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  • The Girl in the Ice

  • Detective Erika Foster Crime Thriller, Book 1
  • By: Robert Bryndza
  • Narrated by: Jan Cramer
  • Length: 10 hrs and 1 min
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (1,706 ratings)
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The Girl in the Ice cover art

The Girl in the Ice

By: Robert Bryndza
Narrated by: Jan Cramer
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Summary

Her eyes are wide open. Her lips parted as if to speak. Her dead body frozen in the ice...She is not the only one.

When a young boy discovers the body of a woman beneath a thick sheet of ice in a South London park, Detective Erika Foster is called in to lead the murder investigation.

The victim, a beautiful young socialite, appeared to have the perfect life. Yet when Erika begins to dig deeper, she starts to connect the dots between the murder and the killings of three prostitutes, all found strangled, hands bound, and dumped in water around London.

What dark secrets is the girl in the ice hiding?

As Erika inches closer to uncovering the truth, the killer is closing in on Erika.

The last investigation Erika led went badly wrong...resulting in the death of her husband. With her career hanging by a thread, Erika must now battle her own personal demons as well as a killer more deadly than any she's faced before. But will she get to him before he strikes again?

A pause-resisting thriller packed with suspense. If you like Angela Marsons, Rachel Abbott, and Karin Slaughter, discover Rob Bryndza's new series today.

©2016 Robert Bryndza (P)2016 Bookouture

What listeners say about The Girl in the Ice

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Heart-pounding!

What did you like best about this story?

What a killer start to a novel! Heart-pounding, tense, and horrifying, it had me on the edge of my seat. And from that moment, I was hooked.
The author, Robert Bryndza, has created a fabulous cast of characters. The title of this novel, The Girl In The Ice, could as much be about the main character in this book as it is about the remains found in a frozen lake. DCI Erika Foster initially comes across as a cold woman – strong, feisty, but with little warmth. As the story proceeds, her heartbreaking back story is revealed, as is the vulnerability beneath her exterior. The more people, including colleagues, try to stop her from getting to the truth, the more determined she becomes, and the more I warmed to her. The author was incredibly clever the way he had ‘frozen’ Erika slowly thawing and coming alive again after everything that she had endured.
It did annoy me a bit, though, that Erika seems to find herself helpless and in need of rescuing several times along the way. It made me feel as if the book was paying lip service to having a strong female lead, but in reality she was just another damsel in distress. Hopefully, this minor criticism will be tackled in the next book though – one I’m very much looking forward to reading.
With so many possible suspects, I was kept guessing all the way through. There are section from the killer’s point of view, which I particularly enjoyed, and they really had me guessing. As the pieces of the puzzle were pulled together, the chapters became more and more tense. I listened to this on audiobook, rather than read it, and found myself wandering around the house with my kindle, unable to put it down because I was desperate to know how it would end. That’s the sign of a brilliant crime novel – and that’s exactly what The Girl In The Ice is.

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23 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

First class police procedural

I've made some bad choices recently with my purchases so it's a great relief to find a book that ticks all the boxes for me. Great story, interesting lead characters and a wonderful narrator. Looking forward to book 2.

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22 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Superb....I couldn't put it down

If you could sum up The Girl in the Ice in three words, what would they be?

Gripping, intense, excellent!!

What other book might you compare The Girl in the Ice to, and why?

If you enjoy Peter James' Roy Grace series, or Angela Marsons Kim Stone Series you will love this book.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

This book grips you from the start and all the way through, i read it in 3 days! i couldnt put it down

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

If i had the time, i would of definitely read this book in one sitting, but as it was, it took me just 3 days to read.

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed this book immensely, the main characters have their own back story, which i hope will be delved in to more as the series continues. The narration was varied and exciting, and not monotone like many other narrators out there. the story had me gripped from beginning to end and i am looking forward to reading the next installment of the Erica Foster Series.

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Just another British police murder mystery

So I'm giving this review three stars as I did finish the audiobook and enjoyed it to a certain extent. However, I felt the plot was slow paced and quite predictable, the other main issue I had was the characters didn't seem that believable or to have that much depth to them. The ones whom aren't on the main characters side to me weren't believable in their negativity. Further to this I found the performance of the reader in parts where characters were speaking to sometimes either get on my nerves or be poorly acted not portraying my view of the characters. I give the audiobook 3 stars as I did enjoy the story and it was a mystery until the end, however I really don't understand the rave reviews this book has been getting as it's essentially just your everyday British police murder mystery

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

5 stars book?!? What am I missing?

Would you try another book written by Robert Bryndza or narrated by Jan Cramer?

I probably would not. I just about made it through this one. Although I might give Mr Bryndza another try at somme point. He is a new author and deserves a break.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Jan Cramer tries her best but even the best narrator can’t work magic if the book is poor. Also her Eastern European accents sounded awful, at least to my Czech ears.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Girl in the Ice?

The book is about 3 hours too long. Many scenes are just stretched forever without adding anything to the overall narrative.

Any additional comments?

