Dark Water by Robert Bryndza (DCI Erika Foster #3)

Dark Water is the third book in the DCI Erika Foster by the talented British thriller author Robert Bryndza. Reading the Robert Bryndza books in order will be a joy to any British serial-killer thriller fan.

I might be biased here, because I love the entire series, but I was thrilled to get approved by Netgalley for the book. I was, in fact, waiting for it to be published ever since I’ve read the second book, The Night Stalker.

Following her disappointment in not getting ahead in her career, DCI Erika Foster has relocated from the Major Investigations Team to the Bromley Police Station with the Projects Team, where she is just about to wrap up a major narcotics case in a nice bow for her boss.

While searching for the drugs at the bottom of the lake, much to the divers’ surprise, they also find the skeletons of a little girl, identified as Jessica Collins, who went missing some 26 years ago. Talk about a very cold case.

Erika is secretly longing for doing what she loves doing best: solving murder cases and this old case could just be her ticket back to her old job. Except her boss doesn’t want to let go of her and with good reason. Erika is very good at the narcs’ department as well.

Going behind her boss she contacts her previous superior and talks him into getting her old job back. And so starts a cat and mouse game where Erika is more than determined to solve the quarter-century-old case and put the little girl finally to rest.

Unfortunately, nothing is as it seems and there are forces at play that don’t want the truth to come out. Ever.

There were lots of seemingly unrelated pieces of the puzzle (separate mysteries) that came together nicely at the end. And while I had my suspicions, the final reveal was quite shocking. In fact, there were several reveals, but I won’t spoil it.

It was sad to see just how many people were destroyed during the first investigation so many years ago.

This book is truly a gem, and I have to say if I loved the first two in the series, I adored this one. And gosh thinking that the author is on contract with Bookouture for 3 more Erika Foster books makes my heart do a little dance of joy.

Erika is still the same abrasive, direct but very honest cop and person who wants to do the right thing even if she rubs other people wrong. She just doesn’t always say the right (and politically correct) things, that’s why she is always looked over when promotion time comes around.

Honestly, I do believe Erika is best in the trenches. I can’t see her behind her desk shuffling papers left and right like a boss. This is where she shines and this is where all the cases are truly solved.

I did get slightly annoyed at her sister. I generally don’t have patience with those kinds of people, but I’m glad all was resolved in the end. And after all Lenka, with all her flaws, is her sister. And let’s face it Erika is not the easiest person to get along with either.

If you’ve only now come across Robert Bryndza, may I suggest that you start with The Girl In The Ice. It is the first book in the series and it is well worth reading before going on to the rest because you learn so much more about Erika, what makes her tick and her relationships with her co-workers, which will make the progression to the next books so much easier. Storywise, however, in terms of solving the crimes each book does stand on its own.