I am delighted to return to the Sam Shephard series for another great Orenda Blog tour. The third in the series, Containment, was published on 5th January. I also have a great giveaway and the chance for you to win a print copy of Containment. Details on how to enter are at the foot of this post.
Dunedin’s favourite young police officer Sam Shephard is
drawn into a perplexing investigation when a series of shipping containers wash
up on a sleepy New Zealand beach, and a spate of unexplained deaths ensues…
Chaos reigns in the sleepy village of Aramoana on the New
Zealand coast, when a series of shipping containers wash up on the beach and
looting begins.
Detective Constable Sam Shephard experiences the desperation
of the scavengers first-hand, and ends up in an ambulance, nursing her wounds
and puzzling over an assault that left her assailant for dead.
What appears to be a clear-cut case of a cargo ship running
aground soon takes a more sinister turn when a skull is found in the sand, and
the body of a diver is pulled from the sea … a diver who didn’t die of
drowning…
As first officer at the scene, Sam is handed the case, much
to the displeasure of her superiors, and she must put together an increasingly
confusing series of clues to get to the bottom of a mystery that may still have
more victims…
My Thoughts
Sam Shephard is a great creation and I was delighted to return to Dunedin in New Zealand to see what she was up to. The opening scene is quite a surprise, but that is nothing compared to another discovery she has shortly after, as a body is pulled from the water. The descriptions thereafter are detailed and gruesome in places but always, you see the action through Sam's eyes. She is quite a complex character. Still brave and impulsive, she struggles to establish her place in the team, whilst in addition, she is not afraid to operate outside the rules though always with the best of intentions.
Against the grim crime which is being investigated, you also get to glimpse Sam's personal life, which is far from straightforward but developments at the end, point to some interesting possibilities in what I hope will be book 4. There are some strong relationships and friendships which emerge and Maggie, Sam's flatmate, is someone who does not hesitate to tell her what she thinks. Sam Shephard's strong personality shines through the intertwined investigations.
In short: A great police procedural with strong characters and relationships.
About 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.
You can read my review of Overkill here.
Thanks to Vanda Symon, and Anne Cater of Orenda Books for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.
Check out these brilliant bloggers!
Giveaway (UK only)
To win a print copy of Containment, just Follow and Retweet the pinned Tweet at @bookslifethings and good luck!
Closing Date is 22nd March 2020
and there is one winner.
*Terms and Conditions – UK only. The winner will be selected at
random via Tweetdraw from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter
and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right
to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the
competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with
third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed
to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize. I am not
responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
Huge thanks as always Pam, for your continued support xx
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