Kate Marshall was a promising young police detective when she caught the notorious Nine Elms serial killer. But her greatest victory turned into a nightmare. Fifteen years after those catastrophic events, a copycat killer has taken up the Nine Elms mantle.
The build-up to the (all but inevitable) finale grows increasingly intense as Conway and his successor circle closer to one another. Bryndza offers some truly chilling moments that underscore the darkness and depravity of human nature (as well as some quieter ones that add levity). While the dynamic between the two is an obvious nod to Thomas Harris’s The Silence of the Lambs, it’s more allusion than imitation—and the resulting sense of familiarity might have the effect of lulling readers into a false sense of security. But the book’s true gravitas comes from Kate’s desire to do right by her son ... With Nine Elms, Bryndza proves that he’s got another blockbuster saga on his hands. Kate Marshall is a bona fide superstar—an appealing mix of strength and vulnerability who shows that the damage of our past doesn’t need to define us or defeat us but that it can spark our determination to be smarter, stronger, and singularly successful. That’s a hero, and a notion, worth rooting for.
Nine Elms is the first Kate Marshall thriller, and I know it won’t be a one-off. The main character has lots of baggage --- baggage of the type that readers want to see worked out because they can relate to her. Kate is tough but infinitely human ... Along with superb characters, the plotline is a rollercoaster ride that will keep your stomach churning and your head spinning. Nine Elms, quite frankly, will terrify readers.
...[a] heart-pounding series launch ...The tension rises as Kate begins a deadly cat-and-mouse game with the new killer, aided by her able assistant, and painful, long-buried memories resurface. Readers will look forward to seeing more of the complex Kate.
