Well constructed layered plot with an unexpected twist at the end.

We are unexpectedly introduced to the serial killer early in the novel. He sees himself as exacting revenge for various beatings he has suffered throughout his life from bullies and homophobes because of his sexuality. But Tom leads a double life and only towards the end of the story do we learn his real identity. By then he has been responsible for the deaths of a number of young men who have vanished without trace.

But the story begins with a cold case - a young female journalist who disappeared after work, whose mother is looking for closure. The police have declared her disappearance a cold case and have handed all their files over to the family to be shared with an investigator. As they begin to go through the papers and boxes Kate and her partner Tristan come across some names and a phone number that the police do not seem to have followed up on.

As Kate says several times, she and Tristan have nothing else to occupy them or distract them, whereas for the police this was just one case among hundreds. So following leads is really important to them, although I found the detail that many of their contacts remembered quite surprising. Also was their willingness to share information with private investigators.

A good story. This series is recommended. ( )

Feels Like Coming Home
I have read many books by Robert Bryndza and I can say that it always feels like a homecoming. I need to start by praising his Girl in the Ice series because it is one I think everyone should read. However, I must admit, the more I read from the Kate Marshall series, the more I am enjoying it. Book three now and it is fair to say we have seen our protagonist go on one hell of a journey so far. After the loss of her best friend and neighbor, Kate has thrown herself into her private investigation business full time - well with the small distraction of a bunch of holiday caravans to manage on the side. It's not been the big earner she may have liked but her latest case, a request to look into the disappearance of a young journalist many years before, looks set to be a really busy one, something she can finally sink her teeth into. Now as readers, we know far more of what is happening than Kate and her partner in crime solving, Tristan, but. whilst we may know the what, we most certainly have no clue as to the who or the why.

What I love about Robert Bryndza's writing is his ability to create an overwhelming sense of mystery from the start, something he does spectacularly in this book. It keeps you on your toes and keeps you turning pages way past your bedtime. Even though I did not have all the pieces I knew that something big and important to the plot was coming. The who done it aspect was fun, as was the character development and the chapters written from the aggressors point of view.

Did I have an inkling part way through the book as to who the bad guy might be? Honestly ... yes, but that for me was half the fun, powering through to the end to see if I was right. It didn't impact on my enjoyment of the book in the slightest, it drew me in more.

Pace in the book is spot on, with the flow of the narrative ebbing and flowing much as the investigation does.This was another top class, mystery laden read that had me powering through the pages. With brilliant characterisation, tension oozing from the pages and writing which really evokes emotion and the stark contrasts of the setting, it's definitely recommended. Fans of the series and of the author's writing will eat it up. ( )

Robert Bryndza never fails to create a book that doesn’t draw you in and make the outside world disappear!
The first book in the series, Nine Elms is still one favourite books and it is set pretty much in my own back yard so I know of the places he brings to life. Fortunately it is a lot quieter than in the books!
Since that book I have eagerly awaited each new book in this series and all of them are really well written with both characters and places coming alive across the pages!
I purchased Nine Elms in hardback and then lent it to a friend and she is now as hooked on this series as I am and has brought herself all 3 of the series so far!
Even though they are a series you don’t have to read the other’s to read this one, it works as a stand-alone and still enjoy it, but the other’s are so good if you haven’t already read them then I highly recommend you do. ( )

Kate Marshall's life has changed since readers last saw her in Shadow Sands. It is May 2015, and eighteen months have passed since the sudden death of Kate's dear friend of nine years and Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor, Myra. It was a shock when Kate learned that Myra willed her both her business and her home, which Kate now uses as an office, on the condition that she quit her job as a lecturer in criminology at Ashdean University and launch her own detective agency. Nine months ago, in partnership with Tristan, her former assistant, they launched the business.

As the story opens, Kate is contacted by Bev Ellis, who explains that her daughter, Joanna, then twenty-eight years old, disappeared in September 2002 -- "just vanished into thin air." Two months ago, Bev begun cohabiting with her partner of nearly thirty years, Bill, the wealthy owner of a company that provides building materials for large road construction projects and a collector of fine art. Bev has just been notified that the police are deeming the case "inactive" and ceasing their efforts to locate Joanna. She needs answers about her daughter's fate. She knows that Joanna is most likely dead, but implores Kate to do what the police have given up on accomplishing: finding Joanna's body so that Bev can lay her to rest. Bev is tired of being patronized by male officers, and convinced that Joanna was the victim of foul play. She was an up-and-coming investigative journalist for a local newspaper with dreams of landing a job in London with a major publication and had recently married Fred, who was not a suspect in her disappearance because local villagers confirmed his alibi. Fred apparently thwarted her career ambitions by refusing to consider a move to London. Six months before Joanna vanished, she published an exposé on Noah Huntley, a local member of Parliament who was accepting bribes in exchange for awarding council contracts. After the story was carried by the national press, Huntley lost his seat in a special election. Joanna's car was found in the parking structure near the newspaper's office, her phone underneath the vehicle. It was powered off and bore no fingerprints -- not even Joanna's. Her laptop computer and notebooks were never located. Her editor confirmed that she was not working on any particularly controversial stories that might have placed her in danger, and her husband insists she had no enemies. Vague notes about them were found in the files removed from her desk.

