Fresh from maternity leave, Dunedin detective Sam Shephard investigates the unsolved murder of a highly esteemed church minister … with potentially deadly consequences. New Queen of New Zealand Crime, Vanda Symon, returns with a page-turning, riveting new Sam Shephard mystery…

‘A series that has gradually become deeper and defter … New Zealand has a new Ngaio Marsh’ The Times

`What a page-turner! I adored DS Sam Shepherd … her irreverence for authority while always alert to the job in hand. A fantastically riveting read´ Liz Nugent

`If you've never met New Zealand detective Sam Shephard, you're in for a treat … a one-sitting read´ Ann Cleeves

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On her first day back from maternity leave, Detective Sam Shephard is thrown straight into a cold-case investigation – the unsolved murder of a highly respected Anglican Priest in Dunedin.

The case has been a thorn in the side of the Police hierarchy, and for her boss it's personal.

With all the witness testimony painting a picture of a dedicated church and family man, what possible motive could there have been for his murder?

But when Sam starts digging deeper into the case, it becomes apparent someone wants the sins of the past to remain hidden. And when a new potential witness to the crime is found brutally murdered, there is pressure from all quarters to solve the case before anyone else falls prey.

But is it already too late…?

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`Gripping and addictive … Vanda Symon is a must read for all thriller fans´ Michael Wood

Praise for the Sam Shephard series

***SHORTLISTED for the CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger***
***SHORTLISTED for Best Paperback in the Barry Awards***
**SHORTLISTED for the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel**

`A sassy heroine, fabulous sense of place, and rip-roaring stories with a twist. Perfect curl-up-on-the-sofa reading´ Kate Mosse

`From the opening pages, this story left me gasping for breath´ Michael Robotham

`New Zealand's answer to Siobhan Clarke´ The Times

`The Edinburgh of the south has never been more deadly´ Ian Rankin

`New Zealand's modern Queen of Crime´ Val McDermid

`Fans of The Dry will love Vanda Symon´ Red Magazine

`Chillingly intense with a finely honed sense of place´ Craig Robertson

`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

`It is Symon's copper Sam, self-deprecating and very human, who represents the writer's real achievement´ Guardian

`Fast, furious and intense´ Helen Fields

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