Q&A between Rob Bryndza and his narrator, Jan Cramer - Blog Tour

I'm delighted to welcome to my blog, not only Rob Bryndza, author of the Erika Foster series that I have been enjoying, but also of the Coco Princhard series that I am eager to read whenever I find the time... but also his audio book narrator Jan Cramer, who he is interviewing today.

Hello Jan, thank you for being part of the Coco Pinchard Box Set blog tour. I’m sure that many readers and listeners know and love your narration for my Erika Foster crime thriller audiobooks. They may not know that you also narrate the audiobooks in the Coco Pinchard series. Who was your favourite character to play?

It has to be Ethel. She has all the best lines, is such a character and has a heart of gold. When I first read the book I laughed out loud, and then I found I was still laughing during the recording. If you kept my giggles in, the audiobook would have been twice as long.

You trained as an actor at The Central School of Speech and Drama in London, and you are now much in demand as a voice over artist and audiobook narrator. Did you always want to pursue this particular area of work?

When I was at Drama School it was very much theatre based training and that’s where I’ve spent most of my career. But I also did a lot of radio drama and that has informed my voice over and audiobook work as I see an audiobook as a radio play with me playing all the parts. The world of audiobooks has expanded in the Uk over the past 5 years or so, and its opened a whole new world of possibilities. I love it

 With the advent of digital, audiobooks have no restrictions on length. The average being 8 -10 hours. How long does it take to record an audiobook? Do you do it all in one go, or over several days?

It takes about 3 or 4 days in a studio reading in say 3, 2 hour sessions each day. It’s very disciplined. No tea or coffee, just lots of water to drink (and a banana if my tummy rumbles). Apples are also good for the sound as the pectin helps take any mouth clicks away. Microphones pick up everything!!

I get very involved in my books and having read them a couple of times before the studio session, making copious notes, I then live and breathe each book until its finished.

If you narrate a book with a huge cast of characters, do you find it easy to remember all the different accents? And how do you decide on an accent for a particular character?

If I ‘m continuing a series like Coco Pinchard or Erika Foster, I listen back to precious recordings before I start just to make sure the characters are consistent. Once I’m back in that world then it all comes flooding back and I’m ready to go.

A voice doesn’t exist with a person. Therefore, I see every character as a three-dimensional living being, and that’s what informs the choice of voice. The listener may not see them as I do, but every one of them is real to me.

Is there a book out there you would love to narrate – if you like, your fantasy narration?

I was over the moon when asked last year to narrate E M Forsters A Room With a View.  A classic with brilliant prose and wonderful characters. Narrator heaven. But I do also love good contemporary writing, with hopefully someone to make me giggle. 

Thank you so much Jan and Rob for that fabulous interview.

The Coco Pinchard Boxset: 5 bestselling romantic comedies in one! 

Amazon UK

For the first time, all 5 books in Robert Bryndza's bestselling Coco Pinchard romantic comedy series are available in one! And this box set includes a new introduction by the author.

Book 1: The Not So Secret Emails of Coco Pinchard

If you enjoyed flipping through Bridget Jones's diary, you'll love perusing Coco Pinchard's emails! Coco confides in her quirky, supportive friends as she deals with her life falling apart. Read the emails that tell the heart warming and often hilarious tale of Coco picking up the pieces, in this fun, feel-good Romantic Comedy. 

Book 2: Coco Pinchard's Big Fat Tipsy Wedding

Coco thinks she's on the road to happily ever after with Adam, until he inexplicably breaks up with her. Will one mistake cost them their whole future? Coco sets out to discover what has really happened, and uncovers a shocking secret Adam has been hiding from her... Full of hilarious twists and turns, Coco Pinchard's Big Fat Tipsy Wedding is a witty, heart-warming, romantic comedy - the stand-alone sequel to no.1 bestselling, The Not So Secret Emails of Coco Pinchard. 

