Expectant by Vanda Symon

I am delighted to share my review of Expectant by Vanda Simon as part of the blog tour. This is the latest entry, the first for 12 years, in the Sam Shephard series, . Many thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for the invitation and to Orenda Books for my review copy.

The Blurb

The shocking murder of a heavily pregnant woman throws the New Zealand city of Dunedin into a tailspin, and the devastating crime feels uncomfortably close to home for Detective Sam Shephard as she counts down the days to her own maternity leave.

Confined to a desk job in the department, Sam must find the missing link between this brutal crime and a string of cases involving mothers and children in the past. As the pieces start to come together and the realisation dawns that the killer’s actions are escalating, drastic measures must be taken to prevent more tragedy.

For Sam, the case becomes personal, when it becomes increasingly clear that she is no longer safe, and the clock is ticking…

Expectant is published by Orenda Books and came out on 16th February 2023.

My Review

Although this is the first Sam Shepherd for a while, here in the UK we've only had to wait a couple of years since the release of Bound, the fourth in the series. I haven't read that one but I had read the previous three, 
Overkill, The Ringmaster, Containment, and Vanda's standalone novel Faceless. With a series, I always feel you get a richer reading experience when you start at the beginning and read in order. However, I didn't feel having missed the previous book impaired my enjoyment of this one, and it works perfectly as a standalone as anything you need to know is there,or you pick it up on the way. So you'll be fine if this is your first Bands Simon read. 

In a previous review for this series I quoted Shakespeare (that doesn't happen often, I tell ya!) - 'Though she be but little, she is fierce.' This quote always comes to mind when I read Sam Shephard. She's a little pocket rocket, and doesn't let anyone walk over her. Here we find her a good bit bigger, a rocket running rather slower, as she is heavily pregnant and stuck behind a desk. But she can't help being affected by, and getting involved in, the current case, the murder of a heavily pregnant woman. Whilst not overly graphic, the murder scene is horrific and shocking. My heart was in the pit of my stomach. I think it probably shocks everyone who reads it but for mothers, of which I am one, it hits particularly hard. And for Sam too, who can't help but worry for her own bump. But it doesn't stop her getting stuck in to the case, investigating previous cases involving pregnant women, new mothers and newborn babies. Some of these are heartbreakingly tragic. With no real clues to work from this is solid police work, with a bit of (clearly well researched) science thrown in. But as progress is finally made, things take a turn for the dangerous...

I love Sam. She's real and relatable, here affected by raging pregnancy hormones. But it's admirable that she doesn't let that affect her police work, often heaping extra worry on fellow team member Paul, her partner and father of her baby. I loved her conversation with Maggie, her best friend and biggest cheerleader, where she airs all her worries  and Maggie responds to them all methodically and with well reasoned arguments. And as someone who has been pregnant twice (with problematic births) I so understood those worries! Other stand out characters for me were Timi, a young man who did the right thing even though he knew it would probably get him in to trouble, and DI Johns, for all the wrong reasons! Goodness me, that man is an ass! I understood one of his decisions but none of the others. 

This is a slow burner, focusing on police work, team work, and methodically working through evidence. But that doesn't mean it's not gripping or horrific because it is that too. But this is full of humanity. There is one moment of joy for Sam and the team (soured only by DI  Johns, of course) and I cheered out loud at that moment. And the denouement, when it comes, is terrifying, but it's hard not to have some compassion for the perpetrator. 

Expectant is a fabulous police procedural full of excitement, ups and downs and imbued with heart and humanity. There is a strong sense of place, I could picture the bars, streets and alleyways of Dunedin clearly. The denouement will break your heart then mend it again. I loved it and am off to find a copy of Bound to fill my missing gap in Sam's story. Please, do check this series out. 

The Author

Vanda Symon lives in Dunedin, New Zealand. As well as being a crime writer, she has a PhD in science communication and is a researcher at the Centre for Pacific Health at the University of Otago. Overkill was shortlisted for the 2019 CWA John Creasey Debut Dagger Award and she is a four-time finalist for the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel for her critically acclaimed Sam Shephard series. The fourth in the series, Bound, was shortlisted for a Barry Award. Vanda produces and hosts Write On, a monthly radio show focusing on the world of books at Otago Access Radio.When she isn’t working or writing, Vanda can be found in the garden, or on the business end of a fencing foil.

