Book Review: The Girl in the Ice

Synopsis:

Her eyes are wide open. Her lips parted as if to speak. Her dead body lies frozen in the ice.

She is not the only one.

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 digs deeper, she connects the dots between the murder and the killings of three prostitutes, all found strangled with their hands bound, and dumped in water around London.

What dark secrets is the girl in the ice hiding?

As Erika inches closer to the truth, the killer is closing in on Erika.

The last investigation Erika led went badly wrong, resulting in the death of her husband. With her career hanging by a thread, Erika must now battle her own personal demons, as well as a killer more deadly than any she’s faced before.

Will she get to him before he strikes again?

Review:

The Girl in the Ice is the first installment in author Robert Bryndza’s Erika Foster series. Subsequent volumes include The Night Stalker and Dark Water.

The Girl in the Ice starts with a unique, creative premise and quickly develops into a thoroughly intriguing mystery that is not for the squeamish. And Bryndza skillfully keeps readers guessing right up to the end.

When the body of a young woman is discovered beneath a thick layer of in a South London park, Detective Erika Foster is tapped to lead the investigation. But Foster has been out of commission recently following the death of her husband and four other officers. While executing a search, things went tragically wrong. Foster is not only mourning the love of her life. She blames herself, is struggling to learn how to move on with her career and personal life. Her colleagues are aware, of course, of her personal and professional circumstances, and the investigation puts everything on the line for Foster.

The victim is a young socialite from a wealthy and politically powerful family. Why she would have been in the neighborhood where her body was discovered is only the first question Foster is determined to answer. Soon, she finds links to three other unsolved murders. The victims were specifically targeted by someone who does not want Foster to find the killer(s).

Bryndza leads readers through the fast-paced, multi-layered investigation during which Foster bucks both the direct orders of her superiors and her own inner demons. At the same time, she strives to respect and follow the clues she discovered as a result of both her finely honed investigative instincts and the kind of intuition that is only developed through extensive experience. Along the way, she manages to stir up the media, police brass, politicians . . . and eventually track the killer.

Bryndza also infuses the story with a wide variety of colorful, quirky supporting characters who keep the story interesting. He injects enough clues at expertly-timed junctures to compel readers onward without spoiling the surprising conclusion.

The Girl in the Ice is an engrossing and emotionally resonant start to a promising new thriller series.