A High-Octane First Person Crime Thiller: Overkill by Vanda Symon

$8.99 on Amazon

First published in 2007 in New Zealand by Penguin Books, a re-edited and updated version of Vanda Symon's Overkill, the first Sam Shephard series novel is now available to U.S. crime thriller fans.

Vanda Symon is a full-time mystery/thriller writer and mother from Dunedin, New Zealand. She hosts a  monthly books-focused radio show "Write On" on the second Wednesday of each month, and serves as the Chair of the Otago Southland Branch of the New Zealand Society of Authors.

The first thing you notice when reading Overkill is the vivid, convincing, and near cinematographic descriptions of South Island New Zealand, the backdrop for the story. The story details a murder case dressed up to look like a suicide. Readers start out a little ahead of the cops here knowing the suicide was staged because Symon let's us in on it with the prologue. But, that advantage doesn't least long when Sam Shephard, a sole-charge police constable in Mataura starts digging into the case.

The story does feature a well-used trope, a cop gets thrown off a case after becoming a suspect, and has to continue investigating alone. But, that doesn't detract a bit from the well-plotted, high-octane tale. Best of all, Overkill provides one of the best character growth stories I've read in a long while. Symon gives us plenty of insight into the thoughts and fears of the protagonist, Sam Shephard, a hard-charging and endearing character with plenty of spirit and pluck to spare. She’s capable and bright and caring, but not a bit arrogant. We watch Sam run the gamut of emotions as you tries to solve the case almost single-handedly to clear her name and to bring justice to the victim.

"I couldn't put it down" has become a cliche in book review circles, but certainly applies to this brilliant thriller. Symon hits the gas from the get go and the pace doesn't slow until we reach the exciting climax.

Overkill gets a five-star rating from Best Crime Thriller Books. If you enjoy spending a few entertaining hours on a white-knuckle ride with a likable, gutsy female protagonist, it won't disappoint. If you're interested, read the full review here.

Orenda Books will be publishing a re-edited and updated version of Ringmaster, the second Sam Shephard series novel this April. Until then, U.S. crime thriller fans can find Overkill on Amazon.

Sunny is back... Blood Feud a solid resurrection of the Sunny Randall series

$13.99 Kindle Edition

Sunny is back. As a longtime devoted fan of Robert B. Parker, the dean of American crime fiction, I was devastated when he passed away in 2010. I felt mixed emotions when the estate decided to continue Robert B. Parker's characters and series by turning them over to other authors. While I mourned the loss of Spenser especially, I found myself in agreement with John D. MacDonald's son Maynard when he explained why he refused offers to continue his father's popular and influential Travis McGee series. “It is because I have never seen a really good imitation, be it art, literature, or music, that carries that poignant echo of the original artist.”

Parker not only revived the private detective novel, but he also revolutionized it by bringing to the genre a literary-like quality that made it respectable. It's quite difficult to imagine another author ever filling those big shoes by giving us fanatical Parker fans a novel that reads anywhere close to those penned by Spenser’s late creator.

Yet, I've been pleasantly surprised to see how well Ace Atkins and Reed Farrel Coleman have done with the Spenser novels and Jesse Stone series respectively. Neither author is Robert B. Parker, but both are excellent writers and do a credible job with the series each has continued. It was for that reason I was keen to see how Mike Lupica would do with the Sunny Randall series when I learned the estate had tapped him to continue it.

I was counting the days until the release of Blood Feud when I had the good fortune of being offered a complimentary ARC to review by the publisher which I happily accepted. Like Atkins and Coleman, Mike Lucia is not Robert B. Parker, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading his first Sunny Randall novel. Sunny along with all the other principal supporting characters seemed the same as I'd remembered them. Also, the case that provided the basis for the story was one which I could easily imagine Sunny pursuing.

Lupica didn't disappoint. For the most part, his writing is tight and exciting, and he kept me turning the pages. I'll be looking forward to his next Sunny Randall novel as Blood Feud was a worthwhile and entertaining read.

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Blood Feud, slated for release November 27, 2018, is available for preorder on Amazon. While I give the book a four out of five stars rating, I'm  a little surprised the publisher has set the eBook cover price at $13.99. The most recent Spenser book by Ace Atkins is priced at $12.99 and the most recent Jesse Stone book by Reed Farrel Coleman is priced at $9.99. I'd think both of those authors are more well known than Lupica and should command higher cover prices. I might wait until used print editions of this one are available before snagging one, or until the publishers relent and lower the eBook price to a more reasonable one once the early sales figures come in after the launch.    

The Second Stage of Grief by Katherine Hayton

eBook $3.99 on Amazon

On the Radar: Book 2 in the Ngaire Blake Series

After reading the first book in the Ngaire Blake series, The Three Deaths of Magdalene Lynton, we wanted more from New Zealand author Katherine Hayton. Book 2, The Second Stage of Grief, delivered on our expectations for more gripping crime thriller action and then some.

In the first novel we meet Detective Constable Ngaire Blake, a Maori detective from Christchurch. The victim of a recent brutal off-duty assault has left Blake with physical injuries and debilitating PTSD. In this second novel in the series, Blake has resigned from police service until she is physically and emotionally healed enough to return to duty. But as Blake tries to put past trauma behind her and her life back together, an incident from her past as a uniformed constable comes back to haunt her with a vengeance.

Blake gets dragged into a grisly murder investigation, and she’s shocked to discover that all the evidence points to her as the suspect. As the body count climbs, Ngaire figures out someone from her past not only staged an elaborate frame up as an act of revenge, but intends to add her to the list of corpses before they are through. She flees to the cold comfort of her estranged father’s hometown. In danger and not knowing who to trust, she severs contact with her closest allies and police colleagues, resolved to rely on only herself to identify the killer before it’s too late.

There is a lot for crime thriller fans to like about this book. A few chapters into the book and the reader believes the killer chasing Blake has been identified. It is only a matter of time until the police catch him and put an end to the threat. Hayton does such a superb job of leading us down the primrose path we're certain the story is cruising toward the denouement. But, not so fast, Hayton says as she tosses yet another unexpected twist into the mix. If you enjoy an edge-of-your-seat thriller where the identity of the villain isn't revealed until the very end, you'll love The Second Stage of Guilt. If you like gritty crime thrillers with plenty of psychological suspense, and a strong woman protagonist who overcomes her own demons to rises to the challenge, don't miss this entertaining crime fiction novel.

The Second Stage of Grief is available both in print (hardcover and paperback) and as an eBook. The electronic edition is an Amazon Kindle exclusive and available to Kindle Unlimited subscribers to read for free. We give this novel a five out of five-stars rating.

Foregone Conclusion is the fourth novel in the thrilling Malone Private Investigator Series of Crime and Suspense Thrillers. If you like breathtaking action, laugh-out-loud humor, and a hint of romance, then you’ll love this edge-of-your-seat detective thriller.

Available Now on Amazon or from your favorite eBook retailer.