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Sam Shephard #6
Prey: The chilling, twisty new Sam Shephard Mystery
Fresh from maternity leave, Dunedin detective Sam Shephard investigates the unsolved murder of a highly esteemed church minister ... with potentially deadly consequences. Queen of New Zealand Crime, Vanda Symon, returns with a shocking, twisty new Sam Shephard thriller...
`New Zealand's answer to Siobhan Clarke´ The Times
`The Edinburgh of the south has never been more deadly´ Ian Rankin
`New Zealand's modern Queen of Crime´ Val McDermid
______
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... ?
Dark, emotive and thought-provoking, Prey is a chilling, sophisticated thriller that cements Vanda Symon' s position as the new `Queen of New Zealand Crime´ .
`New Zealand's answer to Siobhan Clarke´ The Times
`The Edinburgh of the south has never been more deadly´ Ian Rankin
`New Zealand's modern Queen of Crime´ Val McDermid
______
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... ?
Dark, emotive and thought-provoking, Prey is a chilling, sophisticated thriller that cements Vanda Symon' s position as the new `Queen of New Zealand Crime´ .
300 pages, Paperback
Published February 18, 2025
13 people are currently reading
90 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
October 4, 2024
EXCERPT: Although it hadn't offered any revelations into the death of the Reverend Mark Freeman, talking with his daughter had been valuable. It had given me a sense of connection to the victim and his family and to why we were doing this in the first place. The pain was still deep and would probably never go away. I felt sad for the woman I'd just talked with, and ached for fifteen-year-old Felicity, who after all these years still harboured guilt. The murder of her father would have effectively robbed her of her childhood.
It was good to feel that, yes, things were underway though. Often the hardest thing about a new case or project was starting, setting out, overcoming that inertia and not being daunted by the enormity of the task ahead. Today's progress was good, but I had to remind myself to remain impartial and not be influenced by how I connected with people. Because there was something between Felicity Johns and me that had simply clicked. I knew I would have to be careful, because as I walked back down the path, reviewing our conversation in my head, something was bugging me, and when I opened the car door and took a final look back toward the house it dawned on me what it was. The question that had been floating around in the back of my brain from the moment I met Felicity Johns.
How could someone so nice be married to such an arsehole?
ABOUT 'PREY': 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.
MY THOUGHTS: It's always a great experience catching up with Sam Shephard and Greg Smith in the deep south of New Zealand, fighting not only criminals but the bureaucracy in their own department. Greg often finds himself being the buffer between Sam and DI Johns, AKA 'The Boss'.
I love Sam's tenacity, and her proclivity for saying exactly what she thinks - she has absolutely zero talent for diplomacy! But I think what I like most about her is that she is happily married to another police officer, has an adorable baby daughter, and doesn't turn to drink when something goes wrong. Just give Sam a nice cup of tea and a packet of toffee pops and she's in heaven.
I admit to having a preconceived notion about 'the sins of the past' mentioned in the blurb; but what I was thinking and what actually happens is a world apart. Predictable is the last word I would use to describe Prey.
Prey will strike an emotional chord with many as old wounds are reopened and secrets exposed.
Although part of a series, Prey is easily able to be read as a stand-alone.
⭐⭐⭐.7
#Prey #WaitomoDistrictLibrary
THE AUTHOR: Vanda Symon is a crime writer from Dunedin, New Zealand.
It was good to feel that, yes, things were underway though. Often the hardest thing about a new case or project was starting, setting out, overcoming that inertia and not being daunted by the enormity of the task ahead. Today's progress was good, but I had to remind myself to remain impartial and not be influenced by how I connected with people. Because there was something between Felicity Johns and me that had simply clicked. I knew I would have to be careful, because as I walked back down the path, reviewing our conversation in my head, something was bugging me, and when I opened the car door and took a final look back toward the house it dawned on me what it was. The question that had been floating around in the back of my brain from the moment I met Felicity Johns.
How could someone so nice be married to such an arsehole?
ABOUT 'PREY': 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.
MY THOUGHTS: It's always a great experience catching up with Sam Shephard and Greg Smith in the deep south of New Zealand, fighting not only criminals but the bureaucracy in their own department. Greg often finds himself being the buffer between Sam and DI Johns, AKA 'The Boss'.
I love Sam's tenacity, and her proclivity for saying exactly what she thinks - she has absolutely zero talent for diplomacy! But I think what I like most about her is that she is happily married to another police officer, has an adorable baby daughter, and doesn't turn to drink when something goes wrong. Just give Sam a nice cup of tea and a packet of toffee pops and she's in heaven.
I admit to having a preconceived notion about 'the sins of the past' mentioned in the blurb; but what I was thinking and what actually happens is a world apart. Predictable is the last word I would use to describe Prey.
Prey will strike an emotional chord with many as old wounds are reopened and secrets exposed.
Although part of a series, Prey is easily able to be read as a stand-alone.
⭐⭐⭐.7
#Prey #WaitomoDistrictLibrary
THE AUTHOR: Vanda Symon is a crime writer from Dunedin, New Zealand.
August 24, 2024
Prey is the latest novel in the Detective Sam Shephard series by Vanda Symon. Sam is just returning to work following maternity leave and she is blindsided when her boss, DI Johns, tells her that she is to look into a cold case and it seems that Sam doesn’t have much of a choice. But what is even more intriguing is that the victim in the case, she is now tasked with investigating, is her boss’s father-in-law, which makes this case deeply personal to him.
I could really sense Sam’s frustration at being handed a cold case on her return to work. It is also clear to see how she feels about her boss. They’ve never had an easy relationship and I could feel the tension between them, especially when Sam delves into this case. Some of what she does to help find an answer angers DI Johns. His reaction is what makes this case all the more riveting. I couldn’t understand why, after he specifically asked Sam to investigate he would want to stop her from pursuing certain leads. It made me wonder if perhaps he knew more than he was letting on and this really drives the tension in the book forward. I loved it when Sam stood her ground and put him in his place, even though he is her superior. Although she isn’t particularly happy about taking this case on, she is still determined to get results.
I really liked the scenes showing Sam as a new mum. I did wonder how this new stage in her life would change her as a character, after finishing the last book in the series, but I think Sam really does shine as a mother, and I loved the humour there was between her and her partner.
The tension really increases as Sam continues to delve further into the case and as she draws up a potential list of persons of interest. This further puts strain on her working relationship with DI Johns but I loved how she pushed on ahead regardless. I couldn’t put the book down as it reached its conclusion; I could feel the pain the characters were going through on the page, and Vanda Symon delivers a brilliant twist that I didn’t see coming.
Prey is a fast paced police procedural that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. If you’ve not yet discovered this series, I highly recommend that you read it.
I could really sense Sam’s frustration at being handed a cold case on her return to work. It is also clear to see how she feels about her boss. They’ve never had an easy relationship and I could feel the tension between them, especially when Sam delves into this case. Some of what she does to help find an answer angers DI Johns. His reaction is what makes this case all the more riveting. I couldn’t understand why, after he specifically asked Sam to investigate he would want to stop her from pursuing certain leads. It made me wonder if perhaps he knew more than he was letting on and this really drives the tension in the book forward. I loved it when Sam stood her ground and put him in his place, even though he is her superior. Although she isn’t particularly happy about taking this case on, she is still determined to get results.
I really liked the scenes showing Sam as a new mum. I did wonder how this new stage in her life would change her as a character, after finishing the last book in the series, but I think Sam really does shine as a mother, and I loved the humour there was between her and her partner.
The tension really increases as Sam continues to delve further into the case and as she draws up a potential list of persons of interest. This further puts strain on her working relationship with DI Johns but I loved how she pushed on ahead regardless. I couldn’t put the book down as it reached its conclusion; I could feel the pain the characters were going through on the page, and Vanda Symon delivers a brilliant twist that I didn’t see coming.
Prey is a fast paced police procedural that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. If you’ve not yet discovered this series, I highly recommend that you read it.
August 16, 2024
This is a book from the series ‘Sam Shephard’. I didn’t realise it was a series, but reading the books standalone is absolutely fine. The author has cleverly written the books so that you read any one at any time.
I have definitely got a taste for these books now, so will definitely be checking the rest out.
I absolutely love Sam, she is definitely a kick ass woman that can multitask. Definitely a woman to be inspired by, adore her personality. The story is incredible, I get slightly freaked out by stories that are church related, I find them unnerving.
The story definitely began to tense up as I read on, secret’s, witness statements, everything was fantastic.
I have definitely got a taste for these books now, so will definitely be checking the rest out.
I absolutely love Sam, she is definitely a kick ass woman that can multitask. Definitely a woman to be inspired by, adore her personality. The story is incredible, I get slightly freaked out by stories that are church related, I find them unnerving.
The story definitely began to tense up as I read on, secret’s, witness statements, everything was fantastic.
September 29, 2024
PREY
25 years ago a hidden observer saw two people fighting on a staircase at St Paul’s Cathedral. It’s a wet, cold night and only one of them will survive. The other will fall to his death and, despite a police investigation, no one will be brought to justice.
