This was a thriller set in the UK. It also has a dual timeline. The author may be a best seller, but the language is horrendous and why I rated it lower. The storyline was great and well written. I was given a complimentary copy of this book and the opinions are my own.

I was issued this book by NetGalley for my unbiased review.

A good book for mystery fans. Good story where you hope it ends in a certain fashion. The question is how do they get there. The story starts in the past and comes back to the future, tying things together.

Mr. Bryndza writes a good story as he always seems to do. Look forward to more of this series.

Shoutout to NetGalley, the author and publisher for sending this eARC my way! I really enjoyed this book, was hooked from the first page and couldn’t put it down. I’ll definitely be picking up the prior books in the Detective Erika Cross series and all future book in this series! So entertaining! This book had me playing detective, trying to figure out who were the bad apples in the station.

I love Robert Bryndza's books. The Kate Marshall and Erika Foster series have interesting characters and always intriguing plots that keep me turning pages. This latest Erika Foster book is no exception.

What starts as a routine investigation into a dead body leads Erika to the past that continues to haunt her: the death of her husband and colleagues ten years ago on what was supposed to have been a routine drug bust. The perpetrators were never caught, but now, Erika comes face-to-face with one of the suspected killers. He has a different identity, but Erika knows it's him--only to be told to stop pursuing that case angle. Frustrated and forced to take leave, Erika returns to the scene of the drug bust and begins digging. What she finds is damning information about the bust and links to the current case.

I liked that Bryndza went back to Erika's past so she could try to solve the case that has haunted her. This cleverly plotted story ties Erika's past and present lives in ways that enrich the character and help resolve her demons. The writing is top-notch, and the breakneck pacing makes for an excellent page-turner. 5/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Raven Street Publishing, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is June 5, 2025.

I hope this is not the end!

Erika is such a easy character to root for! It has been a ride watching her deal with her grief, find romance,catch the bad guys and also navigate the "brass" while remaining true to herself.

While Erika is somewhat sidelined, her team are given the opportunity to shine as they unravel what happened on that fateful day, and who is involved. Erika finding that her husband's murder is alive and well , but dead and gone at the same time was not a twist I saw coming. The how was a surprise, but the who not so shocking. Everyone closes ranks and are willing to put themselves on the line to find the truth.

It was nice to see Moss settle into having more authority, glimpses of Erika's home life and more information about the circumstances that lead to the tragic chain of events that brought Erika to where she is now.

I really love this character and her team, and finally one where no one is in peril! I honestly hope we get to see where Erika goes from here,

I appreciate the chance to share my views due to NetGalley and the publisher. I highly recommend this series

What an absolute nail biter, Erika is such a perfect imperfect character, the whole team are like a part of the family that live far away and we only see once a year when they visit.....but what a visit it is every time....another cracking read from a favorite detective. Love that her story feels more complete and can't wait to see how or where she goes from here

This is another great book with my friend, Erika, leading the way. Yes, I’ve come to think of her as my friend after reading so much about her.

As usual, the story is well written and held my interest throughout. In spite of many previous Erika Foster books, Chasing Shadows is not one bit stale or contrived as so often happens in a series. And as usual, the ending is very satisfying.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I especially enjoyed it.

So enjoyed this return to Erika’s world. It’s a great read, fast paced and very addictive. I’d always hoped Robert would return to the murder of Erika’s husband Mark and their colleagues back in 2014 because it really defines the way her character has changed over the years following such a tradegy and still impacts on the way she reacts to situations in the present. It certainly lived up to my expectations and I didn’t want it to end! I enjoyed the involvement of my favourite characters, Isaac, Moss and Peterson. They’re a top team! All in all, I’d thoroughly recommend this title. The series keeps getting better and better with each book. I can’t wait for the next instalment.

Here we are on the ninth book in the Detective Erika Foster series, and what a tale it is. This book reads well as a standalone as the author deals with Erika’s past in some detail, however, I would recommend starting at the beginning, as the whole series is brilliant. As always, this latest instalment is fast paced, exhilarating and totally gripping. The characters are all well-written and well-developed, in fact spending time with Erika and her team is like spending time with old friends – each and every character adds something to the tale.

The story is told via a multiple POV configuration, flowing seamlessly between Erika and others. This structure really helps to give the reader a better picture of what was taking place and when, which is especially important as the reader is relying heavily on recollections to detail the histories of Jerome, Frank and Danielle. All in all, this is a brilliant instalment. It was so satisfying to watch Erika solve the case that has haunted her for many years, and there were more than a couple twists I didn't see coming! Very highly recommended.

Nine books deep in the Erika Foster series the DI faces her demons up close and personal in the most shocking investigation of them all.

