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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
“You should be proud, Kate. You did in a month what the police couldn’t do in twelve years.”
Book 3 in the Kate Marshall series and we follow Kate and Tristan’s PI agency take off. Twelve years ago Journalist Joanna Duncan disappeared after exposing a political scandal and her mother Bev wants answers.
They begin to investigate and get the files from the investigation. Following cold leads and digging up dirt and connections. They begin to uncovers secrets and connects that people want to stay dead. And when they uncover the smoking gun everything falls into place and there’s a serial killer lurking closer than anyone thinks.
I’m a big fan of @robertbryndza work, his The Girl in the Ice series is my favourite decrective mystery/thriller series and this series it up there. I really enjoy Kate’s character and the way she uncovers the truth.
Book 3 in the Kate Marshall series and we follow Kate and Tristan’s PI agency take off. Twelve years ago Journalist Joanna Duncan disappeared after exposing a political scandal and her mother Bev wants answers.
They begin to investigate and get the files from the investigation. Following cold leads and digging up dirt and connections. They begin to uncovers secrets and connects that people want to stay dead. And when they uncover the smoking gun everything falls into place and there’s a serial killer lurking closer than anyone thinks.
I’m a big fan of @robertbryndza work, his The Girl in the Ice series is my favourite decrective mystery/thriller series and this series it up there. I really enjoy Kate’s character and the way she uncovers the truth.
Darkness Falls carries on the Kate Marshall series brilliantly, allowing us to revisit favourite characters including Kate herself, of course, and her partner (in her business, not personal life!) Tristan as well as new characters such as Bev, whose daughter Joanna disappeared. Kate and Tristan are paid by Bev and her husband Bill to try to find out what happened to Joanna, and give them some closure at least.
The story in Darkness Falls is as brilliantly plotted out as always, with lots of twists and surprises. There’s plenty of tension and atmosphere, keeping me completely absorbed in the story – this is the kind of crime novel I’ll always enjoy from first page to last. The characterisation is brilliant as ever, with convincing characters that you can imagine being real people.
Robert Bryndza is an author I know I can rely on to create engaging, entertaining reads and this series, along with his Erika Foster series, is a favourite of mine – I always eagerly anticipate a new release! I’d really recommend starting from the first book, but I still think anyone new to would enjoy this novel as a standalone too.
The story in Darkness Falls is as brilliantly plotted out as always, with lots of twists and surprises. There’s plenty of tension and atmosphere, keeping me completely absorbed in the story – this is the kind of crime novel I’ll always enjoy from first page to last. The characterisation is brilliant as ever, with convincing characters that you can imagine being real people.
Robert Bryndza is an author I know I can rely on to create engaging, entertaining reads and this series, along with his Erika Foster series, is a favourite of mine – I always eagerly anticipate a new release! I’d really recommend starting from the first book, but I still think anyone new to would enjoy this novel as a standalone too.
I am not much for a series, but I am really enjoying the Kate Marshall books. They are dark, well-paced, and twisty. I like Kate and Tristan and am looking forward to where the series is headed.
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Another 5 star corker from Robert Bryndza - such a great writing style that draws you in and helps you sail through the pages. I’m a huge fan!
It was so great to be back with Kate & Tristan as they pick up a missing person cold case. I had a hunch who the killer was from quite early on but didn’t see the twists and turns coming until right before the big reveal.
If you’ve not read any of Robert’s books yet, you’re missing out! Whilst technically part of the Kate Marshall series, they can all be read as standalones.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Kate Marshall's life has changed since readers last saw her in Shadow Sands. It is May 2015, and eighteen months have passed since the sudden death of Kate's dear friend of nine years and Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor, Myra. It was a shock when Kate learned that Myra willed her both her business and her home, which Kate now uses as an office, on the condition that she quit her job as a lecturer in criminology at Ashdean University and launch her own detective agency. Nine months ago, in partnership with Tristan, her former assistant, they launched the business.
As the story opens, Kate is contacted by Bev Ellis, who explains that her daughter, Joanna, then twenty-eight years old, disappeared in September 2002 -- "just vanished into thin air." Two months ago, Bev begun cohabiting with her partner of nearly thirty years, Bill, the wealthy owner of a company that provides building materials for large road construction projects and a collector of fine art. Bev has just been notified that the police are deeming the case "inactive" and ceasing their efforts to locate Joanna. She needs answers about her daughter's fate. She knows that Joanna is most likely dead, but implores Kate to do what the police have given up on accomplishing: finding Joanna's body so that Bev can lay her to rest. Bev is tired of being patronized by male officers, and convinced that Joanna was the victim of foul play. She was an up-and-coming investigative journalist for a local newspaper with dreams of landing a job in London with a major publication and had recently married Fred, who was not a suspect in her disappearance because local villagers confirmed his alibi. Fred apparently thwarted her career ambitions by refusing to consider a move to London. Six months before Joanna vanished, she published an exposé on Noah Huntley, a local member of Parliament who was accepting bribes in exchange for awarding council contracts. After the story was carried by the national press, Huntley lost his seat in a special election. Joanna's car was found in the parking structure near the newspaper's office, her phone underneath the vehicle. It was powered off and bore no fingerprints -- not even Joanna's. Her laptop computer and notebooks were never located. Her editor confirmed that she was not working on any particularly controversial stories that might have placed her in danger, and her husband insists she had no enemies. Vague notes about them were found in the files removed from her desk.