The Forcing by Paul E Hardisty

I am delighted to share my review of The Forcing by Paul E Hardisty as part of the blog tour. It's an outstanding novel - more on this below. Thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for inviting me and to The publisher for my review copy.

The Blurb

Frustrated and angry after years of denial and inaction, in a last-ditch attempt to stave off disaster, a government of youth has taken power in North America, and a policy of institutionalised ageism has been introduced. All those older than the prescribed age are deemed responsible for the current state of the world, and are to be ‘relocated’, their property and assets confiscated.

David Ashworth, known by his friends and students as Teacher, and his wife May, find themselves among the thousands being moved to ‘new accommodation’ in the abandoned southern deserts – thrown together with a wealthy industrialist and his wife, a high court lawyer, two recent immigrants to America, and a hospital worker. Together, they must come to terms with their new lives in a land rendered unrecognisable. 

As the terrible truth of their situation is revealed, lured by rumours of a tropical sanctuary where they can live in peace, they plan a perilous escape. But the world outside is more dangerous than they could ever have imagined. And for those who survive, nothing will ever be the same again…

My Review

This was my first book by Paul E Hardisty but, I tell you what, it certainly won't be my last! Blimey, this is some book! Set in a near future that could so easily be ours, Hardisty paints a picture of a world in chaos. Climate damage, financial collapse, political denial, violent wars. There has been an uprising of young people who deem the older generation responsible for this terrible mess. And they are probably right. David (Teacher/Teach) and his wife May are amongst those rounded up relocated from Calgary to Texas. Teach accepts they have been part of the problem and deserve to be punished in some way. May, not so much. And it's hard for them as their son Lachlan is part of the youth government implementing these hard rules. But their new home is nothing like either of them could have imagined so when a possible escape plan appears they know they must take the opportunity. Because there might not be another one. 

Honestly, I don't really know what to say about this book. It was my first read of the year and has stuck with me since. Obviously this is a work of fiction set in the near future but the author is an environmental scientist with many years of experience so he knows what he's talking about. And I think we're all aware of the damage we've done and are still doing to our planet. Someone in the book, sorry I can't recall who just now, talks about decisions made about energy production etc 'Faster, cheaper, disaster. Cheaper, faster. Always the same. Over and over. Again and again.' Do we do different now? And we've seen our young people stand up and demand action, demand better. Step forward Greta Thunberg. So I don't think this scenario is too far fetched. It, or something similar, could easily happen. And that should scare us, force us into action.

I loved Teach. A good, decent man who has looked after his family, his home and his students. But a man who accepts that he has been part of the problem. May was much harder to like but she had her own problems. The group dynamic in their shared new home was really interesting, a sort of microcosm of society. Seven people, different ages, gender, races, sexuality,  backgrounds, attitudes, and watching them interact and work together, or not, was fascinating. 

Although The Forcing has lots to say about climate damage and the like, it is in no way boring. It's full of action and peril, and there were moments when I held my breath. And it's also beautifully written, almost lyrical in parts. I highlighted so many phrases when I was reading it but I'll just share a couple so you can see what I mean. 

'She smiles at me, each windblown mile of the past etched in her face, her eyes a timeless miracle.'

'Fear etched in their faces. Arthritis like sand in their joints. Regret piled heavy on brittle bones.'

The Forcing is a book for our time. A stark reminder of the damage we are doing to the planet and the price generations to come might have to pay. But it's so much more than that. It's a super tense action thriller written with heart. It's bleak, yes, but also beautiful and hopeful. Read it, you won't regret it. 