I was put off by the title. In today’s world of crime fiction, it’s almost a prerequisite to have the word “girl” in the title. The glowing 5 stars reviews from my fellow audio listeners persuaded me to give it a go. But now I am totally puzzled, did we listen to the same book?

The main character is just one big cliche. She is a maverick cop with emotional issues due to the tragic events in her past. Right! (The only surprise here is that Erika hasn’t got a drinking problem.) She is rude, she is reckless and she doesn't "do politics". (Yet somehow she still managed to rise to the rank of a DCI.) Right! And it just continues throughout the book: she fights with her boss; she is unfairly suspended; she doesn't follow the most basic police procedures because "she has a hunch"; she almost gets herself killed …… oh boy.

I think there is a good book somewhere in this mess but the final output falls short on so many levels. To be fair I don’t blame Mr Bryndza, he is a first time author who has a great potential. It’s the publisher's fault for not providing more support and editing guidance.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fast-Paced, Gripping & a Great Start to the Series

I was thrilled to be offered the chance to review the audio version of this novel. I listen to a lot of audio books but I don’t usually review them, this is the first! I find it easy to follow audio books but have to admit that I’ve never listened to a crime/thriller novel before as I worried it would be harder to keep track of the characters.

I loved listening to this novel. The narrater, Jan Cramer, has done a brilliant job of bringing great characters to life. She does a different voice for each character and this made the novel so easy to follow, I soon knew which voice belonged to which character and could relax and enjoy listening to the novel.

The novel as a whole is great – it kept me engrossed and I found that when I stopped listening for the day I was couldn’t wait to get back to it. I found Erika Foster really interesting as a character and although she falls into the trope of troubled detective to a degree, it didn’t feel like a stereotype. Her character, and what she had been through, felt completely believable and the way she was coping felt very realistic and that was a refreshing change from a lot of crime/detective novels.

I found the whodunnit element very good too – I only worked out who the killer was shortly before it was revealed and I think that was the point the reader is supposed to realise. I loved that I hadn’t been able to work out who it was earlier – I had my suspicions at various points in the book but I wasn’t sure.

The novel itself is a brilliant start to a new series and I’ll absolutely by buying the next book. I’ll also definitely look out for audio books narrated by Jan Cramer in the future.

If anyone reading this review has never listened to an audio book before or, like me, was put off listening to a crime novel in case it’s harder to follow as an audio book then please consider this one. The characters are so well written that you can tell them apart plus Jan Cramer’s narration is such that all the voices sound different from each other so you very quickly know who’s speaking. It’s a brilliant audio book all round.

I rated this audio book 4.5 out of 5 and I’m very much looking forward to reading, or listening to, the next book in the series.

I received a complementary copy of this audiobook from Audible via the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The Girl in the Ice is published by Bookouture. It’s out now and available in ebook, paperback and audiobook formats.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars

Rubbish

I undestand the author is an experienced Chick Lit author. This is evident in this book. Poor research, hackneyed, clichéd plot with 2 dimensional cartoon characters and a large serving of sexism - fat cheery lesion, unprofessional overwrought widowed policewoman... If you are 13 and have a library of Celeb "autobiographies" then you may enjoy this, but I doubt it.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Astounding and shocking Debut.

This incredible thriller debut by Robert Bryndza is often jaw droppingly astounding and intensely clever, leading to a twisted climax that the reader will never see coming. The strong female lead is as lovable as she is unlikeable, creating a new DCI that ranks alongside Peter Jame's 'Roy Grace'. The type of thriller that one picks up and after the first chapter, finds that it's almost impossible to put down. The audible companion is cleverly and effortlessly narrated by the talented Jan Cramer, who manages to further enhance the intricate and intriguing characters with her brilliant and wonderful tone. This book is a definite must read to add to your thrilling collection. I for one, couldn't recommend this powerful and clever story highly enough.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Mmmmm

It was ok. That's the best I can say really! Nothing v new or original and I got really fed up with Erika disobeying her senior officers on practically every page and getting away with it every time. Sorry but this Maverick cop going her own way and coming good against the odds is just a bit tired now.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Such a terrible book!

I just about managed to get through this book by sheer will. I simply do not understand the 5 star reviews.

I have listened to many crime/police thrillers and this is amateur at best. I think any real police officer would be genuinely offended by the portrayal of the bumbling detectives in this story.

The main character is so annoying and this is not helped by the awful narration. Erika foster is supposed to be Slovak but apparently has a Northern accent after living in Manchester for a few years. She leaps from disaster to disaster leaving the reader just wishing the murderer would just catch up with her and put us all out of our misery. The narrator sounds either bored or just aggressive all the time. I

This leads me to the character of the murderer... errggh, he is continually referred to as ‘The Figure’. Such weak writing.

One of the most cringe-worthy lines being ‘brown tress with bear trees’ - not sure if this was a narration mistake or just bad editing/writing.

The way the detective reaches her conclusions is just bizarre. Oohh Linda loves cats.. maybe she’s a copycat!? WHAT???

This book is poorly written, with frustrating characters. Save your time and don’t bother.

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5 people found this helpful