Kate and Tristan are shocked to learn that Bill has managed to procure twenty boxes of materials that make up the official police file. Bilo produces a letter from the police superintendent thanking him for supporting a benevolence fund and confirming that the files have been loaned to him for three months. Kate's contacts in the police department and knowledge of forensics, coupled with witness statements, the timeline put together by the investigating officers, and the other materials contained in the official file convince her to take the case. She and Tristan take custody of the files, and get busy scanning and analyzing the voluminous documentation. They quickly uncover many salient details that Bev omitted during their meeting with her. And a photograph establishing that Joanna met with Huntly two weeks before she went missing. Huntley claimed that Joanna requested the meeting because she was applying for a job with the Daily Mail and Huntley was a member of the board of directors. She allegedly sought him out to ensure that he would not torpedo her chance to secure the job. Kate and Tristan soon discover that there were more angles to Joanna's investigation of Huntley than were included in her published exposé, including misappropriation of public funds and encounters with male prostitutes.
A note in Joanna's handwriting references David Lamb, who disappeared in 1999 at the age of nineteen, and Gabe Kemp, who went missing in 2001. Both had "no fixed abode." As the investigation proceeds, it encompasses a quest to determine their fate, as well as Joanna's. Both may have been "rent boys," a British term for male prostitutes, and the search takes decidedly dark turns. Bryndza intersperses chapters focused on Tom, who meets Hayden Oakley at Brewer's Arms, a small gay bar. Tom is a businessman who buys Hayden expensive drinks, as Hayden plans to lace his drink with Rohypnol. But Tom is a step ahead of Hayden, who realizes too late that he has been outwitted and is in danger. But who is Tom? Is there a connection between him, Joanna, and the two missing young men? And why didn't the police perform a thorough background check on Bill and his business interests? Could Joanna have been on the trail of serial killer?
Darkness Falls is a straight-forward examination of Kate and Tristan's efforts to solve a case that seems to become exponentially more complex with each discovery of relevant evidence. Readers have come to expect intricately plotted and inventive mysteries from Bryndza, and Darkness Falls further cements his reputation as a clever storyteller. In the first two volumes of the series, Nine Elms and Shadow Sands, Bryndza introduced Kate and Tristan, and focused on their personal lives, revealing Kate's history on the police force and the details of her unfortunate relationships with Peter Conway, a psychopathic serial killer, as well as her ongoing struggle to maintain her sobriety and maintain a healthy relationship with her son, Jake. Like every recovering alcoholic, Kate resists the urge to drink one day at a time, attending meetings but declining to enlist a sponsor to take Myra's place. Her guilt about the times when she lost the trust of those she loves most, especially Jake, inspires her to remain sober. And she now juggles her responsibility to operate the caravan park and surf shop that she inherited from Myra with the demands of the fledgling detective agency. Bryndza further develops Kate and Tristan's relationship. Tristan has a complicated relationship with his sister, and struggles to confidently live life on his own terms. He and Kate are loyal, supportive friends, and their interactions and dialogue are believable and endearing. But the focus in Darkness Falls is squarely on the methodical investigation Kate and Tristan conduct in their quest to find answers for a mother who has been grieving the loss of her daughter for more than twelve years and desperately wants resolution and, if possible, peace.
Bryndza has crafter another richly atmospheric and unpredictable mystery, populated with a strong cast of intriguing and often nefarious supporting characters. He expertly alternates the storyline relating Kate and Tristan's efforts with the horrific behavior of Tom, keeping readers guessing as to how the two might possibly intersect and lead to the discovery of Joanna's remains. It's an engrossing tale with a satisfying conclusion that leaves readers clamoring for the next installment in Bryndza's absorbing and entertaining series.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book.