Book 3: Coco Pinchard, the Consequences of Love and Sex

Coco Pinchard has a great life, a bestselling memoir, and a handsome second husband. Things are going exactly as planned -- until her adult son runs into disaster, her ex's mother butts back into her life, and she finds out she's pregnant! Maybe life is more fun if you throw your plans out the window... The third book in Robert Bryndza's bestselling Coco Pinchard series (which can also be enjoyed as a stand-alone story) is a hilarious diary with Coco's trademark wit and honesty, tracing the raging hormones and extraordinary twists that take her to motherhood for the second time. 

Book 4: A Very Coco Christmas

It's 1985, and eighteen-year-old Coco Pinchard is home for Christmas after her first term at University. She's fallen hopelessly in love with Daniel Pinchard, but Coco's mother wants her to be with Kenneth, the son of posh friends Adrian and Yvonne Rosebury, who will be joining them for Christmas.

As snow falls softly over the city, and Coco tries to juggle a series of hilarious events, the stage is set for a Christmas lunch like no other. A Very Coco Christmas is a delicious, stand-alone prequel short story to Robert Bryndza's smash-hit Coco Pinchard series.

Book 5: Coco Pinchard's Must-Have Toy Story

A sparkling feel-good comedy, which asks the question - how far would you go to get your child the must-have Christmas toy? 

It's December 1992, and children are going crazy for the Tracy Island toy - almost as crazy as the parents! Christmas day is fast approaching and Coco Pinchard is desperately trying to track one down for her four-year-old son Rosencrantz. 

From dodgy dealings in a motorway lay-by, to extreme shopping in Hamley's with a Sylvanian Families fanatic, to having a go at the Blue Peter make-your-own Tracy Island, Coco tries everything in the hope that four-year-old Rosencrantz will open his must-have toy on Christmas morning.

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For the duration of the blog tour, the box set is at these special prices

Amazon UK 99p

Amazon USA $1.99

Amazon AU $0.99

Amazon EU stores €0.99

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

Author bio: 

Robert Bryndza is the author of the international #1 bestseller The Girl in the Ice, which is the first in his Detective Erika Foster series. It has sold over one million copies.

The Night Stalker, Dark Water, Last Breath and Cold Blood are the second, third, fourth and fifth books in the series. The sixth book, Deadly Secrets, has just been published.

Robert's books have sold over 2.5 million copies and have been translated into 28 languages.

In addition to writing crime fiction, Robert has published a bestselling series of romantic comedy novels. He is British and lives in Slovakia.

You can find out more about the author at www.robertbryndza.com and on Twitter and Instagram @RobertBryndza

Sign up to Robert Bryndza‘s New Release Mailing List here: http://eepurl.com/UITxz

Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bryndzarobert

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5763380.Robert_Bryndza

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RobertBryndza

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robertbryndza/

website: www.robertbryndza.com

Book Review - Cold Blood by Robert Bryndza - #HolidayReading Book 14

Book 14 of 30 that I read on my holiday to Fuerteventura in December 2017

Amazon UK

Title: Cold Blood

Author: Robert Bryndza

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 20th September 2017

Rating: 4 Stars

The suitcase was badly rusted, and took Erika several attempts, but it yielded and sagged open as she unzipped it. Nothing could prepare her for what she would find inside…

When a battered suitcase containing the dismembered body of a young man washes up on the shore of the river Thames, Detective Erika Foster is shocked. But it’s not the first time she’s seen such a brutal murder…

Two weeks earlier, the body of a young woman was found dumped in an identical suitcase. What connects the two victims? As Erika and her team set to work, they quickly realise they are on the trail of a serial killer who has already made their next move. 

Yet just as Erika starts to make headway with the investigation, she is the target of a violent attack. Forced to recover at home, and with her personal life falling apart, everything is stacked against her, but nothing will stop Erika. 

As the body count rises, the case takes an even more twisted turn when the twin daughters of Erika’s colleague, Commander Marsh, are suddenly put in terrible jeopardy. The stakes are higher than ever before, but can Erika save the lives of two innocent children before it’s too late? She’s running out of time and about to make a disturbing discovery…there’s more than one killer. 

Brilliantly gripping, Cold Blood will have you hooked from the first page and holding your breath to the heart-stopping and shocking ending. 