Now, Detective Sam Shephard is returning to the Dunedin police force after six months maternity leave. Amelia, the baby, will be off to daycare in a week’s time and Sam knows that it will take time for her to adjust to her working routine again.
But her manager, and nemesis, DI Greg Johns wants her back in the saddle right away and gives her a cold case from 1999 to investigate. It’s the unsolved death of Reverend Mark Freeman whose body was found at the bottom of a Cathedral staircase. For DI Johns, it’s unfinished family business as Reverend Freeman was his second wife, Felicity’s, father. And to increase the pressure on Sam, the Reverend’s widow Yvonne, has terminal cancer and Greg wants the murder to be finally solved to give her closure.
So, in between managing being a new mum, and missing Amelia, Sam begins work. She reviews the original investigation and revisits the murder scene. The Cathedral is huge and forbidding and overshadows the people who work there in the small offices enclosed within it.
The name of a former youth worker, Mel Blythe, who lost her job at the time of the murder comes up. She wasn’t popular and is now trying to obtain financial assistance from the church. A suspect, Aaron Cox, was never charged and moved to another town with another name. Other people connected to the church were never interviewed and one tells Sam that Reverend Freeman could be hard on his children, Callum and Felicity. Aaron makes a cryptic remark which sends Sam off on a new line of investigation before Mel is found murdered in her room at a local boarding house. Now there is another murder to solve and both Sam and her colleague, DS Smith, are really feeling the heat. All families have secrets but how far is someone prepared to go to keep them quiet and why was Mel being paid substantial blackmail money? Sam begins to look more closely at family members and the secret that has destroyed their lives….
For once, the publishers blurb lived up to the hype. This book was definitely a one sitting read! It is the 6th in the Sam Shephard series but this was my first acquaintance with her. It would have made a great stand alone but I was soon immersed in Sam’s world as she juggles the new addition to the family with Paul, her partner, and also the pressures of an investigation and a demanding manager. I liked the emphasis of the vast bulk of the building with all its workers neatly fitting with it. Sam is a convincing, likable character who is good at her job and I enjoyed the book’s atmosphere from the dark Cathedral to the burden of the family dynamics and motives. It was a really twisty plot with one character prepared to take all of the blame entirely to save someone else and there was a sense of tragedy in the death of another character within the Cathedrals’ precincts. The family mystery weighs heavy on them all. But then the author adroitly pulled the rug out from under the reader as Sam unmasks the real murderer.
A gripping plot from start to finish with a character that I would like to read more of. Recommended.
An amended version of this review appeared on http://shotsmag.co.uk
25 years ago a hidden observer saw two people fighting on a staircase at St Paul’s Cathedral. It’s a wet, cold night and only one of them will survive. The other will fall to his death and, despite a police investigation, no one will be brought to justice.
Now, Detective Sam Shephard is returning to the Dunedin police force after six months maternity leave. Amelia, the baby, will be off to daycare in a week’s time and Sam knows that it will take time for her to adjust to her working routine again.
But her manager, and nemesis, DI Greg Johns wants her back in the saddle right away and gives her a cold case from 1999 to investigate. It’s the unsolved death of Reverend Mark Freeman whose body was found at the bottom of a Cathedral staircase. For DI Johns, it’s unfinished family business as Reverend Freeman was his second wife, Felicity’s, father. And to increase the pressure on Sam, the Reverend’s widow Yvonne, has terminal cancer and Greg wants the murder to be finally solved to give her closure.
So, in between managing being a new mum, and missing Amelia, Sam begins work. She reviews the original investigation and revisits the murder scene. The Cathedral is huge and forbidding and overshadows the people who work there in the small offices enclosed within it.
The name of a former youth worker, Mel Blythe, who lost her job at the time of the murder comes up. She wasn’t popular and is now trying to obtain financial assistance from the church. A suspect, Aaron Cox, was never charged and moved to another town with another name. Other people connected to the church were never interviewed and one tells Sam that Reverend Freeman could be hard on his children, Callum and Felicity. Aaron makes a cryptic remark which sends Sam off on a new line of investigation before Mel is found murdered in her room at a local boarding house. Now there is another murder to solve and both Sam and her colleague, DS Smith, are really feeling the heat. All families have secrets but how far is someone prepared to go to keep them quiet and why was Mel being paid substantial blackmail money? Sam begins to look more closely at family members and the secret that has destroyed their lives….
For once, the publishers blurb lived up to the hype. This book was definitely a one sitting read! It is the 6th in the Sam Shephard series but this was my first acquaintance with her. It would have made a great stand alone but I was soon immersed in Sam’s world as she juggles the new addition to the family with Paul, her partner, and also the pressures of an investigation and a demanding manager. I liked the emphasis of the vast bulk of the building with all its workers neatly fitting with it. Sam is a convincing, likable character who is good at her job and I enjoyed the book’s atmosphere from the dark Cathedral to the burden of the family dynamics and motives. It was a really twisty plot with one character prepared to take all of the blame entirely to save someone else and there was a sense of tragedy in the death of another character within the Cathedrals’ precincts. The family mystery weighs heavy on them all. But then the author adroitly pulled the rug out from under the reader as Sam unmasks the real murderer.
A gripping plot from start to finish with a character that I would like to read more of. Recommended.
An amended version of this review appeared on http://shotsmag.co.uk
September 24, 2024
Vanda Symon's Sam Shephard is one of my favourite fictional cops as she is so relatable - flawed but fabulous; loyal, smart, tactless, tenacious and a fiend for a packet of Toffee Pops biscuits. As Prey opens we see Sam on her first day back at work after maternity leave, about the start the work-life juggling of practicalities and emotions that so many readers will find familiar.
There's a disturbing prologue, on a dark and stormy night outside Dunedin's St Paul's Cathedral, a flashback to 25 years ago. Sam is welcomed back by her boss, DI Johns, by being presented with the file on that episode: the murder of Rev Mark Freeman in 1999 outside the cathedral.
There's no CCTV, no DNA and precious little evidence thanks to the weather and the age of the case, but there are several people linked to Rev Freeman still around who can be interviewed, and since our Sam prefers chat over churning through paperwork, that's fine - though her first conversation with Rev Freeman's daughter, reminds Sam and the reader alike of the fact a cold case investigation is a mixed blessing. There could be answers at last, but reopening the case reopens old wounds with no guarantee they'll heal again.
A second body is discovered linked to Rev Freeman and that first investigation: the cold case suddenly warms up. There are lies, cover-ups and most of all there are secrets so painful that it's no wonder those involved wanted them kept hidden.
As well as work we spend time at home with Sam. There's plenty of funny and sweet baby scenes, a reminder of Sam's relationship with her mother (who is frankly !!!), along with some great moments between Sam and Paul in which we really see who they are to each other.
While wider issues are touched upon it's family that we keep coming back to: blood relatives and found family and shifting allegiances, and all the pain that comes with close relationships. While in the hands of a masterful writer like Symon we learn a little more empathy, and that's no bad thing at all.
There's a disturbing prologue, on a dark and stormy night outside Dunedin's St Paul's Cathedral, a flashback to 25 years ago. Sam is welcomed back by her boss, DI Johns, by being presented with the file on that episode: the murder of Rev Mark Freeman in 1999 outside the cathedral.
There's no CCTV, no DNA and precious little evidence thanks to the weather and the age of the case, but there are several people linked to Rev Freeman still around who can be interviewed, and since our Sam prefers chat over churning through paperwork, that's fine - though her first conversation with Rev Freeman's daughter, reminds Sam and the reader alike of the fact a cold case investigation is a mixed blessing. There could be answers at last, but reopening the case reopens old wounds with no guarantee they'll heal again.
A second body is discovered linked to Rev Freeman and that first investigation: the cold case suddenly warms up. There are lies, cover-ups and most of all there are secrets so painful that it's no wonder those involved wanted them kept hidden.
As well as work we spend time at home with Sam. There's plenty of funny and sweet baby scenes, a reminder of Sam's relationship with her mother (who is frankly !!!), along with some great moments between Sam and Paul in which we really see who they are to each other.
While wider issues are touched upon it's family that we keep coming back to: blood relatives and found family and shifting allegiances, and all the pain that comes with close relationships. While in the hands of a masterful writer like Symon we learn a little more empathy, and that's no bad thing at all.
August 27, 2024
‘Prey’ is a heartfelt return to the world of Sam Shepherd and it is packed full of misdirection and most importantly of empathy and love! When I pick up a Vanda Symon book, especially if that is a Sam Shepard one I know I am guaranteed a brilliant read and this was no exception. I got ridiculously excited when this fell through my postbox and I couldn't wait to read it!
Sam Shephard is just about to return to work after taking six months maternity leave after the birth of her daughter. Like most mums, she is loathe to leave her daughter but also is looking forward to returning to the adult world. It is her first day back and she is surprised when her boss DI Johns allocates her a cold case and she will have sole responsibility for it. Sam thinks it is a poisoned chalice of a case as a) it happened 25 years ago and b) the man who was killed was DI John's wife’s father! The victim was Reverend Mark Freeman and he was killed outside his church, the main cathedral in Dunedin. Sam feels a lot of pressure to solve this one, especially since her worst critic is so closely involved.