As the story opens, Kate is contacted by Bev Ellis, who explains that her daughter, Joanna, then twenty-eight years old, disappeared in September 2002 -- "just vanished into thin air." Two months ago, Bev begun cohabiting with her partner of nearly thirty years, Bill, the wealthy owner of a company that provides building materials for large road construction projects and a collector of fine art. Bev has just been notified that the police are deeming the case "inactive" and ceasing their efforts to locate Joanna. She needs answers about her daughter's fate. She knows that Joanna is most likely dead, but implores Kate to do what the police have given up on accomplishing: finding Joanna's body so that Bev can lay her to rest. Bev is tired of being patronized by male officers, and convinced that Joanna was the victim of foul play. She was an up-and-coming investigative journalist for a local newspaper with dreams of landing a job in London with a major publication and had recently married Fred, who was not a suspect in her disappearance because local villagers confirmed his alibi. Fred apparently thwarted her career ambitions by refusing to consider a move to London. Six months before Joanna vanished, she published an exposé on Noah Huntley, a local member of Parliament who was accepting bribes in exchange for awarding council contracts. After the story was carried by the national press, Huntley lost his seat in a special election. Joanna's car was found in the parking structure near the newspaper's office, her phone underneath the vehicle. It was powered off and bore no fingerprints -- not even Joanna's. Her laptop computer and notebooks were never located. Her editor confirmed that she was not working on any particularly controversial stories that might have placed her in danger, and her husband insists she had no enemies. Vague notes about them were found in the files removed from her desk.
Kate and Tristan are shocked to learn that Bill has managed to procure twenty boxes of materials that make up the official police file. Bilo produces a letter from the police superintendent thanking him for supporting a benevolence fund and confirming that the files have been loaned to him for three months. Kate's contacts in the police department and knowledge of forensics, coupled with witness statements, the timeline put together by the investigating officers, and the other materials contained in the official file convince her to take the case. She and Tristan take custody of the files, and get busy scanning and analyzing the voluminous documentation. They quickly uncover many salient details that Bev omitted during their meeting with her. And a photograph establishing that Joanna met with Huntly two weeks before she went missing. Huntley claimed that Joanna requested the meeting because she was applying for a job with the Daily Mail and Huntley was a member of the board of directors. She allegedly sought him out to ensure that he would not torpedo her chance to secure the job. Kate and Tristan soon discover that there were more angles to Joanna's investigation of Huntley than were included in her published exposé, including misappropriation of public funds and encounters with male prostitutes.
A note in Joanna's handwriting references David Lamb, who disappeared in 1999 at the age of nineteen, and Gabe Kemp, who went missing in 2001. Both had "no fixed abode." As the investigation proceeds, it encompasses a quest to determine their fate, as well as Joanna's. Both may have been "rent boys," a British term for male prostitutes, and the search takes decidedly dark turns. Bryndza intersperses chapters focused on Tom, who meets Hayden Oakley at Brewer's Arms, a small gay bar. Tom is a businessman who buys Hayden expensive drinks, as Hayden plans to lace his drink with Rohypnol. But Tom is a step ahead of Hayden, who realizes too late that he has been outwitted and is in danger. But who is Tom? Is there a connection between him, Joanna, and the two missing young men? And why didn't the police perform a thorough background check on Bill and his business interests? Could Joanna have been on the trail of serial killer?
Darkness Falls is a straight-forward examination of Kate and Tristan's efforts to solve a case that seems to become exponentially more complex with each discovery of relevant evidence. Readers have come to expect intricately plotted and inventive mysteries from Bryndza, and Darkness Falls further cements his reputation as a clever storyteller. In the first two volumes of the series, Nine Elms and Shadow Sands, Bryndza introduced Kate and Tristan, and focused on their personal lives, revealing Kate's history on the police force and the details of her unfortunate relationships with Peter Conway, a psychopathic serial killer, as well as her ongoing struggle to maintain her sobriety and maintain a healthy relationship with her son, Jake. Like every recovering alcoholic, Kate resists the urge to drink one day at a time, attending meetings but declining to enlist a sponsor to take Myra's place. Her guilt about the times when she lost the trust of those she loves most, especially Jake, inspires her to remain sober. And she now juggles her responsibility to operate the caravan park and surf shop that she inherited from Myra with the demands of the fledgling detective agency. Bryndza further develops Kate and Tristan's relationship. Tristan has a complicated relationship with his sister, and struggles to confidently live life on his own terms. He and Kate are loyal, supportive friends, and their interactions and dialogue are believable and endearing. But the focus in Darkness Falls is squarely on the methodical investigation Kate and Tristan conduct in their quest to find answers for a mother who has been grieving the loss of her daughter for more than twelve years and desperately wants resolution and, if possible, peace.
Bryndza has crafter another richly atmospheric and unpredictable mystery, populated with a strong cast of intriguing and often nefarious supporting characters. He expertly alternates the storyline relating Kate and Tristan's efforts with the horrific behavior of Tom, keeping readers guessing as to how the two might possibly intersect and lead to the discovery of Joanna's remains. It's an engrossing tale with a satisfying conclusion that leaves readers clamoring for the next installment in Bryndza's absorbing and entertaining series.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book.
Gosto da escrita de Bryndza. É sempre leve e de rápida leitura.
Gosto mais da outra saga, mas também gosto da Kate.
Gosto mais da outra saga, mas também gosto da Kate.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No