Blog Tour – February 2023 – Expectant – Vanda Symon

First of all, apologies for this post being a bit late – I was unwell, but here we are, finally…

So another novel from the Southern hemisphere, and from Orenda Books – both sources of great things, book-wise – am I right?

Well, to be honest, that’s how it is, the vast majority of the time! And Vanda Symon’s Sam Shepherd series, now onto its fifth book, is one that I’d say you can rely on for an excellent yarn – although I haven’t read every single one of the series yet.

It begins pretty dramatically…

Yup, it’s a really high-octane start when a team of teenage graffiti taggers stumble upon a woman lying in a pool of blood. As they’re up to no good themselves, and don’t want to be dragged into what initially looks like a stabbing, most of them make themselves scarce – except one, Timi, who bravely stays with the victim through what ends up being her last few minutes.

Except it isn’t a stabbing…

The victim was in fact pregnant, and was bleeding to death because someone had, horrifically, cut her baby girl out of her, taken the child, and left the mother to expire in a city centre lane…a pretty gruesome beginning.

This is all a wee bit personal for Sam…

It is, given that she’s heavily pregnant herself and confined to “light,” office-based duties – and doubtless the nature of the crime puts the tin lid on that. Naturally, this doesn’t prevent Sam from doing all the digging she can in the office – as well as doing some investigating in her own time, heavily pregnant or not.

Vanda Symon’s style of writing is such that, even though the subject matter is kind of horrific, it retains a witty, light style that is 100% Sam’s voice and opinions. This makes it a speedy, highly enjoyable read. I was reading for over two hours when I first started the book late one night, and I couldn’t believe the time – I thought half-an-hour had gone by! It’s that kind of read – so if you’re reading it on a train journey, beware you don’t miss your stop!

Everything in this book rings wonderfully true – all the pregnancy anecdotes, for example – they certainly brought back memories! Ditto Sam’s mother’s passive-agressive relationship with her daughter – it’s so realistic.

And what did you make of the (highly dramatic) denouement?

Yes, it’s a book that’s book-ended by an exciting start, and a similarly thrilling end. I think most readers will see what’s coming – I certainly did – but that doesn’t in anyway detract from the thrill of seeing how it all plays out. It’s nerve-shredding stuff!

Another fabulous read from Vanda Symon!

With thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for inviting me to participate in this Blog Tour, and Orenda Books for the ARC. This has not influenced my opinion, and this is an honest review.

Author Vanda Symon

Do check out some of the other wonderful bloggers’ thoughts on Expectant!

BLURB: A killer targeting pregnant women.

A detective expecting her first baby…

The shocking murder of a heavily pregnant woman throws the New Zealand city of Dunedin into a tailspin, and the devastating crime feels uncomfortably close to home for Detective Sam Shephard as she counts down the days to her own maternity leave.

Confined to a desk job in the department, Sam must find the missing link between this brutal crime and a string of cases involving mothers and children in the past. As the pieces start to come together and the realisation dawns that the killer’s actions are escalating, drastic measures must be taken to prevent more tragedy.

For Sam, the case becomes personal, when it becomes increasingly clear that no one is safe and the clock is ticking…

Blog Tour – February 2023 – Final Term – Leigh Russell

Incredibly, this is the nineteenth in the Geraldine Steel series – which really is an outstanding achievement!

It really is – and looking at the cover above, you can see that over one million copies of this series have been sold, which is highly impressive – very few authors can boast of such huge sales. Now, it’s been a while since I’ve read one of this series, but I’m glad to see Geraldine has settled down to domestic bliss with a fellow copper, Ian. It’s also useful to have someone who understands the pressures of the job, and who she can bounce theories and concerns off.

At their heart, these books are just really good police procedurals, aren’t they?

They are, and as such are perfect for anyone who’s satisfied by a really good whodunnit. They’re also really quick reads, as they’re so good, you simply cannot wait to see what happens next! Short chapters add to that sense of urgency.

So what is the case facing Geraldine and the team this time around?

A schoolgirl is murdered, shortly after accusing a teacher of sexual harassment. Naturally, all eyes are on the teacher, Paul Moore – but the fact is, without the pupil, Cassie, withdrawing her accusation, he will forever be under suspicion. So for him to commit murder does his career or name no good whatsoever – but having said that, murder doesn’t always make sense!

And then a second schoolgirl is murdered…

Ella, best friend of Cassie, is found next, in a location close to where her friend’s body was left. The police investigation naturally centres around the school, continually questioning Cassie’s boyfriend and Paul Moore, as well as all other staff members and classmates of the girl in the hope of a lead of some kind. Moore’s wife, Laura, is also questioned on several occasions.

And the teacher appears to be the team’s main suspect…

Yes – but Geraldine appears to be the only member of the team who thinks this is something of a rush to judgement, which is being made because the team are floundering for a better option. And she’s right – there’s no actual evidence, barring suspicion, and I think it’s fair to say the CPS would never charge Moore with the evidence they have – they desperately need something more.

Geraldine decides to question someone tangential to the investigation, with the belief that they weren’t being entirely truthful, either deliberately or because they simply couldn’t remember. But when she’s struggling to track this woman down, she begins to wonder where she is. Because if Paul Moore is the murderer, he’s in custody, so can’t be responsible for this disappearance. Have they made a terrible mistake, and overlooked a possible suspect? Has she been the only one right to have doubts about Paul Moore’s guilt? And is it really wise, going looking for this missing woman, all on her own…?

Sounds like an intriguing procedural…

That’s exactly what it is. It doesn’t outstay it’s welcome, and there’s a good number of possible suspects for the reader to pick as their culprit (I was utterly and totally misled, despite being sure I was right! So great misdirection from Leigh Russell, as ever!)

This series is going from strength to strength, and it’s my intention to go back and try to squeeze in some of the books I’ve simply not had time to read. Apologies to Leigh Russell, for forgetting how damn good you are at these books!

A classic police procedural that makes for a perfect fast read!

With thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for inviting me to participate in this blog tour, and to No Exit Press for the ARC. All opinions are my own, and this is an unbiased review.

Author Geraldine Steel

Please have a look at some of the other superb bloggers and Instagrammers taking part in this tour!

BLURB: When a pupil accuses a teacher of molesting her, his career and marriage are threatened…

The girl’s corpse is discovered in the woods, and the teacher becomes a suspect in a murder enquiry. The victim’s best friend is then murdered so she cannot reveal the killer’s identity. The investigating team are satisfied the teacher is guilty, apart from Detective Inspector Geraldine Steel, who believes the wrong man has been arrested.

All of her colleagues disagree… but if she is right, the real killer remains at large.

Perfect for fans of Martina Cole, Mel Sherratt and LJ Ross.