Monday, August 28, 2017

Review: The Girl In The Ice (Detective Erika Foster #1)


Author: Robert Bryndza
Started reading: August 18th 2017
Finished the book: August 22nd 2017
Pages: 396
Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Crime
Published: February 12th 2016
Source: Kindle
Goodreads score: 3.95
My score:
Synopsis
When a young boy discovers the body of a woman beneath a thick sheet of ice in a South London park, Detective Erika Foster is called in to lead the murder investigation.

The victim, a beautiful young socialite, appeared to have the perfect life. Yet when Erika begins to dig deeper, she starts to connect the dots between the murder and the killings of three prostitutes, all found strangled, hands bound and dumped in water around London.

What dark secrets is the girl in the ice hiding?




My thoughts
Have to be honest here; I did not read this book because I was so curious and excited to read it. I actually had to "fill my cart" in an online bookshop and this one was like.. 1 Euro and I added it. In the meantime a buddy read with Mareli from Mareli Talk Ink was made! We decided to read the book and to both post our reviews today, Monday the 28th!
It's so much fun to read another persons thoughts on a book that you just finished! I hope to do something like this again. Thanks to Mareli, for doing this together! Go over to her blog to read her opinion!
Overall I liked this book and it's a good start to a new series with an interesting main character. Robert Bryndza shows he can create an intriguing plot with a lot of mystery, suspense and lies!

Pros
  • Unknown parts of the job: Most Mystery/Thriller/Crime books show you the gross parts, the scary parts, the dangerous parts of the job as a Detective. What I liked about this book is that it also shows some of the unknown parts that most books skip. For example; identification of the body, press conference and the funeral for the murder victim. I've not read a lot of books in this genre that contain these scenes in detail.
  • Not that easy: I learned that it's not that easy to solve a murder. In most of the books that I read in this genre, the murders are all solved and it seems not that hard. I thought by myself; Maybe I can be a Detective if I quit teaching one day. This book showed me it's not that easy at all. When all the lines are dead and all the leads end in nothing... What do you do as a Detective? I liked this different take on the job!
  • Suspecting everyone: At one part in this book I was seriously expecting everyone. A lot of characters have big secrets, a lot have little secrets and a lot of the suspects are not cooperative towards the police at all. I love it when I suspect everyone and have no clue who could be the killer! That's what makes a book a real Mystery...
Cons
  • No fear for main character: With series like this, there is 1 problem; you never fear for the main character. When the series is called Detective Erika Foster, you know Detective Erika Foster is not going to die in the books because the series wouldn't be about Detective Erika Foster anymore. There are a lot more books like this out there and I just know, because I read a lot of those books, that this woman is not going to die or anything. I just simply don't fear for her anymore because the series bear her name... Does this make sense?
  • All the cat-sweaters?! I LOVE CATS. But dayum... What's up with all the freaky, creepy cat-sweaters? It did not make sense, it didn't really add anything to the certain character, except that she likes cats. I like cats too but I don't wear a different sweater with a cat on it every day... I did not get this part of the story at all...
Overall
This year I pledged that I would finish book series and that I wouldn't start new ones.. So here you are, I just read the first book of a new series! Just can't help it. I will definitely read the other books in this series. I liked Erika Foster, she has her own opinion and does not hide it. I like her as a Detective but also as a human being. Can't tell you when I'll read the second book; So many books so little time!

Other opinions about this book
"A non-stop, edge-of-your-seat, roller coaster of a thriller! The ending, oh the ending! My mind is still blown! This book does not disappoint!"
- The Book Addicted Boy

"An intriguing web of lies, secrets and suspense. I really enjoyed getting to know DCI Foster and Am already looking forward to the next book."
- Mel Sherratt

"Hands-down, one of the most exciting, dramatic, tense and compelling thrillers that I think I have ever read."
- Bookaholic Confessions

Memorable quotes from this book
"'You're going up against powerful people here, and the odds are not in your favour.'
'Sounds very Hunger Games...'"

What's your opinion on naming bookseries after a certain character?

  
The book is only 0,99 on bol.com right now!