Bound by Vanda Symon

Good morning, readers! Today I’m a stop on the Random Things Blog Tour for Vanda Symon’s latest, Bound. 

A couple has been attacked. The husband shot, at close range, and his wife beaten and bound to a chair. Their teenage son discovered them and is likely not a suspect, but Sam Shephard is given the task of interviewing both him and his mother. 

It’s a case that appears to be professional. It’s clear the killers had a motive, though what it is still baffles the police. But they came prepared and left behind little to know evidence. 

Just what the couple was involved in becomes the biggest question, especially when the suspects are finally identified. Not only are the suspects known to the police, but they've been able to skirt prosecution before. Sam and the rest of the team know that the case has to be airtight if the killers are going to be brought down for good!

This is the fourth book in the Sam Shephard series. So, first things first, this is my introduction to this series and I absolutely found it easy to dive in and did not feel one bit lost! Whew! 

(That said, I've already bought two of the prior three books!)

This is also, as far as I know (this is going to be a rabbit hole situation for me) my introduction to New Zealand crime fiction. And I adored it!

Bound is a pretty traditional police procedural. Sam is the main character and the plotting of the crime and investigation are excellent. Even more than that, though, the book focuses a lot on Sam's personal life. Enough so that even if this is your intro to the series (like me!), you get a fabulous sense of who Sam is and what motivates her. 

She's a great detective. Not seriously flawed in the way many traditional leads in these kinds of books are. But she's in a not-so-secret relationship with a coworker that could definitely draw the wrong kind of attention. She's also a bit of a verbal punching bag for her boss. 

Oh, and her relationship with her mother isn't great either. 

I really loved this book and cannot wait to read more of the series!

As an added bonus, I had the extreme pleasure of being able to attend yet another in-conversation event hosted by Orenda that paired Simone Buchholz (you can read my review of her excellent latest here) and Vanda Symon—moderated by Craig Sisterson, who, it was revealed, was the person who pitched Orenda on Symon’s series. And I’ll go ahead and extend a thanks there because I don’t think I’d otherwise have had the chance to discover this series at all!

It was a true delight to hear Symon and Buchholz both talk about their writing and settings. Sisterson asked some really great questions, which made it even more fun to dive into more of Bound!

Quick note, Bound is readily available in the UK and will be available in the US November 1—plenty of time to read the first three books: Overkill, The Ringmaster, and Containment. I promise, you will not be disappointed!