The Author

Canadian Paul Hardisty has spent twenty-five years working all over the world as an environmental scientist and freelance journalist. He has roughnecked on oil rigs in Texas, explored for gold in the Arctic, mapped geology in Eastern Turkey (where he was befriended by PKK rebels), and rehabilitated water wells in the wilds of Africa. He was in Ethiopia in 1991 as the Mengistu regime fell, survived a bomb blast in a café in Sana’a in 1993, and was one of the last Westerners out of Yemen at the outbreak of the 1994 civil war. In 2022 he criss-crossed Ukraine reporting on the Russian invasion. Paul is a university professor and CEO of the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS). The four novels in his Claymore Straker series, The Abrupt Physics of Dying, The Evolution of Fear, Reconciliation for the Dead and Absolution, all received great critical acclaim and The Abrupt Physics of Dying was shortlisted for the CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger and a Telegraph Book of the Year. Paul drew on his own experiences to write Turbulent Wake, an extraordinary departure from his high-octane, thought-provoking thrillers. Paul is a keen outdoorsman, a conservation volunteer, and lives in Australia.

The Flight by Heather J Fitt

Today I'm happy to share my review of The Flight, the second book from author Heather J Fitt following her debut last year.. This is another standalone thriller. My thanks to Overview Media for the invitation and for my review copy.

The Blurb 

A young mother is trapped with a killer thirty thousand feet up, in this gripping mid-air murder mystery by the author of Open Your Eyes.

On a plane to Barbados, nurse Melissa sits with her young son, Theo. On the same flight, up in first class, are a bride- and groom-to-be, heading for their tropical wedding destination, accompanied by family and friends.

When two members of the wedding party die in mysterious circumstances, it becomes clear that a killer is on board. Trapped in the cabin thousands of feet above the Atlantic, tensions mount as accusations fly—and when little Theo seems to vanish into thin air, this bizarre flight becomes even more turbulent . . .

Will Melissa be able to use her medical knowledge to find her son and bring a cold-blooded killer to justice before it’s too late?

My Review

I enjoyed Heather's debut, Open Your Eyes, so was keen to read this one. The Flight is a very different book, with all the action taking place at 30,000 feet and a finite list of not only victims but also perpetrators.

Melissa is already stressed at the airport, trying to entertain her toddler son ahead of their long flight to join a friend in Barbados, when she is spoken to unkindly by an very rude, entitled woman. The woman's son apologises on his mother's behalf but Melissa is very upset by the episode. So she is horrified to later find, as the only person with medical experience on the flight, she is called to deal with an emergency in first class and encounters the very same woman and other members of her party. And everything goes downhill from there. On the flight, you understand, not in the book! 

The atmosphere is very claustrophobic by the very nature of the setting. And there is only a limited number of players. I liked Melissa, she's a very sympathetic character. And whilst I have never flown with a toddler I have travelled in other ways with them and, man is it stressful! So, I get her. She is just trying to mind her own business and is pulled into something she doesn't want to be involved with. I loved the nastier characters in this even if I wanted to seriously take them to task! And I loved the peak into first class which, on this particular flight, is very luxurious. 

Heather has obviously done her research for this book and it shows and feels authentic enough. There are a few quite chilling chapters from the point of view of the perpetrator and I was kept guessing throughout. I thought I had it sussed, and I kind of did but not quite, and there were a couple of shopping surprises along the way. 

The Flight is an enjoyable, easy read that I whizzed through quickly. It has some high adrenaline moments and a real whodunnit feel that will keep you guessing. It's been great seeing Heather go in a completely different direction with this book and I look forward to where the next one takes her. 


The Author

 

Heather was born in Scotland and after moving around Europe with her parents and sister, settled in Hampshire where she met her husband, Stuart.

After leaving the rat-race in 2018, Heather re-trained as an editor and proof-reader and entered the world of publishing. These days she works as a part-time freelancer and a part-time Commissioning Advisor for Bloodhound.

Heather was inspired to start writing her novel by the authors who have become her closest friends. Now the ideas are flowing she has plans to write several more over the coming years.

When she isn’t reading, Heather enjoys spending her time watching sport – especially her beloved rugby – and exploring the British countryside with Stuart.

Heather’s debut novel was published by Bloodhound in Summer 2021.

For regular bookish updates, you can follow Heather on Twitter: @LifeBookish