Breaking news: It's goodbye Sam Shephard, for now...

Many Crime Watch readers will be familiar (or at least have heard or read about) Dunedin author Vanda Symon's impressive Sam Shephard series. Symon introduced her sassy heroine as a sole-charge rural cop in OVERKILL, before moving Sam to the big smoke of Dunedin, where Sam has found herself on the lower rungs of the detective ladder with the local CID, battling all sorts of criminals and personal issues over the course of three more very good books.

Symon was a finalist for the inaugural Ngaio Marsh Award last year, for her third Sam Shephard book, CONTAINMENT, which international judges said had "an attractive series heroine (feisty but vulnerable)" and started with a "superb" opening scene that by itself would make them "want to read more Vanda Symon". Earlier this year Symon's fourth Sam Shephard book, BOUND, debuted at #1 on the NZ Adult Fiction Bestseller charts, and got great reviews. For me, BOUND is Symon's best book yet, and one of my top books of the year, so far - and I'm sure it will be a strong contender for the 2012 Ngaio Marsh Award.

However, like many other crime top writers who pen terrific continuing characters, Symon has also been interested in writing a standalone story; something a little different, perhaps darker. So her next book will not star Sam Shephard. While this will no doubt be disappointing to many people who've come to see Shephard as one of the best new crime fiction protagonists around, it is also exciting to see what Symon will come up with in her new novel, completely unrestricted from continuing characters and familiar settings etc.

Symon has announced today announced on her personal blog that she has finished the manuscript for THE FACELESS, her first standalone thriller. It is likely to be released in early 2012. Earlier this year when I interviewed Symon for an article in the Weekend Herald (read here), we also discussed stepping away from Sam with a darker standalone thriller, which she was in the "early days" of working on at the time.

I can reveal that Symon told me that THE FACELESS  is "set in Auckland... it's crime fiction, but not a detective story in the police procedural sense... it's a bit darker". The story revolves around a kidnapping, and is told from the perspectives of three people, the victim, the kidnapper, and a witness who ends up investigating what has happened. "It's fun to be writing from different perspectives," said Symon. "I love writing about Sam, but it's nice to have a wee break."

It will be interesting to see how readers and the media respond. Hopefully THE FACELESS might do for Symon what darker standalone thrillers have done for some other terrific authors who'd got good reviews, perhaps been shortlisted for or won awards, and were seen as top quality writers for their recurring character novels, but then saw their popularity and wide appeal really take a massive jump on the back of such a book (eg THE POET for Michael Connelly, NO TIME FOR GOODBYE for Linwood Barclay, TELL NO ONE for Harlan Coben). Particularly in the case of Connelly and Coben, readers have flocked to their earlier books (starring Harry Bosch and Myron Bolitar, respectively) and then the ongoing series, after first coming across the author due to their darker standalones. Hopefully something of the same may happen for Symon, who I believe is a world-class crime writer deserving to be read widely beyond New Zealand shores.

What do you think of Symon writing a darker standalone novel - that's not set in Dunedin? Have you read her Sam Shephard books? What do you think of Sam as a character? Comments welcome.

Author event: launch of BOUND, Vanda Symon's new Sam Shephard book

Last week I was fortunate enough to get an advance review copy of a terrific new book that comes out in a couple of weeks; BOUND by Vanda Symon. Now, since I stumbled over THE RINGMASTER in the Papatoetoe Library in late 2008, I've been a fan of Symon's Sam Shephard novels. However, that wouldn't stop be saying if I didn't think the latest was up to scratch (eg I liked CONTAINMENT, the third in the series, and thought it was a very good novel that lots of people would enjoy, but for me I didn't think it was quite as good as OVERKILL and THE RINGMASTER, which were excellent).

So, I was curious to see how I would feel about BOUND: would it maintain the high standards of the overall series - the personality-packed characters and narrative, the visual storytelling and nice touches of humour amidst the mystery - or like some other ongoing series that started so well (cough, Patricia Cornwell, Linda Fairstein, Kathy Reichs) would it show signs of beginning to fall into a bit of a ho-hum pattern where what made the series special is worn away over time and some reader start bandying about words like 'formulaic'?

I can't say too much here, as I will be writing a newspaper/magazine review and feature about Symon and BOUND in the very near future (which will of course be shared with you all here on Crime Watch) - but I will say that I read the book in a little over 24 hours, that I was hooked and completely engaged by the characters and the storyline the whole way through, and that in my opinion, as good as I thought OVERKILL and THE RINGMASTER were, BOUND is the best book in the series thusfar.