This was a cleverly thought out plot and very satisfying back story after all the years of waiting for it. Well done Robert Bryndza 👏🏼 and cheers to our favourite chilli eating detective Erika 🍻

Robert Bryndza in Chasing Shadows again comes up with a plot twisting, suspenseful, unpredictable crime novel of the best kind. Erika Foster, who is a leader of her London police department’s detectives, comes up against a problem she could not have foreseen. Her husband had been murdered 8 years previously, as well as four others, and as she was responding to a new crime scene, that fateful day comes crashing back to her. Her partner is wondering what is happening to Erika as she goes off track in her questioning of a woman who is reporting a crime.

What ensues is totally unexpected, her supervisors at the police department seem to think Erika has lost her marbles and they put her on leave until she passes a “routine” physical. Erika thinks she is beginning to understand what is happening but she cannot believe it.

With help from some brave cohorts at the department, she comes up with theories and won’t be deterred. Read Chasing Shadows for an unputdownable adventure.

Robert Bryndza’s popular Detective Chief Inspector Erika Foster series, Chasing Shadows, starts out with a recap of the events from 10 years earlier when a drug raid went terribly wrong. Erika’s husband and other officers were killed. The men responsible somehow escaped, and Erika was blamed for botching the mission.

Now, she’s on her way to work when she answers a call about a body. Since she’s near the scene, Erika goes to a flat, where she meets with a peculiar discovery. A woman has discovered the body of her neighbor, a woman laid out in her bed. A radiator has crashed through the ceiling. The room smells strongly of bleach, and when the forensics team examines the room, they cannot find a trace of DNA. There is, however, cocaine powder all over the ceiling. This leads Erika to believe this death may not be due to natural causes.

This is not the only the beginning of a tale filled with unusual events. When DCI Foster and Detective Kate Moss go to interview a potential witness about the case, they are introduced to a man called Kieron Bagshaw. For Kate, the feeling is visceral. She knows him. He knows it. She arrests him, but records showed that the man she knew him to be, Jerome Goodman, had died in a car crash. But, as readers of this series know, Erika Foster does not give up easily. Nor only that, but the dead woman has been misidentified as well. Who was she?

She pushes her limits to the extent that she’s forced to take leave. Does that stop her? What do you think? With the help of her loyal team’s clandestine work, we learn who was involved, how they did it, and what happens to them in the end. Things are all neat and tidy – yes, it’s fiction, so it’s all quite pat, but I found the whole book quite engaging and hard to put down.

There is a big surprise – at least it was a surprise to me, and it took guts for this team of detectives to pull it off. Perhaps now Kate can finally have some peace.

I received a digital copy of Chasing Shadows as an ARC. Thanks to NetGalley, Raven Street Publishing, and the author.

5 stars

Book 9 in the Detective Chief Inspector Erika Foster series, and it remains as fresh and inventive as the first.

The storyline begins with a collapsed ceiling in a flat, through which the neighbour below believes she can see a dead body. Erika is first on the scene and finds that the flat has been thoroughly cleaned, the smell of cleaning products being overwhelming.
However, forensics discover 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.

And so it is that we are finally privy to the exact details of what really happened on that fateful day 10 years ago.

This is another terrific read in this brilliant series, when Erika is finally able to confront those responsible for her husband’s death and those of her colleagues. We get to see a deeply emotional side to Erika’s personality this time around, and it’s great to witness the support of her dedicated team at this difficult time. Exciting, suspenseful, and one of my favourites in the series so far. Highly recommended.

Do not believe the things you feel and tell yourself when you're sad and alone.

That's what has weighed heavily on Detective Erika Foster for years and years. She was in charge of a serious stakeout incorporated by the Metropolitan Police of London ten years ago. They lay in wait for Jerome Goodman and his cronies who dealt big time drugs out of a house in a London neighborhood. But it all went down within a few explosive minutes. Goodman escaped and a shoot out left Erika's husband, Mark, and four of her colleagues dead. Erika was seriously injured herself. But Erika carried the blame for ten years with a long self-inflicted term of PTSD and its punishment.

And then situations will spin on a dime after a radiator plummets through the floor of an apartment building. The result? A dead body spotted through the hole above in the ceiling. Erika and her team are then led to possible drugs in a storage unit. They trace it back to one man.......Kieron Bagshaw. The minute Erika sees him face-to-face she knows.......it's Jerome Goodman. They lock eyes. But Bagshaw has a clean record. No arrest.

Chasing Shadows is #9 in the Erika Foster Series, but it can certainly be read as a standalone with past events filled in nicely by Robert Bryndza. Bryndza tightens the screws on Erika this time when no one believes what she has adamantly discovered. Even her superior officer thinks that she's suffering from old emotional wounds. Erika is forced to take a leave of absence until she is fit to return. And in the meantime, we'll ride alongside Erika trying to make sense of it all. Bryndza guarantees a wild and crazy adventure page after page.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Raven Street Publishing and to the talented Robert Bryndza for the opportunity.