Another excellent addition to the Erika Foster series. This time though the book felt quite different. 

There was as always the emphasis on Erika and how the police were dealing with trying to solve the crimes and catch the killer. 

Then at the same time we have the story as told by the villain, in a way that almost had me feeling compassion.  For various reasons this section seemed a lot fuller and larger than normal but it was an interesting story. 

I loved seeing how this series progresses and this time the crime spree was really difficult to work from, if it wasn't for the other part of the book I wouldn't have had a clue!

Full of graphic description and rather disturbing scenes, this is further progression of the larger storylines for these characters. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - Last Breath by Robert Bryndza

Amazon UK

Title:  Last Breath

Author: Robert Bryndza

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 12th April 2017

Rating: 4 Stars

He’s your perfect date. You’re his next victim.

When the tortured body of a young woman is found in a dumpster, her eyes swollen shut and her clothes soaked with blood, Detective Erika Foster is one of the first at the crime scene. The trouble is, this time, it’s not her case. 

While she fights to secure her place on the investigation team, Erika can’t help but get involved and quickly finds a link to the unsolved murder of a woman four months earlier. Dumped in a similar location, both women have identical wounds – a fatal incision to their femoral artery. 

Stalking his victims online, the killer is preying on young pretty women using a fake identity. How will Erika catch a murderer who doesn’t seem to exist? 

Then another girl is abducted while waiting for a date. Erika and her team must get to her before she becomes another dead victim, and, come face to face with a terrifyingly sadistic individual.

Gripping, tense and impossible to put down, Last Breath will have you on the edge of your seat, racing to the final dramatic page. 

Another gripping installment in the brilliant Detective Erika Foster series, one that will certainly make you think twice about what you are sharing on social media, or online dating in general. 

Really enjoyed seeing how Erika managed to get onto a case that was outside her current teams guidelines, and seeing how she is managing her career prospects. What is undeniable is she is a good detective and has strong inklings in how to deal with seemingly impossible to track down serial killers. 

I wasn't as enthralled by this case as I have been by others in the series. It was gory, but just didn't really get under my skin. May be that I did't really get a feel for the victims, nor was I really that sure just what the motivation of the villain was. 

I did enjoy seeing how the police tried to solve it, and the teams thought processes. As the book progressed, I found myself enjoying it more and more, and was completely hooked towards the end. 

I am loving the Erika Foster series, and am keen to see where it goes on from here. 

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for this copy of the book which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - Dark Water by Robert Bryndza - Back Catalogue Books

Back Catalogue Books is my new regular Saturday feature, focusing on books that are not the latest releases. There is going to be a mix of Q&As and also reviews, depending on what I have the space for. 

If you are an author wanting to take part in Back Catalogue Books then please do email on gilbster at gmail dot com and I'll whizz the questions over to you. 

I hope everyone enjoys this weekly look back at some of the slightly older books that are about but still great, and that I eventually make a dent in my TBRs as a result of it!

Can't believe how many months it has taken me to get around to reading the latest in the Erika Foster series, so long that Robert Bryndza even had another book out since!

Amazon UK

Title: Dark Water

Author: Robert Bryndza

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 20th October 2016

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Beneath the water the body sank rapidly. Above her on dry land, the nightmare was just beginning.

When Detective Erika Foster receives a tip-off that key evidence for a major narcotics case was stashed in a disused quarry on the outskirts of London, she orders for it to be searched. From the thick sludge the drugs are recovered, but so is the skeleton of a young child. 

The remains are quickly identified as seven-year-old Jessica Collins. The missing girl who made headline news twenty-six years ago. 

As Erika tries to piece together new evidence with the old, she must dig deeper and find out more about the fractured Collins family and the original detective, Amanda Baker. A woman plagued by her failure to find Jessica. Erika soon realises this is going to be one of the most complex and demanding cases she has ever taken on. 

Is the suspect someone close to home? Someone is keeping secrets. Someone who doesn’t want this case solved. And they’ll do anything to stop Erika from finding the truth. 