My advice? Go and buy this book. If you've already tried the Sam Shephard series, I'd be astonished if you didn't love BOUND. If you haven't yet had the pleasure, then now's a great time to start.

And for those of you living in or visiting the lower part of the South Island, Vanda Symon, her publishers Penguin, and the University Book Shop have invited all Crime Watch readers to the official launch party for BOUND, at 6pm on Wednesday 2 February 2011. See the image for further details. RSVP to bronwynw@unibooks.co.nz.

Comments welcome.

Vanda Symon's BOUND a book to read in 2011, says Sunday Star-Times

In this week's issue of the Sunday Star-Times, one of New Zealand's biggest and most influential newspapers, Books Editor Mark Broatch (who wrote an excellent feature on the rise of New Zealand crime fiction last year) looked ahead to some of the books he thinks will be well worth reading in the coming year.

Along with a list of bestselling international crime fiction authors that Broatch notes will have new books available in 2010, he also singles out modern day Kiwi crime queen Vanda Symon's upcoming fourth Sam Shephard tale, BOUND. You can read the Sunday Star-Times article here.

BOUND is also one of my 'most anticipated' crime fiction releases of 2011. Sam Shephard has become one of my favourite protagonists over the first three books of the series, and I think Vanda Symon has a great writing style. You can read my review of THE RINGMASTER here, listen to Graham Beattie's review of CONTAINMENT here, and read my review of the first Sam Shephard tale, OVERKILL, here.

I'll be trying to get my hands on a copy of BOUND as soon as I can this year, that's for sure.

Here's the publisher's blurb: "A brutal home invasion shocks the nation. A man is murdered, his wife bound, gagged and left to watch.

But when Detective Sam Shephard scratches the surface, the victim, a successful businessman, is not all he seems to be. And when the evidence points to two of Dunedin's most hated criminals, the case seems cut and dried... until the body count starts to rise.

Meanwhile, Sam is in big trouble again…"

You can read an extract of BOUND here, or by clicking on the book cover above. The book is due for release in New Zealand and Australia on 31 January.

Have you read any of Vanda Symon's crime novels? Are you looking forward to BOUND? What do you think of Sam Shephard as a character? Of Dunedin as a crime fiction setting? Thoughts and comments appreciated.

Whodunnit and Whowunnit?

The final details of the Whodunnit and Whowunnit? event, where the inaugural Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel will be presented, have now been confirmed, with some adjustments to the author panel and confirmation of the prizes the inaugural winner will receive.

You can read the full press release below.

19 NOVEMBER 2010 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Inaugural Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime novel to be presented this month
THE PRESENTATION of the inaugural Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel, which was postponed when The Press Christchurch Writer’s Festival was cancelled due to the Canterbury earthquake, has been rescheduled for Tuesday, 30 November.

The Award will now be presented at the conclusion of the ‘Whodunnit and Whowunnit?’ event, a cocktail function and author panel where three of New Zealand’s most outstanding crime writers will discuss storytelling, the state of modern mystery writing, and the books industry in general, to be held amongst the relaxed atmosphere of Visions on Campus Restaurant at CPIT city campus.

2010 Ngaio Marsh Award finalists Neil Cross (Burial) and Vanda Symon (Containment) will be joined by Christchurch’s own internationally best-selling crime writer Paul Cleave (The Cleaner, Blood Men) on the panel, which will be hosted by crime fiction reviewer and commentator Craig Sisterson. See below for more information on the three author panelists. The full details of the event are:

Whodunnit and Whowunnit?
with the presentation of the first-ever Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel
7:30pm, Tuesday, 30 November 2010
Visions on Campus Restaurant, CPIT, cnr Madras St & Ferry Road, Christchurch
Tickets $10, includes a glass of wine and nibbles
Drinks start at 7pm, author panel at 7:30pm
Contact: Ruth Todd 03 384 4721 or ruth.todd@xtra.co.nz

“We're really pleased that we've been able to keep the rescheduled presentation of the first-ever Ngaio Marsh Award in Christchurch," said Judging Convenor Craig Sisterson. "Not only because it was the birthplace and hometown of Dame Ngaio, but because of the fantastic support this new award has had from several people involved with the Christchurch Writers Festival. I really hope that booklovers in Canterbury will come along for what should be a very enjoyable evening, celebrating some of the truly world-class writers we have here in New Zealand."