I do love a cold case as it means the detective has to rely on good old-fashioned policework - talking to people and this is what Sam does best. Somehow, she has the uncanny ability to make people open up to her and tell her things they really shouldn't. However, in this case, she finds that people are lying and hiding things from the get-go and she is finding it hard to locate even a witness who has a bad thing to say about the Reverend. He seems to be the perfect man, loyal to the church, wants to help people and is a loving family man. It is not until a vital witness is murdered that Sam begins to unravel the whole mess.
Sam is one of my favourite characters out there at the moment. She is unflinchingly real. She doesn't have all the foibles of some detectives out and her weakness is a cup of tea and a biccy! But that makes her come across as so human and that she could be your best friend as easily as she is a brilliant detective. I love her evolution into a loving mum as it has crystallized her strength into being a protector but also she is now more aware of why parents make the decisions they do in her cases. There is also a very powerful scene between her and her own mum in the book in which the writing took my breath away.
This is an emotional case and the reader is shown a different side to the arrogant DI Johns. He has reopened this case as he does actually want to give some closure to his family and when the ramifications of this decision digs up the trauma from 25 years ago, he does seem to support his wife and family. He might be an arrogant ass at work but at home he seems to a different man. However, maybe some secrets are best left hidden and it was clear from the start that not everyone was going to get a happy ending! This was an emotional story and was peppered with misdirection, smoke and mirrors and was brilliantly plotted and written. I was literally stuck to my seat and devoured this in about four hours. I always find Vanda’s writing so engrossing and this was no different. There is a razor wit there and I can see more of Vanda in Sam as the series progresses.
Let me know if you pick this one up!
Sam Shephard is just about to return to work after taking six months maternity leave after the birth of her daughter. Like most mums, she is loathe to leave her daughter but also is looking forward to returning to the adult world. It is her first day back and she is surprised when her boss DI Johns allocates her a cold case and she will have sole responsibility for it. Sam thinks it is a poisoned chalice of a case as a) it happened 25 years ago and b) the man who was killed was DI John's wife’s father! The victim was Reverend Mark Freeman and he was killed outside his church, the main cathedral in Dunedin. Sam feels a lot of pressure to solve this one, especially since her worst critic is so closely involved.
I do love a cold case as it means the detective has to rely on good old-fashioned policework - talking to people and this is what Sam does best. Somehow, she has the uncanny ability to make people open up to her and tell her things they really shouldn't. However, in this case, she finds that people are lying and hiding things from the get-go and she is finding it hard to locate even a witness who has a bad thing to say about the Reverend. He seems to be the perfect man, loyal to the church, wants to help people and is a loving family man. It is not until a vital witness is murdered that Sam begins to unravel the whole mess.
Sam is one of my favourite characters out there at the moment. She is unflinchingly real. She doesn't have all the foibles of some detectives out and her weakness is a cup of tea and a biccy! But that makes her come across as so human and that she could be your best friend as easily as she is a brilliant detective. I love her evolution into a loving mum as it has crystallized her strength into being a protector but also she is now more aware of why parents make the decisions they do in her cases. There is also a very powerful scene between her and her own mum in the book in which the writing took my breath away.
This is an emotional case and the reader is shown a different side to the arrogant DI Johns. He has reopened this case as he does actually want to give some closure to his family and when the ramifications of this decision digs up the trauma from 25 years ago, he does seem to support his wife and family. He might be an arrogant ass at work but at home he seems to a different man. However, maybe some secrets are best left hidden and it was clear from the start that not everyone was going to get a happy ending! This was an emotional story and was peppered with misdirection, smoke and mirrors and was brilliantly plotted and written. I was literally stuck to my seat and devoured this in about four hours. I always find Vanda’s writing so engrossing and this was no different. There is a razor wit there and I can see more of Vanda in Sam as the series progresses.
Let me know if you pick this one up!
September 24, 2024
A great follow-up for Detective Sam Shephard. Sam returns from maternity leave (laughed aloud in several sections at the descriptions of life with a baby) and is immediately tasked with a cold case, one fraught with complications, not the least that the wife of her difficult boss is directly involved.
Plenty of red herrings to keep the reader guessing.
Great read.
Plenty of red herrings to keep the reader guessing.
Great read.
July 18, 2024
Oh how I have missed dear Sam Shephard. In fairness, after the hell Vanda Symon put her through in the last book, she probably deserved a bit of a break, but still. It's nice to have her back. Well, for us readers at least. If there is an equivalent of a Canadian Mountie in New Zealand, then Sam Shephard must be it, as she is sure as hell going to get her man. Not always the result people think they are looking for. In this, her first case back on the job following maternity leave, her arch nemesis in charge, DI Johns, assigns her to a cold case. It's a case she cannot afford to get wrong, largely because it concerns the murder of Johns' father in law. No pressure then. Facing the typical withdrawal symptoms of leaving a small baby at home whilst still breastfeeding - the guilt and other 'side effects' - just adds another layer of stress to an already impossible task. And it makes for one hell of an entertaining, tense and sometimes emotional read.
I really love the character of Sam. The books are told in first person meaning that we get all the benefit of her razor sharp wit and often humorous observations. She is candid, sarcastic, but most of all, a really determined and intrepid investigator - even if she is also a little distracted this time around. I like the bond between her and her partner, Paul, and also the way in which they approach parenting, never sugar coating the somewhat less adorable habits (?) of a small child that I know any parent (or Auntie) will recognise. Despite these odd moments of distraction, both at work and at home, it doesn't stop Sam from getting her teeth into a case that is far darker than anyone could have anticipated.
Amongst all of the humour and asides from Sam, this is actually a surprisingly emotional story, and it allows us to see a little bit of another side of DI Johns. He's still the same arrogant arse at work, especially towards Sam, but his decision to reopen the case is driven by a desire to do right by his family in a way he couldn't when the murder first occurred. And it means opening a right can of worms - this wouldn't be a Sam Shephard story if it didn't really. None of her cases have ever been that straightforward. Vanda Symon has done a brilliant job of constructing a story that is hampered by people keeping secrets, witnesses who are more interested in personal gain than helping solve a murder, and people who would do anything to protect those they love. It's very much a case of being careful what you wish for. Some secrets are best left alone and even from the start, it seemed hard to see how there would be a positive outcome in this case, for anyone.
There are some moments of real tension peppered throughout the book and a few unexpected turns which seem set to derail the investigation. I was, as always, hooked from the very start, Vanda Symon leaving us with a very, very big question mark over just what we have witnessed in the prologue, and who we may have witnessed it with. There is actually more misdirection than you might think in this book. The moments of smoke and mirrors, that had me looking from one place to another to try and determine the real suspect. It isn't until later in the book when one crucial piece of evidence is revealed that we get a real flavour of what this all might be about. It is a highly plausible situation, and for that reason the author had me feeling more than a touch of sympathy for all of the people involved in this case. And the ending ... Well, I'm not sure what that means for the future, but I'm sure hoping we'll get to find out.
Loving this series more with every book and fans are going to just eat this one up. Welcome back Sam (and Vanda). Definitely recommended.
I really love the character of Sam. The books are told in first person meaning that we get all the benefit of her razor sharp wit and often humorous observations. She is candid, sarcastic, but most of all, a really determined and intrepid investigator - even if she is also a little distracted this time around. I like the bond between her and her partner, Paul, and also the way in which they approach parenting, never sugar coating the somewhat less adorable habits (?) of a small child that I know any parent (or Auntie) will recognise. Despite these odd moments of distraction, both at work and at home, it doesn't stop Sam from getting her teeth into a case that is far darker than anyone could have anticipated.
Amongst all of the humour and asides from Sam, this is actually a surprisingly emotional story, and it allows us to see a little bit of another side of DI Johns. He's still the same arrogant arse at work, especially towards Sam, but his decision to reopen the case is driven by a desire to do right by his family in a way he couldn't when the murder first occurred. And it means opening a right can of worms - this wouldn't be a Sam Shephard story if it didn't really. None of her cases have ever been that straightforward. Vanda Symon has done a brilliant job of constructing a story that is hampered by people keeping secrets, witnesses who are more interested in personal gain than helping solve a murder, and people who would do anything to protect those they love. It's very much a case of being careful what you wish for. Some secrets are best left alone and even from the start, it seemed hard to see how there would be a positive outcome in this case, for anyone.
There are some moments of real tension peppered throughout the book and a few unexpected turns which seem set to derail the investigation. I was, as always, hooked from the very start, Vanda Symon leaving us with a very, very big question mark over just what we have witnessed in the prologue, and who we may have witnessed it with. There is actually more misdirection than you might think in this book. The moments of smoke and mirrors, that had me looking from one place to another to try and determine the real suspect. It isn't until later in the book when one crucial piece of evidence is revealed that we get a real flavour of what this all might be about. It is a highly plausible situation, and for that reason the author had me feeling more than a touch of sympathy for all of the people involved in this case. And the ending ... Well, I'm not sure what that means for the future, but I'm sure hoping we'll get to find out.
Loving this series more with every book and fans are going to just eat this one up. Welcome back Sam (and Vanda). Definitely recommended.
