had me glued to the pages.

This was an interesting book that dealt with the past, yet I didn't feel as if I missed anything with the prologue and the information given throughout the book. It was a good and complicated mystery. Although I have to say Erika is not a likeable character. I understand this was an extreme situation for the character, so I hope she's not like that all the time.

Thank you to Raven Street Publishing and NetGalley for providing an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Yet again, Robert Bryndza has created a peach of a book to go with what is a fantastic series.

This might be the ninth in this series but don't let that put you off; it reads well as a standalone and whilst you have missed some of the character development, Mr Bryndza's writing is so good that it's not really an issue.

Ten years ago, Erica was injured, her husband and colleagues murdered during a police raid with the culprit never being caught. Erica is now investigating a suspicious death when she comes face to face with the man she believes is responsible for their murders but his name is different however, she's convinced it's him even when told that he's dead. Erica is put on stress leave but that doesn't stop her investigating with the help of her trusted colleagues and partner but at what cost?

The characters are really strong, the plot riveting and the pace perfect from the very start. This is a gripping and tense read for fans of police procedurals and crime thrillers and one that I can highly recommend along with the rest of Robert Bryndza's work.

Many thanks to the author, Raven Street Publishing and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this, the latest in the excellent Erica Foster series.