The 2010 Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel is made for the best crime, mystery, or thriller novel written by a New Zealand citizen or resident. A panel of seven local and international judges considered the best of locally written crime and thriller fiction published last year. The three finalists, who were named in the lead-up to The Press Christchurch Writer’s Festival, are:

• Cut & Run by Alix Bosco;
• Burial by Neil Cross; and
• Containment by Vanda Symon.
  

The international judges said Cut & Run was “complex and suspenseful” and had “scenes and incidents which are jaw-droppingly good”, that Burial “maintained the tension and the atmosphere from beginning to end, keeping the atmosphere creepy”, and that Containment had “an attractive series heroine (feisty but vulnerable)” while starting with a “superb” opening scene that by itself would make the judge “want to read more Vanda Symon”.

The winner of the inaugural Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel will receive:

• a distinctive handcrafted trophy designed and created by New Zealand sculptor and Unitec art lecturer Gina Ferguson (see photo);
• a selection of Dame Ngaio-related books courtesy of HarperCollins, her long-time publisher (being 20 Inspector Alleyn mysteries, her autobiography Black Beech & Honeydew, and the acclaimed recent biography Ngaio Marsh: Her Life in Crime by Dr Joanne Drayton); and
• a cheque for $500 courtesy of the Christchurch Writers Festival Trust.

“There were a number of high-quality crime novels published last year, and it has been a tough decision for the judges,” said Sisterson. “It is fantastic to see crime writing of this quality being produced by New Zealand writers, and great that the Award recognises both the best of our current authors, while also honouring the memory of one of our country’s true literary legends, who we have perhaps underappreciated in the past.”

The Award’s namesake, Dame Ngaio Marsh, is renowned worldwide as one of the four “Queens of Crime” of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction, having published 32 novels featuring Inspector Roderick Alleyn between 1934 and her death in 1982.

WHODUNNIT AND WHOWUNNIT? PANEL

Christchurch’s Paul Cleave is one of New Zealand’s most successful authors internationally, with his dark thrillers already being published in 14 countries and translated into 10 languages. His debut, The Cleaner, was the number one best-selling crime novel on Amazon Germany for 2007, and was one of the biggest and fastest selling debuts to ever come out of New Zealand. Both The Cleaner and Cemetery Lake have featured in The New Zealand Listener’s annual 100 Best Books list, and his latest thriller Blood Men was signed up by a large US publisher and launched in the United States this year.

Wellington-based Neil Cross has written several acclaimed novels, including the Booker Prize long-listed Always the Sun, Burial (finalist for the 2010 Ngaio Marsh Award), and his latest, Captured, as well as the best-selling memoir, Heartland. He was also lead scriptwriter for series six and seven of the BBC spy drama series, Spooks, and is the creator of the new BBC crime thriller series, Luther, which has screened in Britain and the United States this year.

Vanda Symon is the author of an acclaimed home-grown mystery series set in Otago and Southland featuring feisty detective heroine Sam Shephard, including Overkill, The Ringmaster (one of the New Zealand Listener’s 100 Best Books of 2008), and Containment (finalist for the 2010 Ngaio Marsh Award). A former pharmacist, Symon also hosts Write On, a local radio show in Dunedin focused on writers and the world of books. Her fourth Sam Shephard novel, Bound, will be released early next year.

For more information, please contact:

Craig Sisterson: craigsisterson@hotmail.com or (021) 184 1206

Crime Fiction Reviews from the latest Latitude magazine

As I've noted before, the editor of the excellent Canterbury regional lifestyle magazine Latitude, Joanne Taylor, has been kind enough to let me republish any crime fiction reviews published in Latitude, here on Crime Watch. It's an excellent magazine - it comes out quarterly and is about 160-180 pages each issue - so keep an eye out for it if you're in the area. I've written some large features, travel articles, and book reviews for them over the past year.

The current (Spring) issue, which came out the week prior to the Canterbury earthquake, included several crime fiction reviews - including reviews of the latest books from each of the three Ngaio Marsh Award finalists; Vanda Symon, Alix Bosco, and Neil Cross.

As I've already published a longer review of Neil Cross's CAPTURED here on Crime Watch, I won't republish the Latitude review here. However, here are the other two Kiwi crime fiction reviews from the latest Latitude. Enjoy.