September 3, 2024
Although this was the 6th in a series and I generally prefer to start from the beginning, this was the first I've read. Despite this, I didn't feel like I was missing a lot of back story, it still read as a stand alone, albeit being clear it would've been best to read them all in order.
Our main character is a woman returning from maternity leave and tasked with solving a cold case... one very personal to her superior. As a parent I could relate to the struggles of a mother returning to the work force, and found it was woven in nicely without it being the central theme of the novel. her boss has deeply personal reasons for wanting this cold case solved, although it doesn't seem like he expects it to be.
I did enjoy this, but it felt a little too easily solved for a cold case, and I did figure out the culprit before the end. That said, it was still an enjoyable read and I'd definitely consider starting from the beginning of this series should I have the time to do so.
Our main character is a woman returning from maternity leave and tasked with solving a cold case... one very personal to her superior. As a parent I could relate to the struggles of a mother returning to the work force, and found it was woven in nicely without it being the central theme of the novel. her boss has deeply personal reasons for wanting this cold case solved, although it doesn't seem like he expects it to be.
I did enjoy this, but it felt a little too easily solved for a cold case, and I did figure out the culprit before the end. That said, it was still an enjoyable read and I'd definitely consider starting from the beginning of this series should I have the time to do so.
November 5, 2024
Gripping from start to end.
Brilliant in all aspects
Set in Dunedin, our hero, the fiesty Sam Shepherd is given a cold case from The Boss and she, while navigating motherhood/breastfeeding/mount laundry/ leaking boobs/ an interviewing ex gang members, manages (of course) to find out 'who dunnit'
Unputdownable. Loved it. Spent some time looking at the online 3D photos of St Paul's.
I also listened to the audio version and managed not to get too annoyed at the put on NZ accent - we don't speak loike thaat, at ill, eh?*
*we do
Brilliant in all aspects
Set in Dunedin, our hero, the fiesty Sam Shepherd is given a cold case from The Boss and she, while navigating motherhood/breastfeeding/mount laundry/ leaking boobs/ an interviewing ex gang members, manages (of course) to find out 'who dunnit'
Unputdownable. Loved it. Spent some time looking at the online 3D photos of St Paul's.
I also listened to the audio version and managed not to get too annoyed at the put on NZ accent - we don't speak loike thaat, at ill, eh?*
*we do
September 21, 2025
Detective Sam Shephard returns to work after being on maternity leave. To "ease" her back in, her misogynistic boss gives her an old case to look at....the unsolved murder of an Anglican priest 25 years ago. However, right from the start of the re-investigation there are problems as the boss is connected in a personal way...the victim was his wife's father. What secrets are being kept? What really did happen 25 years ago? Vanda gets better with every book she writes. A worthy finalist in the Ngaio Marsh book awards.
December 31, 2024
In the late 1990s a respected priest is murdered on the steps of St. Paul’s Cathedral, Dunedin. 20 something years later detective Sam Shephard is tasked with reopening the case and finding the killer. What follows is a fabulously twisty crime thriller that keeps you guessing right until the end. I loved how relatable Sam was, and how she navigated a crazy cold case in the days returning from maternity leave. This book is both tense and amusing, and a real page turner.
Whilst this book is officially part of a series it can be read as a standalone.
Whilst this book is officially part of a series it can be read as a standalone.
March 26, 2025
Enjoyable, especially after reading the previous book in the series recently. This time the 'joys' of Sam Shephard's pregnancy are replaced by the joys of motherhood - and returning to work while still expressing milk. There are some wonderful confrontational scenes with her overbearing boss. I also enjoyed the odd bit of 'gumshoe' style language such as: 'When...a gift horse suddenly came along, it wouldn't occur to you to give it a dental inspection'. The story is well structured and leads you along with the same sort of curiosity as the protagonist and, when the ending seems too tidy, Sam thinks so too, and the last few pages get to the real resolution of the case in a satisfying way.
August 14, 2024
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!
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!
August 11, 2024
I have to confess that I haven't read a crime novel written by a New Zealand writer since, years ago, I blitzed the Inspector Alleyn stories by Ngaio Marsh. Although she was born and died in Christchurch, those stories are quintessentially English. Vanda Symon, by contrast, has written a successful series featuring Dunedin cop Sam Shephard, and Prey is the latest of these. Sam has returned from maternity leave, and almost immediately the state of open war between herself and boss, DI Greg Johns, resumes. He immediately gives her a cold case to work on. Twenty five years earlier, a priest at St Paul's Cathedral, was found dead at the foot of some stone stairs. He had been stabbed, but also had a broken neck. Despite every best effort, no-one was ever arrested for the murder. And there is a problem. The Reverend Mark Freeman had a teenage daughter, Felicity. And now she is married to DI Johns.
As Sam struggles to adjust being back at work, and worries about 'abandoning' baby daughter Amelia (for those who like that sort of thing the author spares us no detail of the baby's rather spectacular digestive system) she realises she has been handed a poison chalice. The crime scene has since been walked over by tens of thousands of pairs of feet, and there are a mere handful of people alive now who were connected to the case at the time. These are, in no particular order:
Yvonne Freeman, the murdered man's widow. She has terminal cancer.
Felicity Johns, née Freeman, now married to DI Greg Johns.
DI Johns himself was on the investigating team as a young police constable.
Brendan Freeman, Felicity's brother.
Mel Smythe, a young youth worker at the time of the killing. She has since become estranged from the church, and has fallen on hard times.
Aaron Cox, of Maori origin, and a former criminal. Mark Freeman had worked hard to put him on the straight and narrow path.
When Sam goes to interview Mel Smythe (for the second time) she finds her dead - stabbed with a kitchen knife, which makes the case very much a current murder investigation. But is it - and if so, how - connected to the death of Mark Freeman? It has to be said that in the first few pages of the book, a female witness watches, from behind a church pillar, a struggle between two people, one of whom is the Reverend Mark Freeman. Make of that what you will.
Sam Shephard is a very human creation with none of the foibles and weaknesses that many British writers love to give their police detectives. She is a proud mum and loyal partner to little Amelia's father, fellow copper Paul Frost. She has a keen brain and a healthy sense of humour, and it is her intuition that allows her to finally realise she has been lied to, and thus crack the case open. This only happens, however, in the final pages of the novel, and not before we are led up many a garden path. The connections to the case of DI Johns and his wife only make more hot coals for Sam to walk over, and she faces an unenviable task of doing her job without becoming badly burned.
Vanda Symon creates a convincingly clammy picture of a wet and wintry Dunedin, and at the centre of it all, glowering over the wrongdoings of its congregation, is the menacing Victorian Gothic bulk of St Paul's Cathedral. In addition to the gripping plot, Symon explores those eternal ingredients of all good crime novels - money, greed, shame, blackmail, hypocrisy and family secrets. Prey is published by Orenda Books and is available now.
As Sam struggles to adjust being back at work, and worries about 'abandoning' baby daughter Amelia (for those who like that sort of thing the author spares us no detail of the baby's rather spectacular digestive system) she realises she has been handed a poison chalice. The crime scene has since been walked over by tens of thousands of pairs of feet, and there are a mere handful of people alive now who were connected to the case at the time. These are, in no particular order:
Yvonne Freeman, the murdered man's widow. She has terminal cancer.
Felicity Johns, née Freeman, now married to DI Greg Johns.
DI Johns himself was on the investigating team as a young police constable.
Brendan Freeman, Felicity's brother.
Mel Smythe, a young youth worker at the time of the killing. She has since become estranged from the church, and has fallen on hard times.
Aaron Cox, of Maori origin, and a former criminal. Mark Freeman had worked hard to put him on the straight and narrow path.
When Sam goes to interview Mel Smythe (for the second time) she finds her dead - stabbed with a kitchen knife, which makes the case very much a current murder investigation. But is it - and if so, how - connected to the death of Mark Freeman? It has to be said that in the first few pages of the book, a female witness watches, from behind a church pillar, a struggle between two people, one of whom is the Reverend Mark Freeman. Make of that what you will.
Sam Shephard is a very human creation with none of the foibles and weaknesses that many British writers love to give their police detectives. She is a proud mum and loyal partner to little Amelia's father, fellow copper Paul Frost. She has a keen brain and a healthy sense of humour, and it is her intuition that allows her to finally realise she has been lied to, and thus crack the case open. This only happens, however, in the final pages of the novel, and not before we are led up many a garden path. The connections to the case of DI Johns and his wife only make more hot coals for Sam to walk over, and she faces an unenviable task of doing her job without becoming badly burned.
Vanda Symon creates a convincingly clammy picture of a wet and wintry Dunedin, and at the centre of it all, glowering over the wrongdoings of its congregation, is the menacing Victorian Gothic bulk of St Paul's Cathedral. In addition to the gripping plot, Symon explores those eternal ingredients of all good crime novels - money, greed, shame, blackmail, hypocrisy and family secrets. Prey is published by Orenda Books and is available now.
