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A review by _onemorechapter_
Fatal Witness by Robert Bryndza
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
💭Okay, I’ll just say it—this series has lost its shine and Erika Foster? She’s not doing it for me anymore. If I could hand her a career break and a one-way ticket to anywhere but London, I would. She’s gone from being an interesting, layered detective to a frustrating, cold, and borderline insufferable lead. Honestly, I stuck with this one because I’m a sucker for closure (and maybe because I’m seven books deep at this point).
The basic setup: Erika’s investigating the murder of Vicky Clarke, a true-crime podcaster who gets tangled in the kind of case she probably should’ve avoided. On paper, it sounds juicy, right? Except it’s not. The twists felt telegraphed, the reveals lacked punch, and the pacing dragged hard in the middle. I kept thinking, “Haven’t we done this before?” It’s a classic case of a series running out of fresh ideas.
Now, let’s talk characters. While Erika’s as prickly and joyless as ever, *thankfully* there’s Igor, her new love interest, to inject some softness into the story. Except...he’s not exactly brimming with personality either. Igor’s nice (I guess?), but there’s zero chemistry between them. It’s like watching two rocks try to spark a fire. Where’s the tension? Where’s the swoon? Heck, I’d settle for *anything* to make me root for them.
The side characters, like Moss and Peterson, are still around, but they feel like set dressing at this point. The camaraderie and banter that once made Erika’s team so compelling? Nowhere to be found. It’s like everyone’s just showing up, clocking in, and calling it a day.
One thing I’ll give this book is the atmosphere. Bryndza still knows how to paint a chilling, gritty London, but even that feels wasted on a plot and lead character that fails to deliver.
✨Have you read this one? Or are you as done with Erika as I am? Let’s chat in the comments!
𝐏.𝐒. The last two or three books have been such a letdown. I’m starting to think I hate reading this series at this point.
𝐏.𝐏.𝐒 Someone, please give Moss her own spin-off. She’s way more interesting than Erika at this point, and I’d actually *love* to see her solve crimes without the shadow of the Ice Queen.
🔸𝑴𝒚 𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈: ⭐⭐⭐.25
🔸𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆: Thriller, Mystery, crime fiction, Police procedural
🔸𝑺𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔: Detective Erika Foster (Book 7)
🔸𝑹𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏: Only if you’re a die-hard Erika fan. Otherwise, maybe skip it and reread 'The Girl in the Ice' to remember why you fell in love with the series in the first place.
The basic setup: Erika’s investigating the murder of Vicky Clarke, a true-crime podcaster who gets tangled in the kind of case she probably should’ve avoided. On paper, it sounds juicy, right? Except it’s not. The twists felt telegraphed, the reveals lacked punch, and the pacing dragged hard in the middle. I kept thinking, “Haven’t we done this before?” It’s a classic case of a series running out of fresh ideas.
Now, let’s talk characters. While Erika’s as prickly and joyless as ever, *thankfully* there’s Igor, her new love interest, to inject some softness into the story. Except...he’s not exactly brimming with personality either. Igor’s nice (I guess?), but there’s zero chemistry between them. It’s like watching two rocks try to spark a fire. Where’s the tension? Where’s the swoon? Heck, I’d settle for *anything* to make me root for them.
The side characters, like Moss and Peterson, are still around, but they feel like set dressing at this point. The camaraderie and banter that once made Erika’s team so compelling? Nowhere to be found. It’s like everyone’s just showing up, clocking in, and calling it a day.
One thing I’ll give this book is the atmosphere. Bryndza still knows how to paint a chilling, gritty London, but even that feels wasted on a plot and lead character that fails to deliver.
✨Have you read this one? Or are you as done with Erika as I am? Let’s chat in the comments!
𝐏.𝐒. The last two or three books have been such a letdown. I’m starting to think I hate reading this series at this point.
𝐏.𝐏.𝐒 Someone, please give Moss her own spin-off. She’s way more interesting than Erika at this point, and I’d actually *love* to see her solve crimes without the shadow of the Ice Queen.
🔸𝑴𝒚 𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈: ⭐⭐⭐.25
🔸𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆: Thriller, Mystery, crime fiction, Police procedural
🔸𝑺𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔: Detective Erika Foster (Book 7)
🔸𝑹𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏: Only if you’re a die-hard Erika fan. Otherwise, maybe skip it and reread 'The Girl in the Ice' to remember why you fell in love with the series in the first place.