SLAUGHTER FALLS
By Alix Bosco
Reviewed by Joanne Taylor

I eagerly awaited the second novel from Auckland writer Alix Bosco. SLAUGHTER FALLS continues the ability of the prime character, Anna Markunas, to end up in bizarre crime scenes. Eager to put her research skills to use in Queensland while there on holiday, Markunas attempts to track down the family of a fellow tour party member who died suddenly. As she gets closer to the truth, the dark world of Australia's corrupt underbelly looms - who is helping and who is hindering the investigation continues to keep the reader turning the pages.

The character of Anna Markunas develops nicely in this sequel (to the first novel CUT & RUN) with the stories of her children interwoven throughout with the impending arrival of a grandchild and the worry that her sone will slip back into bad habits. A great book to curl up with.

CONTAINMENT

by Vanda Symon

Reviewed by Craig Sisterson

Dunedin crime writer Vanda Symon brings back her feisty local heroine Sam Shephard for a third instalment in what has become an excellent detective series. In CONTAINMENT, the junior detective investigates a bizarre death - what seems a routine diving accident before forensics reveal the man didn't die from drowning and his body was stuffed in the wetsuit afterwards - that might be linked to the grounding of a container ship on the Aramoana coast.

CONTAINMENT once again shows Symon's talent for well-rounded characters, unique set-pieces, and Dunedin touches that give readers a strong sense of the student-packed southern city, while fleshing out even more about Shephard's personal life. Enjoyable, and well worth reading.

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What do you think of the reviews (we are very constrained for space)? Are you planning on reading either book? If you already have, what to do you think of it/them? Thoughts and comments most welcome.

Terrific interviews: Val McDermid, Peter James, and more...

It's been a fantastic few days for crime fiction fans listening to Radio New Zealand, who in general are often an excellent media outlet here in New Zealand when it comes to giving some 'space' to crime fiction reviews and interviews, with terrific long interviews with 2010 Cartier Diamond Dagger recipient Val McDermid (44mins) and #1 bestselling British crime writer Peter James (30 mins), amongst other crime fiction content.

Fortunately for all of us who weren't able to listen to the interviews live at the time, Radio New Zealand archives these kinds of things online. For those of you who have some time, I heartily recommend having a listen.

On Saturday 28 August, well-known New Zealand radio personality Kim Hill interviewed Val McDermid. It's a truly terrific interview, beginning with McDermid talking about why some people like reading crime fiction - things like "the promise of resolution" and providing "a safe place to be scared", like a rollercoaster - before covering everything from Val McDermid's friendship with Gordon Brown and her thoughts on Tony Blair, to interviewing Moors Murderer Ian Brady's mother as a journalist, to her days at Oxford, thoughts on psychological profiling, and much, much more. You can listen to the full interview here.

On Monday, Jim Mora interviewed Peter James on his Afternoons programme. This too is a great interview, with lots of interesting discussion and insights. The pair cover everything from James' love of cars (and the tragic history of the WWII B-25 Mitchell bomber he used to own), his aim to provide insights into all three aspects in his crime novels - the criminal, the victim, and the police, the horror of rape as a crime, getting the reality of police work into his novels, his in-depth research, the bravery of real-life police, and the original inspiration and impetus for the creation of Roy Grace. You can read the full interview here.

It's another excellent interview, during which, after commenting on how James uses the names of friends (and enemies, he jokes) in his books, Mora asks near the end of the interview whether James would use the name of the first listener to text in, in one of his future books. After saying he'd be delighted to, and that he'll use it in the book he is currently writing (DEAD MAN'S GRIP), the interview continues. When Mora chooses the name of Sarah Papesh, he notes that already (within about 2-3 minutes) they'd had 479 people text in! When I met James that evening in Takapuna (see picture above left), he was simply astonished by the response.

In other good news for Kiwi fans, James mentioned that as he has family in Hamilton, he is considering involving New Zealand in some way in a future Roy Grace case. So keep your eyes peeled for that!

On Tuesday, Kiwi crime writer and Ngaio Marsh Award finalist Vanda Symon, the creator of the excellent Sam Shephard series set in the southern part of the South Island, reviewed the latest novels from two big name British crime writers who have been visiting our shores recently - McDermid's TRICK OF THE DARK and BAD BOY by Peter Robinson - for Mora's Afternoons programme. You can listen to Symon's reviews here.