October 3, 2024
In this instalment we see a slightly different Sam Shephard, a softer, more mellow one, changed by the experience of motherhood and captivated by the baby she and Paul have created. The fears she had previously are now banished, but there are new obstacles to be encountered as life as a modern working parent is faced. The life of new parents is laid out in full, the joys, the concerns and the sheer inconvenience at times (there is one amusingly graphic nappy incident). There is a lot of baby care, but this is essential to provide context to and parallels within the story. Sam faces misogyny, casual and unintended, as colleagues struggle for the right reactions in an environment that is far from family friendly.
The friction between Sam and Johns is important to the series and here it is raised several notches. He spitefully gives her an impossible job; one he expects her to fail and then at least he can tell his family that they had tried. However, Sam is very much a contrarian and starts to make progress, which leads to Johns trying to closely manage her, something that it takes Smithy to intervene to point out his obvious conflict of interest. All of which is very believable, a real sense of conflict with dialogue, simmering anger and tensions to match. The resolution is explosive as Johns comes to understand what being hoisted by one’s own petard means. Perfectly judged and superbly written.
The storyline is straightforward, there are no diversions, just a cold murder investigation and the consequences from it being reopened. The plot is intricate, tight and considering the small cast of suspects surprisingly complex thanks to some false flags and unexpected twists. In many cold case stories, it is new evidence or techniques not previously available that provide the key to the solution, but here is old fashioned policing, questioning and reinterviewing the witnesses and suspects. It its heart are secrets and differing perspectives which Sam must uncover and understand if she is to find the murderer. These are beautifully hidden and then revealed at the perfect moment, this is top notch procedural writing.
Sam is a great central character and here she has much to deal with, this is the second major case with a connection to her condition and state of mind, at a time when her emotions are high. Adapting to motherhood, dealing with DI Johns, but also trying to soften her interactions with others. In the end she can take little comfort from the conclusion of the case.
This is a story of how people change over time and how for some factors outside their control can impinge on their future. Sam opens a can of worms as characters reflect on their past with their hindsight of twenty-five years. It is also one where commitment to one’s family and faith are key, but where a choice must eventually be made.
The friction between Sam and Johns is important to the series and here it is raised several notches. He spitefully gives her an impossible job; one he expects her to fail and then at least he can tell his family that they had tried. However, Sam is very much a contrarian and starts to make progress, which leads to Johns trying to closely manage her, something that it takes Smithy to intervene to point out his obvious conflict of interest. All of which is very believable, a real sense of conflict with dialogue, simmering anger and tensions to match. The resolution is explosive as Johns comes to understand what being hoisted by one’s own petard means. Perfectly judged and superbly written.
The storyline is straightforward, there are no diversions, just a cold murder investigation and the consequences from it being reopened. The plot is intricate, tight and considering the small cast of suspects surprisingly complex thanks to some false flags and unexpected twists. In many cold case stories, it is new evidence or techniques not previously available that provide the key to the solution, but here is old fashioned policing, questioning and reinterviewing the witnesses and suspects. It its heart are secrets and differing perspectives which Sam must uncover and understand if she is to find the murderer. These are beautifully hidden and then revealed at the perfect moment, this is top notch procedural writing.
Sam is a great central character and here she has much to deal with, this is the second major case with a connection to her condition and state of mind, at a time when her emotions are high. Adapting to motherhood, dealing with DI Johns, but also trying to soften her interactions with others. In the end she can take little comfort from the conclusion of the case.
This is a story of how people change over time and how for some factors outside their control can impinge on their future. Sam opens a can of worms as characters reflect on their past with their hindsight of twenty-five years. It is also one where commitment to one’s family and faith are key, but where a choice must eventually be made.
September 30, 2024
I absolutely devoured this story! I sat down this evening to make a start, decided I wanted a cuppa and realised I was over half way through. I should have known then I wouldn’t be able to put it down! But alas, I decided to read “a bit more” and two hours later my fiancé got home from work and asked how come I was still up so late. Late? Oh… suddenly realising I only had 30 pages left. Might as well finish it right? So I did.
But. That should tell you something about just how engrossed I was in the phenomenal writing of Vanda Symon, the fullness of the personalities throughout the story and the twists and turns the tale took. Not to mention the completely different type of Crime story this was to the previous in the series.
The central characters to the mystery were surprising, a huge family dynamic that shifted constantly, highlighting secrets and half truths and the danger of that. I love how each of these books has centred around family dynamics in some way, each totally different to the last and always in a way you wouldn’t expect.
We see more of Paul and Sams relationship, this time the realities behind how difficult it is to juggle both parents working with childcare, breastfeeding whilst working and the emotions of the first day back to work. All of it done in so subtle a way and yet capturing all the emotion of the situation. It was brilliantly done, once again allowing a very real view of life and relationships without overdoing it or taking away from the overall storyline.
And the overall storyline? Wow. This was so different to the previous books, and yet fit the characters perfectly!! We got to see another side to DI Johns and yet he still remained true to Character, and given the plot, that is no mean feat! It would have been so easy to drop his personality that had been built, instead Vanda has masterfully maintained the characters as we know them whilst giving us more insight into who they are. Not once did I see what was coming before it hit me!
And boy did the story shift. So many times I thought I could see where it would go, only to completely miss the mark!
Yet another brilliant Crime Thriller in the Sam Shephard Series, I didn’t think it could get any better but it did! I can’t wait to see what this Author has in store for us next!
But. That should tell you something about just how engrossed I was in the phenomenal writing of Vanda Symon, the fullness of the personalities throughout the story and the twists and turns the tale took. Not to mention the completely different type of Crime story this was to the previous in the series.
The central characters to the mystery were surprising, a huge family dynamic that shifted constantly, highlighting secrets and half truths and the danger of that. I love how each of these books has centred around family dynamics in some way, each totally different to the last and always in a way you wouldn’t expect.
We see more of Paul and Sams relationship, this time the realities behind how difficult it is to juggle both parents working with childcare, breastfeeding whilst working and the emotions of the first day back to work. All of it done in so subtle a way and yet capturing all the emotion of the situation. It was brilliantly done, once again allowing a very real view of life and relationships without overdoing it or taking away from the overall storyline.
And the overall storyline? Wow. This was so different to the previous books, and yet fit the characters perfectly!! We got to see another side to DI Johns and yet he still remained true to Character, and given the plot, that is no mean feat! It would have been so easy to drop his personality that had been built, instead Vanda has masterfully maintained the characters as we know them whilst giving us more insight into who they are. Not once did I see what was coming before it hit me!
And boy did the story shift. So many times I thought I could see where it would go, only to completely miss the mark!
Yet another brilliant Crime Thriller in the Sam Shephard Series, I didn’t think it could get any better but it did! I can’t wait to see what this Author has in store for us next!
August 20, 2024
It is always such a treat to read a Detective Sam Shephard book – this is a series which is reliably excellent and with the previous novel, Expectant having deservedly been shortlisted for the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Novel, my expectations were high for Prey. Vanda Symon's protagonist is one of my favourites in crime fiction; Sam is everything you'd want in a murder detective – resolute, principled and intuitive – but she is also so utterly normal. She looks forward to nothing more than sharing a cup of tea and a biscuit with her partner, Paul at the end of the day, and the engaging, relatable first person narrative, allows us to understand what makes her tick. She is kind and deeply empathetic but has a quick temper when riled and her sarcastic, straight-talking wit can cut through any nonsense that she has to deal with.
She's been through a lot in the past and has particularly suffered at the hands of her boss, DI Johns. His arrogant misogyny means any woman who has the misfortune to work for him is likely to see her career stall but he is particularly vitriolic towards Sam. She is stunned, therefore when he hands her a cold case on her return to work after maternity leave. He wants her to reopen the investigation into the murder of Reverend Mark Freeman, whose body was discovered lying at the steps of St Paul's Cathedral in Dunedin in 1999. Trying to determine the facts behind a 25-year-old mystery would be a tough assignment for anyone but Sam feels set up for failure when she learns that the victim was DI Johns' father-in-law.
The resulting imbalance of power which develops as Sam questions the key witnesses – most of whom are members of Mark Freeman's immediate family – adds a fascinating dimension to the story. Long-time fans of the series will naturally feel antipathetic towards 'The Boss' but even new readers will quickly understand just how unpleasant he is. However, it's hard not to feel some sympathy for him here, especially after he realises he has lost the ability to control a case he was responsible for reopening. Meanwhile, Sam not only has to cope with risking his wrath while untangling the secrets and lies surrounding the case, she also has to negotiate all the changes which come from being a working parent.
Throughout the series, Vanda Symon has depicted Sam's life and her interactions with her family with warm realism; we shared her grief at the loss of her beloved father, understand her complicated relationship with her critical mother, adore the friendship with her best friend, Maggie and have watched her relationship grow with Paul, from its first tentative steps to their becoming parents of their daughter, Amelia. It's worth saying at this point that I really would recommend reading the previous books if you can, the mystery in Prey is a standalone but this series is so much more than a murder investigation. Although Sam's love for Amelia is absolute, Vanda Symon portrays life with a baby with her customary wit and truthfulness. Whether dealing with a nappy explosion, navigating two careers with nursery hours or coping with expressing at work, anybody who has spent time with an infant will recognise many of the joys and tribulations Sam and Paul face here. We learn a little more about Sam's past too, in a scene which is initially upsetting, then infuriating before turning into something unexpectedly moving.
