From the Bookshelf of 2-3-4 Challenge…

The Girl in the Ice (Detective Erika Foster, #1)

Robert Bryndza

Start date: December 26, 2022

Finish date: December 31, 2022

Discussion: Buddy Reads

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What Members Thought

Dec 30, 2022 Jonetta rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 3500-2022, nc-br-digital-library, mystery-suspense-thriller, 2022-beat-the-backlist-challenge, buddy-read, 2022-audiobook-challenge

the setup…
After the young woman found beneath the ice in a South London park is identified as the daughter of a prominent politician, Chief Superintendent Marsh calls in Detective Erika Foster to lead the investigation as she’s had more experience with high profile murders of this type. Erika is coming off of leave following an investigation into her last case where her whole team was killed, including her husband. While her instincts and skills are excellent, Erika’s political lens, or lack the the setup…
After the young woman found beneath the ice in a South London park is identified as the daughter of a prominent politician, Chief Superintendent Marsh calls in Detective Erika Foster to lead the investigation as she’s had more experience with high profile murders of this type. Erika is coming off of leave following an investigation into her last case where her whole team was killed, including her husband. While her instincts and skills are excellent, Erika’s political lens, or lack thereof, ruffles lots of feathers internally and externally. But members of her new team recognized that she’s the leader to follow as the case gets complicated and dangerous.

the heart of the story…
Erika Foster is a talented but broken detective, still finding her way and footing as she deals with the grief from losing her husband and team. I admired her, even when I found some of her behavior reckless and risky, as she stood up to her spineless leadership who was afraid of offending the victim’s influential family. She made great personal progress, thanks to the loyalty and trust of her new team and others that care about her. The case was exceptionally thorny and I went back and forth with several theories. I did figure out the murderer but only pretty close to the reveal. No matter as I was utterly hooked by the mystery.

the narration…
Jan Cramer is one of my favorite narrators, mostly from her DI Kim Stone series performances, and she proves that she’s no one series wonder. It took a minute to erase Kim from my brain and once I did, she owned Erika and her teammates. I'm in for the audio version going forward.

the bottom line…
I’ve waited a long time for one of my groups to select this series as a group read and one finally came through. This story surpassed my expectations and I’m struggling to not binge through the series. Yes, Erika’s got some personal challenges but her investigative chops are superior. The case had all the challenges and clues I like in a police procedural and the recurring characters are already intriguing me. This was truly worth the wait.

Posted on Blue Mood Café ...more

32 likes · Like · see review

Jan 24, 2017 Lauren rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: british-crime, prickly-heroine, serial-killers, female-detectives, police-procedural

The Girl in the Ice
5 Stars

Newly transferred to London, DCI Erika Foster is called in to investigate the murder of a young socialite whose tumultuous lifestyle is an embarrassment to her well-connected family. When Erika makes the connection between the murder and those of three prostitutes, her career and her very life are placed in jeopardy.

In his excellent debut, Robert Bryndza has captured the nuances of British society in general and the dynamics of police politics in particular. As his her ...more

23 likes · Like · see review

May 23, 2017 Carla rated it it was amazing

Shelves: netgalley, adult-fiction, detective-crime

I discovered British Police Procedurals through Goodreads a year or so ago and am very glad that I did. I am late with this author, I have read many great reviews about DCI Erika Foster and thought I needed to get to this series. A good decision.

When a young rich socialite who has gone missing, is found a couple of days later in the ice of a pond, the police need to solve the case. DCI Erika Foster is called to resume active duty and to take over the case by Superintendent Marsh. They have worke I discovered British Police Procedurals through Goodreads a year or so ago and am very glad that I did. I am late with this author, I have read many great reviews about DCI Erika Foster and thought I needed to get to this series. A good decision.