Along with all the great crime fiction content on Radio New Zealand in the past few days, a couple of weeks ago they also had a reading from THE FALLEN, the local #1 bestseller from young Ben Sanders, and an interesting short interview with Sanders, where he talks about reading Michael Connelly and James Ellroy, and the creation of Sean Devereaux. You can listen to that interview here.

So what do you think of the interviews and reviews? Do you like listening to authors and reviews, as well as reading such features and reviews in the print and online media? Have you read any Val McDermid, Peter James, Peter Robinson, or Vanda symon books? What do you think? Why do you read crime fiction? I'd love to read what you think. Comments welcome.

Win a full set of the Ngaio Marsh Award finalists!

In celebration of the fact that they publish or distribute all three of the finalists for the inaugural Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel, Penguin Group (NZ) are "giving you the chance to win a set of these three chilling titles . . ."

Unfortunately for Crime Watch's international readers, the Penguin competition is only open to New Zealand residents - but never fear, I will have a new giveaway for you to enter soon! In the meantime, New Zealand readers should get their names into the draw to win a full set of these cracking crime novels, and international readers should head along to Amazon etc to pick up their own copies.

TO ENTER THE PRIZE DRAW:

• Step 1: Sign-up to Penguin NZ's online newsletter, Penguin Post, so they can keep you up to date with their latest books, news and chances to win even more great prizes.
• Step 2: Email your name, address and phone number to web@penguin.co.nz with the subject line 'CRIME' and you're in the draw!

Entries close 5pm 31st August. Winner drawn 1st September. Terms & conditions.

As I noted earlier, the three finalists for the inaugural Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel are:

• CUT & RUN by Alix Bosco (Penguin);
• BURIAL by Neil Cross (Simon & Schuster); and
• CONTAINMENT by Vanda Symon (Penguin)

The winner of the inaugural Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel will be announced at a ceremony at the conclusion of the “Setting the Stage for Murder” event at the Festival on the evening of Friday 10 September 2010.

The international judges said CUT & RUN was “complex and suspenseful” and had “scenes and incidents which are jaw-droppingly good”, that BURIAL “maintained the tension and the atmosphere from beginning to end, keeping the atmosphere creepy”, and that CONTAINMENT had “an attractive series heroine (feisty but vulnerable)” while starting with a “superb” opening scene that by itself would make the judge “want to read more Vanda Symon”.

Finalists for inaugural Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel announced today

THE THREE finalists for the inaugural Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel, which will be presented at a ceremony at the upcoming The Press Christchurch Writers’ Festival in September, have now been confirmed. The award is made for the best crime, mystery, or thriller novel written by a New Zealand citizen or resident, published in New Zealand during 2009.

A panel of seven local and international judges has been considering the best of locally written crime and thriller fiction published last year.

The three finalists are:

• CUT & RUN by Alix Bosco (Penguin);
• BURIAL by Neil Cross (Simon & Schuster); and
• CONTAINMENT by Vanda Symon (Penguin)

The winner of the inaugural Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel will be announced at a ceremony at the conclusion of the “Setting the Stage for Murder” event at the Festival on the evening of Friday 10 September 2010.

The international judges said CUT & RUN was “complex and suspenseful” and had “scenes and incidents which are jaw-droppingly good”, that BURIAL “maintained the tension and the atmosphere from beginning to end, keeping the atmosphere creepy”, and that CONTAINMENT had “an attractive series heroine (feisty but vulnerable)” while starting with a “superb” opening scene that by itself would make the judge “want to read more Vanda Symon”.

“There were a number of high-quality crime novels published last year, and it has been a tough decision for the judges,” said Judging Convenor Craig Sisterson. “It is fantastic to see crime writing of this quality being produced by New Zealand writers, and great that the Award recognises both the best of our current authors, while also honouring the memory of one of our country’s true literary legends, who we have perhaps underappreciated in the past.”

The Awards namesake, Dame Ngaio Marsh, is renowned worldwide as one of the four “Queens of Crime” of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction, having published 32 novels featuring Inspector Roderick Alleyn between 1934 and her death in 1982. With sales in the millions, and her books still in print to this day, Dame Ngaio is possibly New Zealand’s bestselling author, ever.

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So, what do you think of the three finalists for the first-ever Ngaio Marsh Award? Have you read any of them? Do you agree with the judges? Which is your favourite? Thoughts and comments welcome.