Kate and Tristan are shocked to learn that Bill has managed to procure twenty boxes of materials that make up the official police file. Bilo produces a letter from the police superintendent thanking him for supporting a benevolence fund and confirming that the files have been loaned to him for three months. Kate's contacts in the police department and knowledge of forensics, coupled with witness statements, the timeline put together by the investigating officers, and the other materials contained in the official file convince her to take the case. She and Tristan take custody of the files, and get busy scanning and analyzing the voluminous documentation. They quickly uncover many salient details that Bev omitted during their meeting with her. And a photograph establishing that Joanna met with Huntly two weeks before she went missing. Huntley claimed that Joanna requested the meeting because she was applying for a job with the Daily Mail and Huntley was a member of the board of directors. She allegedly sought him out to ensure that he would not torpedo her chance to secure the job. Kate and Tristan soon discover that there were more angles to Joanna's investigation of Huntley than were included in her published exposé, including misappropriation of public funds and encounters with male prostitutes.

A note in Joanna's handwriting references David Lamb, who disappeared in 1999 at the age of nineteen, and Gabe Kemp, who went missing in 2001. Both had "no fixed abode." As the investigation proceeds, it encompasses a quest to determine their fate, as well as Joanna's. Both may have been "rent boys," a British term for male prostitutes, and the search takes decidedly dark turns. Bryndza intersperses chapters focused on Tom, who meets Hayden Oakley at Brewer's Arms, a small gay bar. Tom is a businessman who buys Hayden expensive drinks, as Hayden plans to lace his drink with Rohypnol. But Tom is a step ahead of Hayden, who realizes too late that he has been outwitted and is in danger. But who is Tom? Is there a connection between him, Joanna, and the two missing young men? And why didn't the police perform a thorough background check on Bill and his business interests? Could Joanna have been on the trail of serial killer?

Darkness Falls is a straight-forward examination of Kate and Tristan's efforts to solve a case that seems to become exponentially more complex with each discovery of relevant evidence. Readers have come to expect intricately plotted and inventive mysteries from Bryndza, and Darkness Falls further cements his reputation as a clever storyteller. In the first two volumes of the series, Nine Elms and Shadow Sands, Bryndza introduced Kate and Tristan, and focused on their personal lives, revealing Kate's history on the police force and the details of her unfortunate relationships with Peter Conway, a psychopathic serial killer, as well as her ongoing struggle to maintain her sobriety and maintain a healthy relationship with her son, Jake. Like every recovering alcoholic, Kate resists the urge to drink one day at a time, attending meetings but declining to enlist a sponsor to take Myra's place. Her guilt about the times when she lost the trust of those she loves most, especially Jake, inspires her to remain sober. And she now juggles her responsibility to operate the caravan park and surf shop that she inherited from Myra with the demands of the fledgling detective agency. Bryndza further develops Kate and Tristan's relationship. Tristan has a complicated relationship with his sister, and struggles to confidently live life on his own terms. He and Kate are loyal, supportive friends, and their interactions and dialogue are believable and endearing. But the focus in Darkness Falls is squarely on the methodical investigation Kate and Tristan conduct in their quest to find answers for a mother who has been grieving the loss of her daughter for more than twelve years and desperately wants resolution and, if possible, peace.

Bryndza has crafter another richly atmospheric and unpredictable mystery, populated with a strong cast of intriguing and often nefarious supporting characters. He expertly alternates the storyline relating Kate and Tristan's efforts with the horrific behavior of Tom, keeping readers guessing as to how the two might possibly intersect and lead to the discovery of Joanna's remains. It's an engrossing tale with a satisfying conclusion that leaves readers clamoring for the next installment in Bryndza's absorbing and entertaining series.

Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book. ( )

Zoals verwacht weer een heerlijk boek van Robert Bryndza met Kate Marshall en Tristan Harper als privédetectives. Hun eerste geval is die van Joanna Duncan die 12 jaar daarvoor spoorloos is verdwenen, vlak nadat ze een politicus heeft ontmaskerd. Kate en Tristan worden ingeschakeld door de moeder van Joanna, Bev en haar partner Bill.
Ze sporen alle betrokkenen op en gaan met hen praten en ontdekken zo nog meer verdwijningen in het zelfde circuit als waar de politicus zijn vrije tijd doorbracht. Zo vinden ze langzamerhand alle stukjes van de puzzel.
Een onverwachte twist aan het einde is een mooie afsluiter. ( )