I am delighted to return to the Sam Shephard series for another great Orenda Blog tour. The fourth in the series, Bound, was published on 4th March. I also have a great giveaway and the chance for you to win a print copy of Bound. Details on how to enter are at the foot of this post.
The passionate, young police officer Sam Shephard returns in
a taut, atmospheric and compelling police procedural, which sees her take
matters into her own hands when the official investigation into the murder of a
local businessman fails to add up...
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.
MyThoughts
As in previous novels, the character of Sam Shephard dominates and stands out as a great creation. She has such a human touch to her and yet at the same time, her burning desire for justice for all, shines out. This is a police procedural, but also lets you into Sam's life which is at a crisis, with her father being terminally ill. The opening scene is grisly but this stands out to grab your attention. From then on, much of the action centres around San's desire for justice.
A strength of the novel has to lie in the personal relationships and characters you meet. I was pleased to meet up again with Sam's flatmate, Maggie, who sees a different side to her. Relationships between the police team are complicated and keep you guessing. It is certainly not the place for the faint hearted. Well plotted and with some interesting twists, this keeps your attention. I am sure there is room for Book 5 and more Sam Shephard!
In short: A well written police procedural with some wonderful characterisation.
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 Bound, just Follow and Retweet the pinned Tweet at @bookslifethings and good luck!
This Giveaway opens on March 28th 2021
Closing Date is April 1st 2021
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 for the blog tour support x
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