Detective Erika Foster is back in Last Breath and Bryndza delivers another exciting crime thriller.
Book Description:
He’s your perfect date. You’re his next victim.
When the tortured body of a young woman is found in a dumpster, her eyes swollen shut and her clothes soaked with blood, Detective Erika Foster is one of the first at the crime scene. The trouble is, this time, it’s not her case.
While she fights to secure her place on the investigation team, Erika can’t help but get involved and quickly finds a link to the unsolved murder of a woman four months earlier. Dumped in a similar location, both women have identical wounds – a fatal incision to their femoral artery.
Stalking his victims online, the killer is preying on young pretty women using a fake identity. How will Erika catch a murderer who doesn’t seem to exist?
Then another girl is abducted while waiting for a date. Erika and her team must get to her before she becomes another dead victim, and, come face to face with a terrifyingly sadistic individual.
Gripping, tense and impossible to put down, Last Breath will have you on the edge of your seat, racing to the final dramatic page.
My Thoughts:
The formalities first: this is the fourth book in the Erika Foster series but yes, you can read this book as a standalone – I think of the entire series, this one can probably work best as a standalone, we don’t get so much of Erika’s personal life in this book as we did in the previous book – ‘Dark Water’ – so you don’t get that ‘left out of the loop’ feeling that often comes when you start a series a few books in. Saying that, I cannot stress enough, that you should read this entire series in order, each book is exciting and to follow the backstories of all the characters, it’s best to start with book one – ‘The Girl in the Ice.’
A chilling series of murders, young girls are being mutilated, murdered and dumped. Erika leads the team, that I have come to know and love, on the case. The plot is engaging and chilling throughout – we find out pretty early on who the killer is, but that heightened the tension because we get to see how close the team come to catching this killer, yet they just can’t come close enough.
What I really like about this book [and series] is, it has a strong plot and strong characters, one is not reliant on the other to make a good book, meaning this book holds your attention throughout, there are no dull moments. I have really enjoyed Erika’s character development throughout this series and in Last Breath, we see a new side to Erika, one that shows her in, perhaps, a more vulnerable light, while still being determined, flawed and likeable – you can’t help but root for her. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Erika is one of my favourite fictional detectives and while I really enjoyed this book, I did prefer the previous book – ‘Dark Water’ – for the simple fact that we don’t see as much of Erika’s backstory/personal life in this book. For the masses, this book has an adequate amount of ‘backstory’ but I could read an entire book, without a case, just on Erika’s personal life alone, so don’t think, you don’t get insights into her personal life here because you do – it’s just my personal preference, and me being a little Erika Foster obsessed!
There’s a note from Bryndza at the end of the book and in part of it, he asks readers what they think should happen next – do we want Erika and Peterson to settle down and live happily ever after? Should Erika’s past come back to haunt her? So, Mr Bryndza, I would love Erika and Peterson to settle down together but they both must remain working for the Murder Investigation Team, and it’s almost impossible to outrun your past so yes, Erika’s past should definitely come back to haunt her. She’s a bad-ass protagonist and I’m sure she could handle it!
This is one of my favourite crime series; I highly recommend it to fans of police procedurals and crime thrillers and I’m looking forward to book five.
This book is available to buy from: Amazon UK
*My thanks to the author (Robert Bryndza) and publisher (Bookouture) for granting me access to a digit copy of this book via Netgalley*
***
The Detective Erika Foster series in order:
#3 Dark Water
#4 Last Breath
This series is on my never ending list of books I NEED to get in my life!
Heard so many good things about this series 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes you 100% need it in your life haha, it’s sooo good!! xx
LikeLike
I might have to check this series out. I only have one crime series I follow, and that’s more for the characters than anything else. (And I’m getting tired of it.)
LikeLiked by 1 person
You should definitely check this series out, great characters and every case is exciting and chilling!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can’t believe I haven’t started this series yet! Fab review! I’m happy that every book is just as good! I need a Bookouture month to catch up!!! xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks! Ooo I’d love a Bookouture month, they publish so many good books! And of course you’d have to read this entire series as it wouldn’t be Bookouture month without DI Erika Foster 😉
LikeLike
That’s so great that he wants to know how the readers would like to see it continued! I’d have to read the book first, I’m keeping my answer for after. I like getting to know the detectives personally. I’ve only read one where it was complete devoid of any background (The Forgotten Girls) and I missed it terribly.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think I’d struggle to connect with a book if no backstory was offered, you need to see the character as a rounded, development character and I’m not sure you can do that without backstory (in police procedurals that is). I love this series and I’m so excited for book 5, but I know I’ve got a wait 😔
LikeLiked by 1 person
Awesome review Janel! I haven’t read any of these and they sound so good:( if I ever catch up on my other series I may start this one. Also want to try Angela Marson’s series as well….you’ve read both haven’t you??
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Renee! I’ve got to catch up on the Marson’s series too, I got as far as buying book one – silent scream. I don’t know when I’m going to find the time, I also want to go back and read the Henning Juul books 🙈 but I’m slowing clearing my review copies so I can focus on my own books (with the odd NG) in a few months hopefully!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m doing the same Janel. I want to spend the summer reading from my own TBR:)
LikeLiked by 1 person
The only requests I’ll probably accept are the ones on my wish-list as I’d probably end up reading them as owned-books anyways so it makes sense!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great review! I’ve only read book one, but there are so many series I want to continue!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks! I’m the same, there’s so many series I want to get caught up on! Do continue this series though, especially as you’ve still got book 3 – Dark Water, my personal fav, to read 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person