Books by Vanda Symon

The nail-biting, thought-provoking, shocking new standalone thriller from New Zealand's Queen of Crime, Vanda Symon.

When the official investigation into the murder of a respectable local businessman fails to add up, and personal problems start to play havoc with her state of mind, New Zealand's favourite young detective Sam Shephard turns vigilante... Fast-moving New Zealand procedural ... the Edinburgh of the south has never been more deadly' Ian Rankin'If you like taut, pacy thrillers with a wonderful sense of place, this is the book for you' Liam McIlvanneyA sassy heroine, fabulous sense of place, and rip-roaring stories with a twist. Perfect curl-up-on-the-sofa reading' Kate Mosse ________________The New Zealand city of Dunedin is rocked when a wealthy and apparently respectable businessman is murdered in his luxurious home while his wife is bound and gagged, and forced to watch. But when Detective Sam Shephard and her team start investigating the case, they discover that the victim had links with some dubious characters.The case seems cut and dried, but Sam has other ideas. Weighed down by her dad's terminal cancer diagnosis, and by complications in her relationship with Paul, she needs a distraction, and launches her own investigation. And when another murder throws the official case into chaos, it's up to Sam to prove that the killer is someone no one could ever suspect... ________________Praise for the Sam Shephard seriesVanda Symon's work resembles Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series ... she knows how to tell a good story and the NZ setting adds spice' The TimesAtmospheric, emotional and gripping' Foreword ReviewsA plot that grabs the reader's attention with a heart-stopping opening and doesn't let go' Sunday TimesPowerful, coolly assured, and an absolute belter of a read' LoveReading It is Symon's copper Sam, self-deprecating and very human, who represents the writer's real achievement' GuardianFans of The Dry will love Vanda Symon' Red MagazineWith a twisty plot, a protagonist who shines and beautifully written observations of the cruellest things ... this is crime fiction at its best' Kiwi CrimeReads like the polished effort of a genre veteran. More, please' BooklistAtmospheric, gripping and incredibly satisfying' Random Things through My Letterbox

A series of shipping containers wash up on a sleepy New Zealand beach, and a spate of unexplained deaths ensues.

When the body of a young mother is found washed up on the banks of the Mataura River, a small rural community is rocked by her tragic suicide.