I decided it was time to find a new mystery/detective series to listen to on my morning walks and opted for this book, the first in the Sam Shephard series set in New Zealand. I read Symon’s Faceless last year and really liked it so I thought I’d check out her police procedural series.

The body of Gabby Knowes is found on the riverbank in Mataura. She left her young daughter Angel and a farewell note for her husband Lochie at home, so suicide seems to be the logical conclusion. From the prologue, the reader knows that she was murdered, and it doesn’t take Sam Shephard, the sole-charge police constable in the rural town, to determine that Gabby is a murder victim. Things are complicated, however, because Sam and Lochie were in a long-term relationship before their breakup and Lochie’s subsequent marriage. Because of this prior relationship, she is suspended from duty and is added to the list of suspects. Undeterred, she pursues the case on her own.

Because this is the first installment in the series, character development is key. Sam is young and inexperienced, and that definitely affects her behaviour. I found it difficult to believe that she doesn’t inform her superiors of her past relationship with Lochie. And her failure to secure the house suggests a lack of knowledge about proper procedure. She is eager and that’s a plus, but she tends to be reckless. Once she has identified the murderer, she goes alone to confront him?! I loved her feisty attitude, though her outspokenness does get her into difficulties with higher-ranking officers.

Sam does let her personal feelings affect her investigation. She still seems to have feelings for Lochie and seems jealous of Gabby. Fortunately, Sam does show some personal growth, admitting that she behaved inappropriately after the breakup and may have misjudged Gabby. The role of Sam’s roommate Maggie seems to be to call out Sam on her sometimes immature behaviour.

The book begins on a high note. Unfortunately, the same level of tension is not achieved afterwards. There is actually not much suspense until the final scene. Some scenes, like Sam’s trying to change a flat tire go on and on unnecessarily. The motive for the murder seems a little unconvincing, though perhaps that’s the reason for the title.

The portrayal of life in rural New Zealand and the book’s touches of humour made me think of The Brokenwood Mysteries, a television series set in a small town in the countryside of New Zealand. The protagonist is Detective Inspector Mike Shepherd so even the names are similar.

This is a fairly standard police procedural. I’m hoping that Sam shows less impetuosity and more maturity in subsequent titles.

Note: Please check out my reader's blog (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/) and follow me on Twitter (@DCYakabuski). ( )

First, I want to say that no, you shouldn't pick books because of covers. Second, I just LOVE this cover. So, ignore what I said first. Especially if you like a good crime novel because this is a book that has both a great story AND great cover!

OVERKILL is the first book in Sam Shephard series. Sam is a young cop that is called to a house in which a young woman has disappeared from. A suicide note has been found and soon after the body of the woman is found. An easy case, or not. Sam is not so sure and shortly after she discovers that it's, not suicide, it's murder. And, to top it all she's herself a suspect because of the dead women is the wife of her old boyfriend. Now she has to both find the murderer and clear her name.

Sam Shepard is easy to like. A bit too outspoken now perhaps, which isn't good when her career and life in freedom is at risk. But, she's a good cop and she's hellbent on finding the killer. The question is why would anyone want to kill a nice young mother. Sam has to dig deep to get some answers and the truth is truly surprising. There are also some really hilarious moments in the book, like for instance when Sam is trying to change a tire. I love it when in all seriousness there is a moment like that. Moments that make you smile.

OVERKILL is a great book and I hope to get the chance of reading the rest of the books in the series. ( )

First, I want to say that no, you shouldn't pick books because of covers. Second, I just LOVE this cover. So, ignore what I said first. Especially if you like a good crime novel because this is a book that has both a great story AND great cover!

OVERKILL is the first book in Sam Shephard series. Sam is a young cop that is called to a house in which a young woman has disappeared from. A suicide note has been found and soon after the body of the woman is found. An easy case, or not. Sam is not so sure and shortly after she discovers that it's, not suicide, it's murder. And, to top it all she's herself a suspect because of the dead women is the wife of her old boyfriend. Now she has to both find the murderer and clear her name.

Sam Shepard is easy to like. A bit too outspoken now perhaps, which isn't good when her career and life in freedom is at risk. But, she's a good cop and she's hellbent on finding the killer. The question is why would anyone want to kill a nice young mother. Sam has to dig deep to get some answers and the truth is truly surprising. There are also some really hilarious moments in the book, like for instance when Sam is trying to change a tire. I love it when in all seriousness there is a moment like that. Moments that make you smile.

OVERKILL is a great book and I hope to get the chance of reading the rest of the books in the series. ( )

This started out strongly with Sam, the sole police officer in Mataura, called to look into the disappearance (soon discovered to be the murder) of her former boyfriend's wife. The early chapters describing Sam's investigation were well-paced and interesting, but then Sam is suspended and made a suspect by the regional detectives, due to her former relationship. From that point on Sam is treated extraordinarily badly by the other police officers, acts petulantly and with incredible foolhardiness, and eventually (of course) uncovers the (extremely unlikely) motive for the murder.

Strong NZ setting. ( )

The book opens with young mother Gaby Knowes being murdered: the killer threatening Gaby’s baby daughter to ensure the murder goes smoothly. Although Gaby does what she can to leave clues that her death is not the suicide it is supposed to look like, the lone Police Constable in town, Sam Shephard, at first assumes Gaby did take her own life. However discrepancies soon appear and and Sam calls in the assistance of a full investigative team from a nearby city. Shortly afterwards Sam is thrown of the case but continues to investigate matters on her own.

Sam Shepherd is a likable and quite engaging character. She reminds me of Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone in many ways. She shares the doggedness and disregard for her own safety in the pursuit of answers and can also be a little childish to her own detriment. Sam had a personal connection to this particular case and the way she dealt with her feelings over the course of the book was very thoughtful. There were a lot of other characters glimpsed but not many were terribly well fleshed out and I thought the book would have benefited from another ‘major’ character to participate in the action and help develop the plot. For me Symon did a better job of depicting the small farming and manufacturing town of Mataurain New Zealand. There’s a nice combination of local flavour and shared traits with isolated communities the world over: people look after their own, are distrustful of strangers and love a good gossip about their neighbours.

In the end the plot held together although I found myself struggling with elements of it during the middle of the story. There were things that didn’t ring true, such as the ferocity with which Sam was removed from the case and the interactions between Sam and the murdered woman’s husband who is Sam’s own ex lover. Possibly due to everything being told from Sam’s perspective there were parts of the story that were undeveloped. Why, for example, were Sam’s colleagues so willing to accept the possibility of her own guilt when, normally, Police are slow to accept the guilt of ‘one of their own’? However the last third of the book was quite a page turner and the ultimate resolution was both well crafted and very credible.

Overall this was an entertaining debut novel and I will certainly look for the next in the series which looks to move Sam to a bigger city which is a smart move on the part of Symon as there’s a limit to how many interesting crimes can take place in a small town (Cabot Cove excluded of course).

My rating 3.5/5

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