‘I’m not sad, I’m just nervous, going home to a house full of people, and not just people. My family,’ said Erika. ‘My sister, her husband Marek, and my nieces and nephews are staying – and they’ve decorated.’
‘There’s no need to worry about that,’ said Isaac, putting up his hand and smiling. ‘I’ve been very strict with Lenka. It’s all nice, neutral and clean.’
‘And she’s invited Igor for Christmas.’
‘Igor is cute,’ said Isaac. ‘He took his shirt off to paint your kitchen and I was impressed.’
Erika smiled.
‘We had two dates and for the last few weeks he’s been visiting me in hospital, seeing me like this,’ she said, indicating her crutches. ‘I’m most excited to see George.’
‘He’s very popular with the kids,’ said Isaac. The car turned into Erika’s road, and she saw her front door had been painted, and a Christmas tree sat in the front window.
Isaac looked over at her.
‘Erika. You’re alive. You just solved a huge case, and you have a house full of people waiting who love you. Please, give me a tiny bit of Christmas cheer.’ They came to a stop outside the house. She noticed her upstairs windows now had curtains.
‘And if you need a break from all the festivities, I’m only around the corner,’ he said with a grin. He took her hand and she gripped it hard. ‘Take a deep breath.’
‘Okay, I’m ready,’ she said. He helped her out of the car, and up the steps to the front door. Erika took another deep breath and opened the door.
‘Hi, everyone,’ she said. ‘I’m home.’
A NOTE FROM ROBERT
Writing a book is a strange mix of solitude and teamwork. Thank you to my brilliant editors, Charlotte Herscher, Robin Seavill and Tom Felton. Thank you to the skilled translators from around the world who bring my work to life. Thank you to Henry Steadman for another excellent cover. Thank you also to Jan Cramer, who brings the Erika Foster audiobook editions to life in audio.
Thank you, as ever, to Team Bryndza - or as they are now known - Raven Street Publishing. Yes, we’re now a publisher, too! Janko, Vierka, Riky, and Lola. I love you so much, and thank you for keeping me going with your love and support!
An enormous thank-you goes out to the most important people, my readers. Thank you for all of the heart-warming messages you send. When I started, you were there reading and championing my books, which is still the same today. Over the last few years, what has struck me most is just how much books bring us together. I receive messages from readers who don’t do politics, and I get messages from readers who do. The thing that warms my heart in these divisive times is that the politics of my readers may vary wildly, but you all love to read the same books, and that makes me think that we aren’t so different after all. I love reading because books open doors to a different world, and everyone is welcome.
And finally, I always write about word-of-mouth, but it is the most potent form of advertising. If you loved this book or any of my others, please tell your friends, family, colleagues, neighbours, etc.
As I always say, there are many more books to come! Next up, there will be another Kate Marshall, Erika Foster, and some other exciting things. I hope you stay with me for the ride!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Robert Bryndza is best known for his page-turning crime and thriller novels, which have sold over five million copies.
His crime debut, The Girl in the Ice was released in February 2016, introducing Detective Chief Inspector Erika Foster. Within five months it sold one million copies, reaching number one in the Amazon UK, USA and Australian charts. To date, The Girl in the Ice has sold over 1.5 million copies in the English language and has been sold into translation in 29 countries. It was nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award for Mystery & Thriller （2016）， the Grand prix des lectrices de Elle in France （2018）， and it won two reader voted awards, The Thrillzone Awards best debut thriller in The Netherlands （2018） and The Dead Good Papercut Award for best page turner at the Harrogate Crime Festival （2016）。
Robert has released a further five novels in the Erika Foster series, The Night Stalker, Dark Water, Last Breath, Cold Blood and Deadly Secrets, all of which have been global bestsellers, and in 2017 Last Breath was a Goodreads Choice Award nominee for Mystery and Thriller.
Most recently, Robert created a new crime thriller series based around the central character Kate Marshall, a police officer turned private detective. The first book, Nine Elms, was an Amazon USA #1 bestseller and an Amazon UK top five bestseller, and the series has been sold into translation in 18 countries. The second book in the series is the global bestselling, Shadow Sands and the third book is Darkness Falls.