The Blurb:
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. But all is not what it seems.
Sam Shephard, sole-charge police constable in Mataura, soon discovers the death was no suicide and has to face the realisation that there is a killer in town. To complicate the situation, the murdered woman was the wife of her former lover. When Sam finds herself on the list of suspects and suspended from duty, she must cast aside her personal feelings and take matters into her own hands.
To find the murderer … and clear her name.
A taut, atmospheric and page-turning thriller, Overkill marks the start of an unputdownable and unforgettable series from one of New Zealand’s finest crime writers.
Overkill was published by Orenda Books on 30th June 2018 and you can buy it from Waterstones or Amazon.
My Review:
In the small town of Mataura in New Zealand, the death of a young woman is the biggest case Sam Shephard has had to deal with. And although she does a great job by the book , she is still sidelined, and worse, when the big boys come to town. But as well as wanting to clear her own name, she wants to do right by the dead woman, and so she keeps fighting.
I loved Sam! She's a little powerhouse. She's real, believable and very likeable. But she's not nearly as tough as she tries to make out, and her emotional side often comes out. Her reactions to being suspended, and to other things that happen to her, are very real and my heart went out to her. And her lingering love for Lockie was touching and real. Been there, done that.
Maggie is marvellous! Sarcastic, funny, sensible, hugely supportive of Sam and her biggest cheerleader. She's the best friend that everyone needs. Another supporting character I developed an affection for was Cole, who tried to support everyone! But he had his own secrets...
This was a slow burner of a book. It's steadily paced, very much focusing on the story, characters and setting. Towards the end, the pace picks up as it moves towards the shocking finale. The story was sufficiently complex to hold my interest, with a few red herrings thrown in, and had clearly been well researched. But it's very much a story of people, relationships, emotions and trust, all wrapped up in the life of a small town. I'm really looking forward to the next book!
The Author:
Vanda Symon is a crime writer, TV presenter and radio host from Dunedin, New Zealand, and the chair of the Otago Southland branch of the New Zealand Society of Authors. The Sam Shephard series has climbed to number one on the New Zealand bestseller list, and also been shortlisted for the Ngaio Marsh Award for best crime novel. She currently lives in Dunedin, with her husband and two sons.
Join me tomorrow for my review of the second Sam Shephard book, The Ringmaster.
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