Sam was doing her thing, the story rolled along like the storm going on outside, it was all good. The change is of overall tone was unexpected but not bad and once I got into the book I didn’t notice it. I found the science and medical stuff interesting, but might have been a touch much for some readers. And I’m sure I recognise that dress she’s wearing in the photo with Karen, at the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival.īack to the review. Vanda Symon is a really interesting person. Given that’s the subject of her PhD, I’m not surprised.

There is more overt use of the internet, smart phones and smart watches play an important part in the plot, and there’s a definite sense that Symon is doing science communication in her crime writing. This book is the first to be completely written in the 2020s, I believe, and it’s tone is ever so slightly different from those of the 00s and early 10s. Phones and computers are constantly changing. I believe the first four books had a little bit of a make over and re-edit between their original publication dates and their Orenda publications. You’ll find reviews for books three and four, plus the stand alone novel The Faceless here, and I have the first two books on my TBR pile.

The first four books were published in New Zealand between 20, and the Orenda editions published in the UK over the last few years. This is the first new new book in the series for 12 years. Vanda, as always, it’s a pleasure.Ī new Sam Shepard novel is always a treat. Thanks to Karen at Orenda for sending me a copy of this novel and to Anne for organising the blog tour. 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.įor Sam, the case becomes personal, when it becomes increasingly clear that she is no longer safe, and the clock is ticking… 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.Ĭonfined 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. PUBLICATION DATE: 16 FEBRUARY 2023 PAPERBACK

Bound by Vanda Symon