With each book that I read in this series, I am becoming hooked faster and faster, while enjoying each story more and more, as I learn more about the police team investigating the crimes.  It was lovely to not only see Detective Erika Foster again, but her previous partners Moss and Peterson, in addition to other recurring characters. 

What wasn't recurring of course was the crime being investigated. Erika while searching for evidence on the case she was working on, stumbles across the skeleton of a child. It turns out its of missing 7 year old Jessica Collins, who disappeared without trace twenty six years ago, and was never solved. 

Erika insists on being the SIO (Senior Investigating Officer) of this case, and re-opens the cold case with fresh eyes, and is determined to solve it, despite being told how hard it was first time around.  

I was fascinated in seeing how this case evolved, with turns I wasn't necessarily expecting, as there just wasn't huge amount of evidence at all. I was interested to see just what effect the original investigation had on the detective in charge at the time Amanda Baker, who hasn't fared well.  There were also other officers that caught my interest but not for the best of reasons. 

Dark Water can definitely be read as a standalone book in this series, however to really get a feel for the characters you may want the background in detail from the previous two which are also excellent books. 

I really enjoyed the small chapters where we could see something from a different point of view, but for the majority of the book had no idea exactly how it fitted into the story. Meant we had a bit more information than the police, but still not necessarily enough to know who committed the crime. 

You may think that the danger level will be quite low given its a cold case, but whoever it was that got away with the crime all those years ago, is determined to stay undiscovered so anyone investigating now was potentially in trouble. 

Dark Water is another thrilling addition to the Detective Erika foster series, and was another very interesting case at the heart of it. I also liked seeing some personal development from Erika, and look forward to seeing where the series goes next. 

Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - The Night Stalker by Robert Bryndza

Amazon UK

Title: The Night Stalker

Author: Robert Bryndza

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 2nd June 2016

Rating: 4 Stars 

If the Night Stalker is watching, you’re already dead… 

In the dead of a swelteringly hot summer’s night, Detective Erika Foster is called to a murder scene. The victim, a doctor, is found suffocated in bed. His wrists are bound and his eyes bulging through a clear plastic bag tied tight over his head. 

A few days later, another victim is found dead, in exactly the same circumstances. As Erika and her team start digging deeper, they discover a calculated serial killer – stalking their victims before choosing the right moment to strike. 

The victims are all single men, with very private lives. Why are their pasts shrouded in secrecy? And what links them to the killer? 

As a heat wave descends upon London, Erika will do everything to stop the Night Stalker before the body count rises, even if it means risking her job. But the victims might not be the only ones being watched… Erika’s own life could be on the line. 

DCI Erika Foster is back, in another chilling tale, with a new serial killer to catch, known in the press as The Night Stalker.  Although I really enjoyed the book, I didn't feel it was as gripping as The Girl in the Ice, possibly because the readers find out who the murderer is really early on and the motivations, and it all seemed quite understandable. 

I know I shouldn't be feeling slightly sorry for a serial killer, but in this case, I did a bit. Erika has some fabulous instincts but I wouldn't want to work in her precinct, as her colleagues seem to be very judgemental.

DCI Erika Foster reminds me a bit of Marnie Rome from Sarah Hilary's books and Kim Stone in Angela Marson's books in that she is a strong determined detective, has brilliant intuition about cases and doesn't necessarily follow all of the commands from her superiors. This may only be the second book in the series, but I feel she could have a long career ahead of her, so long as her temper doesn't get the better of her. 

The nature of the crimes aren't too violent, and there are details in the similarities between the various deaths that are interesting, and the first time I've read a book featuring that particular murder method, although what that says for the author's frame of mind I have no idea. 

If you are looking for a new crime series to get behind then this is a great choice, as I suspect it will go from strength to strength, and I look forward to reading future books in the series. 

Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for this review copy. This was my honest opinion. 