The case itself is a complex one and not just because of the time elapsed since Mark Freeman was murdered or the links to DI Johns. The murder of one of the key witnesses, somebody who was also a potential suspect, complicates things still further. It seems obvious that past and present have collided but who has the most to hide? Long-held secrets are revealed amidst recent, shocking behaviour and it becomes intriguingly evident that Sam will have to work out who can really be trusted, when everyone appears to be lying, whether blatantly or through omission.
Right from the opaqueness of the prologue, Prey delights in its misdirections and revelations and just as I thought I had figured out the truth, I was proven to be wrong. However, beyond the tension and suspicion engendered, Vanda Symon elicits genuine sympathy for her characters. A murder, by its very nature, is a tragedy but this particular investigation is notably emotional.
From the compassionate authenticity of her characters, to the rich sense of place, to the poignant intricacies of the investigation, Prey is Vanda Symon at her compulsive best. Very highly recommended.
She's been through a lot in the past and has particularly suffered at the hands of her boss, DI Johns. His arrogant misogyny means any woman who has the misfortune to work for him is likely to see her career stall but he is particularly vitriolic towards Sam. She is stunned, therefore when he hands her a cold case on her return to work after maternity leave. He wants her to reopen the investigation into the murder of Reverend Mark Freeman, whose body was discovered lying at the steps of St Paul's Cathedral in Dunedin in 1999. Trying to determine the facts behind a 25-year-old mystery would be a tough assignment for anyone but Sam feels set up for failure when she learns that the victim was DI Johns' father-in-law.
The resulting imbalance of power which develops as Sam questions the key witnesses – most of whom are members of Mark Freeman's immediate family – adds a fascinating dimension to the story. Long-time fans of the series will naturally feel antipathetic towards 'The Boss' but even new readers will quickly understand just how unpleasant he is. However, it's hard not to feel some sympathy for him here, especially after he realises he has lost the ability to control a case he was responsible for reopening. Meanwhile, Sam not only has to cope with risking his wrath while untangling the secrets and lies surrounding the case, she also has to negotiate all the changes which come from being a working parent.
Throughout the series, Vanda Symon has depicted Sam's life and her interactions with her family with warm realism; we shared her grief at the loss of her beloved father, understand her complicated relationship with her critical mother, adore the friendship with her best friend, Maggie and have watched her relationship grow with Paul, from its first tentative steps to their becoming parents of their daughter, Amelia. It's worth saying at this point that I really would recommend reading the previous books if you can, the mystery in Prey is a standalone but this series is so much more than a murder investigation. Although Sam's love for Amelia is absolute, Vanda Symon portrays life with a baby with her customary wit and truthfulness. Whether dealing with a nappy explosion, navigating two careers with nursery hours or coping with expressing at work, anybody who has spent time with an infant will recognise many of the joys and tribulations Sam and Paul face here. We learn a little more about Sam's past too, in a scene which is initially upsetting, then infuriating before turning into something unexpectedly moving.
The case itself is a complex one and not just because of the time elapsed since Mark Freeman was murdered or the links to DI Johns. The murder of one of the key witnesses, somebody who was also a potential suspect, complicates things still further. It seems obvious that past and present have collided but who has the most to hide? Long-held secrets are revealed amidst recent, shocking behaviour and it becomes intriguingly evident that Sam will have to work out who can really be trusted, when everyone appears to be lying, whether blatantly or through omission.
Right from the opaqueness of the prologue, Prey delights in its misdirections and revelations and just as I thought I had figured out the truth, I was proven to be wrong. However, beyond the tension and suspicion engendered, Vanda Symon elicits genuine sympathy for her characters. A murder, by its very nature, is a tragedy but this particular investigation is notably emotional.
From the compassionate authenticity of her characters, to the rich sense of place, to the poignant intricacies of the investigation, Prey is Vanda Symon at her compulsive best. Very highly recommended.
August 23, 2024
In Prey, by Vanda Symon, Detective Sam Shephard’s back on the job after maternity leave with her daughter, Amelia. Her unpleasant boss DI Greg Johns’ first assignment for her is a 25-year-old cold case: in 1999, the Reverend Mark Freeman was murdered on the steps of Dunedin’s landmark cathedral, St Paul’s, after a service.
Sam’s investigation is complicated by the fact that Mark was the father of DI Johns’ now-wife, Felicity (a teenager at the time of the murder), making it difficult to interview her and other members of the Freeman family without his hot-headed – albeit blustering – interference.
Nevertheless, Sam persists, and becomes even more fired up when a key witness from outside the family is also killed. Can she untangle a long-established web of silences and secrets to get to the truth?
Catching up with Detective Sam Shephard is always a treat, and Prey was no exception.
Sam is exactly the kind of mother I expected/hoped she would be: a little overwhelmed sometimes, far from an Insta-perfect domestic goddess, bluntly matter-of-fact about the fluids leaking from both herself and her baby – but managing well enough as a team with her partner Paul, full of love and wonder, and consciously deciding not to follow the example of her own overly-critical mother.
Through night-time feeds and painful boobs, Sam retains her quirky sense of humour; superb intuition when it comes to approaching and eliciting useful information from people; and refusal to back down when DI Johns is being unreasonable at best, obstructive at worst, and loud and obnoxious either way. She also continues to have heart-warming catch-ups with her best friend, Maggie.
While the crimes Sam investigated in Expectant were brutal and shocking, the rather less graphic murders (both victims were stabbed just once, with Mark subsequently falling down the cathedral steps) and historical nature of this case make Prey a less urgent, more character-based story, demonstrating Symon’s range as a writer.
And what an interesting bunch of characters they are! Through her interviews with Mark’s family – as well as daughter Felicity, there’s wife Yvonne and son Callum – Sam discovers a tangled web of secrets that they’ve kept partly to protect one another, and partly from shame. As she frequently laments, events might have unfolded very differently if they’d just communicated with each other.
This is part of a wider theme: the hypocrisy of the Church. While Mark is remembered fondly by his parishioners, as the children of a priest, Felicity and Callum were under immense pressure to appear squeaky-clean, and couldn’t even talk to their parents about common teenage issues.
Following Mark’s death, meanwhile, his colleagues took the opportunity to push out two members of the church he’d seen potential and genuineness in, but they disliked and distrusted. This pair are Aaron Cox, a reformed gang member and addict who’d found God, and Mel Smythe, a youth leader who didn’t fit the the happy-clappy, platitudinous model.
Sam speaks to both, and like the members of the Freeman/Johns family, they’re revealed to contain multitudes. Mel has turned extremely bitter following her ejection from the church and is difficult to like, yet the stridently un-religious Sam nonetheless manages to give her more grace than she received from the Church following Mark’s untimely death.
Prey is full of twists, surprises, and interesting, complex characters.
Sam’s investigation is complicated by the fact that Mark was the father of DI Johns’ now-wife, Felicity (a teenager at the time of the murder), making it difficult to interview her and other members of the Freeman family without his hot-headed – albeit blustering – interference.
Nevertheless, Sam persists, and becomes even more fired up when a key witness from outside the family is also killed. Can she untangle a long-established web of silences and secrets to get to the truth?
Catching up with Detective Sam Shephard is always a treat, and Prey was no exception.
Sam is exactly the kind of mother I expected/hoped she would be: a little overwhelmed sometimes, far from an Insta-perfect domestic goddess, bluntly matter-of-fact about the fluids leaking from both herself and her baby – but managing well enough as a team with her partner Paul, full of love and wonder, and consciously deciding not to follow the example of her own overly-critical mother.
Through night-time feeds and painful boobs, Sam retains her quirky sense of humour; superb intuition when it comes to approaching and eliciting useful information from people; and refusal to back down when DI Johns is being unreasonable at best, obstructive at worst, and loud and obnoxious either way. She also continues to have heart-warming catch-ups with her best friend, Maggie.
While the crimes Sam investigated in Expectant were brutal and shocking, the rather less graphic murders (both victims were stabbed just once, with Mark subsequently falling down the cathedral steps) and historical nature of this case make Prey a less urgent, more character-based story, demonstrating Symon’s range as a writer.
And what an interesting bunch of characters they are! Through her interviews with Mark’s family – as well as daughter Felicity, there’s wife Yvonne and son Callum – Sam discovers a tangled web of secrets that they’ve kept partly to protect one another, and partly from shame. As she frequently laments, events might have unfolded very differently if they’d just communicated with each other.
This is part of a wider theme: the hypocrisy of the Church. While Mark is remembered fondly by his parishioners, as the children of a priest, Felicity and Callum were under immense pressure to appear squeaky-clean, and couldn’t even talk to their parents about common teenage issues.
Following Mark’s death, meanwhile, his colleagues took the opportunity to push out two members of the church he’d seen potential and genuineness in, but they disliked and distrusted. This pair are Aaron Cox, a reformed gang member and addict who’d found God, and Mel Smythe, a youth leader who didn’t fit the the happy-clappy, platitudinous model.
