Bound by Vanda Symon. #BlogTour

The passionate, young police officer Sam Shephard returns in
a taut, atmospheric and compelling police procedural, which
sees her take matters into her own hands when the official
investigation into the murder of a local businessman fails to add
up…
The New Zealand city of Dunedin is rocked when a wealthy and
apparently respectable businessman is murdered in his luxurious
home while his wife is bound and gagged, and forced to watch. But
when Detective Sam Shephard and her team start investigating the
case, they discover that the victim had links with some dubious
characters.
The case seems cut and dried, but Sam has other ideas. Weighed
down by her dad’s terminal cancer diagnosis, and by complications
in her relationship with Paul, she needs a distraction, and launches
her own investigation. And when another murder throws the
official case into chaos, it ’s up to Sam to prove that the killer is
someone no one could ever suspect.

My Thoughts

Bound is the fourth book in the Sam Shepherd series, and what a fantastic addition this novel is!.

This book starts off with an extremely powerful and chilling scene, where a teenage boy returns home to a scene that will haunt him forever. His father is dead and his mother is left seriously injured, which leaves him wondering what exactly his parents got themselves involved in.

This is where Sam and her colleagues come in to the story as they are set with investigating what caused this tragic murder, and who is to blame. Sam’s relationships within the Dunedin Police force are really put to the test as she tries to unravel what appears to be a rather cut-and-dry case, and with Sam already treading a rather thin line with her superiors so feels an even greater need to show how vital her position is within the force.

A break in, a murder… yet there is no obvious motive as to what lead to these events. That is until Sam starts digging in to the victim’s past and begins to learn more about exactly who they are and what exactly they have got themselves tied up in.

This is undoubtedly one of the most captivating stories I have read in quite some time. The storyline is so wonderfully written, with a strong storyline that is dripping with suspense from the very beginning. The author sets the perfect level of tension as this story progresses which has the reader on the edge of their seat throughout.

The characters are well fleshed out and detailed, all of which have many depths to their personalities, which in turn adds new layers to this already complex story. I loved how unique way in which this author brings the story to life, really enabling you to feel immersed in the world created and the characters lives too.

Brilliantly written, thrilling and truly addictive. This is a book that all thriller lovers will love!.

About the Author

‘Fast-moving New Zealand procedural … the Edinburgh of the south has never been
more deadly’
Ian Rankin

Praise for Vanda Symon

‘If you like taut, pacy thrillers with a wonderful sense of place, this is the book for you’
Liam McIlvanney

‘A plot that grabs the reader ’s attention with a heart-stopping opening and doesn’t let
go’
Sunday Times

‘Powerful, coolly assured, and an absolute belter of a read’
LoveReading

‘Fans of The Dry will love Vanda Symon’
Red Magazine

‘It is Symon’s copper Sam, self-deprecating and very human, who represents the
writer ’s real achievement ’
Barry Forshaw, Guardian

‘Reads like the polished effort of a genre veteran. More, please’
Booklist

‘Atmospheric, emotional and gripping ’
Foreword Reviews