The Girl in the Ice: A gripping serial killer thriller (Detective Erika Foster) Kindle Edition

I'm pushing, or being pushed, towards 72. I've been a voracious, compulsive reader for 65 years. I believe I've read at least something by the very best authors in this genre from A.C. Doyle, through arguably the best : Raymond Chandler, more recently : James Lee Burke.Not to mention a number of British/Scottish and Irish authors. E. George, the author of the Rebus series and one of my favorites, Buren, featuring hapless, Jack Taylor. For a number of years I've been inundating myself with classic noir.I'll admit that almost all American detective/murder mysteries are pretty much suck. Why? I know every 'cus word' and can visualize every conceivable method of killing - I've quite an imagination - and simply don't need to read of graphic and seven or more ridiculous improbable killings obviously written for the small minded to move a usually poorly written novel.However, I very much like mysteries by authors from and about those nations mentioned above. Far better crafted, far less wholesale murders, and great plots.Frankly, though I purchased this book quite some time ago, I admit I was a bit put off by the Prologue. Sounded too common, trite, overly used. But I'd bookmarked the first chapter - after seeing the number of satisfied readers. Not the fastest of readers, it took me part of three consecutive days to finish.Totally surprised at the culprit, not too much so with the other 'evil doers' especially considering our current intensely corrupt moronic 'fearless leader', ( just my opinion) and with an MA in American history, I'm not astonished at the nefarious activities of those with great wealth and/or political power, most often one and the same.More to the point, I'm greatly pleased with Girl in the Ice. An intricate plot, excellent back story, with a superb understanding of human nature. Too often too many plots are difficult for me to follow. I'm interested (or not) by the style of writing. Don't like it, in the trash. A few years ago I finally read Hemingway For Whom the Bell Tolls. I actually threw it against the wall wondering why that garbage remains an American classic! Nearly puked at how often 'I love you,' was mentioned. Myself, being an incurable romantic, were I to go on as those two idiots did, I would hope someone would shoot me!I've one serious objection. The all too frequently 'saved in the nick of time' usage. Certainly, if a series is forthcoming, the protagonist must survive. Yet, I would suggest a more creative, imaginative method to extricate the hero.For example, David too often would catch and nearly subdue or actually very nearly strangle Erika. But she saved by a colleague just dropping in at an improbable time of night. With Erika, a veteran, ranking officer having twenty five years on the job, one would think that she would have some expertise in hand to hand combat. Erika made only one good physical attack when she drove the base of her palm into the base of David's nose. However, such a strike will often drive the cartilage into the brain with an instant kill.I would guess that few would know this, so usually a writer can get away with it. But not the more than once nick of time rescue. Uh,uh! Not once did Erika kick the SOB in the groan, nor fingers to the eyes, nor clap both ears, bend back a finger. She may have been thin, but so was David and she would have been far more desperate! Yeah?Right, I'm critical. I bought the book, I've the right and you asked for it. Kudos to you!All this and yet I simply couldn't put it down. I feel your forte is plotting that while this was involved it wasn't hard to follow. Plus your ability to develop wonderful characters and real life dialogue.Caution : it only takes one error of these I've stated to squelch a discerning reader. For instance, the old American western's in which every six shot revolver never requires reloading. Then too, for myself - the frequency of which the following this occurs is ridiculous - '...her eyes sparkly emerald green, ever so slightly lifted at the outside corners gave her an exotic Euro-Asian appeal. Standing fifteen yards away, she was gorgeous!' Fifteen yards? 45 feet? He'd need a telescope to see the color of her eyes! Or, ...'I guess there were two or three cars parked across the street.' Come on! Either there were two or there were three. This shouldn't be a guess with so few vehicles at this distance. Or...'yeah, I saw her once or twice!' Another example of stupidly on this person's part.Both distance - vertical or horizontal is ALWAYS stated in round numbers but at absolutely impossible distances. Let's be realistic. Such examples, ludicrous beyond comprehensive, put me off. Realism, please! Too, Erika is very nearly strangled to the point of passing out - twice! She's bashed in the face several times but doesn't receive even a concussion. Hmm.Still and all, I've just purchased the sequel!

First of all, the gorgeous cover is what captured my notice. Major applause and thumbs-up to the talent who designed it. Secondly, like other authors, who initially are only known for their work in one genre, I thought Robert Bryndza’s work was solely in the romance genre. Having enjoyed Miss Wrong and Mr. Right, I had a lot of anticipation with this one.The Girl in the Ice is the first installment of a multi-book series featuring a character so damaged by what life has handed her, I applauded her ability to get out of bed, much less think straight and solve a heinous murder. Erika Foster is introduced to us on her first day at the Lewisham police station. She was previously at Manchester but was on an extended leave after she was injured in the line of duty that also took the lives of five other officers, including Erika’s husband, Mark. Right away, Mr. Bryndza paints a very precise picture of the pain Erika has endured on the inside and the outside as well as the feeling that she is being drop-kicked into the deep end of the pool on her first day as lead investigator. I felt very overwhelmed for Erika and admired her tenacity and resolve, especially as she meets with resentment from a fellow officer.The victim is the daughter of a high-ranking member of the government and Erika’s superiors try at every opportunity to keep her and her team on a very tight leash. Erika’s first meeting with the family doesn’t go well either even though both Erika and the victim’s mother are of Slovak heritage. This actually surprised me as I thought it would give Erika and the family some common ground they could connect on, but the family is less than cooperative with the investigation and wield a lot of control with the authorities.As Erika’s investigation gets more complex, we learn that the killer is watching Erika’s movements very closely and brazenly puts themselves in very close proximity to Erika on multiple occasions. The author does an amazing job of throwing many suspects at the reader, including members of the victim’s family, ex-boyfriends, fiancé and I even began to suspect some of Erika’s associates and superiors. This made for quite a twisty novel for me, trying to figure out the identity of the killer, which took me to nearly the end of the story.My Final Verdict: Overall, this was a very good story filled with nail-biting suspense and characters that are drawn so well that the reader can easily connect with them. I highly recommend this book and the rest of the series to readers who enjoy multi-layers of suspense and intrigue, like to be shocked at the outcome and appreciate that a talented author can cross genre lines and do so quite well.

This review was first published at M's Bookshelf - [...]I must say I was more than just a little surprised when I found out Robert Bryndza's next novel would be a crime thriller. Colourful as Coco Pinchard and her adventures may be, they couldn't be more different than Erika Foster's life. What didn't surprise me however, is that I enjoyed Robert's first thriller just as much as his previous books - maybe even more!Erika Foster is a complex character and not always easy to relate to, so it took me a while to warm up to her. She's incredibly stubborn and very impulsive. Much to the frustration of those around her. I love a strong female character though and Erika turned out to be a brilliant one. There's definitely a lot more about her and her story than those details we learned in this book, which makes me all the more excited that she'll get at least one other starring role ;-) So we won't just be treated to at least one other crime thriller from Robert Bryndza, we get to see tough DCI Foster again! Win-Win!The Girl In The Ice is a great crime mystery with lots of shady characters and full of twists and turns. Robert really takes his time and the progression of the investigation feels natural - however excited you may be as a reader to solve the case and rush things along. A few times we get a glimpse of the killer when Robert switches to the killer's perspective. Not only does this make him feel more dangerous, it also heightens the tension and trepidation.I really enjoyed reading The Girl In The Ice and I can't wait for more crime thrillers by Robert Bryndza!