Sam speaks to both, and like the members of the Freeman/Johns family, they’re revealed to contain multitudes. Mel has turned extremely bitter following her ejection from the church and is difficult to like, yet the stridently un-religious Sam nonetheless manages to give her more grace than she received from the Church following Mark’s untimely death.
Prey is full of twists, surprises, and interesting, complex characters.
January 12, 2025
It’s hard to believe that this is the 6th book in the Sam Shephard series or that it has taken me so long for it to get to the top of my TBR pile. A lot has changed for Sam as she is just returning to work full time after the birth of her daughter and the change in routine is taking a bit of time to get used to. Added to this she has been assigned a cold case that has links to her boss DI Johns. Now anyone who has followed this series from the start understands the history between Sam and the DI, so she is not sure why he has assigned the case to her. He says its because the wife of the deceased is herself dying and as she is now his mother-in-law he wants answers for her, Sam on the other hand thinks it might be because he wants to see her fail. What she needs to do is find the truth but stop him from interfering which is easier said than done.
Sam has certainly been handed a poison chalice with this case. She wants to solve it but she does feel hampered by her DI who doesn’t like her on the best of days and is going out of his way to insert himself into the investigation despite it not being in the best interests of the case. Not only is he now married to the daughter of the victim, but he was also one of the officers on the initial investigation, so the pressure is on to find the evidence that was missed first time around.
One of the things I like about Sam is her determination to do a good job even if it does mean upsetting people. She is trying her best to be sensitive when it comes to the DI’s family, but she has a job to do and if that means digging into the family history and asking some unpleasant questions then that is what she does. Thankfully she has the backing of her partner Paul and fellow officer DS Smith who when needed put the DI back in his box. Her oh so real feelings of guilt over not being there for her daughter are best captured when after miscommunication between her and her partner they both forget to pick her up from daycare, showing just how all consuming the job can be and juggling home life and an important investigation is not an easy task.
Digging into the past is never easy and as secrets are uncovered more than one person is shown in a different light but as Sam gets to the truth the result is not one that anyone expects, and you have to wonder what it all means for the future of more than one character. Hopefully we don’t have to wait too long to find out.
Sam has certainly been handed a poison chalice with this case. She wants to solve it but she does feel hampered by her DI who doesn’t like her on the best of days and is going out of his way to insert himself into the investigation despite it not being in the best interests of the case. Not only is he now married to the daughter of the victim, but he was also one of the officers on the initial investigation, so the pressure is on to find the evidence that was missed first time around.
One of the things I like about Sam is her determination to do a good job even if it does mean upsetting people. She is trying her best to be sensitive when it comes to the DI’s family, but she has a job to do and if that means digging into the family history and asking some unpleasant questions then that is what she does. Thankfully she has the backing of her partner Paul and fellow officer DS Smith who when needed put the DI back in his box. Her oh so real feelings of guilt over not being there for her daughter are best captured when after miscommunication between her and her partner they both forget to pick her up from daycare, showing just how all consuming the job can be and juggling home life and an important investigation is not an easy task.
Digging into the past is never easy and as secrets are uncovered more than one person is shown in a different light but as Sam gets to the truth the result is not one that anyone expects, and you have to wonder what it all means for the future of more than one character. Hopefully we don’t have to wait too long to find out.
August 12, 2024
Book 6 in the Sam Shephard Series set in Dunedin, New Zealand, and Sam has just returned from maternity leave. In her absence DI Johns is put in charge of the station and he assigns her a cold case from 25 years ago to investigate. The prologue reels you in quickly as a woman sees two men she knows arguing in Dunedin Cathedral and one falls to his death. Sam is struggling a bit with having to leave baby Amelia but thankfully she has a very supportive husband in Paul. Told in the first person, from Sam’s POV, her personality is allowed to shine, alongside her sarcastic sense of humour.
Briefly, as always this is not going to be simple, the murdered man was a respected priest, The Reverend Mark Freeman, and he was also DI John’s father-in-law. Johns was involved in the original investigation and he soon makes it clear he has a suspect in mind and expects Sam to investigate. To complicate matters further Sam has to deal with Johns family with him breathing over her shoulder. Until she puts him in his place. Yay Sam!
I really like Sam, she’s a strong and resourceful woman but this time we also get to see a softer side to her nature. As a child free person I found some of the baby stuff more gruesome than the actual murders (yes murders but that’s all I’m saying)! There are some dark moments, including institutional abuse, so be aware, but none of it is gratuitous. This is a very well plotted story and as always, well written. The narrative is tight and compelling with some great twists and turns, and that ending! An excellent police procedural and a very entertaining read.
4.5⭐️
Briefly, as always this is not going to be simple, the murdered man was a respected priest, The Reverend Mark Freeman, and he was also DI John’s father-in-law. Johns was involved in the original investigation and he soon makes it clear he has a suspect in mind and expects Sam to investigate. To complicate matters further Sam has to deal with Johns family with him breathing over her shoulder. Until she puts him in his place. Yay Sam!
I really like Sam, she’s a strong and resourceful woman but this time we also get to see a softer side to her nature. As a child free person I found some of the baby stuff more gruesome than the actual murders (yes murders but that’s all I’m saying)! There are some dark moments, including institutional abuse, so be aware, but none of it is gratuitous. This is a very well plotted story and as always, well written. The narrative is tight and compelling with some great twists and turns, and that ending! An excellent police procedural and a very entertaining read.
4.5⭐️
August 15, 2024
New Zealand author Vanda Symon introduced her Detective Sam Shephard to UK readers back in 2018. Prey is the latest instalment in the series and is easily read as a stand-alone crime story.
Sam has just returned from maternity leave and is immediately given a cold-case investigation; the unsolved murder of an Anglican Priest in Dunedin. Her relationship with her boss, DI Johns, has never been great and this case is certainly going to prove tricky for Sam as Johns has a personal interest. Not only was he one of the original investigating officers at the time, he is now married to the daughter of the murder victim.
Sam is a dedicated officer and will not stand for any nonsense. She’s respected amongst the small team, but will often disregard advice from authority and do her own thing. She’s outspoken, but fair and is determined to get to the bottom of this case, despite the constant interference from DI Johns.
This is a riveting, fast paced crime investigation novel with a superb lead character. The sense of place is amazing; the small-town feel, the residents who know each other so well, and the slow uncovering of long held secrets.
When a vital witness to the case is murdered, Sam realises that the deeply guarded secrets are going to be difficult to uncover. Often putting herself in danger, she eventually gets to the bottom of this complex case, revealing some shocking events from the past that will cause chaos for many.
Vanda Symon is a clever and talented author, her characters are realistic and often flawed, but the reader will always shout for Sam and her team. Another intense, pacy thriller which kept me totally gripped and entertained.
Sam has just returned from maternity leave and is immediately given a cold-case investigation; the unsolved murder of an Anglican Priest in Dunedin. Her relationship with her boss, DI Johns, has never been great and this case is certainly going to prove tricky for Sam as Johns has a personal interest. Not only was he one of the original investigating officers at the time, he is now married to the daughter of the murder victim.
Sam is a dedicated officer and will not stand for any nonsense. She’s respected amongst the small team, but will often disregard advice from authority and do her own thing. She’s outspoken, but fair and is determined to get to the bottom of this case, despite the constant interference from DI Johns.
This is a riveting, fast paced crime investigation novel with a superb lead character. The sense of place is amazing; the small-town feel, the residents who know each other so well, and the slow uncovering of long held secrets.
When a vital witness to the case is murdered, Sam realises that the deeply guarded secrets are going to be difficult to uncover. Often putting herself in danger, she eventually gets to the bottom of this complex case, revealing some shocking events from the past that will cause chaos for many.
Vanda Symon is a clever and talented author, her characters are realistic and often flawed, but the reader will always shout for Sam and her team. Another intense, pacy thriller which kept me totally gripped and entertained.
September 6, 2024
I love this character! Another episode in the Sam Shephard series, but it’s definitely a book that works as a standalone perfectly well.
Sam is returning to work after her maternity leave. I still recall the last book vividly! If you haven’t read it yet, do.
She’s dreading the first confrontation with DI Johns whose nickname is well earned. He decides to test her ability to be a working mother, committed to her job. Giving her a cold case that soon becomes more than anyone expects and Sam is immediately mixed up in something far more than she was anticipating.
The slightly claustrophobic atmosphere of the small town police force are great for ramping up the tension. But that said this is funny in parts as Sam is a hilarious character and she’s basically a down to earth person. No addictions, no broken personality just a really quirky, interesting and humorous cop. She’s so full of caring and empathy for everyone whether they deserve it or not! This is what makes her such a great character. She’s a person you could imagine having a coffee with and telling her how much you both couldn’t stand the boss that makes you feel bad. An excellent character and series. Highly recommended reading.
With thanks to Anne Cater, Orenda Books and the author for the advanced reading copy of this book.
Sam is returning to work after her maternity leave. I still recall the last book vividly! If you haven’t read it yet, do.
She’s dreading the first confrontation with DI Johns whose nickname is well earned. He decides to test her ability to be a working mother, committed to her job. Giving her a cold case that soon becomes more than anyone expects and Sam is immediately mixed up in something far more than she was anticipating.
