Murder and mystery set in rural New Zealand

5th September 2018

Overkill by Vanda Symon – murder and mystery set in rural New Zealand.

Constable Sam Shepherd is the police presence in Mataura, a real life small town at the base of New Zealand’s South Island. Gaby, the wife of Lockie – a former lover of Sam’s – is found dead. The death is very cleverly made to look like suicide, but she had been murdered. Sam starts the investigation, but is hampered by her feelings towards Lockie. Her bosses in Dunedin find out about her past, and she is taken off the case. Indeed, she is named as a suspect and suspended from duty. But Sam is determined to press on regardless, and identify and apprehend the murderer.

She established that Gaby was taking a remote learning course in journalism, and was working on a story that may – somehow – have been linked to her death. But what had she found out, and what was so significant that she needed to be disposed of? Violent murders don’t often happen in a sleepy place like Mataura.

Sam’s investigations take her deep into the farming community. The piece Gaby was working on revolved around the instances and treatment of TB in cattle. A pretty mundane subject. Who could she possibly have offended?

The story moves to a violent and eventful conclusion.

A really good book in TripFiction terms. The rural community of Southern New Zealand is well painted – as is its environment, and there is much fascinating detail about the regulations concerning the import of livestock into New Zealand as the government strives to keep the country disease free and its export meat industry thriving.

Overkill was first published in New Zealand in 2007, and it is only now making its UK debut. It is the first of five titles in the Sam Shepherd series, and I look forward to reading the others.

Overkill is a great introduction to the world of New Zealand noir. I’m sure Sam is a character who will develop and mature over time.

Tony for the TripFiction team

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