Prey (Sam Shephard Book Six) by Vanda Symon

Prey (Sam Shephard Book Six) by Vanda Symon.

Out now in ebook, and coming 29th August 2024 in paperback from Orenda Books.

From the cover of the book:

On her first day back from maternity leave, Detective Sam Shephard is thrown straight into a cold-case investigation – the unsolved murder of a highly respected Anglican Priest in Dunedin.

The case has been a thorn in the side of the Police hierarchy, and for her boss it’s personal.

With all the witness testimony painting a picture of a dedicated church and family man, what possible motive could there have been for his murder?

But when Sam starts digging deeper into the case, it becomes apparent someone wants the sins of the past to remain hidden. And when a new potential witness to the crime is found brutally murdered, there is pressure from all quarters to solve the case before anyone else falls prey.

But is it already too late…?

***********

Detective Sam Shephard is back from maternity leave. Quite how she and her partner, fellow cop Paul, will negotiate the unfamiliar landscape of balancing work and home life now they are parents is yet to be established, but she is looking forward to getting stuck back into some interesting cases - even if she is apprehensive about being back in the office with her nemesis, her boss DI Johns.

Surprisingly, on day one, DI Johns puts Sam in charge of a case all of her own - the high profile murder of an Anglican priest that took place outside of Dunedin's imposing, gothic St Paul's Cathedral. Unfortunately, the case is twenty-five years old, and as cold as can be. As one of Dunedin's rare unsolved murders, and one that the police have been unable to get to the bottom of in all these years, this is not going to be easy. It is not helped by the fact that DI Johns was part of the original investigating team... and that the murdered man is his father-in-law.

Sam sets to work, unsure if Johns is deliberately setting her up for a fall. Locating witnesses and leads after all this time is a tricky business, as is trying to prevent Johns from interfering in a case that touches his own family so intimately, but she is determined to battle her exhaustion and get to the truth.

When one of the witnesses she has questioned is brutally murdered, the cold case suddenly becomes dangerously live. Someone is determined that the details of their past sins remain buried, and Sam is under pressure to find them before anyone else falls prey...

The Sam Shephard books by Vanda Symon are one of my favourite Antipodean treats, not least for shining a light on the sheer quality of the New Zealand noir crime scene. Prey is police detective Sam Shephard's sixth outing, and although this is a stand-alone case, I do recommend reading the whole glorious series for the ultimate experience, as she really has been shaped by all that has come before in her life - and there is a grand cast of recurring characters. You can thank me later.

Here we catch-up with Sam as she is returning to work after maternity leave, as she and partner Paul are trying to balance all the challenges that new parenthood brings to their lives. Hoping for an easing in to the new regime, Sam is knocked for six when her troublesome boss, DI Johns, gives her an infamous cold case to solve almost as soon as she is through the door. Given their difficult relationship, and his penchant for obstructing opportunities for her to advance in her career, she is naturally wary of his motives. Johns' close connection to the case is a minefield in terms of his overbearing, micro-managing nature, and the pitfalls of conflicts of interest, however this Sam is subtly different from the woman she was before motherhood, and she is now even less likely to take anyone's nonsense... 

The complex story unfurls from an intriguing prologue, that sets many questions buzzing in your mind, through the twists and turns of an investigation that ramps up from cold case slow-burn to the immediacy of a very bloody live one. Sam's skills as an investigator, and the intriguing nuances of her new mind set, give her an advantage in unearthing information that the macho undertones of the past inquiry missed - even if she is not aware of this through the fog of her exhaustion. 

Symon does an incredible job keeping the story flowing through the lovely police procedural elements, as always, and she combines these with the challenges Sam faces as a working mother beautifully - the humour and very relatable trials and tribulations of managing breast feeding are spot-on too. Themes of parenthood and 'let sleeping dogs lie' weave through the novel, with an excellent parting twist. There are lovely complementing themes around religion, prejudice, unresolved trauma, sins and secrets too, some of which touch significantly, and unexpectedly, on Sam's life (tears were shed).

Symon is such a talented writer. She brings the different faces of New Zealand alive, writes compelling characters, and knows how to spin a cracking story. The developing complexity of Sam's personality gives her such wonderful depth, and I really enjoyed seeing another side to Dunedin in the architectural history that tells of its prosperous past.  

I have thoroughly enjoyed all the Sam Shephard books, but this one is my favourite to date. I adored how Vanda Symon gives her special Kiwi noir treatment to a gripping story that thrums with Christie-esque character studies and a laying bare of deep dark sins. And the play on shades of meaning in the title, Prey (or is it pray?), is superb. Roll on book seven!

Prey is available to buy now in ebook format and is coming in paperback 29th August 2024. You can support indie publishing by buying direct from Orenda Books HERE.

Also coming in audio 15th August 2024.

Thank you to Orenda Books for sending ne a proof of this book in return for an honest review.

About 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 three-time finalist for the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel for her critically acclaimed Sam Shephard series.

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.