The slightly claustrophobic atmosphere of the small town police force are great for ramping up the tension. But that said this is funny in parts as Sam is a hilarious character and she’s basically a down to earth person. No addictions, no broken personality just a really quirky, interesting and humorous cop. She’s so full of caring and empathy for everyone whether they deserve it or not! This is what makes her such a great character. She’s a person you could imagine having a coffee with and telling her how much you both couldn’t stand the boss that makes you feel bad. An excellent character and series. Highly recommended reading.
With thanks to Anne Cater, Orenda Books and the author for the advanced reading copy of this book.
August 20, 2024
This is my first dance with this author and thanks to Vanda Symon and OrendaBooks what a dance it was. Book six in the series but read perfectly well as a stand alone.
Sam returns to duty and is put in charge of a cold case from twenty-five years previously. Is it because she is a good investigator or is it a way of being sidelined by her misogynistic boss? Sam her suspicions and to see if she is correct, you will need to read this book to find out. And one thing I can guarantee you will have good time finding out.
This book starts of as a slow burn but when she finds out who the victim is the pace picks up quickly and the reader is in for a good time.
Not only is this a crime novel, it is so much more. It explores the themes of new motherhood. the misogynistic patriarchy and the closely guarded secrets of family and friends. Is there a hidden agenda or something more sinister? You will need to read and find out.
This is what I like about OrendaBooks, not only do their authors keep you entertained but also make you think about the wider picture. Another great read from the stable of OrendaBooks.
Sam returns to duty and is put in charge of a cold case from twenty-five years previously. Is it because she is a good investigator or is it a way of being sidelined by her misogynistic boss? Sam her suspicions and to see if she is correct, you will need to read this book to find out. And one thing I can guarantee you will have good time finding out.
This book starts of as a slow burn but when she finds out who the victim is the pace picks up quickly and the reader is in for a good time.
Not only is this a crime novel, it is so much more. It explores the themes of new motherhood. the misogynistic patriarchy and the closely guarded secrets of family and friends. Is there a hidden agenda or something more sinister? You will need to read and find out.
This is what I like about OrendaBooks, not only do their authors keep you entertained but also make you think about the wider picture. Another great read from the stable of OrendaBooks.
March 30, 2025
Prey is the sixth book in the Sam Shephard series of books by New Zealand author, Vanda Symon. The series revolves around Dunedin (City in New Zealand’s Southern Islan) Detective Sam Shephard. In this book she is returning to work following maternity leave and investigating a 25-year-old cold case while adjusting to life back at work following the birth of her first child.
As this is the sixth book in the series it is recommended that you read the prior five books first as they will flesh out the characters and while the story is fairly self-contained you will miss a lot of the nuances in the series such as her reactions to her boss if you have not read the books in order.
I enjoyed this entry in the Sam Shephard series of books as the author does a great job of not only having Sam struggle to solve the cold case but also adjusting to the difficulties of being a new mother. Looking forward to seeing what the next book has in store for Sam and the rest of the Dunedin detectives.
As this is the sixth book in the series it is recommended that you read the prior five books first as they will flesh out the characters and while the story is fairly self-contained you will miss a lot of the nuances in the series such as her reactions to her boss if you have not read the books in order.
I enjoyed this entry in the Sam Shephard series of books as the author does a great job of not only having Sam struggle to solve the cold case but also adjusting to the difficulties of being a new mother. Looking forward to seeing what the next book has in store for Sam and the rest of the Dunedin detectives.
July 28, 2024
This book has just gone straight to the top of my list of best thriller / mystery reads of 2024.
I absolutely adore Detective Sam Shephard and will be going back to read the other books in the series. The author has made her so relatable, perfectly portraying the very real feeling of mum guilt but also making her great at what she does and giving her a fantastic sense of humour. I especially love the fun relationship she has with her husband as they navigate their life as new parents.
The story itself had me gripped and I found it hard to put the book down at times , needing to know what would happen next. I love it when I am surprised by the ending of a book and that was definitely the case with Prey, it wasn't at all predictable or disappointing.
Although this is part of a series I thoroughly enjoyed it and didnt feel lost not having read the others.
I can't wait to read more by this author, fully deserving of 5 stars and more.
I absolutely adore Detective Sam Shephard and will be going back to read the other books in the series. The author has made her so relatable, perfectly portraying the very real feeling of mum guilt but also making her great at what she does and giving her a fantastic sense of humour. I especially love the fun relationship she has with her husband as they navigate their life as new parents.
The story itself had me gripped and I found it hard to put the book down at times , needing to know what would happen next. I love it when I am surprised by the ending of a book and that was definitely the case with Prey, it wasn't at all predictable or disappointing.
Although this is part of a series I thoroughly enjoyed it and didnt feel lost not having read the others.
I can't wait to read more by this author, fully deserving of 5 stars and more.
August 20, 2024
This is book 6 in the Sam Shephard series, but the first I have read. It works very well as a standalone book, (which I don’t usually find to be the case). I enjoyed it SO much, that I will definitely catch up with the 5 books I’ve missed.
It is a very well written crime/ mystery thriller with a realistic plot that has plenty of twists and turns that kept me engaged throughout. I particularly like the protagonist, who is a new mother struggling with the guilt of being a working mum while navigating with her partner, who is also a cop, how to balance work and home life with a baby, but this does not detract from her ability to get the job done with determination and some humour.
I was gripped from the prologue to the satisfyingly unexpected ending, but I hope that book 7 isn’t released too soon, as I have a lot of backstory to catch up on!
Thank you to The Book Club Reviewer Group for the advance copy in return for an honest review.
It is a very well written crime/ mystery thriller with a realistic plot that has plenty of twists and turns that kept me engaged throughout. I particularly like the protagonist, who is a new mother struggling with the guilt of being a working mum while navigating with her partner, who is also a cop, how to balance work and home life with a baby, but this does not detract from her ability to get the job done with determination and some humour.
I was gripped from the prologue to the satisfyingly unexpected ending, but I hope that book 7 isn’t released too soon, as I have a lot of backstory to catch up on!
Thank you to The Book Club Reviewer Group for the advance copy in return for an honest review.
July 31, 2024
Although this is the 6th book in the sam Shepard series I read it as a stand alone and I have to admit it was easy to read and follow and has only inspired me to go on and read the other books in this series vanda Symon is a new to me author but I will be adding her to my list of favourites this book was compelling and kept me guessing till the very end with its twists and turns. I must admit I was slightly disappointed in the ending and would have loved to have had more of an insight into Sam’s relationship with her boss DCI Johns however I believe this might be explored in further Sam Shepard books. The characters were well portrayed and the relationship between them all explained succinctly and showed that although there was much love within the family secrets are best shared and consequences should be faced I loved this book and look forward to reading more by vanda symon
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 27, 2024
Sam Shephard, fast becoming one of my favourite fictional detectives, is sassy, smart and gets the job done. She’s also hilariously funny – with a slightly cynical, entertaining take on life. And Sam doesn’t abide fools – her boss being a case in point.
In Prey, Sam returns to work after maternity leave to find herself in charge of a cold case. Problem is, her boss was part of the original, unsuccessful investigation. To say that the two have a bad relationship is putting it mildly And as Sam delves deeper into the old murder, so she has to become more and more involved with his family… It all makes for a great story.
I loved the Dunedin setting (having visited recently) and Vanda Symon’s taut, pacey and gripping writing style. I couldn’t put this down!
In Prey, Sam returns to work after maternity leave to find herself in charge of a cold case. Problem is, her boss was part of the original, unsuccessful investigation. To say that the two have a bad relationship is putting it mildly And as Sam delves deeper into the old murder, so she has to become more and more involved with his family… It all makes for a great story.
I loved the Dunedin setting (having visited recently) and Vanda Symon’s taut, pacey and gripping writing style. I couldn’t put this down!
August 6, 2024
Sam Shephard is back with a bang in another brilliant thriller/ mystery.
Sam is back on the case following maternity leave and finds that DI Johns is now in charge, who assigns her to a cold case. One of the murder of DI Johns's own father in law. So Sam can ill afford to fail in her task of uncovering the murderer, so must try to focus, all the while missing her baby at home.
Want to know more? Be sure to pick your copy up.
So all in all, I enjoyed Prey. It was an entertaining read full of wit, humour, tension and emotion.
As all good thriller/ mysteries should, it's a read packed full of twists and turns with a great ending.
The characters are believable with decent depth and the plot flowed well with decent pace.
I read this in 2 sittings.
4 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 's from me.
Sam is back on the case following maternity leave and finds that DI Johns is now in charge, who assigns her to a cold case. One of the murder of DI Johns's own father in law. So Sam can ill afford to fail in her task of uncovering the murderer, so must try to focus, all the while missing her baby at home.
Want to know more? Be sure to pick your copy up.
So all in all, I enjoyed Prey. It was an entertaining read full of wit, humour, tension and emotion.
As all good thriller/ mysteries should, it's a read packed full of twists and turns with a great ending.
The characters are believable with decent depth and the plot flowed well with decent pace.
I read this in 2 sittings.
4 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 's from me.
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