A killer targeting pregnant women.
A detective expecting her first baby…
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 no one is safe and the clock is ticking…
I'm delighted to be hosting the blog tour for Expectant today. Huge thanks to Vanda Symon, Orenda Books and Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me and for my advance copy of the novel.
Vanda Symon's previous book, Faceless was a stand-alone and I thought it was wonderful but I have to admit to being thrilled to welcome back Detective Sam Shephard. After reading Bound a couple of years ago I mused that it felt like a pivotal novel and a significant moment for Sam, particularly regarding her relationship with her fellow detective, Paul. Bound was an emotive story, she lost her father and discovered she was pregnant but although it quickly becomes clear that the pending new arrival has brought Sam and Paul closer together, Vanda Symon doesn't give her immensely likeable lead character an easy time here either.
The gripping prologue ends with a truly grisly scene and although the violence has happened off the page, the visceral horror of what has occurred is almost too dreadful to contemplate. Aleisha Newman's murder is the stuff of nightmares and especially difficult for Sam who understandably feels a connection to the case, despite being informed by her perennially misogynistic boss that her condition means she is to be sidelined and confined to a desk until her maternity leave starts. Expectant can be read as a stand-alone novel but I'd really recommend reading the previous books to fully understand the dynamics between the characters. D.I. Johns, for example, is a character I can't help but love to hate, any brief glimpses of what may be redeeming qualities are swiftly quashed and he is the epitome of the sort of condescending, sexist boss any woman hopes never crosses their path. Sam being Sam refuses to be cowed by his bullying tactics, even when she realises she could be overstepping the mark. After one particularly fraught clash with Johns, her former mentor Smithy asks which Sam she'd been – "sweary-shouty Sam or just shouty-shouty Sam." I'll leave you to find out exactly what she said but I can't believe anybody won't be cheering her on...
There are many reasons why I love this series but if I had to narrow them down to just one, then that's an easy choice. There are many brilliant detectives in crime fiction, with several I'd be happy to be investigating my case but I can't think of many I can imagine being friends with. Sam is different; she has her flaws – most notably her aforementioned temper, plus her tendency to shy away from commitment and to take risks with her own safety – but she is just so relatably normal. Even her complex relationship with her mother is underpinned by the understanding that for all her criticism, she loves her daughter. She doesn't have a drinking problem, other than being accused of leaving the lid off the Milo at work, and while she's always had a sweet tooth, her pregnancy induced cravings are only too excusable here.
I love the blooming love affair between her and Paul and as she notes several times in Expectant, his hard-shell exterior belies a much softer side. They don't always agree but their relationship appears to be refreshingly settled, despite the imminent huge changes to their life. Sam's empathetic personality means she's never going to accept a desk job but Vanda Symon ensures her involvement with the case feels natural and not forced for the sake of drama.
The sense of place is excellent as ever, and it's not just due to the atmospheric descriptions of Dunedin's streets or its unpredictable weather; the conversational flow of the first-person narrative ensures readers feel immersed in New Zealand life. It's a harrowing investigation; as Sam observes, similar cases are often perpetrated by desperate people and it's heartbreaking to learn that a country that most of us would consider to be more progressive, has one of the worst records of child abuse in the developed world.
It's not an easy investigation emotionally and because there are few leads and a number of red herrings, either through malicious intent or due to misguided assumptions. However, as the net finally tightens on the killer, the closing chapters are unbearably tense and deeply moving. Vanda Symon's perceptive thriller takes a reflective look at what drives people to commit atrocious crimes and without ever excusing the heinous nature, Expectant is as thought-provoking and poignant as it is compellingly suspenseful. I'm sure I won't be the only person left with tears in my eyes at the end. I almost hesitate to say this is the best in the series so far because every Sam Shephard book is utterly first-rate but this is an outstanding novel. I loved it!
Expectant will be published by Orenda Books on 16th February 2023 and can be purchased from their website or from bookshop.org, Hive, Waterstones or Amazon or ordered from your favourite independent bookshop.
Follow the blog tour, details are below.
Vanda Symon is a crime writer, health researcher 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, which includes Overkill, The Ringmaster, Containment and Bound, hit number one on the New Zealand bestseller list, and has also been shortlisted for the Ngaio Marsh Award. Overkill was shortlisted for the CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger. All four books have been ebook bestsellers. Vanda currently lives in Dunedin, with her husband and and a very demanding cat.
Thanks for the blog tour support x
ReplyDelete