Book Review - Miss Wrong and Mr Right by Robert Bryndza - Rachel Reads Randomly Book #19

Amazon UK

Title: Miss Wrong and Mr Right

Author: Robert Bryndza

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Purchased

Publisher: Team Bryndza Books

Publication Date: 4th May 2015

Rating: 5 Stars

Natalie Love has worked hard to have it all: she runs a successful theatre in Soho that's about to host one of Hollywood's leading stars. Her biggest supporter is her eccentric Hungarian Gran, and she even has the 'perfect' yoga teacher boyfriend - Namaste!

Life in the bright lights of London has always been Natalie's escape from her chaotic country family in rural Devon and Jamie, the childhood sweetheart she left at the altar 15 years ago. And then he turns up at her theatre door...

With rivalry clouding old feelings, events in Soho bring Jamie and Natalie together in hilarious ways. Gran is loose in the city once more, it seems to be raining sandwiches and records are broken for Burlesque flash mobs. If she can keep her world together, will Natalie discover who is really Mr Right, and that perhaps she isn't Miss Wrong?

From the prologue to the past page, I found myself smiling continually at the very witty Miss Wrong and Mr Right. Robert Bryndza brings a wonderful turn of phrase to some of this characters, and Natalie's Hungarian gran is a real tonic, and one of my favourite characters. 

Natalie's gran, is written with the Hungarian accent, and some of what she comes out with will have you laughing your head off. She certainly greatly entertained me. 

The other highlight and truly fabulous storyline was between Natalie and Jamie. She leaves him at the altar when they were just 19 years old, and now 15 years later, he sets up a pop up theatre opposite the theatre that Natalie is running. 

The publicity stunts that Jamie is running to get his pop up burlesque show into the public eye are imaginative, and the way that Natalie accidentally sabotages one and the subsequent retaliations are amusing and well thought out. 

And then there is the Hollywood hunk who is playing the lead in MacBeth the new show playing at Natalie's theatre, that has issues of his own, and attracts attention everywhere he goes. 

You know how celebrities sometimes have a habit of coming up with reasonably ridiculous names for their children? Well keep your eyes out for what Micky (Natalie's sister),'s children as they have to be the "best" selection of names I've ever seen! 

There are so many good and positive things to say about this book, but rather than spend ages gushing about how amazing and brilliant it it is, I would suggest you try it for yourself. Miss Wrong and Mr Right is an excellent romantic comedy, and proves to me just how good Robert Bryndza is at not just writing crime, but also comedy. The two books I have now read by him this year, are already moving this talented author into a must read for me. 

Thank you to everyone that selected Miss Wrong and Mr Right this week. It was a clear cut vote and I was delighted with the outcome. You all have amazing taste and I can't wait to see what you pick for me to read over Easter. 

Book Review - The Girl in the Ice by Robert Bryndza

Amazon UK

Title: The Girl in the Ice

Author: Robert Bryndza

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 12th February 2016

Rating: 4.5 Stars

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? 

The Girl in the Ice is the page-turning introduction to DCI Erika Foster, and to Rob Bryndza's thriller writing career. This is a thriller that has you intrigued right from the start, and I didn't have a clue who was the murderer. 

Erika Foster works not just on evidence but also quite a lot of gut feeling. She is feisty and doesn't always do exactly what her superiors want, which can get her into a lot of trouble. Especially when it comes to investigating the murder of young woman, who comes from a wealthy family. Her father has direct connections to the police, and is determined that nothing at all unsavoury found about his family will be made public. 

During the course of the investigation, Erika discovers similarities to other cases, that for various reasons weren't investigated enough. As time progresses, and Erika starts joining the dots, even if the rest of her team aren't convinced, it becomes apparent that the killer is fascinated by Erika. 

I was very impressed with this story, and loved seeing how this branch of the police dealt with a murder. It seems to be  strong police procedural, with a thrilling element, and at points I was gasping for breath. 

Thankfully The Girl in the Ice is the first book of a brand new series, and I am already looking forward to book 2. There is a lot of depth in Erika's character, especially as her previous investigation before this one, had led to the death of her husband and other officers. Erika is clearly still dealing with that, and I can see various killers, playing on that weakness to exploit her, in the future. 

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for this review copy. This was my honest opinion.