The start of a new crime fiction series featuring former police detective, Kate Marshall. When you write something as good as this for the start of a new series all I can think is that he must have something utterly spectacular up his sleeve for book two, because after reading this one, expectations are extremely high, and with standards being set so incredibly high I can’t wait to see what’s next.

1995 and Detective Constable Kate Marshall attends the scene of another murdered young girl, the newest victim of the serial killer the press has dubbed ‘The Nine Elms Cannibal’. It will be an evening that defines the rest of her life in more ways than one as she comes face to face with the killer.

Fifteen years later and Kate is finally getting her life back on track after catching serial killer, Peter Conway, aka, The Nine Elms Cannibal. Now living on the coast in the Devon countryside and working as a university lecturer of Criminology things seem to be on the up for her, until a phone call from friend and forensic pathologist Alan Hexham brings her face to face with her past.

There is a copycat killer who calls himself ‘A Fan” on the loose, and he has other plans on top of recreating Peter’s murders, and once again Kate is pulled into the world of The Nine Elms Cannibal, only this time she may not escape with her life.

Set in Devon and areas that are local to where I live, this fictional killer is hunting in my own back yard. Not often does the area where I live make it into fictional worlds, and being in this book was a wonderful surprise, I am just thankful it is fictional as no-one would want a real life serial killer of this caliber walking the streets, let alone behind bars!

Filled with some great characters and a likeable protagonist in Kate Marshall this book has all the right ingredients for an outstanding novel, with just the right amount of gruesome delights and twists and turns, this is one hell of a page turner that had me burning the midnight oil as I read right through the night. Nine Elms being so brilliant, it’s going to be a very hard book to follow. I can’t wait for book two to see what the author takes us to next.

This is an extremely clever, entertaining and immersive read that fans of crime fiction, or even just fans of well written books will not what to miss, as cliched as that is to say! It is so good, I have read it twice! ( )

My thanks to the Author publisher's and NetGalley for providing me with a Kindle version of this book to read and honestly review.
This is an excellent start to this series, a Police procedural in some respects though our heroine has left the force, and with her able assistant becomes a P I aiding the Police in their hunt for a copycat serial killer. Absorbing clever and interesting throughout, well written with excellent characters and plenty of surprises. Be warned there are also some gruesome moments.
Recommended. ( )

In 1995, Detective Kate Marshall, after being attacked by her superior officer, Chief Inspector Peter Conway, arrested him for the serial murder of four women. Peter was labeled the Nine Elms Cannibal because he would bite his victims viciously, and he was consequently placed in an institution for the criminally insane. After the trauma and publicity connected with the case, Kate left the police force and became a university lecturer and gave birth to Peter's son from two nights she spent with him prior to his arrest.
Kate and her assistant, Tristan are called in when a copycat begins killing women in the same way that Peter did. They begin looking into the recent crimes and how they connect to the past.

Nine Elms refers to the area where Peter Conway and his copycat killed their victims. Kate is clearly very damaged as characterized by her alcoholism that is frequently referred to throughout the story. This book sets up Kate and Tristan as private investigators, and several characters seem destined to appear again, with the events near the end suggesting future stories. Overall, this is a good beginning for the series. ( )

“She knew how a knife felt. The six-inch scar on her abdomen was always the first place to feel the cold”

Wow what a read! I haven’t read a chilling psychological crime thriller like this for a long time. This took me back to the days when I first discovered the amazingly talented Mo Hayder. Nine Elms has everything you need for a gripping read: a strong, but flawed antagonist, gruesome murders, cannibalism, incest and a copycat. The perfect escape from the everyday grind!

This is one of those books that truly is a page-turner. The only disappointment was reaching the end. I’m very much looking forward to seeing how the main characters develop in the remainder of the series. I might also check-out Bryndza’s Erika Foster series. ( )

Robert Bryndza is fast becoming one of my favorite authors—first with the Erica Foster series and now with his new Kate Marshall series. Kate has had a rough life and now, even with her new teaching job, struggles with alcoholism and nightmares. She also has a teenage son, Jake, to protect from his father, Peter Conway, the serial killer who tried to kill Kate fourteen years ago. Her life is complicated and turns downright terrifying when Peter's copycat killer comes to call. Robert Bryndza is skilled at creating flawed but strong female protagonists, and he certainly hits the mark with Kate. Barely able to keep herself sober, she still manages to solve a cold case, stand up to her boss, and save those she loves from disaster. I can't wait to see what the next book has in store for her. ( )