Beneath the water the body sank rapidly. She would lie still and undisturbed for many years but above her on dry land, the nightmare was just beginning.When Detective Erika Foster receives a tip off that key evidence for a major narcotics case was stashed in a disused quarry on the outskirts of London, she orders for it to be searched. From the thick sludge the drugs are recovered, but so is the … drugs are recovered, but so is the skeleton of a young child.
The remains are quickly identified as eleven-year-old Jessica Collins. The missing girl who made headline news when she vanished twenty-six years ago.
As Erika tries to piece together new evidence with the old, she discovers a family harbouring secrets, a detective plagued by her failure to find Jessica, and the mysterious death of a man living by the quarry.
Is the suspect someone close to home? Someone doesn’t want this case solved. And they’ll do anything to stop Erika from finding the truth.
Read what everyone is saying about Dark Water:
‘OH MY GOD! Just let me a take a moment while I catch my breath! I LOVED IT! WHAT A BOOK! WHAT AN AUTHOR! WHAT A READ! It is all consuming, there is no let up… every twist and turn is designed to make you gasp, to make your head spin and your heart beat out of your chest.’ Emma the Little Bookworm
‘HOLY MOLY Robert Bryndza has only gone and done it again… it’s one of those books you can’t bear to put down, as each chapter ends you just “have to read one more” and before you know it it’s the middle of the night!… I can and will wholeheartedly recommend Dark Waters for anyone looking for an original crime story but with all the hallmarks of a truly thrilling tale.’ Book Review Café
‘Oh wowzerz … OMG I really wasn’t expecting the ending … this is one hell of a read.’ Insights into the Wonderful World of Books
‘Utterly addictive … a book you really need to finish before bedtime, otherwise you will be up into the wee hours of the morning hooked!’ The Quiet Knitter
‘When all was revealed, I was totally gut punched… a winner and one that I feel will stay with me for quite some time.’ Novel Gossip
‘OMG!! What an amazing book! Once I started reading it, I couldn’t stop! From the first chapter I was hooked and held bound and captive till the end … this book is just fabulous, and absolutely the author’s best to date!!’ Relax and Read Book Reviews
‘Brilliantly plotted, incredibly captivating, and definitely a must-read!… Robert Bryndza is like a breath of fresh air. He creates characters we can’t get enough of and juicy, complex stories that suck you in…He truly writes with great depth and heart, and leaves you, as a reader, surprised, highly entertained, and extremely satisfied.’ What’s Better Than Books
‘A gripping and an edge of your seat read. It made my heart and pulse race with every page I turned. It is one of those books that when you finish, you sit back and just think, wow! There is just so much more I want to say but I think I will just end up gushing and not do this fantastic book the justice it deserves. An outstanding read by an author who is one of my firm favourites.’ By The Letter Book Reviewsmore
Another amazing addition to the DCI Erika Foster series!
An intricate plot that has many twists and surprises. A group of characters that just keep getting better. Writing that is gritty and thrilling.
I would suggest starting on the first book, but it can be read as a standalone.
Definitely one of my favorite British police procedural series!
After reading NINE ELMS by Robert Bryndza, I knew I had to go back and read some of his previous work. DARK WATER made my heart race with its exquisite twists and turns. So much so, my pulse thundered in my ears! I didn’t realize that it’s book three in a series. No matter, it’s a great stand-alone. Will I go back and read the rest? Absolutely!
I really enjoyed the series these were great books for me
Good read !!!!!!!!
The third installment in author Robert Bryndza’s popular Erika Foster series finds her in a new assignment working with new colleagues. And not very happy about it. She is gamely trying to make the best of her circumstances and thrilled when divers find the ten kilos of heroin packed into a waterproof container that sent them to the abandoned quarry. When they also find the skeletal remains of seven-year-old Jessica Collins, Erika naturally wonders who would dump the body of a small child thirty feet down in the freezing blackness . . . less than one mile from where she disappeared. She asks to be allowed to lead the search for her killer so that her family can know what happened to the child and lay her to rest.
When her request is granted, Erika is reunited with her old teammates, including Detectives Peterson and Moss. The original investigation was led by former Detective Amanda Baker, who honed in on a suspect. However, Amanda had no choice but to release him and from that point, things went terribly awry. Amanda ended up retiring early and in the ensuring years has become an alcoholic hermit. But she has maintained a relationship with Detective Crawford, who was also assigned to the case years ago. He lost interest in police work years ago and Amanda pulled him into selling seized drugs fifteen years ago. When the investigation is reopened, Amanda demands that he funnel information to her, threatening to expose him if he doesn’t acquiesce.
Jessica’s family fractured after her disappearance. Her father, Martin, has a new life that includes a new wife and two young children. Jessica’s older sister, Laura, is married with two young children of her own. Younger brother Toby, who is gay, has never been accepted by their mother, Marianne, a religious fanatic who lives alone in the family home. She has told herself for twenty-six years that Jessica is alive and will return, so confirmation of Jessica’s death all those years ago is a huge blow and she does not handle the news well. In fact, the more Erika learns about Jessica’s family, the more questions arise.
As the investigation proceeds, neither Erika nor Amanda is aware that their every movement is being watched and all of their conversations overheard. Someone has gone to great lengths to install listening devices in strategic locations and hack their cellular telephones in order to stay apprised of developments in the case . . . and ensure that Erika does not discover the truth.
As in the two previous installments in the series, The Girl in the Ice and The Night Stalker, Bryndza explores Erika’s professional and personal lives. She is a deeply flawed, but compelling and intriguing characters who recognizes that her past mistakes have hampered her advancement. When given the assignments she seeks, Erika is expected to deliver results — and correspondingly motivated to do so. Bryndza continues exploring Erika’s ongoing grief over her husband’s death, providing moving insight into how difficult she still finds living without him as time passes, taking her life further from the moment when she lost him. She also must deal with the unannounced arrival from Slovakia of her sister and her three children, all of whom descend upon Erika’s small apartment.
Thus, Erika is surrounded by an eclectic cast of supporting players, many of whom could be plausible suspects. Dark Water is the most emotionally nuanced of the three novels, and not merely because of the subject matter — the disappearance and death of a young child. Bryndza examines the history and dynamics of Jessica’s family and the revelations of their dysfunction compel the story forward. He never allows the pace to slacken, even as the focus shifts between characters and settings, and he seamlessly eliminates suspects as Erika and her colleagues uncover how the characters have been bound together for decades and their motivations. Bryndza cleverly intertwine old evidence with present-day discoveries, combining the use of modern technology to unravel secrets contained in older methodology. And he delivers stunning revelations that provide cohesion and a satisfying ending to his tightly-imagined plot.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader’s Copy of the book.
Erika battles a motley crew of loathsome suspects as she searches for the truth when the remains of a missing child are discovered. Every time I thought I’d worked out who was responsible, the plot twisted and I didn’t guess the real culprit until the big reveal.
I enjoyed this character enough to read all 6 books
Robert is a fairly new author, I’ve read every one of his Erica Foster series, he’s a great writer!
All the Erika Foster books are great. I highly recommend them if you like British police procedurals.
I really didn’t like it. Read oppressively. Wasn’t fun or engaging.