This is the second novel in the Kate Marshall series. I read the first one Nine Elms and really enjoyed it, even if it was a little gruesome. Though this book can be read as a stand alone and there is a bit of the background of what happened to Kate to lead her to leave the police force and become a lecturer in criminology, I would highly recommend that you read Nine Elms first before reading this one. That way you will be able to fully appreciate the relationship Kate has with her son and also how Kate is able to work so well with her assistant Tristan, and see their working relationship becoming ever stronger. I would say I perhaps enjoyed this second book more than the first for two reasons. Firstly it wasn’t quite so gruesome as the first book. It was thrilling, and there are some very scary moments in the book but this was more of a tense read that made you think what would I do in this situation, whereas the last one was a bit too repulsive for the faint-hearted like me. The other reason I particularly liked this book was the personal stories of both Kate and Tristan. We learn a lot about Tristan, what makes him tick, his vulnerabilities as well as his ever growing enthusiasm for digging out information and wanting to solve the mystery. Then there is Kate’s relationship with her teenage son and his revelation further into the book comes as quite a shock both to Kate and the reader. This is what I like about Robert Bryndza’s books, as well as being an excellent crime fiction writer, he also brings emotions of the characters into the story too, so that you really feel for them. Obviously not the criminals but Kate and Tristan as well as the victims. I enjoyed the plot. As mentioned in the blurb, it appears there is a serial killer at the root of missing people and bodies turning up in the bottom of the reservoir, add to that the investigating detective appears to be a bit dodgy too, but as with all mysteries and thrillers I would never have guessed ‘who dunnit’ in a month of Sundays, it came as a complete surprise to me. Brilliant story and can’t wait for the next one.

This is a brilliant read. Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start. Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable. Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously. Can't wait to read what the author brings out next. Recommend reading. I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. This is my own honest voluntary review.

I stupidly thought that you wouldn't be able to better or even come close to be as good as the first in this series "Nine Elms", which was one of my all time top reads, but I was so wrong ... Mr Bryndza has written another doozy of a book that I absolutely gobbled up. You don't have to have read the first story as this works as a stand alone BUT you really should! Once again, I was totally engrossed from the first to the last word and became totally invested in the strong characters and their stories. The pace felt spot on for me and the tension, particularly when the story is being told from the victim's side, was spine-tinglingly good. Similarly, when the story is told from the killer's point of view, there were times when I got shivers up my neck he was so cold and matter-of-fact about the terror he was inflicting on a fellow human being - it was perfect. As I've said, the characters are strong. The relationship between Kate and Tristan feels natural and genuine and I really feel for them as they go through their own struggles as if they were real people such is the strength of how they have been developed by the author. I thought it was genius to have Peter Conway (from Nine Elms) make an appearance and I hope we get to "see" more of him in subsequent books. Mr Bryndza says "there are lots more books to come, and I hope you stay with me for the ride!" ... well, I certainly will and can't wait for the next instalment. Highly recommended for readers who love dark, exciting, suspense-filled stories that despite making you feel ill at ease at times, you read on into the night. I am so grateful to Little, Brown Book Group and NetGalley for providing my advance copy in return for an honest and unbiased review.

I loved the Erika Foster novels, and now what a great series the Kate Marshall books are turning out to be. Both Kate and her sidekick Tristan are sympathetically written and believable, especially Kate with her flaws. The plot is fast paced, so much so I resented having to put it down. I hope there are going to be more books about this fascinating couple as it looks as if they are going to blossom into private detectives. I really recommend Shadow Sands and a big thank you to NetGalley and LittleBrown for an advance copy and not making me wait!

This is the second outing for Kate Marshall and Tristan. Kate finds a young man drown in a reservoir that she is diving in with her son. She had been exploring an underwater village that had been sacrificed and flooded when the reservoir had been constructed some years earlier. The young man had been a strong champion swimmer and neither Kate nor his mother believes that it was an accidental death. It isn’t long before the list of missing persons in the area grows the further back in records that they look, along with a creepy legend that the fog rolls in and takes someone as it retreats. Kate and Tristan face major opposition from the local owners of the land, who seem far too threatening towards them. When someone Kate and Tristan knows becomes the next person to go missing they are determined it won’t be dismissed so easily. Tristan is also facing his own crisis at home, where he lives with his older sister and her soon to be husband. Feeling terribly hurt he throws himself in his work with Kate and becomes even more determined to find where the missing woman could be. So many people in this story make too many judgements on others lives, drawing their own conclusions and not listening. It made me feel so terribly frustrated at such attitudes. The continuing cast of characters from the previous book seems to lift off the pages and become people of substance even more and the layers of who they are peeled back further. Kate’s dark years that followed the Nine Elms killings and Tristan’s hidden life that petrified him, terrified that he would lose his family and friends. Kate has again to face her past and accept that her son is growing up and wanting to find his own way. I must admit that I am intrigued with him myself. What a legacy he has to carry! I am loving the pairing of tutor and pupil, Kate and Tristan and already hungry to know what is next for them both. I am sure it will be dark whatever it is. I wish to thank the author and NetGalley for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.