A pregnant Sam Shephard investigates the murder of an expectant mother in Dunedin, as it becomes clear that the killer is ready to strike again ... Queen of New Zealand Crime, Vanda Symon, returns with a shocking, twisty new Sam Shephard thriller...
From the opening pages, this story left me gasping for breath Michael Robotham
Chillingly intense with a finely honed sense of place ... Vanda Symon knows Dunedin and brings it vibrantly to life in this fast-paced thriller Craig Robertson
An excellent thriller, definitely one of the best of this year. Vanda Symon is a master of characterisation, plot and dialogue ... I loved every moment Liz Nugent
New Zealand's modern Queen of Crime Val McDermid
**SHORTLISTED for the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel**
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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...
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Dark, chilling and utterly heartbreaking. A highly emotive and compelling thriller Michael Wood
New Zealand's answer to Siobhan Clarke The Times
The Edinburgh of the south has never been more deadly Ian Rankin
From the ominous and shocking beginning to the heart-pounding ending, Expectant had me in its grasp Nikki Crutchley
A sassy heroine, fabulous sense of place, and rip-roaring stories with a twist. Perfect curl-up-on-the-sofa reading Kate Mosse
Fans of The Dry will love Vanda Symon Red Magazine
A wonderful storyteller Helen FitzGerald
Praise for Vanda Symon
***SHORTLISTED for the CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger***
***SHORTLISTED for Best Paperback in the Barry Awards***
If you like taut, pacy thrillers with a wonderful sense of place, this is the book for you Liam McIlvanney
Vanda Symon's work resembles Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series she knows how to tell a good story and the NZ setting adds spice The Times
Atmospheric, emotional and gripping Foreword Reviews
A plot that grabs the reader's attention with a heart-stopping opening and doesn't let go Sunday Times
It is Symon's copper Sam, self-deprecating and very human, who represents the writer's real achievement Guardian
Edgy, thrilling and terrifyingly realistic Lisa Hall
All the thrills of a brilliantly plotted crime novel with some interesting moral questions woven between the words. Fast, furious and intense Helen Fields
Completely gripping ... a poignant study of how our society shapes unlikely saints and monsters Eve Smith