When a young rich socialite who has gone missing, is found a couple of days later in the ice of a pond, the police need to solve the case. DCI Erika Foster is called to resume active duty and to take over the case by Superintendent Marsh. They have worked together before and he has great respect for her talents. She has some skeletons, such as the loss of her husband in her last case that forced her leave. The DCI that was on the case is still supposed to be working with her, but there is a lot of tension between the two and working together is not what either of them have in mind. The case is also politically charged due to the social status of the victim's family (he is a Lord), who has a direct line to the Head of the Police. When two different theories are put forward, Erika is once again placed on leave while the police pursue the more palatable line of investigation. That does not mean she is going to sit by and wait. Erika does not like to follow the rules if it ties her hands in an investigation. She is also very smart, but not always subtle which causes problems. The officers working with her are loyal and do their best to help her solve the case. As more murders are tied together, Erika puts herself in danger.

This story is riveting. There were many suspects that are all plausible that you will be kept guessing. The writing was clear and precise with a thrilling, suspenseful plot. All the characters are well developed as their stories unfold throughout the book. DCI Foster is a strong female lead that I look forward to reading more about. Coming late to the party has its advantages as I can pick up the next book right away. A definite read for those who enjoy police procedurals as well as a well plotted mystery or thriller. ...more

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Jun 29, 2016 Sandra Hoover rated it it was amazing

Shelves: suspense

4.5 Stars - The Girl in the Ice is a riveting read - a real thriller that kept me burning through the pages right through the ending. The suspense quickly ramps up as Detective Erika Foster investigates the murder of a young socialite found under the ice in a London park. As her search for the killer begins, she soon begins to suspect a serial killer. There are several dynamics at play that hinder Erika's investigation including the power & control often wielded by the very wealthy. And yet, Eri ...more

10 likes · Like · see review

Jan 31, 2017 Brenda H rated it really liked it · review of another edition

A young woman is found frozen in the ice of a pond. Erika Foster is brought in to handle the investigation. Unfortunately for Erika, the young woman is the daughter of a well-connected English lord, making this a politically charged and high profile investigation.

As Erika begins to dig deeper into the life of the young woman and the circumstances of her death, she starts to connect the murder to that of 3 prostitutes - causing embarrassment for the socialite's family and consternation for her su ...more

7 likes · Like · see review

Jan 30, 2017 Andrew rated it really liked it · review of another edition

3.5 Stars. This book started very well and I was fully engaged with it. An interesting new character was being developed in front of our eyes and there was an excellent hook into the book. However it didn't maintain this very strong start as not enough information was laid out in order to work out who the murderer was, and I didn't fully buy into the solution when it was revealed. That said there was enough positives, including an interesting lead character, to make me want to read on in the ser ...more

5 likes · Like · see review

Jan 30, 2017 Eadie Burke rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2017

This was the first book of the DCI Erika Foster Series. I loved the main protagonist, Erika Foster. She is a complex and strong-willed character who kept the killer on his toes. The book is filled with gritty dialogue and switches to the killer's perspective which causes the tension to heighten throughout the book. It was well written with a captivating plot that kept me guessing until the very end. It's a type of book that immediately grabs your attention and keeps an intense pace with lots of ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Nov 27, 2016 Kris (My Novelesque Life) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

RATING: 4 STARS
(Review Not on Blog)

This is the first book in a new suspense thriller series by Robert Bryndza. Bryndza has previously written romantic comedies (I have not read them) so I was intrigued. This police procedural with a female lead, DCI Foster is well written. The plot is suspenseful, with realistic and flawed characters and great chemistry between characters. I would classify this book as a thriller as it is a bit graphic as the murders are realistically portrayed. I found myself a ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Jul 24, 2016 Charlene rated it really liked it

Shelves: group-read, series-by-author, adult-themes, law-enforcement, crime, rated-not-reviewed, friends-tbr-lists, mystery, books-i-own, e-book

3.5 stars, rounding up.

I liked DCI Erika Foster and her team. There were fits and starts in the plot transitions, especially between members of the police force, imo.

The writing was good. This book, the first in a series, is a group read this month in one of my goodreads groups.

I don't know whether I'll read the second book yet. ...more

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