First of all, I must admit that the Erika Foster series has been on my TBR for ages and I just never took the time to start it. So this ninth installment is my first, but now I understand the hype.

What a whirlwind! The characters are well crafted - especially Erika of course -as you might expect after nine books. The story is riveting, and easy to follow even if you are a neophyte like me, and the emotions splurge off the pages. There is suspense, betrayal, some gory murders, mystery... it's all in here. And of course it takes place in London, my favorite city, which is a superb background to this intricate plot.

I've actually changed some appointments in my agenda so I could continue reading. It's a testament to its quality that I've read it in two days time. It is a very satisfying read that I can truly recommend, even if you haven't read the previous books.

Thank you NetGalley, Raven Street Publishing, and the author for allowing me to be an early reader. All opinions are my own.

Erika Foster has recovered physically from her wounds and tragic episode that killed her husband and several others when they tried to break up a drug ring. Since the drug kingpin escaped, she has been haunted by the one(s) that got away. When she spots the kingpin during a routine investigation, she begins her investigation anew. Will she finally close the case that killed her husband and colleagues?

I have not read any of the Erika Foster series before, but I will certainly look for the previous books. This book actually can stand alone. I was definitely aware that I was missing some background knowledge about Erika and her previous life and cases, but the mystery and the pursuit that is the center of this book is strong enough to keep me reading. I never felt confused or unbalanced, never felt that I should have read the books in order before tackling this latest one. Erika is a strong, believable character. Her actions are logical and understandable, although they are sometimes reckless. There are several twists and turns in the plot, and the fact that several characters have assumed aliases creates some tension and occasionally I had to pause to get the characters straight, but this is a solid mystery/police procedural. Well worth the time and effort. I'm looking forward to investigating what else this author has to offer.

The ninth Detective Erika Foster thriller in the series.
I would advise to read the whole series as it’s brilliant, but more so with this book as it is heavily connected to Erika’s back story, from the death of her husband during a raid.
This book is fast paced, every chapter is part of the story. Nothing is dragged out or added pointlessly, the mix of apprehension, and deep rooting for Erika and her team is ongoing for chapter one to the last.
This series is not showing any sign of ending or slowing down which is great as I find Erika a truly great character.

I want to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read Chasing Shadows by Robert Bryndza
I also want to thank Robert Bryndza. I cannot believe this is book 9 of the series
I remember reading The girl in the Ice and being blown away by the writing and the character of Erika
Chasing Shadows continues the Erika Foster series and the writing and characterisation is just as good as the first book
I want to say a huge thank you personally to Robert for bringing back my love of reading
My husband of 38 years died suddenly and I couldn't get back to my love of reading
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend the series
Get it now! Don't delay

Back to the beginning …

No, I have not yet read all the novels in this series, but I have read enough to be intrigued about where it all began. And in this instalment, Mr Bryndza provides a tense, brilliant link between past and present.

A ceiling collapses … and then the body of a woman is found in an empty flat. There is no DNA evidence and yet there is cocaine residue on the ceiling. Detective Chief Inspector Erika Foster’s investigations, with the help of drug detecting dogs, leads her to a parcel locker. Tracking down the owner of the locker leads DCI Foster to the man responsible for the death of her husband, Detective Inspector Mark Foster and others in a drug raid ten years ago. DCI Foster recognises Jerome Goodman and arrests him on the spot. But there is a problem: the man’s passport is in the name of Kieron Bagshaw, and he has no police record.

Is DCI Foster mistaken? Her superiors certainly think so, and she is required to take leave.

What follows is full of twists and turns. Being on leave provides DCI Foster with time to undertake her own investigations, with a little help from her friends. But who can she trust? Unravelling secrets is accompanied by danger as well as the realisation that some of those she counted as friends may have been involved. The story shifts between past and present, increasing the tension as the truth slowly and dangerously unfolds.
Erika Foster is a terrific protagonist. She is determined and smart and well supported by loyal colleagues. And now I will sit back, as patiently as possible, to see how the next instalment unfolds. Thank you, Mr Bryndza, for another terrific book!

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Raven Street Publishing for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

I've read all the Erika Foster books so was excited to read this new one. It certainly didn't disappoint. A dead body in a flat leads Erika and her team to interview a woman regarding drugs found in a delivery locker. Erika immediately recognises the woman's partner as Jerome Goodman, the man responsible for the killing of Erika's husband and colleagues 10 years ago. However, the man now goes by the name of Kieron Bagshawe and doesn't have a criminal record. Erika is determined to find out what's going on and to uncover the truth of what happened that fateful day, for which she had to take responsibility. This is a real page turner that will keep you guessing to the end.
Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
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